Syriac Orthodox Church

For other uses, see Jacobite.
"Syrian Orthodox" redirects here. For other uses, see Syrian Orthodox (disambiguation).


Syriac Orthodox Church
Classical Syriac: ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘ̣ܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܗܰܝܡܳܢܽܘܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ ܫܽܘ̣ܒ̣ܚܳܐ
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)
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) : ♰
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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.

  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. ^ 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.