Timeline of Elder Joseph's Synodia:
1921- Elder Joseph arrives on the Holy Mountain. At some point, he finds a spiritual companion in Elder Arsenios the Cave-Dweller.
1924- The New Calendar is introduced, and almost all of the monasteries on Mount Athos cease commemoration of the Patriarch. Elder Joseph and Elder Arsenios immediately join the zealots.
1936- Elder Ephraim of Katounakia is ordained a hieromonk by Bishop Germanos of the Cyclades
1937- A schism occurs among the GOC of Greece between the moderate zealots represented by Germanos of Demetrias and Chrysostom of Florina, and the stricter zealots led by Matthew of Bresthena and Germanos of the Cyclades. Elder Joseph and his synodia, as well as Elder Ephraim of Katounakia, align themselves with the Matthewites, participating in written denunciations of Germanos and Chrysostom.
1938- Elder Joseph's synodia moves from the Skete of Saint Basil to the Small Skete of Saint Anne.
1945- Elder Joseph's synodia leaves the Matthewites and submits to Metropolitan Chrysostom of Florina.
1947- Elder Joseph's synodia is joined by Elder Ephraim (future abbot of Iveron)
1950- Elder Joseph and his synodia leave the zealots and join the commemorators, probably as a reaction to the 1950 encyclical issued by Metropolitan Chrysostom of Florina, which declared the New Calendar State Church to be schismatic and graceless.
1951- In October, Elder Haralambos (future abbot of Dionysiou), is ordained a hieromonk by Bishop Hierotheos of Miletoupolis (1874–1956), a commemorating bishop who was living in a nearby hermitage.
1959- Elder Joseph reposes, Elder Arsenios the Cave-Dweller takes over the leadership of Elder Joseph's synodia.
1965- As a reaction to the "Lifting of the Anathemas", many of the monasteries on the Holy Mountain stopped commemorating the Patriarch. Elder Joseph's synodia does the same, and they remain zealots until at least 1972. Interestingly enough, during this time, Elder Ephraim (future abbot of Philotheou), would leave the Holy Mountain and serve in Old Calendarist parishes, in which he would commemorate Archbishop Auxentios during the liturgy. According to one account he even received a "laying on of hands" from Archbishop Auxentius for this purpose.
1972- Fr. George Viktovic, a former disciple of Elder Joseph, reposes. He was a Serb who had learned Greek out of love for his Elder. When the brothers of the synodia were fighting amongst themselves and going to the monasteries to become abbots, Fr. George was very sad. He went to the grave of the elder and kissed it, weeping, saying, “If you were still alive, they wouldn’t be doing this.” He also left, but he went the other way, to a cell outside the Russian monastery of St. Panteleimon and died there as a zealot. He had probably eaten some bad berries and died from that. He was only photographed once, at a funeral service at the Hilandar monastery, which is the only service in which a bishop is not commemorated.
1973- Elder Ephraim becomes the abbot of Iveron Monastery
1975- After the repose of his elder Nikephoros (who was a zealot), Elder Ephraim of Katounakia joins the commemorators and forms his own brotherhood
1975- Elder Joseph the Cypriot becomes the spiritual father of the Monastery of Koutloumousiou
1983- Elder Arsenios the Cave-Dweller reposes at Dionysiou monastery, lying in a hospital bed next to Elder Gabriel of Dionysiou, the former abbot of the monastery, who dies around the same time. His nephew, Elder Haralambos, became the Abbot of Dionysiou in 1980.