Syriac Christianity

Syriac or Syrian Christianity (Syriac: ܡܫܝܚܝܘܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ, mšiḥāiūṯā suryāiṯā), the Syriac-speaking Christians of Mesopotamia, comprises multiple Christian traditions of Eastern Christianity. With a history going back to the 1st Century AD, in modern times it is represented by denominations primarily in the Middle East and in Kerala, India. Christianity began in the middle east in Israel among Aramaic speaking Semitic peoples. It quickly spread to Sassanid-ruled Mesopotamia & Assyria, Roman-ruled Syria (ancient Aramea), Phoenicia, India, and Egypt. From there it spread to Asia Minor, Greece, Armenia, Georgia and the Caucasus region.

Services in this tradition tend to feature liturgical use of ancient Syriac, a dialect of Middle Aramaic that is of direct relation to the Aramaic of Jesus.^[1]

Syriac Christianity is divided into two major traditions: Eastern Rite, historically centered in Assyria/Mesopotamia, and West Syrian, centered in Antioch. The Eastern Rite tradition was historically associated with the Church of the East, and is currently employed by the Middle Eastern churches that descend from it, the Assyrian Church of the East, Ancient Church of the East, and the Chaldean Catholic Church, (the members of these churches usually consider themselves to be ethnic Assyrians) as well as by the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church of India. The West Syrian tradition is used by the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Maronite Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and churches that descend from them, as well as by the Malankara churches of the Saint Thomas Christian tradition in India.

History

Syriac Christian heritage is transmitted through various Neo Aramaic dialects (particularly the Syriac dialect of Mesopotamia) of old Aramaic. Unlike the Greek Christian culture, Assyrian culture borrowed much from early Rabbinic Judaism and Mesopotamian culture. Whereas Latin and Greek Christian cultures became protected by the Roman and Byzantine empires respectively, Syriac Christianity often found itself marginalised and persecuted. Antioch was the political capital of this culture, and was the seat of the Patriarchs of the church. However, Antioch was heavily Hellenized, and the Mesopotamian cities of Edessa, Nisibis and Ctesiphon became Syriac cultural centres.

The early literature of Syriac Christianity includes the Diatessaron of Tatian; the Curetonian Gospels and the Syriac Sinaiticus; the Peshitta Bible; the Doctrine of Addai and the writings of Aphrahat; and the hymns of Ephrem the Syrian.

The first division between Syriac Christians and Western Christianity occurred in the 5th century, following the First Council of Ephesus in 431, when the Assyrian Christians of the Sassanid Persian Empire were separated from those in the west over the Nestorian Schism. This split owed just as much to the politics of the day as it did to theological orthodoxy. Ctesiphon, which was at the time the Sassanid capital, became the capital of the Church of the East.

After the Council of Chalcedon in 451, many Syriac Christians within the Roman Empire rebelled against its decisions. The Patriarchate of Antioch was then divided between a Chalcedonian and non-Chalcedonian communion. The Chalcedonians were often labelled 'Melkites' (Emperor's Party), while their opponents were labelled as Monophysites (those who believe in the one rather than two natures of Christ) and Jacobites (after Jacob Baradaeus). The Maronite Church found itself caught between the two, but claims to have always remained faithful to the Catholic Church and in communion with the bishop of Rome, the Pope.

Over time, some groups within each of these branches have entered into communion with the Church of Rome, becoming Eastern Catholic Churches.

Names and ethnicity

The ancient Syrians (Syriac: ܣܘܪܝܝܐ, Arabic: سُريان), that is, Aramaic-speakers in Mesoptamia in the late 1st millennium BCE, adopted Christianity very early. The Syrian kingdom of Osroene was the first Christian kingdom in history.

In 431 CE the Council of Ephesus declared Nestorianism to be a heresy. The Nestorians, who were persecuted in the Byzantine Empire, sought refuge in Mesopotamia, then part of the Sassanid Empire, From there they spread Christianity to Persia, India, China, and Mongolia. This was the beginning of the Nestorian Church, the eastern branch of Syrian Christianity. The western branch, the Jacobite Church, appeared after the Council of Chalcedon condemend Monophysitism in 451 CE.^[2]

Most members of the Assyrian Church of the East, Ancient Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic church as well as some Syriac Orthodox Christians are ethnic Assyrians. This ethnic group speak Eastern Aramaic dialects and are indigenous to Iraq, south eastern Turkey, north eastern Syria and north western Iran. Many Syriac Orthodox and Syriac Catholics prefer an Aramean national identity while others adhere to a religious Syriac identity. A small number of Chaldeans have also adopted a Chaldean national identity. The Maronites in Lebanon are divided between those who claim Phoenician (see Phoenicianism) or Syrian national identity and those who claim Arab national identity (see Arab nationalism).

Assyrian has almost completely replaced the word Nestorian (which is seen by Assyrians as pejorative). However, the word Nestorian continues to be used in much Western academic literature.

The use of the word Syriac (which originally referred to the Syrian language, a north Mesopotamian dialect of Middle Aramaic) instead of Syrian became common after the establishment of the modern nation of Syria after World War I. The word 'Syrian' has become ambiguous in English since it can refer now to a citizen of Syria regardless of ethnicity. In Arabic, however, the word for a 'citizen of Syria' has a different form (سوري sūrī) from the traditional word for an ethnic Syrian (سُرياني suryānī).

Churches of the Syriac tradition

• West Syrian Rite
  • The Syriac Orthodox Church (Non-Chalcedonian Oriental Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East)
    • • The Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church; (Non-Chalcedonian Oriental Orthodox Church of India within the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate)
    • The Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (Autocephalous; Non-Chalcedonian Oriental Orthodox Church of India)
  • The West Syrian Rite Churches under the Catholic Church
    • • The Syriac Catholic Church, a West Syrian Rite Eastern Catholic church.
      • The Maronite Church, a West Syrian Rite Eastern Catholic Church.
      • The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, a West Syrian Rite Eastern Catholic Church based in Kerala, India.
    • The Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church.(Mar Thoma Church), an Eastern Oriental church based in Kerala, India. Mar Thoma church is in communion with the Anglican Church.
    • The Malabar Independent Syrian Church(Thozhiyur church), an independent church based in Kerala, India. Thozhiyur church is in communion with the Mar Thoma Church.

• East Syrian Rite
  • Church of the East, or Nestorian Church, once widely spread through Asia
    • The Assyrian Church of the East, the continuation of the Church of the East, which emerged from the split with the Chaldean Church in the 16th century
      • The Ancient Church of the East, split from the Assyrian Church of the East in the 1960s
    • The East Syrian Rite Churches under the Catholic Church
      • The Chaldean Catholic Church, an East Syrian Rite Eastern Catholic Church, emerged from the Church of the East following the split with the Assyrian Church in the 16th century
      • The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, an East Syrian Rite Eastern Catholic Church based in Kerala, India

Assyrian Christians were involved in the mission to India, and many of the ancient churches of India are in communion with their Syriac cousins. These Indian Christians are known as Saint Thomas Christians.

In modern times, various Evangelical denominations began to send representatives among the Syriac peoples. As a result, several Evangelical groups, including the "Assyrian Pentecostal Church" (most in America, Iran, and Iraq) have been established. However, due to their recent historical origin, such groups and others are not normally classified among those Eastern Churches to which the term "Syriac Christianity" is traditionally applied.

See also

• Assyrian people
• West Syrian Rite
• East Syrian Rite
• Syrian Malabar Nasrani
• Saint Thomas Christian tradition

Notes

References

• Baum, Wilhelm; Winkler, Dietmar W. (2003). The Church of the East: a concise history. Routledge. ISBN 9780415297707. 

External links

• Jacobite Syrian Church
• (French) - Translation into English Syriac Christianity on WikiSyr
• (French) - Translation into English Syriac Catholic Circle
• Qambel Maran- Syriac chants from South India- a review and liturgical music tradition of Syriac Christians revisited
• Traditions and rituals among the Syrian Christians of Kerala
• Audio Aramaic-Bible