Jump to content

Syriac Orthodox Church

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
For other uses, see Jacobite.
"Syrian Orthodox" redirects here. For other uses, see Syrian Orthodox (disambiguation).


Syriac Orthodox Church
ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘ̣ܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܗܰܝܡܳܢܽܘܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ ܫܽܘ̣ܒ̣ܚܳܐ (Classical Syriac)
Cathedral of Saint George
Cathedral of Saint George, Damascus, Syria
ClassificationOriental Orthodox
OrientationSyriac
ScripturePeshitta
TheologyOriental Orthodox theology
PolityEpiscopal
StructureCommunion
PatriarchIgnatius Aphrem II
RegionMiddle East, India, and diaspora
LanguageClassical Syriac
LiturgyWest Syriac: Liturgy of Saint James
HeadquartersCathedral of Saint George, Damascus, Syria (since 1959) Patriarchal Residence:Syriac Orthodox Patriachal Residence, Atchane,Lebanon
Origin1st century[1][2][3]
Antioch, Roman Empire[4][5]
Independence512[6][7][8]
Branched fromChurch of Antioch[9]
MembersApproximately 1.4–1.7 million (2015, including India)[10][11]
Aid organizationEPDC St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee[12]
Other name(s)Arabic: الكنيسة السريانية الأرثوذكسية
Malayalam: സുറിയാനി ഓർത്തഡോക്സ് സഭ, romanized: Suriyāni ōrtḥdōx Sabḥa[13]
Official websiteSyriac Orthodox Patriarchate
Digital LibraryDepartment of Syriac Studies
*Origin is according to Sacred tradition.
West Syriac Cross Unicode (U+2670) : ♰
Part of a series on
Oriental Orthodoxy
Oriental Orthodox churches
Independent churches
Autonomous churches
History and theology
  • Ecumenical Councils:
  • Theology:
Liturgy and practices
  • Anaphora & Rites:
  • Calendars:
  • Bible:
  • Cross:
Major figures
Related topics
Links and resources
icon Christianity portal

The Syriac Orthodox Church (Classical Syriac: ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ݂ ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ, romanized: ʿIdto Sūryoyto Trīṣath Shubḥo),[14] also known as West Syriac Church or West Syrian Church,[15] officially known as the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East,[16] and informally as the Jacobite Church,[17] is an Oriental Orthodox church that branched from the Church of Antioch. The bishop of Antioch, known as the patriarch, heads the church and possesses apostolic succession through Saint Peter (Classical Syriac: ܫܡܥܘܢ ܟܐܦܐ, romanized: Šemʿōn Kēp̄ā), according to sacred tradition.[18][19] The church upholds Miaphysite doctrine in Christology, and employs the Liturgy of Saint James, associated with James the Just.[20] Classical Syriac is the official and liturgical language of the church.

The church gained its hierarchical distinctiveness in 512, when pro-Chalcedonian patriarch Flavian II of Antioch was deposed by Byzantine emperor Anastasius I Dicorus,[21] and a synod was held at Laodicea in Syria in order to choose his successor,[22] a prominent Miaphysite theologian Severus the Great (d. 538).[23] His later deposition (in 518) was not recognized by the Miaphisite party, and thus a distinctive (autocephalous) Miaphysite patriarchate was established, headed by Severus and his successors. During the sixth century, Miaphysite hierarchical structure in the region was further straightened by Jacob Baradaeus (d. 578),[15] [24][25] while the pro-Chalcedonian faction would form to become the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch (part of the wider Eastern Orthodox Church) and the Maronite church (an Eastern Catholic church).

In 1662, the vacant Syriac Patriarchate of Antioch was filled by individuals who aligned themselves with the Catholic Church. Andrew Akijan was elected in that year, and was succeeded by another Catholic in Gregory Peter VI Shahbaddin. The non-Catholic Syriac party elected the rival Abdulmasih I, Shahbaddin's uncle, as a competing patriarch. Upon Shahbaddin's death in 1702, the Catholic line died out for several decades until the Holy Synod in 1782 elected Michael III Jarweh, who again aligned the Syriacs with the pope. Following a period of violence and intrigue, the non-Catholic party was again recognized with their own patriarch and the Catholic line continued independently as the Syriac Catholic Church).

Mor Hananyo Monastery was the headquarters of the church from c. 1160 until 1932.[26] The patriarchate was transferred to Homs due to the Sayfo genocide and the effects of World War I. The current see of the church is the Cathedral of Saint George, Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, since 1959.[27][28] Since 2014, Ignatius Aphrem II has served as the Patriarch of Antioch.

The church has an autonomous Maphrianate in India, along with archdioceses and patriarchal vicariates in countries covering six continents.

Name and identity

[edit]
See also: Terms for Syriac Christians and Christianity in Syria
Interior of St. Stephen Church, Gütersloh.

Syriac-speaking Christians have referred to themselves as "Ārāmāyē/Āṯūrāyē/Sūryāyē" in native Aramaic terms based on their ethnic identity.[29] In most languages besides English, a unique name has long been used to distinguish the church from the polity of Syria. In Arabic (the official language of Syria), the church is known as the "Kenissa Suryaniya" as the term "Suryani" identifies the Syriac language and people. Chalcedonians referred to the church as "Jacobite" (after Jacob Baradaeus) since the schism that followed the 451 Council of Chalcedon.[30] English-speaking historians identified the church as the "Syrian Church". The English term "Syrian" was used to describe the community of Syriacs in ancient Syria. In the 15th century, the term "Orthodox" (from Greek: "orthodoxía"; "correct opinion") was used to identify churches that practiced the set of doctrines believed by the early Christians. Since 1922, the term "Syrian" started being used for things named after the Syrian Federation. Hence, in 2000, the Holy Synod ruled that the church be named as "Syriac Orthodox Church" after the Syriac language, the official liturgical language of the church.[31]

The church is not ethnically exclusive, but two main ethnic groups in the community contest their ethnic identification as "Assyrians" and "Arameans".[32] "Suryoye" is the term used to identify the Syriacs in the diaspora.[33] The Syriac Orthodox identity included auxiliary cultural traditions of the Assyrian Empire and Aramean kingdoms.[34] Church traditions crystallized into ethnogenesis through the preservation of their stories and customs by the 12th century. Since the 1910s, the identity of Syriac Orthodoxy in the Ottoman Empire was principally religious and linguistic.[35][36][37]

In recent works, Assyrian-American historian Sargon Donabed has pointed out that parishes in the US were originally using Assyrian designations in their official English names, also noting that in some cases those designations were later changed to Syrian, and then to Syriac, while several other parishes still continue to use Assyrian designations.[38][39][40][41]

History

[edit]
A sixth-century encaustic icon from Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt
Syriac Orthodox Chapel of Saints Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus, Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem

Early history

[edit]

The church claims apostolic succession through the pre-Chalcedonian Patriarchate of Antioch to the Early Christian communities from Jerusalem led by Saint Barnabas and Saint Paul in Antioch, during the Apostolic era, as described in the Acts of the Apostles; "The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (New Testament, Acts 11:26). Saint Peter was selected by Jesus Christ (New Testament, Matthew 16:18) and is venerated as the first bishop of Antioch in c. 37 AD after the Incident at Antioch.[42][43][44]

Saint Evodius was Bishop of Antioch until 66 AD and was succeeded by Saint Ignatius of Antioch.[45] The earliest recorded use of the term "Christianity" (Greek: Χριστιανισμός) was by Ignatius of Antioch, in around 100 AD.[46] In A.D 169, Theophilus of Antioch wrote three apologetic tracts to Autolycus.[47] Patriarch Babylas of Antioch was considered the first saint recorded as having had his remains moved or "translated" for religious purposes—a practice that was to become extremely common in later centuries.[48] Eustathius of Antioch supported Athanasius of Alexandria who opposed the followers of the condemned doctrine of Arius (Arian controversy) at the First Council of Nicaea.[49] During the time of Meletius of Antioch the church split due to his being deposed for Homoiousian leanings—which became known as the Meletian Schism and saw several groups and several claimants to the See of Antioch.[50][51][52]

Patriarchate of Antioch

[edit]
Further information: List of Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch

Given the antiquity of the Bishopric of Antioch and the importance of the Christian community in the city of Antioch, a commercially significant city in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire, the First Council of Nicaea (325) recognized the Bishopric as one of main regional primacies in Christendom, with jurisdiction over the administrative Diocese of the Orient, thus laying the foundation for the creation of the "Patriarchate of Antioch and All of the East".[53] Because of the significance attributed to Ignatius of Antioch in the church, most of the Syriac Orthodox patriarchs since 1293 have used the name of Ignatius in the title of the Patriarch preceding their own Patriarchal name.[54]

Christological controversies that followed the Council of Chalcedon (451) resulted in a long struggle for the Patriarchate between those who accepted and those who rejected the council. In 512, pro-Chalcedonian patriarch Flavian II of Antioch was deposed by Emperor Anastasius I (d. 518), and on 6 November 512, at the synod of Laodicea in Syria, a prominent miapyhsite theologian Severus of Antioch (d. 538) was elected, and later consecrated on 16 November at the Great Church of Antioch.[21] In 518, he was exiled from Antioch,[55] by new emperor Justin I (d. 527), who tried to enforce a uniform Chalcedonian orthodoxy throughout the empire.[56][57][58] Those who belonged to the pro-Chalcedonian party accepted newly appointed patriarch Paul, who took over the see of Antioch. The miaphisite patriarchate was thus forced to move from Antioch with Severus the Great who took refuge in Alexandria. The non-Chalcedonian community was divided between "Severians" (followers of Severus), and aphthartodocetae, and that division remained unresolved until 527.[59] Severians continued to recognize Severus as the legitimate miaphysite Patriarch of Antioch until his death in 538, and then proceeded to follow his successors.[60][61]

Bishop Jacob Baradaeus (died 578) is credited for ordaining most of the miaphysite hierarchy while facing heavy persecution in the sixth century. In 544, Baradeus ordained Sergius of Tella, continuing the non-Chalcedonian succession of patriarchs of the Church of Antioch.[62] That was done in opposition to the government-backed Patriarchate of Antioch held by the pro-Chalcedonian believers leading to the Syriac Orthodox Church being known popularly as the "Jacobite" Church, while the Chalcedonian believers were known popularly as Melkites, coming from the Syriac word for king, malka (an implication of the Chalcedonian Church's relationship to the Roman Emperor, later emphasised by the Melkite Greek Catholic Church).[63] Because of many historical upheavals and consequent hardships that the Syriac Orthodox Church had to undergo, the patriarchate was transferred to different monasteries in Mesopotamia for centuries. John III of the Sedre was elected and consecrated Patriarch after the death of Athanasius I Gammolo in 631 AD, followed by the fall of Roman Syria and the Muslim conquest of the Levant. John and several bishops were summoned before Emir Umayr ibn Sad al-Ansari of Hims to engage in open debate regarding Christianity and represent the entire Christian community, including non-Syriac Orthodox communities, such as Greek Orthodox Syrians.[64] The Emir demanded translations of the Gospels into Arabic to confirm John's beliefs, which according to the Chronicle of Michael the Syrian was the first translation of the Gospels into Arabic.

Middle Ages

[edit]
Syriac Orthodox dioceses in the medieval period.
  Palestine
  Syria
  Lebanon and Cyprus
  Cilicia
  Cappadocia
  Amid and Arzun
  Commagene
  Osrhoene
  Mardin and Tur Abdin
  Iraq

The 8th century hagiography Life of Jacob Baradaeus is evidence of a definite denominational and social differentiation between the Chalcedonians and Miaphysites (Syriac Orthodox).[65] The longer hagiography shows that the Syriac Orthodox (called "Syriac Jacobites" in the work: suryoye yaquboye) self-identified with Jacob's story more than those of other saints.[66] Coptic historian and miaphysite bishop Severus ibn al-Muqaffa (ca. 897) speaks of Jacobite origins, and on the veneration of Jacob Baradaeus. He claimed that unlike the Chalcedonian Christians (who were labeled as "Melkites"), Miaphysite Jacobites never traded their Orthodoxy to win the favor of the Byzantine emperors, as the Melkites had done (malko is derived from "ruler, king, emperor").[67][68][69]

In the 10th century, after the Byzantine reconquest of Cappadocia, Cilicia and Syria, the Byzantine emperor encouraged Syriac settlement of these new frontier lands and a period of economic and intellectual flourishing lasted for Syriac Orthodox communities from 950 to 1020.[70][71] The Syriac Patriarch John Sarigta and his two successors lived at the monastery of Bārid close to Melitene, one of the many newly founded monasteries at the time, and Syriac Orthodox Christians were granted access to imperial positions.[72] The wealth and influence of the Syriac Orthodox communities then sparked conflicts with the Byzantine church, which begun to persecute Syriac Orthodox Christians, forcing Patriarch Dionysius IV to move the seat to the Arabic Amida.[73]

Before the advent of the Crusades in the 11th century, the Syriacs occupied most of the hill country of Jazirah (Upper Mesopotamia).[74] In Antioch, after the 11th-century persecutions by the Byzantines, the Syriac Orthodox population was almost extinguished. Only one Jacobite church is attested in Antioch in the first half of the 12th century, which led Dorothea Weltecke to conclude that the Syriac Orthodox population was very low in this period in Antioch and its surroundings.[75]

This changed during the 12th century when the Crusader states were established. Scholars agree generally that relations between the Syriac Orthodox and Latins in Outremer were good.[76] The Syriac population in the Principality of Antioch grew, also due to the influx of refugees, which also manifested itself in the construction of two further churches.[75] During that time, several Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs visited Antioch, with some even establishing temporary residences there, and the Syriac Orthodox hierarchy in Antioch was prepared to accept Latin supervision.[77] Nevertheless, they stayed officially independent although they also engaged in talks with the Byzantines and Latins about church union.[78][76]

In 1293, the patriarchal seat was transferred from the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery, where the patriarchs had resided since 1166,[79] to the Mor Hananyo Monastery (Deir al. Zaʿfarān) in southeastern Anatolia near Mardin where it would remain until 1933, when it was re-established in Homs, Syria, due to the adverse political situation in Turkey.

Early modern period

[edit]

16th century

[edit]

Among the preeminent churchmen of the period, Moses of Mardin (fl. 1549–d. 1592), was a diplomat of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Rome in the 16th century.[80]

17th century

[edit]
St. Mary Church, Diyarbakır.

By the early 1660s, 75% of the 5,000 Syriac Orthodox of Aleppo had converted to Catholicism following the arrival of mendicant missionaries.[81] The Catholic missionaries had sought to place a Catholic Patriarch among the Jacobites and consecrated Andrew Akhijan as the Patriarch of the newly founded Syriac Catholic Church.[81] The Propaganda Fide and foreign diplomats pushed for Akhijan to be recognized as the Jacobite Patriarch, and the Porte then consented and warned the Syriac Orthodox that they would be considered an enemy if they did not recognize him.[82] Despite the warning and gifts to priests, frequent conflicts and violent arguments continued between the Catholic and Orthodox Syriacs.[82] Around 1665, many Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, committed themselves in allegiance to the Syriac Orthodox Church, which established the Malankara Syrian Church. The Malankara Church consolidated under Mar Thoma I welcomed Gregorios Abdal Jaleel, who regularised the canonical ordination of Mar Thoma I as a native democratically elected Bishop of the Malabar Syrian Christians.[83]

Late modern period

[edit]

In the 19th century, the various Syriac Christian denominations did not view themselves as part of one ethnic group.[84] During the Tanzimat reforms (1839–78), the Syriac Orthodox was granted independent status by gaining recognition as their own millet in 1873, apart from Armenians and Greeks.[85]

In the late 19th century, the Syriac Orthodox community of the Middle East, primarily from the cities of Adana and Harput, began the process of creating the Syriac diaspora, with the United States being one of their first destinations in the 1890s.[86] Later, in Worcester, Massachusetts, the first Syriac Orthodox Church in the United States was built.[38]

Also in the late 1800s, the reformation faction of the Saint Thomas Christians in India left to form the Mar Thoma Syrian Church.

The 1895–96 massacres in Turkey affected the Armenian and Syriac Orthodox communities when an estimated 105,000 Christians were killed.[87] By the end of the 19th century, 200,000 Syriac Orthodox Christians remained in the Middle East, most concentrated around Saffron Monastery, the Patriarchal Seat.[88]

In 1870, there were 22 Syriac Orthodox settlements in the vicinity of Diyarbakır.[89] In the 1870–71 Diyarbakır salnames, there were 1,434 Orthodox Syriacs in that city.[90][91] On 10 December 1876, Ignatius Peter IV consecrated Geevarghese Gregorios of Parumala as metropolitan.[92] Rivalry within the Syriac Orthodox Church in Tur Abdin resulted in many conversions to the Syriac Catholic Church (the Uniate branch).[93]

Genocide (1914–1918)

[edit]
Sayfo Monument at St. Peters & St. Pauls Church, Hallunda.
Further information: Seyfo

The Ottoman authorities killed and deported Orthodox Syriacs, then looted and appropriated their properties.[94] During 1915–16, the number of Orthodox Syriacs in the Diyarbakır province was reduced by 72%, and in the Mardin province by 58%.[95]

Interwar period

[edit]

In 1924, the patriarchate of the church was transferred to Homs after Kemal Atatürk expelled the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch, who took the library of Deir el-Zaferan and settled in Damascus.[96][97] The Syriac Orthodox villages in Tur Abdin suffered from the 1925–26 Kurdish rebellions and massive flight to Lebanon, northern Iraq and especially Syria ensued.[98]

In the early 1920s, the city of Qamishli was built mainly by Syriac Orthodox refugees, escaping the Syriac genocide.

1945–2000

[edit]

In 1959, the seat of the Syriac Orthodox Church was transferred to Damascus in Syria.[96] In the mid-1970s, the estimate of Syriac Orthodox living in Syria was 82,000.[99] In 1977, the number of Syriac Orthodox followers in diaspora dioceses was: 9,700 in the Diocese of Middle Europe; 10,750 in the Diocese of Sweden and surrounding countries.[100]

On 20 October 1987, Geevarghese Mar Gregorios of Parumala was declared a saint by Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, Patriarch permitting additions to the diptychs.[101][102]The mother church and official seat of the Syriac Orthodox Church are now situated in Bab Tuma, Damascus, capital of Syria.

Damage to exterior of St. Mary Church of the Holy Belt during the Syrian Civil War.

Leadership

[edit]
Ignatius Aphrem II, current Patriarch of Antioch.

Patriarch

[edit]

The supreme head of the Syriac Orthodox Church is named Patriarch of Antioch, in reference to his titular pretense to one of the five patriarchates of the Pentarchy of Byzantine Christianity. Considered the "father of fathers", he must be an ordained bishop. He is the general administrator to Holy Synod and supervises the spiritual, administrative, and financial matters of the church. He governs external relations with other churches and signs agreements, treaties, contracts, pastoral encyclicals (bulls), pastoral letters related to the affairs of the church.[103]

Maphrian or Catholicos of India

[edit]

After the Patriarch, the second highest Rank in the Syriac Orthodox Church is that of the Maphrian or the Catholicos of India. He is important functionary in guiding the church when the patriarchate falls vacant after the death of a Patriarch, overseeing the election of the next Patriarch and leading the ceremony for the ordination of the Patriarch. The Maphrian's see is India and is the head of the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Church and is subject to the authority of the Patriarch. In joint councils the Maphrian is seated on the right side of the Patriarch and heads the church's regional synod in India with the Patriarch's sanction.

Archbishops and bishops

[edit]

The title bishop comes from the Greek word episkopos, meaning "the one who oversees".[104] A bishop is a spiritual ruler of the church who has different ranks. Then there are metropolitan bishops or archbishops, and under them, there are auxiliary bishops.

Priests

[edit]

The priest (Kasheesho) is the seventh rank and is the one duly appointed to administer the sacraments. Unlike in the Catholic Church, Syriac deacons may marry before ordained as priests; they cannot marry after ordained as priests. There is an honorary rank among the priests that are Corepiscopos who has the privileges of "first among the priests" and is given a chain with a cross and specific vestment decorations. Corepiscopos is the highest rank a married man can be elevated to in the Syriac Orthodox Church. The ranks above the Corepiscopos are unmarried.

Deacons

[edit]

In the Syriac Orthodox tradition, different ranks among the deacons are specifically assigned with particular duties. The six ranks of the diaconate are:

  1. 'Ulmoyo (Faithful)
  2. Mawdyono (Confessor of faith)
  3. Mzamrono (Singer)
  4. Quroyo or Korooyo (Reader)
  5. Afudyaqno (Sub-deacon)
  6. Evangeloyo (High deacon)
  7. Masamsono (Full deacon)

Only a full deacon can take the censer during the Divine Liturgy to assist the priest. In Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, because of the lack of deacons, altar assistants who do not have a rank of deaconhood may assist the priest.

Historically, in the Malankara Church, the local chief was called as Archdeacon, who was the ecclesiastical authority of the Saint Thomas Christians in the Malabar region of India.[105]

Deaconess

[edit]

An ordained deaconess is entitled to enter the sanctuary only for cleaning, lighting the lamps and is limited to give Holy Communion to women and the children who are under the age of five.[106] She can read scriptures, Holy Gospel in a public gathering. The name of deaconess can also be given to a choirgirl. Deaconess is not ordained as chanter before reaching fifteen years of age. The ministry of the deaconess assists the priest and deacon outside the altar including in the service of baptizing women and anointing them with holy chrism.[107]

While this rank exists, it is rarely awarded.

Worship

[edit]

Bible

[edit]
Peshitto Bible at Mor Hananyo Monastery.

Syriac Orthodox churches use the Peshitta (Syriac: simple, common) as its Bible. The New Testament books of this Bible are estimated to have been translated from Greek to Syriac between the late first century to the early third century AD.[108] The Old Testament of the Peshitta was translated from Hebrew, probably in the second century. The New Testament of the Peshitta, which originally excluded certain disputed books, had become the standard by the early fifth century, replacing two early Syriac versions of the gospels.

Doctrine

[edit]
Icon of the Virgin Mary by St. Luke the Evangelist .

The Syriac Orthodox Church theology is based on the Nicene Creed. The Syriac Orthodox Church teaches that it is the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission,[109] that its metropolitans are the successors of Christ's Apostles, and that the Patriarch is the successor to Saint Peter on whom primacy was conferred by Jesus Christ.[110][111] The church accepted first three synods held at Nicaea (325), Constantinople (381), and Ephesus (431), shaping the formulation and early interpretation of Christian doctrines.[112] The Syriac Orthodox Church is part of Oriental Orthodoxy, a distinct communion of churches claiming to continue the patristic and apostolic Christology before the schism following the Council of Chalcedon in 451.[113] In terms of Christology, the Oriental Orthodox (Non-Chalcedonian) understanding is that Christ is "One Nature—the Logos Incarnate, of the full humanity and full divinity". Just as humans are of their mothers and fathers and not in their mothers and fathers, so too is the nature of Christ according to Oriental Orthodoxy. The Chalcedonian understanding is that Christ is "in two natures, full humanity and full divinity". This is the doctrinal difference that separated the Oriental Orthodox from the rest of Christendom. The church believes in the mystery of Incarnation and venerate Virgin Mary as Theotokos or Yoldath Aloho (Meaning: 'Bearer of God').[114][115]

The Fathers of the Syriac Orthodox Church gave a theological interpretation to the primacy of Saint Peter.[116] They were fully convinced of the unique office of Peter in the early Christian community. Ephrem, Aphrahat, and Maruthas unequivocally acknowledged the office of Peter. The different orders of liturgies used for sanctification of church buildings, marriages, ordinations etc., reveal that the primacy of Peter is a part of faith of the church. The church does not believe in Papal Primacy as understood by the Roman See, rather, Petrine Primacy according to the ancient Syriac tradition.[117] The church uses both Julian calendar and Gregorian calendar based on their regions and traditions they adapted.

Language

[edit]
  • Syriac language, as the most prominent variant of Aramaic language in the Christian era, is used by the Syriac Orthodox Church in two basic forms: Classical Syriac is traditionally employed as the main liturgical and literary language, while Neo-Aramaic (Neo-Syriac) dialect known as Turoyo is spoken as the most common vernacular language.[118][119]
  • Arabic had become the dominant language of Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Egypt by the 11th century.[120] Syriac Orthodox clergy wrote in Arabic using Garshūni, a Syriac script in the 15th century and later adopted the Arabic script.[120] An English missionary in the 1840s noted that the Arabic speech of the Syriacs was intermixed with Syriac vocabulary.[120] They chose Arabic and Muslim-sounding names, while women had Biblical names.[120]
  • Greek language was historically used (along with Syriac) in the earliest periods, during and after the separation (5th–6th centuries), but its use gradually declined.[121]
  • English: Used Globally along with Syriac.
  • Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada are presently used in India. Suriyani Malayalam, also known as Karshoni or Syriac Malayalam, is a dialect of Malayalam written in a variant form of the Syriac alphabet which was popular among the Saint Thomas Christians (also known as Syrian Christians or Nasranis) of Kerala in India.[122][123][124][125] It uses Malayalam grammar, the Maḏnḥāyā or "Eastern" Syriac script with special orthographic features, and vocabulary from Malayalam and East Syriac. This originated in the South Indian region of the Malabar Coast (modern-day Kerala). Until the 19th century, the script was widely used by Syrian Christians in Kerala.
  • Swedish, German, Dutch, Turkish, Spanish, Portuguese are used in diasporas along with Syriac.

Liturgy

[edit]
Celebration of Mass at St. John's Church, Stuttgart, Germany.

The liturgical service is called Holy Qurobo in the Syriac language meaning "Eucharist". Liturgy of Saint James is celebrated on Sundays and special occasions. The Holy Eucharist consists of Gospel reading, Bible readings, prayers, and songs. The recitation of the Liturgy is performed according to with specific parts chanted by the presider, the lectors, the choir, and the congregated faithful, at certain times in unison. Apart from certain readings, prayers are sung in the form of chants and melodies. Hundreds of melodies remain preserved in the book known as Beth Gazo, the key reference to Syriac Orthodox church music.[126]

In 1983, the French ethnomusicologist Christian Poché produced audio recordings of the liturgical music of the Syriac Orthodox Church. In his liner notes for the UNESCO Anthology of Traditional Music, he described the liturgical music of communities in Antioch, Tur ‘Abdin, Urfa, Mardin in modern Turkey, as well as in Aleppo and Qamishli in modern Syria.[127]

Prayer

[edit]

Syriac Orthodox clergy and laity follow a regimen of seven prayers a day that are said at fixed prayer times, in accordance with Psalm 119 (cf. Shehimo).[128][129] According to the Syriac tradition, an ecclesiastical day starts at sunset and the Canonical hours are based on West Syriac Rite:

  • Evening or Ramsho prayer (Vespers)[130]
  • Night prayer or Sootoro prayer (Compline)[131]
  • Midnight or Lilyo prayer (Matins)
  • Morning or Saphro prayer (Prime or Lauds, 6 a.m.)
  • Third Hour or tloth sho`in prayer (Terce, 9 a.m.)
  • Sixth Hour or sheth sho`in prayer (Sext, noon)
  • Ninth Hour or tsha` sho'in prayer (None, 3 p.m.)

Sacraments

[edit]

The seven Holy Sacraments of the church are:

Vestments

[edit]
Liturgical vestments of clergy.

The clergy of the Syriac Orthodox Church has unique liturgical vestments with their order in the priesthood: the deacons, the priests, the chorbishops, the bishops, and the patriarch each have different vestments.[134]

Bishops usually wear a black or a red robe with a red belt. They should not wear a red robe in the presence of the patriarch, who wears a red robe. Bishops visiting a diocese outside their jurisdiction also wear black robes in deference to the bishop of the diocese, who alone wears red robes. They carry a crosier stylised with serpents representing the staff of Moses during sacraments. Corepiscopos wear a black or a purple robe with a purple belt. Bishops and corepiscopos have hand-held crosses.[135]

A priest also wears a phiro, or a cap, which he must wear for the public prayers. Monks also wear masnapso, a hood. Priests also have ceremonial shoes which are called msone. Without wearing these shoes, a priest cannot distribute Eucharist to the faithful. Then there is a white robe called kutino symbolizing purity. Hamniko or stole is worn over this white robe. Then he wears a girdle called zenoro, and zende, meaning sleeves. If the celebrant is a bishop, he wears a veil-mitre over the masnapso, . A cope called phayno is worn over these vestments. Batrashil, or pallium, is worn over the phayno by bishops and corepiscopas wear a half cope over the phayno, like hamnikho worn by priests.[136] The priest's usual dress is a black robe. In India, due to the hot weather, priests usually wear white robes except during prayers in the church, when they wear a black robe over the white one. Deacons wear a phiro, white kutino(robe) and of rank Quroyo and higher wear an uroro 'stole' in various shapes according to their rank. The deaconess wears a stole (uroro) hanging down from the shoulder in the manner of an archdeacon.[137]

Global presence

[edit]

Demography

[edit]

The patriarchate was initially established in Antioch (present-day Syria, Turkey, and Iraq), due to the persecutions by Romans followed by Muslim Arabs, the patriarchate was seated in Mor Hananyo Monastery, Mardin, in the Ottoman Empire (1160–1933); following Homs (1933–1959); and Damascus, Syria, since 1959. Historically, the followers of the church are mainly ethnic Assyrians/Syriacs who comprise the indigenous pre-Arab populations of modern Syria, Iraq and southeastern Turkey.[138] A diaspora has also spread from the Levant, Iraq, and Turkey throughout the world, notably in Sweden, Germany, the United Kingdom, Netherlands, Austria, France, United States, Canada, Guatemala, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and New Zealand.

The church's members are divided into 26 Archdioceses, and 13 Patriarchal Vicariates.[139]

It is estimated that the church has 600,000 Syriac adherents, in addition to 2 million members of the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church and their own ethnic diaspora in India.[113][140][141] Additionally, there is also a large Syriac community among Mayan converts in Guatemala and South America numbering up to 1.5 million.[142] According to scholar James Minahan around 26% of the Assyrian people belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church.[143]

The number of Syriacs in Turkey is rising, due to refugees from Syria and Iraq fleeing ISIS, as well as Syriacs from the Diaspora who fled the region during the Turkey-PKK conflict (since 1978) returning and rebuilding their homes. The village of Kafro was populated by Syriacs from Germany and Switzerland.[144][145]

In the Syriac diaspora, there are approximately 80,000 members in the United States, 80,000 in Sweden, 100,000 in Germany, 15,000 in the Netherlands, 200,000 members in Brazil, Switzerland, and Austria.[146]

Jurisdiction of the patriarchate

[edit]
Main article: Dioceses of the Syriac Orthodox Church

The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch originally covered the whole region of the Middle East and India. In recent centuries, its parishioners started to emigrate to other countries over the world. Today, the Syriac Orthodox Church has several archdioceses and patriarchal vicariates (exarchates) in many countries covering six continents.

Americas

[edit]
St. Mark's Cathedral, Paramus, New Jersey.

The presence of the Syrian Orthodox faithful in America dates back to the late 19th century.[147][148]

North America

Central America

In the Guatemala region, a Charismatic movement emerged in 2003 was excommunicated in 2006 by the Roman Catholic Church later joined the church in 2013. Members of this archdiocese are Mayan in origin and live in rural areas, and display charismatic-type practices.[153]

South America

  • Patriarchal Vicariate of Argentina[157]
  • Patriarchal Vicariate of Brazil[158]

Eurasia

[edit]

Middle East regions

Syriac Orthodox Church in the Middle East and the diaspora, numbering between 150,000 and 200,000 people in their indigenous area of habitation in Syria, Iraq, and Turkey according to estimations.[159] The community formed and developed in the Middle Ages. The Syriac Orthodox Christians of the Middle East speak Aramaic. Archbishoprics in the Middle East include regions of Jazirah, Euphrates, Aleppo, Homs, Hama, Baghdad, Basrah, Diyarbakır, Mosul, Kirkuk, Kurdistan, Mount Lebanon, Beirut, Istanbul, Ankara and Adiyaman,[160] Israel, Palestine, Jordan.[161][162][163]

Patriarchal Vicariates in the Middle East includes Damascus, Mardin, Turabdin, Zahle, UAE and the Arab States of the Persian Gulf.

India

[edit]

Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

Main article: Jacobite Syrian Christian Church

The Jacobite Syrian Christian Church, one of the various Saint Thomas Christian churches in India, is an integral part of the Syriac Orthodox Church, with the Patriarch of Antioch as its supreme head. The local head of the church in Malankara (Kerala) is Baselios Thomas I, ordained by Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas in 2002 and accountable to the Patriarch of Antioch. The headquarters of the church in India is at Puthencruz near Ernakulam in the state of Kerala in South India. Simhasana Churches and Honavar Mission is under the direct control of Patriarch. Historically, the St. Thomas Christians were part of the Church of the East, based in Persia which was under the Patriarch of Antioch until Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon(410 AD.) and reunited with Syriac Orthodox Patriarchs of Antioch since c. 1652.[164] Syriac monks Mar Sabor and Mar Proth arrived at Malankara between the eighth and ninth centuries from Persia.[165] They established churches in Quilon, Kadamattom, Kayamkulam, Udayamperoor, and Akaparambu.[166]

The Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church is an independent reformed church under the jurisdiction of Marthoma Metropolitan and its first Reforming Metropolitan Mathews Athanasius was ordained by Ignatius Elias II in 1842.[167] Maphrianate was re-established in Malankara in 1912 by Ignatius Abded Mshiho II by the consecration of Paulose I as first Catholicos. Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church accepts the Patriarch of Antioch only as its spiritual Father as stated by the constitution of 1934.[168]

Altar of St.Mary's Knanaya Syriac Church Kottayam.

Knanaya Archdiocese

The Knanaya Syriac Orthodox Church is an archdiocese under the guidance and direction of Archbishop Severious Kuriakose with the patriarch as its spiritual head. They are the followers of the Syrian merchant Knāy Thoma (Thomas of Cana) in the fourth or eighth century, while another legend traces their origin to Jews in the Middle East.[169][170][171]

Head Office of The Evangelistic Association Of The East.

Evangelistic Association of the East

Main article: Evangelistic Association Of The East

E.A.E Arch Diocese is the missionary association of the Syriac Orthodox Church founded in 1924 by Geevarghese Athunkal Cor-Episcopa at Perumbavoor.[172] This archdiocese is under the direct control of the patriarch under the guidance of Chrysostomos Markose, It is an organization with churches, educational institutions, orphanages, old age homes, convents, publications, mission centers, gospel teams, care missions, and a missionary training institute. It is registered in 1949 under the Indian Societies Registration Act. XXI of 1860 (Reg. No. S.8/1949ESTD 1924).[173][174]

Europe

Earlier in the 20th century many Syrian Orthodox immigrated to Western Europe, located in the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden, Switzerland and other countries for economic and political reasons.[175][176] Dayro d-Mor Ephrem in the Netherlands is the first Syriac Orthodox monastery in Europe established in 1981.[177] Dayro d-Mor Awgen, Arth, Switzerland and Dayro d-Mor Ya`qub d-Sarug, Warburg, Germany are the other monasteries located in Europe.

Patriarchal Vicariates:

Oceania

[edit]
St. George Church, Melbourne
St. Aphrem Church, Victoria
Australia and New Zealand
  • Patriarchal Vicariate of Australia and New Zealand under Archbishop Malatius Malki Malki.[182][183][184][185]

Institutions

[edit]

The church has various seminaries, colleges, and other institutions.[186] Patriarch Aphrem I Barsoum established St. Aphrem's Clerical School in 1934 in Zahlé. In 1946, the school was moved to Mosul, where it provided the church with a selection of graduates, the first among them being Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas and many other church leaders. In 1990, the Order of St. Jacob Baradaeus was established for nuns. Seminaries have been instituted in Sweden and in Salzburg for the study of Syriac theology, history, language, and culture. Happy Child House project started in 2019 provides childcare services in Damascus, Syria. The church has an international Christian education center for religious education.[187] The Antioch Syrian University was established on 8 September 2018 in Maarat Saidnaya, near Damascus.[188] The university is offering engineering, management and economics courses.[189]

Ecumenical relations

[edit]

The Syriac Orthodox Church is active in ecumenical dialogues with various churches,[190][191] including the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Churches, Anglican Communion, Syriac Church of the East, and other Christian denominations. The Church is an active member of the World Council of Churches since 1960 and Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas was one of the former presidents of WCC. It has also been involved in the Middle East Council of Churches since 1974. There are common Christological and pastoral agreements with the Catholic Church by the 20th century as the Chalcedonian schism was not seen with the same relevance, and from several meetings between the authorities of the Catholic Church and the Oriental Orthodoxy, reconciling declarations emerged in the common statements of the Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III and Pope Paul VI in 1971, Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas and Pope John Paul II in 1984:

The confusions and schisms that occurred between their Churches in the later centuries, they realise today, in no way affect or touch the substance of their faith, since these arose only because of differences in terminology and culture and in the various formulae adopted by different theological schools to express the same matter. Accordingly, we find today no real basis for the sad divisions and schisms that subsequently arose between us concerning the doctrine of Incarnation. In words and life, we confess the true doctrine concerning Christ our Lord, notwithstanding the differences in interpretation of such a doctrine which arose at the time of the Council of Chalcedon.[192]

The precise differences in theology that caused the Chalcedonian controversy is said to have arisen "only because of differences in terminology and culture and in the various formulae adopted by different theological schools to express the same matter", according to a common declaration statement between Patriarch Ignatius Jacob III and Pope Paul VI on Wednesday 27 October 1971. In 2015, Pope Francis addressed the Syriac Orthodox Church as "a Church of Martyrs " welcoming the visit of Ignatius Aphrem II to Holy See.[193] In 2015, Ignatius Aphrem II visited Patriarch Kirill of Moscow of the Russian Orthodox Church and discussed prospects of bilateral and theological dialogue existing since the late 1980s.[194] Since 1998, representatives of SOC, together with representatives of other Oriental Orthodox Churches, participate in the Ecumenical dialogue, and also in various forms of the Interfaith dialogue.[54][190][191]

Communities

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Chaillot 1998, pp. 21–22.
  2. ^ Beggiani, Seely J. (2014). Early Syriac Theology. CUA Press. ISBN 978-0-8132-2701-6. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  3. ^ Simon, Thomas Collins (1862). The Mission and Martyrdom of St. Peter: Or, Did St. Peter Ever Leave the East? Containing the Original Text of All the Passages in Ancient Writers Supposed to Imply a Journey Into Europe, with Translations and Roman-catholic Comments ... by Thomas Collyns Simon. Rivingtons. p. 70.
  4. ^ "Cave Church of St. Peter – Antioch, Turkey". www.sacred-destinations.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
  5. ^ "BBC – Religions – Christianity: Eastern Orthodox Church". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  6. ^ Bowersock, Glen Warren (1999). Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World. Harvard University Press. p. 587. ISBN 978-0-674-51173-6.
  7. ^ Rassam, Suha (2005). Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day. Gracewing Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85244-633-1. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  8. ^ Jeppesen, Knud; Nielsen, Kirsten; Rosendal, Bent (1994). In the Last Days: On Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic and Its Period. Aarhus University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-87-7288-471-4.
  9. ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia : Church of Antioch". www.newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
  10. ^ "CNEWA – The Syrian Orthodox Church". cnewa.org. Archived from the original on 19 March 2016. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  11. ^ "Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East – World Council of Churches". oikoumene.org. January 1960. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 12 March 2019.
  12. ^ "St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee". Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  13. ^ السريانية الأرثوذكسية. Reverso Context. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
  14. ^ "Sfar Mele – Deutsch Aramäisch Online Wörterbuch Übersetzer – Targmono". sfarmele.de. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  15. ^ a b "Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East". Encyclopædia Britannica. Chicago: Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. 2018. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 13 April 2023.
  16. ^ "Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East". World Council of Churches. January 1960. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
  17. ^ Seleznyov 2013, pp. 382–398.
  18. ^ Gregorios, Paulos (1999). Introducing the Orthodox Churches. ISPCK. ISBN 978-81-7214-487-6. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  19. ^ O'Connor, Daniel William (2019). "Saint Peter the Apostle". Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica, inc. p. 5. Archived from the original on 29 April 2015. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
  20. ^ "Saint James apostle, the Lord's brother". Encyclopedia Britannica. 16 June 2023. Archived from the original on 13 May 2019. Retrieved 30 March 2018.
  21. ^ a b Meyendorff 1989, pp. 202–206.
  22. ^ Witakowski, Witold (2004). "Severus of Antioch in Ethiopian Tradition". Studia Aethiopica. Harrassowitz Verlag. pp. 115–116. ISBN 978-3-447-04891-0. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  23. ^ Allen, Pauline; Hayward, C.T.R (2004). Severus of Antioch. Routledge. p. 12. ISBN 978-1-134-56780-5. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  24. ^ Hilliard, Alison; Bailey, Betty (1999). Living Stones Pilgrimage. Bloomsbury Publishing. ISBN 978-0-8264-2249-1. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  25. ^ Taylor 2013, p. 67.
  26. ^ Markessini 2012, p. 31
  27. ^ "The Hidden Pearl: The Syrian Orthodox Church and Its Ancient Aramaic Heritage". Trans World Film Italia. 2018. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 19 March 2018 – via Google Books.
  28. ^ Atiya, Aziz Suryal (1968). A History of Eastern Christianity. Methuen. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  29. ^ Minahan 2002, pp. 205–209.
  30. ^ Grabar et al. 2001, p. 227.
  31. ^ "Syrian Orthodox Church – Full record view – Libraries Australia Search". librariesaustralia.nla.gov.au. Archived from the original on 20 July 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2019.
  32. ^ Donabed & Mako 2009, p. 90.
  33. ^ Hämmerli & Mayer 2016, "Suryoye as a Social Category in the Homeland"
  34. ^ Hengel 2004, p. 331.
  35. ^ Haar Romeny 2005, pp. 377–399.
  36. ^ Donabed & Mako 2009, p. 77.
  37. ^ Taylor 2013, p. 201.
  38. ^ a b Donabed & Donabed 2006, pp. 77–78.
  39. ^ Donabed & Mako 2009, p. 81.
  40. ^ Donabed 2015, p. 232: "By the early 1960s, all the Jacobite churches in the United States, previously bearing the official name 'Assyrian Apostolic Church of Antioch', had changed their names to 'Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch'"
  41. ^ Donabed 2015, p. 3: "the Syrian Orthodox Church (referred to as Jacobite and originally in English as Assyrian Apostolic)"
  42. ^ Smith 1863, p. 73.
  43. ^ Barratt, Peter J. H. (2014). Absentis: St Peter, the Disputed Site of His Burial Place and the Apostolic Succession. Xlibris Corporation. ISBN 978-1-4931-6839-2. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  44. ^ Gould, Sabine Baring (1872). The lives of the saints. 12 vols. [in 15]. p. 365. Patriarchate of Antioch in AD 37.
  45. ^ "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Evodius". www.newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 15 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  46. ^ Elwell & Comfort 2001, pp. 266, 828.
  47. ^ "Theophilus of Antioch (Roberts-Donaldson)". www.earlychristianwritings.com. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  48. ^ Eduard Syndicus; Early Christian Art; p. 73; Burns & Oates, London, 1962
  49. ^ Sellers, Robert Victor (1927). "Eustathius of Antioch and His Place in the History of Early Christian Doctrine". Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  50. ^ Gardner, Rev James (1858). The Faiths of the World: An Account of All Religions and Religious Sects, Their Doctrines, Rites, Ceremonies, and Customs. A. Fullarton & Company. p. 403.
  51. ^ General History of the Christian Religion and Church. Crocker & Brewster. 1855. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  52. ^ Joseph 1983.
  53. ^ Meyendorff 1989, pp. 54–59.
  54. ^ a b Chaillot 1998.
  55. ^ Brock 2017, pp. 25–50.
  56. ^ Menze 2008, p. 18.
  57. ^ "Severus of Antioch Greek theologian". Encyclopedia Britannica. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  58. ^ Honigmann, Ernest (1947). "The Patriarchate of Antioch: A Revision of Le Quien and the Notitia Antiochena". Traditio. 5: 135–161. doi:10.1017/S0362152900013544. JSTOR 27830138. S2CID 151905022.
  59. ^ Jugie, Martin (1910). "J. Lebon. Le monophysisme sévérien. Étude historique, littéraire et théologique de la résistance monophysite au concile de Chalcédoine jusqu'à la constitution de l'Église jacobite". Revue des Études Byzantines. 13 (85): 368–369. Archived from the original on 18 October 2019. Retrieved 18 October 2019.
  60. ^ Menze 2008, p. 150.
  61. ^ Jeremie, James Amiraux; Lyall, Alfred (1857). Christianity in the Middle Ages ... Richard Griffin. p. 129.
  62. ^ Loetscher 1977, p. 82.
  63. ^ Thomas 2001, p. 47.
  64. ^ Griffith 2005, p. 98.
  65. ^ Saint-Laurent 2015, p. 131.
  66. ^ Saint-Laurent 2015, p. 103, 106.
  67. ^ Trimingham 1979.
  68. ^ Griffith 2002.
  69. ^ Saint-Laurent 2015, p. 136.
  70. ^ Chatonnet & Debie 2023, p. 180.
  71. ^ Weltecke 2006b, p. 110.
  72. ^ Chatonnet & Debie 2023, p. 181.
  73. ^ Chatonnet & Debie 2023, pp. 183–185.
  74. ^ Masters 2004, p. 45.
  75. ^ a b Weltecke 2006b, p. 108.
  76. ^ a b Weltecke 2006b, p. 96.
  77. ^ Weltecke 2006b, pp. 123–124.
  78. ^ Chatonnet & Debie 2023, p. 191.
  79. ^ Kaufhold 2000, p. 227.
  80. ^ Borbone 2017, pp. 277–287.
  81. ^ a b Joseph 1983, p. 40.
  82. ^ a b Joseph 1983, p. 41.
  83. ^ Neill 2004, pp. 327–331.
  84. ^ Jongerden & Verheij 2012, p. 21.
  85. ^ Taylor 2013, p. 87.
  86. ^ Donabed & Donabed 2006, pp. 1–38.
  87. ^ Farag 2011, p. 251.
  88. ^ Dalrymple 2012, p. 9.
  89. ^ Jongerden & Verheij 2012, p. 225.
  90. ^ Jongerden & Verheij 2012, p. 222.
  91. ^ Jongerden & Verheij 2012, p. 223.
  92. ^ Hage 2007, p. 349.
  93. ^ Hunter 2014, p. 549.
  94. ^ Kevorkian 2011.
  95. ^ Gaunt, Beṯ-Şawoce & Donef 2006, pp. 433–436.
  96. ^ a b Parry 2010, p. 259.
  97. ^ Atto & Barthoma 2017, pp. 113–131.
  98. ^ O'Mahony 2006, p. 513.
  99. ^ Joseph 1983, p. 110.
  100. ^ Sobornost. Vol. 28–30. 2006. p. 21. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  101. ^ "Patriarchal Encyclical: Permitting additions to Diptychs in Malankara – Oct 20, 1987". sor.cua.edu. Archived from the original on 21 March 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  102. ^ "Melkite :: Patriarch". www.melkitepat.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  103. ^ "With Wisdom and Courage, New Syriac Orthodox Patriarch Reaffirms the Church's Commitment to Syria Duke Religious Studies". religiousstudies.duke.edu. 28 May 2014. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  104. ^ "Definition of BISHOP". www.merriam-webster.com. 7 July 2023. Archived from the original on 18 June 2018. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  105. ^ Neill 2004, p. 319.
  106. ^ Kollanoor, Greger. The Office of the Deaconess in Orthodox Churches1 -A Historical Analysis. Archived from the original on 16 July 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  107. ^ Chaillot, Christine (2006). "The Ancient Oriental Churches". In Wainwright, Geoffrey; Westerfield Tucker, Karen B. (eds.). The Oxford History of Christian Worship. Oxford University Press, USA. ISBN 978-0-19-513886-3. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  108. ^ Brock, Sebastian P. The Bible in Syriac Bible. Kottayam: SEERI.
  109. ^ Esomba, Steve (6 June 2012). THE BOOK OF LIFE, KNOWLEDGE AND CONFIDENCE. Lulu.com. ISBN 978-1-4717-3463-2. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  110. ^ Holy Bible: Matthew 16:19
  111. ^ Aydin 2018, pp. 124–131.
  112. ^ Butler, Alban (1821). The lives of the fathers, martyrs, and other principal saints. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  113. ^ a b "CNEWA – The Syrian Orthodox Church". www.cnewa.org. Archived from the original on 21 February 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2015.
  114. ^ Kurian & Nelson 2001, p. 8905.
  115. ^ Loosley 2010, p. 4.
  116. ^ The Primacy of the Apostolic See, and the Authority of General Councils Vindicated. In a Series of Letters to the Rt. Rev. J. H. Hopkins. 1838. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  117. ^ Benni 1871, p. 93.
  118. ^ Kiraz 2007, pp. 129–142.
  119. ^ Jastrow 2011, pp. 697–707.
  120. ^ a b c d Joseph 1983, p. 22.
  121. ^ Millar 2013, pp. 43–92.
  122. ^ "City Youth Learn Dying Language, Preserve It". The New Indian Express. 9 May 2016. Archived from the original on 3 June 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
  123. ^ Suriyani Malayalam Archived 11 June 2014 at the Wayback Machine, Nasrani Foundation
  124. ^ "A sacred language is vanishing from State". The Hindu. 11 August 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2020. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  125. ^ Radhakrishnan, M. G. (4 August 1997). "Tiny village in Kerala one of the last bastions of Syriac in the world". India Today. Archived from the original on 3 May 2019. Retrieved 3 May 2019.
  126. ^ Patrologia syriaca: complectens opera omnia ss. patrum, doctorum scriptorumque catholicorum, quibus accedunt aliorum acatholicorum auctorum scripta quae ad res ecclesiasticas pertinent, quotquot syriace supersunt, secundum codices praesertim, londinenses, parisienses, vaticanos accurante R. Graffin ... Firmin-Didot et socii. 1926. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  127. ^ "Syrian Orthodox Church: Antioch Liturgy". Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Retrieved 6 November 2023.
  128. ^ The Oxford selection of Psalms and hymns, for the use of parish churches 1857, p. 89.
  129. ^ Richards, William Joseph (1908). The Indian Christians of St. Thomas: Otherwise Called the Syrian Christians of Malabar: a Sketch of Their History and an Account of Their Present Condition as Well as a Discussion of the Legend of St. Thomas. Bemrose. p. 98. We are commanded to pray standing, with faces towards the East, for at the last Messiah is manifested in the East. 2. All Christians, on rising from sleep early in the morning, should wash the face and pray. 3. We are commanded to pray seven times, thus...
  130. ^ Jarjour 2018, p. 236.
  131. ^ Syrian Orthodox Church (2005). The Book of Common Prayer of the Syrian Church. Gorgias Press. ISBN 978-1-59333-033-0. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  132. ^ Rajan, Kannanayakal Mani (1991). Queen of the Sacraments: A Treatise on the Liturgy of the Holy Mass as Celebrated in the Syrian Orthodox Church. St. Mary's Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. Queen of the Sacraments Syriac Orthodox Church.
  133. ^ Fahlbusch et al. 2008, p. 284.
  134. ^ "TRC exhibition proposal: Faith and Attire. Vestments and embroidery within the Syriac Orthodox Church". www.trc-leiden.nl. Archived from the original on 28 May 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  135. ^ "Margoneetho: Syriac Orthodox Resources". syriacorthodoxresources.org. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  136. ^ Heilbrunn Timeline, Art History. "Batrashil". www.metmuseum.org. The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Archived from the original on 24 October 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  137. ^ Parry 2010, p. 262.
  138. ^ Gall, Timothy L. (ed). Worldmark Encyclopedia of Culture & Daily Life: Vol. 3 – Asia & Oceania. Cleveland, OH: Eastword Publications Development (1998); pg. 720–721.
  139. ^ "The Syriac Orthodox Church Today". sor.cua.edu. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 28 March 2008.
  140. ^ "Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch – Dictionary definition of Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch – Encyclopedia.com: FREE online dictionary". www.encyclopedia.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2021. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  141. ^ "Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East — World Council of Churches". www.oikoumene.org. January 1960. Archived from the original on 8 March 2018. Retrieved 19 March 2018.
  142. ^ "Kungaparet tog emot Syrisk-ortodoxa kyrkans patriark - Sveriges Kungahus". www.kungahuset.se (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 26 December 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2021.
  143. ^ Minahan 2002, p. 206: "The Assyrians, although closely assiociated with their Christian religion, are divided among a number of Christian sects. The largest denominations are the Chaldean Catholic Church with about 45% of the Assyrian population, the Syriac Orthodox with 26%, the Assyrian Church of the East with 19%, the free Orthodox Church of Antioch or Syriac Catholic Church with 4%, and various Protestant sects with a combined 6%."
  144. ^ "Reclaiming Syriac heritage: A village in Turkey finds its voice". america.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 25 May 2015. Retrieved 31 October 2019.
  145. ^ United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees. "Refworld – World Directory of Minorities and Indigenous Peoples – Turkey: Syriacs". Refworld. Archived from the original on 24 December 2018. Retrieved 6 June 2015.
  146. ^ "Unitarian/Unitarian Universalist, continued..." Adherents.com. Archived from the original on 21 September 2003. Retrieved 5 March 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  147. ^ Kiraz 2019.
  148. ^ Kiraz 2020, pp. 77–94.
  149. ^ "Our Archbishop". Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. 1 November 2016. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  150. ^ Gasgous, S. (10 May 2016). "Appointment of Dionysius Jean Kawak". Sts. Peter and Paul Syriac Orthothox Church. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  151. ^ "Archbishop Clemis Eugene Kaplan, Member of the Suryoyo Hall of the Shame". www.bethsuryoyo.com. Archived from the original on 14 August 2011. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  152. ^ "Our church worldwide". St. Barsaumo Syriac Orthodox Church. Archived from the original on 12 April 2021. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  153. ^ Hager, Anna (3 July 2019). "The emergence of a Syriac Orthodox Mayan Church in Guatemala". International Journal of Latin American Religions. 3 (2): 370–389. doi:10.1007/s41603-019-00083-1. ISSN 2509-9965. S2CID 198838809.
  154. ^ "NOTICIAS DE MARZO 2012". www.icergua.org. Archived from the original on 17 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  155. ^ "Orthodoxy in Guatemala". orthodox-institute.org. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  156. ^ "Yacoub Eduardo Aguirre Oestmann – Names – Orthodoxia". www.orthodoxia.ch. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  157. ^ "New Archbishop for Syriac Orthodox Church Enthroned in Argentina". News Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE. 10 April 2013. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  158. ^ "Igreja Sirian Ortodoxa de Antioquia no Brasil". Igreja Sirian Ortodoxa de Antioquia no Brasil (in Brazilian Portuguese). Archived from the original on 11 October 2018. Retrieved 2 October 2018.
  159. ^ "Kiliseler – Manastırlar". mardin.ktb.gov.tr. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  160. ^ "İstanbul – Ankara Süryani Ortodoks Metropolitliği". www.suryanikadim.org. Archived from the original on 4 September 2018. Retrieved 17 September 2018.
  161. ^ "King receives Patriarch of Antioch and head of Syriac Orthodox Church". Jordan Times. 10 April 2019. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 12 April 2019.
  162. ^ Murre-van den Berg 2013, pp. 61–83.
  163. ^ "Consecration of Archbishop Patriarchal Vicar for Jerusalem". Malankara Archdiocese of the Syriac Church in North America. 10 April 2019. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2019.
  164. ^ Curta & Holt 2016, p. 336.
  165. ^ Journal of Kerala Studies. University of Kerala. 2010. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  166. ^ Congress, Indian History (1959). Proceedings. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  167. ^ Neill 2002, pp. 251–252.
  168. ^ "The Constitution of the Malankara Orthodox Church". mosc.in. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  169. ^ Swiderski 1988a, p. 83.
  170. ^ Whitehouse 1873, p. 125.
  171. ^ "Valiapally, St. Mary's Knanaya Church, Pilgrim Centre, Kottayam, Kerala, India Kerala Tourism". www.keralatourism.org. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  172. ^ Thomas, Anthony Korah (1993). The Christians of Kerala: A Brief Profile of All Major Churches. A.K. Thomas. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 16 August 2019.
  173. ^ "Ministry Of Corporate Affairs – societiesregistrationact". www.mca.gov.in. Archived from the original on 6 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  174. ^ "പൗരസ്ത്യ സുവിശേഷ സമാജം ജനറൽ കൺവൻഷൻ തുടങ്ങി". ManoramaOnline. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  175. ^ Mayer, Dr Jean-François; Hämmerli, Ms Maria (2014). Orthodox Identities in Western Europe: Migration, Settlement and Innovation. Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. ISBN 978-1-4724-3931-4. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
  176. ^ Atto 2011.
  177. ^ Brock et al. 2011.
  178. ^ "Reception in the honor of His Holiness in Brussels". Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. 7 September 2017. Archived from the original on 2 May 2018. Retrieved 2 May 2018.
  179. ^ "The Holy Virgin Mary Church, Montfermeil, France". sor.cua.edu. 23 November 2005. Archived from the original on 7 May 2012.
  180. ^ "Warburg, Syrisch-orthodoxes Kloster – Klosterorte – Klöster – Kulturland Kreis Höxter". www.kulturland.org. Archived from the original on 23 October 2019. Retrieved 23 October 2019.
  181. ^ "Duizenden Syrisch-Orthodoxen vieren Pasen in Glane". RTV Oost (in Dutch). Archived from the original on 30 April 2019. Retrieved 30 April 2019.
  182. ^ "LEGISLATIVE COUNCIL NOTICE PAPER NSW" (PDF). www.parliament.nsw.gov.au. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  183. ^ "HE Archbishop Mor Malatius Malki thank you letter to ACM Australian Coptic Movement (ACM)". www.auscma.com. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  184. ^ "Home St Peter's". stpeters. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 29 April 2019.
  185. ^ "Mor Militius Malki Malki". soc-wus.org. Archived from the original on 28 October 2021. Retrieved 26 October 2021.
  186. ^ "Orthodox Christian Educational Institutions (OCEI) – Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE – Society". Orthodoxy Cognate PAGE – Society. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  187. ^ "Christian Education". Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch. 22 February 2015. Archived from the original on 7 April 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2019.
  188. ^ "Antioch Syrian University". asu.edu.sy. Archived from the original on 16 September 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2018.
  189. ^ "Despite adversities, Antioch Syrian University opens doors of hope". World Council of Churches. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
  190. ^ a b Brock 1999, pp. 189–197.
  191. ^ a b Brock 2004, pp. 44–65.
  192. ^ From the common declaration of Pope John Paul II and Patriarch Ignatius Zakka I Iwas, 23 June 1984
  193. ^ "Pope, Orthodox patriarch express commitment for unity". National Catholic Reporter. 19 June 2015. Archived from the original on 12 April 2019. Retrieved 24 October 2019.
  194. ^ "His Holiness Patriarch Kirill meets with Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church". The Russian Orthodox Church. Department for External Church Relations. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.

Bibliography

[edit]

Further reading

[edit]

Ecumenical relations with the Catholic Church

[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Syriac Orthodox Church.

Media

Relating to Syriac Orthodox Church

Relating to Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Syriac_Orthodox_Church&oldid=1263096697"