Information about Syriac Christianity

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Liturgy and Worship Sign of the cross Divine Liturgy Iconography Asceticism Omophorion
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Assyrian people
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(Assyrian • Chaldean • Turoyo)'''
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Syriac Christianity is a culturally and linguistically distinctive community within Eastern Christianity. It has its roots in the Near East, and is represented by a number of Christian denominations today, mainly in the Middle East and in Kerala, India.

History

Further information: History of Eastern Christianity

Celebration at a Syriac Orthodox monestary in Mosul, northern Iraq.

Syriac Christian heritage is transmitted through the Syriac language, a dialect of Aramaic. Unlike the Greek Christian culture, Syriac 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 include the Diatessaron of Tatian (most probably), 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 occurred in the 5th century, when Christians of the 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, the Persian 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, groups within each of these branches have entered into communion with the Roman Catholic Church, becoming Eastern Catholic Churches.

Some Syriac Christian denominations no longer use the Syriac language in their worship. This is particularly true of the Chalcedonian churches.

Churches of the Syriac tradition

The Syriac Orthodox Church (Non-Chalcedonian Oriental Orthodox Church of Antioch)
The Malankara Jacobite Syriac Orthodox Church
The Malankara Marthoma Syrian Church
Churches of the East:
The Assyrian Church of the East (sometimes called Nestorian).
The Chaldean Catholic Church, an Eastern Rite Catholic church.
The Syriac Catholic Church, an Eastern Rite Catholic church.
The Maronite Church, an Eastern Rite Catholic church.
Eastern Catholic Churches in Kerala, India.
The Syro-Malabar Catholic Church (East Syrian Rite).
The Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (West Syrian Rite).

Syriac 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 Protestant denominations began to send representatives among the Syriac peoples. As a result, several Protestant groups, including the "Assyrian Pentecostal Church" have been established. However, such groups are not normally classified among those Eastern Churches to which the term "Syriac Christianity" is traditionally applied.

• • [ e] -ܣܘܖ̈ܝܝܐ Syriac Christianity
Churches	Ancient Church of the East Assyrian Church of the East Assyrian Evangelical Church Chaldean Catholic Maronite Church Syriac Catholic Syriac Orthodox
Subgroups	Assyrian people Chaldeans Nestorians Syriacs Naming dispute
Neo-Aramaic dialects	Assyrian Neo-Aramaic Bohtan Neo-Aramaic Chaldean Neo-Aramaic Hrtevin Koy Sanjaq Surat Garshuni Mlahs Senaya Turoyo

• • [ e] Syriac history

Eastern Christianity

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Traditions
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Byzantine Empire or Byzantium is the term conventionally used since the 19th century to describe the Greek-speaking Roman Empire of the Middle Ages, centered on its capital of Constantinople.
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Crusades were a series of military conflicts of a religious character waged by much of Christian Europe during 1095–1291, most of which were sanctioned by the Pope in the name
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Christianity

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Christianization of Kievan Rus took place in several stages. In early 867, Patriarch Photius of Constantinople announced to other Orthodox patriarchs that the Rus, baptised by his bishop, took to Christianity with particular enthusiasm.
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Inline:

1. ^ Andrew Wilson (historian)|Wilson, Andrew]] (2000). The Ukrainians: Unexpected Nation, Yale University Press, ISBN 0-300-09309-8; pages 33-37
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^]] Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, book 1, chp.19

^ Socrates, Ecclesiastical History, book 3, chp.
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Armenian Apostolic Church (Armenian: Հայ Առաքելական Եկեղեցի, Hay Arakelagan Yegeghetzi), sometimes called the Armenian Orthodox Church or the
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sign of the cross in the Eastern Orthodox fashion.]] The Sign of the Cross is a ceremonial hand motion made by the vast majority of the world's Christians. It is usually accompanied with the trinitarian formula.
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The Divine Liturgy is the common term for the Eucharistic service of the Byzantine tradition of Christian liturgy. As such, it is used in the Eastern Orthodox, and Eastern Catholic Churches.
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Iconography is the branch of art history which studies the identification, description, and the interpretation of the content of images. The word iconography literally means "image writing", or painting, and comes from the Greek
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Asceticism describes a life characterized by abstinence from worldly pleasures (austerity). Those who practice ascetic lifestyles often perceive their practices as virtuous and pursue them to achieve greater spirituality.
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omophorion (Greek:ὀμοφόριον ; Slavonic: омофоръ, omofor
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Hesychasm (Greek ἡσυχασμός hesychasmos, from ἡσυχία hesychia
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icon (from Greek εἰκών, eikon, "image") is an image, picture, or representation; it is a sign or likeness that stands for an object by signifying or representing it, or by analogy, as in semiotics; by
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Negative theology - also known as the Via Negativa (Latin for "Negative Way") and Apophatic theology - is a theology that attempts to describe God by negation, to speak of God only in terms of what may not be said about God.
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Miaphysitism (sometimes called henophysitism) is the christology of the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Miaphysitism holds that in the one person of Jesus Christ, Divinity and Humanity are united in one "nature" ("physis"), the two being united without separation, without
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Monophysitism (from the Greek monos meaning 'one, alone' and physis meaning 'nature') is the Christological position that Christ has only one nature, as opposed to the Chalcedonian position which holds that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human.
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Nestorianism is the doctrine that Jesus exists as two persons, the man Jesus and the divine Son of God, or Logos, rather than as a unified person. This doctrine is identified with Nestorius (c. 386–c. 451), Archbishop of Constantinople.
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Theoria (Greek ) is Greek for contemplation or perception of beauty as a moral faculty (OED). From within Eastern Orthodox theology it is "the vision of God" and theoria
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Phronema is a Greek term that is used in Eastern Orthodox theology to refer to mindset or outlook; it is the Orthodox mind. [1] The attaining of phronema is a matter of practicing the correct faith (orthodoxia
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Syriac Christianity

History

Churches of the Syriac tradition

See also