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96-549: Maʿlūlā is said to derive from the Aramaic word maʿəlā , meaning "entrance". The name is romanized in multiple different ways, such as Maaloula, Ma'loula, Maalula, Ma'lula, Malula. However, "Maaloula" is the most common one. In 1838, its inhabitants were Antiochan Greek Orthodox Christians , Melkite Catholics , and a minority of Sunni Muslims . Presently, the population maintains religious diversity, with both Christians and Muslims identifying ethnically as Arameans Notably,

192-541: A resistance movement by some scholars, the entire organization, or its military wing alone, has been designated as a terrorist group by over 20 countries, including most Western countries. In 1982, Hezbollah was conceived by Muslim clerics and funded by Iran primarily to fight the Israeli invasion of Lebanon . The 1982 and the 1978 Israeli invasions had created a humanitarian crisis in Lebanon; many villages in

288-532: A Middle-Eastern semi- ethnoreligious Eastern Christian group residing in the Levant region including the Hatay Province of Turkey. Many of their descendants now live in the global Eastern Christian diaspora . The number of Antiochian Greek Christians is estimated to be approximately 4.3 million. The seat of the patriarchate was formerly Antioch , in what is now Turkey . The Church of Cassian

384-687: A contingent of 1,500 Iranian Revolutionary Guards that arrived from Iran with permission from the Syrian government , which occupied Lebanon's eastern highlands , permitted their transit to a base in the Bekaa valley which was in occupation of Lebanon at the time. Scholars differ as to when Hezbollah came to be a distinct entity. Various sources list the official formation of the group as early as 1982 whereas Diaz and Newman maintain that Hezbollah remained an amalgamation of various violent Shi'a extremists until as late as 1985. Another version states that it

480-477: A deal for their release. Those negotiations produced an agreement on a prisoner exchange under which around 150 Syrian women detained by the government were also freed. After the nuns were freed on 9 March 2014, they stated that they were mostly treated well by their captors. On 14 April 2014, with the help of Hezbollah and SSNP , the Syrian Army once more took control of Maaloula. This government success

576-584: A decline in public trust. A 2024 Arab Barometer survey found that 55% of Lebanese have "no trust at all" in Hezbollah, although it remains popular among the Shia population. Despite calls for disarmament under United Nations Security Council resolutions, Hezbollah has expanded its military capabilities. Its armed wing is now considered stronger than the Lebanese Armed Forces , making it one of

672-576: A distinct version of Islamic Shi'a ideology ( Wilayat al-faqih or Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists) developed by Khomeini, who was the leader of the "Islamic Revolution" in Iran . Although Hezbollah originally aimed to transform Lebanon into a formal Faqihi Islamic republic , this goal has been abandoned in favor of a more inclusive approach. Early on, Hezbollah was influenced by ideas from prominent Sunni Islamists. Hezbollah's own rhetoric

768-524: A formal governing structure and, in keeping with the principle of Guardianship of the Islamic Jurists ( velayat-e faqih ), it "concentrate[s] ... all authority and powers" on its religious leaders, whose decisions, then, "flow from the ulama down the entire community". The supreme decision-making bodies of the Hezbollah were divided between the Majlis al-Shura (Consultative Assembly) which

864-420: A metropolitan. Source: Hezbollah Non-state allies: Non-state opponents: Hezbollah ( / ˌ h ɛ z b ə ˈ l ɑː / HEZ -bə- LAH ; Arabic : حزب الله , romanized :  Ḥizbu llāh , pronounced [ħizbuˈɫːaːh] , lit.   ' Party of God ' ) is a Lebanese Shia Islamist political party and paramilitary group. Hezbollah's paramilitary wing

960-518: A movement of the Theology of Liberation ". On 16 February 1985, Sheik Ibrahim al-Amin issued Hezbollah's manifesto. The ideology presented in it was described as radical. Its first objective was to fight against what Hezbollah described as American and Israeli imperialism , including the Israeli occupation of Southern Lebanon and other territories. The second objective was to gather all Muslims into an " ummah ", under which Lebanon would further

1056-450: A national unity government. The updated manifesto has the same basic approach to foreign policy, emphasizing the hegemonic strategies of the US and Israel's role in the region as a forward base for colonizing the region. Since the 1990s, Hezbollah has grown into a significant political force in Lebanon. The group operates a vast social services network, including schools and hospitals, and runs

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1152-434: A new manifesto at Hezbollah's 7th political conference. Besides its introduction, this 32-page document has three chapters on U.S. hegemonic strategies and the impact of globalization; Hezbollah's approach to Lebanon; and Palestinian resistance to Israel. While self-described as a "rebirth" document, the manifesto conveys the same basic approach to foreign policy as in the past, according to scholar Benedetta Berti , though it

1248-592: A satellite TV station, Al-Manar . Politically, Hezbollah’s Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc holds 15 seats in the Lebanese Parliament, making it a powerful player in Lebanon’s government. However, the group’s influence has led to growing domestic criticism. Following the 2020 Beirut port explosion , Hezbollah was accused of obstructing efforts to hold those responsible accountable, contributing to

1344-641: A significant role in the Lebanese civil war, opposing American forces in 1982–83 and opposing Amal and Syria during the 1985–88 War of the Camps . However, Hezbollah's early primary focus was ending Israel's occupation of southern Lebanon following Israel's 1982 invasion and siege of Beirut. Amal, the main Lebanese Shia political group, initiated guerrilla warfare . In 2006, former Israeli prime minister Ehud Barak stated, "When we entered Lebanon … there

1440-474: A single leadership", according to Naim Qassem , Hezbollah's second in command. "All political, social and jihad work is tied to the decisions of this leadership ... The same leadership that directs the parliamentary and government work also leads jihad actions in the struggle against Israel." In 2010, Iran's parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani said, "Iran takes pride in Lebanon's Islamic resistance movement for its steadfast Islamic stance. Hezbollah nurtures

1536-851: A sizable proportion of the Hellenized Jewish communities and most gentile Greco-Macedonian settlers in Southern Turkey ( Antioch , Alexandretta and neighboring cities) and Syria / Lebanon  – the former being called "Hellenistai" in the Acts  – converted progressively to the Greco-Roman branch of Christianity that eventually constituted the " Melkite " (or "Imperial" ) Hellenistic Churches in Western Asia and North Africa: As Jewish Christianity originated at Jerusalem, so Gentile Christianity started at Antioch , then

1632-473: A viable "alternative" to political Islam, communism and Jewish nationalism (viewed as ideologies potentially exclusive of Byzantine Christian minorities). This often led to interfaith conflicts with the Maronite Church in Lebanon, notably regarding Palestinian refugees after 1948 and 1967. Various (sometimes secular) intellectuals with a Greek Orthodox Antiochian background played an important role in

1728-863: A white robe topped with a blue shawl, her hands lifted in prayer. The fibreglass figure stood at just over 3 metres (10 feet) tall and was placed on the base of the original statue. The statue is titled "Lady of Peace" ( Arabic : سيدة السلام , romanized :  sayyidat as-salām ). 33°50′39″N 36°32′48″E  /  33.84417°N 36.54667°E  / 33.84417; 36.54667 Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch Georgian Orthodox Church – 1010 Autocephaly recognized by some autocephalous Churches de jure : Autocephaly and canonicity recognized by Constantinople and 3 other autocephalous Churches: Spiritual independence recognized by Georgian Orthodox Church: Semi-Autonomous: The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch ( Greek : Ελληνορθόδοξο Πατριαρχείο Αντιοχείας ), also known as

1824-814: Is Israel's occupation of Lebanese territory. Israel withdrew from Lebanon in 2000, and their withdrawal was verified by the United Nations as being in accordance with resolution 425 of 19 March 1978; however, Lebanon considers the Shebaa farms —a 26 km (10 sq mi) piece of land captured by Israel from Syria in the 1967 war and considered by the UN to be Syrian territory occupied by Israel—to be Lebanese territory. Finally, Hezbollah considers Israel to be an illegitimate state. For these reasons, it justifies its actions as acts of defensive jihad. If they go from Shebaa, we won't stop fighting them. ... Our goal

1920-469: Is also cheaper than in most of the country's private hospitals and free for Hezbollah members. According to CNN, "Hezbollah did everything that a government should do, from collecting the garbage to running hospitals and repairing schools." In July 2006, during the war with Israel, when there was no running water in Beirut, Hezbollah was arranging supplies around the city. Lebanese Shiites "see Hezbollah as

2016-406: Is more "politically savvy" and appeals to non-Islamic movements. Still, the manifesto offers new support for Lebanese political institutions, through which it had been making inroads. Notably, it says that it opposes political "sectarianism", idealizes a national unity government, and treats the Lebanese army less as an enemy and more as a subordinate military arm. From the inception of Hezbollah to

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2112-450: Is not contingent upon it because Hezbollah's hatred of Jews is more religiously motivated than politically motivated". Robert S. Wistrich , a historian specializing in the study of anti-Semitism, described Hezbollah's ideology concerning Jews: The anti-Semitism of Hezbollah leaders and spokesmen combines the image of seemingly invincible Jewish power ... and cunning with the contempt normally reserved for weak and cowardly enemies. Like

2208-638: Is one of several churches that lay claim to be the canonical incumbent of the ancient see of Antioch . The Syriac Orthodox Church makes the same claim, as do the Syriac Catholic Church , the Maronite Church , and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church ; the latter three are Eastern Catholic Churches in full communion with the Holy See and mutually recognize each other as holding authentic patriarchates, being part of

2304-511: Is only "anti-Zionist" and not anti-Semitic. However, according to scholars, "these words do not hold up upon closer examination". Among other actions, Hezbollah actively engages in Holocaust denial and spreads anti-Semitic conspiracy theories. Various antisemitic statements have been attributed to Hezbollah officials. Amal Saad-Ghorayeb , a Lebanese political analyst, argues that although Zionism has influenced Hezbollah's anti-Judaism , "it

2400-737: Is the Jihad Council , and its political wing is the Loyalty to the Resistance Bloc party in the Lebanese Parliament . Its armed strength was assessed to be equivalent to that of a medium-sized army in 2016. Hezbollah was founded in 1982 by Lebanese clerics in response to the Israeli invasion of Lebanon . Inspired by the Iranian Revolution of 1979 and Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini 's model of Islamic governance, Hezbollah established strong ties with Iran. The group

2496-423: Is the only place where a Western Aramaic language is still spoken, which it has been able to retain amidst the rise of Arabic due to its distance from other major cities and its isolating geological features. However, modern roads and transportation, as well as accessibility to Arabic-language television and print media – and for some time until recently, also state policy – have eroded that linguistic heritage. As

2592-615: Is to liberate the 1948 borders of Palestine, ... The Jews who survive this war of liberation can go back to Germany or wherever they came from. However, that the Jews who lived in Palestine before 1948 will be 'allowed to live as a minority and they will be cared for by the Muslim majority.' — Hezbollah's spokesperson Hassan Ezzedin, about an Israeli withdrawal from Shebaa Farms Hezbollah officials have said, on rare occasions, that it

2688-674: The Antiochian Orthodox Church and legally as the Rūm Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East ( Arabic : بطريركيّة أنطاكية وسائر المشرق للروم الأرثوذكس , romanized :  Baṭriyarkiyyat ʾAnṭākiya wa-Sāʾir al-Mašriq li-r-Rūm al-ʾUrṯūḏuks , lit.   'Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East for the Orthodox Rum'; ), is an autocephalous Greek Orthodox church within

2784-732: The Hamas propaganda for holy war, that of Hezbollah has relied on the endless vilification of Jews as 'enemies of mankind,' 'conspiratorial, obstinate, and conceited' adversaries full of 'satanic plans' to enslave the Arabs. It fuses traditional Islamic anti-Judaism with Western conspiracy myths, Third Worldist anti-Zionism, and Iranian Shiite contempt for Jews as 'ritually impure' and corrupt infidels. Sheikh Fadlallah typically insists ... that Jews wish to undermine or obliterate Islam and Arab cultural identity in order to advance their economic and political domination. Conflicting reports say Al-Manar ,

2880-777: The Jewish Telegraphic Agency , Hezbollah pressured a private English-language school in western Beirut "which asked not to be identified", to eliminate from its curriculum excerpts from The Diary of Anne Frank , a book of the writings from the diary kept by the Jewish child Anne Frank while she was in hiding with her family during the Nazi occupation of the Netherlands. This was after Hezbollah's member of Lebanese parliament Hussein Hajj Hassan , interviewed on

2976-804: The Shi'ite Lebanese Diaspora in West Africa, the United States and, most importantly, the Triple Frontier , or tri-border area, along the junction of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. U.S. law enforcement officials have identified an illegal multimillion-dollar cigarette-smuggling fund raising operation and a drug smuggling operation. Nasrallah has repeatedly denied any links between the South American drug trade and Hezbollah, calling such accusations "propaganda" and attempts "to damage

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3072-610: The " Axis of Resistance ", an alliance in opposition to Israel and Western influence in the Middle East. The ideology of Hezbollah has been summarized as Shi'i radicalism ; Hezbollah follows the Islamic Shi'a theology developed by Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Hezbollah was largely formed with the aid of the Khomeini's followers in the early 1980s in order to spread Islamic revolution and follows

3168-462: The "Lebanonization" of Hezbollah. Unlike its uncompromising revolutionary stance in the 1980s, Hezbollah conveyed a lenient stance towards the Lebanese state. In 1992, Hezbollah decided to participate in elections, and Ali Khamenei , supreme leader of Iran , endorsed it. Former Hezbollah secretary general, Subhi al-Tufayli , contested this decision, which led to a schism in Hezbollah. Hezbollah won all twelve seats which were on its electoral list. At

3264-587: The "Lebanonization" of resistance. Whether the Islamic Jihad Organization (IJO) was a nom de guerre used by Hezbollah or a separate organization, is disputed. According to certain sources, IJO was identified as merely a "telephone organization", and whose name was "used by those involved to disguise their true identity". Hezbollah reportedly also used another name, "Islamic Resistance" ( al-Muqawama al-Islamiyya ), for attacks against Israel. A 2003 American court decision found IJO

3360-587: The Antiochan Convent of Saint Thecla . The Saint Sarkis Monastic Complex of Maaloula is one of the oldest surviving monasteries in Syria. It was built on the site of a pagan temple, and has elements which go back to the fifth to sixth century Byzantine period. Saint Sarkis is the Aramaic name for Sergius , a Roman soldier who was executed for his Christian beliefs. This monastery still maintains its solemn historical character. The monastery has two of

3456-740: The Antiochian See are governed by statutes. The Patriarch is elected by the Holy Synod from among the metropolitans who compose it. The Patriarch presides the Holy Synod and executes its decisions. He also acts as metropolitan of the Archdiocese of Antioch and Damascus. The current Patriarch, John X (Yazigi) , was elected on December 17, 2012, succeeding to Metropolitan Saba Esber , who had been elected locum tenens on December 7, 2012, following Ignatius IV (Hazim) 's death. Source: There are at present 22 archdioceses, each headed by

3552-764: The Apostle are considered the cofounders of the Patriarchate of Antioch, the former being its first bishop. When Peter left Antioch, Evodios and Ignatius took over the charge of the Patriarchate. Both Evodios and Ignatius died as martyrs under Roman persecution. Hellenistic Judaism and the Judeo-Greek "wisdom" literature popular in the late Second Temple era among both Hellenized Rabbinical Jews (known as Mityavnim in Hebrew ) and gentile Greek proselyte converts to mainstream Judaism played an important part in

3648-566: The East as John X of Antioch (Yazigi) on December 17, 2012. He succeeded Ignatius IV who had died on December 5, 2012. Membership statistics are not available, but may be as high as 1,100,000 in Syria and 400,000 in Lebanon where they make up 8% of the population or 20% of Christians who make up 39–41% of Lebanon. The seat of the patriarch in Damascus is the Mariamite Cathedral of Damascus . The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

3744-691: The European Christian fold. But members of the community in Southern Turkey , Syria and Lebanon still call themselves Rūm (روم) which means "Eastern Romans" or "Asian Greeks" in Arabic . In that particular context, the term "Rūm" is used in preference to " Yūnāniyyūn " (يونانيون) which means "European Greeks" or " Ionians " in Biblical Hebrew (borrowed from Old Persian Yavan = Greece) and Classical Arabic. Members of

3840-666: The Galatians : There is neither Jew nor Greek: there is neither slave nor free: there is neither male nor female. For you are all one in Christ Jesus ( Galatians 3:28 ). The unique combination of ethnocultural traits inhered from the fusion of a Greek cultural base, Hellenistic Judaism and Roman civilization gave birth to the distinctly Antiochian " Eastern Mediterranean -Roman" Christian traditions of Cilicia (Southeastern Turkey) and Syria/Lebanon: The mixture of Roman, Greek, and Jewish elements admirably adapted Antioch for

3936-550: The Hellenized Jews and Greek-speaking Judeo-Christians centered around Antioch and related Cilician, Southern-Anatolian and Syrian "Diasporas" and (the generally more conservative) Aramaic -speaking Jewish converts to Christianity based in Jerusalem and neighboring Israeli towns: The 'Hebrews' were Jewish Christians who spoke almost exclusively Aramaic, and the 'Hellenists' were also Jewish Christians whose mother tongue

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4032-672: The Hezbollah-owned and operated television station, accused either Israel or Jews of deliberately spreading HIV and other diseases to Arabs throughout the Middle East. Al-Manar was criticized in the West for airing "anti-Semitic propaganda" in the form of a television drama depicting a Jewish world domination conspiracy theory . The group has been accused by American analysts of engaging in Holocaust denial . In addition, during its 2006 war, it apologized only for killing Israel's Arabs (i.e., non-Jews). In November 2009, according to

4128-655: The Israeli advance to Beirut for six days, that the future Hezbollah military chief Mustafa Badreddine made his name as a serious commander. According to Shapira, the lightly armed Shia fighters managed to capture an Israeli armored vehicle on that day and paraded it in the Revolutionary Guards' forward operating base in Baalbek , Eastern Lebanon. Fisk writes: Down at Khalde, a remarkable phenomenon had taken shape. The Shia militiamen were running on foot into

4224-579: The Israeli gunfire to launch grenades at the Israeli armour, actually moving to within 20 feet of the tanks to open fire at them. Some of the Shia fighters had torn off pieces of their shirts and wrapped them around their heads as bands of martyrdom as the Iranian revolutionary guards had begun doing a year before when they staged their first mass attacks against the Iraqis in the Gulf War a thousand miles to

4320-586: The Majlis al-Shura and these seven committees were replicated in each of Hizballah's three main operational areas (the Beqaa , Beirut , and the South). Since the Supreme Leader of Iran is the ultimate clerical authority, Hezbollah's leaders have appealed to him "for guidance and directives in cases when Hezbollah's collective leadership [was] too divided over issues and fail[ed] to reach a consensus". After

4416-759: The Martyr's Institute (Al-Shahid Social Association), which pays stipends to "families of fighters who die" in battle. An IRIN news report of the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs noted: Hezbollah not only has armed and political wings—it also boasts an extensive social development program. Hezbollah currently operates at least four hospitals, twelve clinics, twelve schools and two agricultural centres that provide farmers with technical assistance and training. It also has an environmental department and an extensive social assistance program. Medical care

4512-679: The Muslim inhabitants have a remarkable legacy as they haven’t embraced an Arab ethnic identity , unlike the majority of other Syrians who underwent Islamization and, consequently, Arabization over the centuries. Half a century ago, 15,000 people lived in Maaloula. According to the Syria Central Bureau of Statistics , Maaloula had a population of 2,762 in the 2004 census. However, during summer, it increases to about 10,000, due to people coming from Damascus for holidays. With two other nearby towns, Bakh'a and Jubb'adin, Maaloula

4608-761: The Salafis , Al-Manar TV's employees had instructions "not to talk badly about Saudi Arabia". This changed, however, after the beginning of the Saudi-led intervention in the Yemeni civil war . Some scholars consider Hezbollah a left-wing political movement. In 2008, political scientists Anisseh van Engeland and Rachael Rudolph wrote: "The ideology of Hezbollah has changed: it has nowadays a left-wing political speech focused on social justice." Feminist scholar Judith Butler stated: "I think: yes, understanding Hamas, Hezbollah as social movements that are progressive, that are on

4704-446: The Turkish Ottoman Empire and the Tsarist Russian Empire (long the protector of Greek-Orthodox minorities in the Levant), and the ensuing rise of French colonialism , communism , Islamism and Israeli nationalism, some members of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch embraced secularism and/or Arab Nationalism as a way to modernize and "secularize" the newly formed nation-states of Northern Syria and Lebanon , and thus provide

4800-424: The US, Israel and Canada. According to Robert Fisk and Israeli General Shimon Shapira the date of 8 June 1982, two days after the Israeli invasion of Lebanon, when 50 Shiite militants ambushed an Israel Defense Forces armored convoy in Khalde south of Beirut, is considered by Hezbollah as the founding myth of the Islamic Resistance in Lebanon , the group's military wing . It was in this battle, delaying

4896-414: The aims of the 1979 Revolution of Iran. It also declared it would protect all Lebanese communities, excluding those that collaborated with Israel, and support all national movements—both Muslim and non-Muslim—throughout the world. The ideology has since evolved, and today Hezbollah is a political entity focused on social justice. Translated excerpts from Hezbollah's original 1985 manifesto read: We are

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4992-408: The community also call themselves 'Melkites', which literally means "monarchists" or "supporters of the emperor" in Semitic languages – a reference to their past allegiance to Greco- Macedonian , Roman and Byzantine imperial rule. But, in the modern era, the term tends to be more commonly used by followers of the Greek Catholic Church of Antioch and Alexandria and Jerusalem . Following the fall of

5088-499: The death of Iran's first Supreme Leader, Khomeini, Hezbollah's governing bodies developed a more "independent role" and appealed to Iran less often. Since the Second Lebanon War , however, Iran has restructured Hezbollah to limit the power of Hassan Nasrallah , and invested billions of dollars "rehabilitating" Hezbollah. Structurally, Hezbollah does not distinguish between its political/social activities within Lebanon and its military/ jihad activities against Israel. "Hezbollah has

5184-422: The development of Baathism , the most prominent being Michel Aflaq , one of the founders of the movement. In the early 20th century (notably during World War I ), Lebanese-American writers of Greek-Orthodox Antiochian background such as Abraham Dimitri Rihbany, known as Abraham Mitrie Rihbany (a convert to Presbyterianism ), popularized the notion of studying ancient Greco-Semitic culture to better understand

5280-405: The east . When they set fire to one Israeli armoured vehicle, the gunmen were emboldened to advance further. None of us, I think, realised the critical importance of the events of Khalde that night. The Lebanese Shia were learning the principles of martyrdom and putting them into practice. Never before had we seen these men wear headbands like this; we thought it was another militia affectation but it

5376-548: The emergence of a new, typically Antiochian Greek doctrine ( doxa ) spearheaded by Paul (himself a Hellenized Cilician Jew) and his followers be they 1. Established, autochthonous Hellenized Cilician -Western Syrian Jews (themselves descendants of Babylonian and 'Asian' Jewish migrants who had adopted early on various elements of Greek culture and civilization while retaining a generally conservative attachment to Jewish laws & traditions), 2. Heathen, 'Classical' Greeks , Greco- Macedonian and Greco-Syrian gentiles, and 3.

5472-446: The end of that year, Hezbollah began to engage in dialog with Lebanese Christians. Hezbollah regards cultural, political, and religious freedoms in Lebanon as sanctified, although it does not extend these values to groups who have relations with Israel. In 1997, Hezbollah formed the multi-confessional Lebanese Brigades to Fight the Israeli Occupation in an attempt to revive national and secular resistance against Israel, thereby marking

5568-416: The end of the Lebanese Civil War in 1990, despite the Taif Agreement asking for the "disbanding of all Lebanese and non-Lebanese militias", Syria , which controlled Lebanon at that time, allowed Hezbollah to maintain their arsenal and control Shia areas along the border with Israel. In the 1990s, Hezbollah transformed from a revolutionary group into a political one, in a process which has been described as

5664-403: The first known converts to Christianity], some of these Jews of Cyrene who had been converted at Jerusalem, were scattered abroad and came with others to Antioch [...] and one of them, Lucius, became a prophet in the early church there [the Greek-speaking 'Orthodox' Church of Antioch]. These subtle, progressive socio-cultural shifts are somehow summarized succinctly in Chapter 3 of the Epistle to

5760-412: The formation of the Melkite-Antiochian Greek Orthodox tradition. Some typically Grecian "Ancient Synagogal " priestly rites and hymns have survived partially to the present in the distinct church service , architecture and iconography of the Melkite Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic communities of the Hatay Province of Southern Turkey , Syria and Lebanon . Some historians believe that

5856-565: The great part it played in the early history of Christianity. The city was the cradle of the church. Some of the typically Antiochian ancient liturgical traditions of the community rooted in Hellenistic Judaism and, more generally, Second Temple Greco-Jewish Septuagint culture, were expunged progressively in the late medieval and modern eras by both Phanariot European-Greek ( Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople ) and Vatican ( Roman Catholic ) theologians who sought to 'bring back' Levantine Greek Orthodox and Greek-Catholic communities into

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5952-583: The historic and ethnocultural context of the Christian Gospels : his original views were developed in a series of articles for The Atlantic Monthly , and in 1916 published in book form as The Syrian Christ . At a time when most of the Arab world area was ruled by the Ottoman Empire, France and Britain, Rihbany called for US military intervention in the Holy Land to fend off Ottoman Pan-Islamism, French colonialism, Soviet Communism and radical Zionist enterprises- all viewed as potentially detrimental to Christian minorities. The administration and structure of

6048-497: The image of Hezbollah". As of 2018, annual Iranian monetary support for Hezbollah was estimated at $ 700 million by US officials. Hezbollah organizes and maintains an extensive social development program and runs hospitals, news services, educational facilities, and encouragement of Nikah mut'ah . One of its established institutions, Jihad Al Binna's Reconstruction Campaign, is responsible for numerous economic and infrastructure development projects in Lebanon. Hezbollah controls

6144-404: The last remaining area where Western Neo-Aramaic is still spoken, the three villages represent an important source for anthropological linguistic studies regarding first century Western Aramaic. According to scholarly consensus, the language of Jesus was a Western Middle Aramaic variety, Galilean Aramaic . There are two important monasteries in Maaloula: the Melkite monastery of Mar Sarkis and

6240-442: The late 1980s, when there was three-digit inflation in Lebanon due to the collapse of the Lira , the British periodical Middle East International reported that Hezbollah was receiving $ 3–5 million per month from Iran. According to reports subsequently released, Hezbollah received $ 400 million from Iran. In 2009, when the United States GAO agency accused members of the Venezuelan government of "not cooperating fully in

6336-427: The latter became autocephalous in 431. Both the Orthodox Churches of Antioch and Cyprus are members of the Middle East Council of Churches . Its North American branch is autonomous, although the Holy Synod of Antioch still appoints its head bishop, chosen from a list of three candidates nominated in the North American archdiocese. Its Australasia and Oceania branch is the largest in terms of geographic area due to

6432-417: The leading center of the Hellenistic East, with Peter and Paul as its apostles. From Antioch it spread to the various cities and provinces of Syria, among the Hellenistic Syrians as well as among the Hellenistic Jews who, as a result of the great rebellions against the Romans in A.D. 70 and 130, were driven out from Jerusalem and Palestine into Syria. Acts 6 points to the problematic cultural tensions between

6528-488: The left, that are part of a global left, is extremely important." Other academic writers that described Hezbollah as left-wing include Imad Salamey , Amal Saad-Ghorayeb , Nahla Chahal and As'ad Abu Khalil . Salamey wrote that Hezhollah is an "anticapitalist political movement" and "revolutionary styled vanguard party", adding that, "Hezbollah has emerged as a revolutionary proletarian party with an Islamic manifesto par excellence." Similarly, Chahal wrote that Hezhollah "is

6624-661: The local, autochthonous descendants of Greek or Greco-Syrian converts to mainstream Judaism – known as " Proselytes " (Greek: προσήλυτος/proselytes or 'newcomers to Israel') and Greek-speaking Jews born of mixed marriages . Paul's efforts were probably facilitated by the arrival of a fourth wave of Greek-speaking newcomers to Cilicia, Northwestern Syria, Galilee and Jerusalem : Cypriot and ' Cyrenian ' (Libyan) Jewish migrants of non-Egyptian North African Jewish origin and gentile Roman settlers from Italy — many of whom already spoke fluent Koine Greek and/or sent their children to Greco-Syrian schools. Some scholars believe that, at

6720-554: The manifesto also emphasized Lebanese self-determination. Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Hezbollah fought against Israeli forces and the South Lebanon Army (SLA), eventually leading to Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000. Hezbollah also played a prominent role in the 2006 Lebanon War and later became involved in the Syrian civil war , where it fought alongside the Syrian government against rebel forces. In 2009, Hezbollah updated their manifesto to oppose political sectarianism, appeal to non-Islamic movements, and promote

6816-436: The most powerful non-state actors in the world. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah declared in 2021 that the group had 100,000 fighters. Hezbollah has been involved in several high-profile attacks; it is believed to be responsible for the bombing of the US embassy and the American and French barracks bombings in Beirut in 1983, as well as later attacks, including bombings and hijackings. While Hezbollah has been regarded as

6912-510: The mountain split open and let her escape through. The town gets its name from this gap or entrance in the mountain. However, there are many variations to this story among the residents of Maaloula. There are also the remains of numerous monasteries, convents, churches, shrines and sanctuaries. There are some that lie in ruins, while others continue to stand, defying age. Many pilgrims come to Maaloula, both Muslim and Christian, and they go there to gain blessings and make offerings. Maaloula became

7008-466: The oldest icons in the world, one depicting the Last Supper . This convent holds the remains of Thecla , which the second-century Acts of Paul and Thecla accounts a noble virgin and pupil of Paul the Apostle . According to later legend not in the Acts , Thecla was being pursued by soldiers of her father to capture her because of her Christian faith. She came upon a mountain, and after praying,

7104-517: The organization's Al-Manar television channel, criticized the school for "showing poor judgment in picking out its textbooks", and asked how long Lebanon would "remain an open arena for the Zionist invasion of education". In The New Yorker ' s July 22, 2024 issue, Dexter Filkins , in his report on the border fight between Israel and the organization, quoted a commander of Hezbollah, who had been active in its operations outside Lebanon, stating that

7200-566: The original ideas of Islamic Jihad." He also instead charged the West with having accused Iran with support of terrorism and said, "The real terrorists are those who provide the Zionist regime with military equipment to bomb the people." Funding of Hezbollah comes from the Iranian government, Lebanese business groups, private persons, businessmen, the Lebanese diaspora involved in African diamond exploration, other Islamic groups and countries, and

7296-632: The present, the elimination of the State of Israel has been one of Hezbollah's primary goals. Some translations of Hezbollah's 1985 Arabic-language manifesto state that "our struggle will end only when this entity [Israel] is obliterated". According to Hezbollah's Deputy-General, Naim Qassem , the struggle against Israel is a core belief of Hezbollah and the central rationale of Hezbollah's existence. Hezbollah says that its continued hostilities against Israel are justified as reciprocal to Israeli operations against Lebanon and as retaliation for what they claim

7392-614: The relatively large size of Australia and the large portion of the Pacific Ocean that the archdiocese covers. The head of the Orthodox Church of Antioch is called Patriarch . The present Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch is John X (Yazigi) , who presided over the Archdiocese of Western and Central Europe (2008–2013). He was elected as primate of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All

7488-576: The same Catholic communion. Their fellow Catholic particular church , the Latin Church , also appointed titular patriarchs for many centuries, until the office was left vacant in 1953 and abolished in 1964 with all claims renounced. According to Luke the Evangelist - himself a Greco-Syrian member of that community: The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. St Peter and St Paul

7584-806: The scene of battle between the Al-Qaeda -linked insurgent group Al-Nusra Front and the Syrian Army in September 2013. The insurgents took over the town on October 21. Around 13 people were killed, with many more wounded. On October 28, government forces recaptured the town. Maaloula was taken over by al-Nusra Front , opposing the Syrian government, again on December 3, 2013. The group took 12 Orthodox nuns as hostages. The nuns were moved between different locations and ended up in Yabroud where they were held for three months. Officials from Lebanon negotiated

7680-759: The sons of the umma (Muslim community) ... ... We are an ummah linked to the Muslims of the whole world by the solid doctrinal and religious connection of Islam, whose message God wanted to be fulfilled by the Seal of the Prophets , i.e., Prophet Muhammad . ... As for our culture, it is based on the Holy Quran , the Sunna and the legal rulings of the faqih who is our source of imitation ... On 30 November 2009, secretary-general Nasrallah presented

7776-422: The south had been destroyed and large numbers of Shias had been displaced from their homes. In addition, the Shia had long been underrepresented in Lebanese politics. Both these factors fostered resentment among the local Shia population, making them a fertile ground for recruitment. Hezbollah was set up by local Shia committees, under the leadership of Ruhollah Khomeini . Its forces were trained and organized by

7872-608: The taxes paid by the Shia Lebanese. Hezbollah says that the main source of its income comes from its own investment portfolios and donations by Muslims. Western sources maintain that Hezbollah receives most of its financial, training, weapons, explosives, political, diplomatic, and organizational aid from Iran and Syria . Iran is said to have given $ 400 million between 1983 and 1989 through donation. Ostensibly on account of economic problems, Iran temporarily limited funds to humanitarian actions carried on by Hezbollah. During

7968-476: The time, these Cypriot and Cyrenian North African Jewish migrants were generally less affluent than the autochthonous Cilician-Syrian Jews and practiced a more 'liberal' form of Judaism, more propitious for the formation of a new canon: [North African] Cyrenian Jews were of sufficient importance in those days to have their name associated with a synagogue at Jerusalem (Acts 6:9). And when the persecution arose about Stephen [a Hellenized Syrian-Cilician Jew, and one of

8064-536: The war between the "Zionist state" and the "party of God" would be "very simply" resolved, "when [the Jews] leave on the same boat they came on". At the beginning, many Hezbollah leaders maintained that the movement was "not an organization, for its members carry no cards and bear no specific responsibilities", and that the movement does not have "a clearly defined organizational structure". Today, as Hezbollah scholar Magnus Ranstorp reports, Hezbollah does actually have

8160-883: The war on drug trafficking " and claimed that "drug corruption had reached the ministerial level in Venezuela", Dorit Shavit , then in charge of Latin America & Caribbean affairs at the Israeli foreign ministry , stated in El Tiempo that the presence of "cells of Hezbollah guerrillas" had increased in recent years in the Guajira Peninsula and on the island of Margarita . The foreign ministry of Venezuela rejected these allegations as "absurd". In 2011, Iran earmarked $ 7 million to Hezbollah's activities in Latin America. Hezbollah has relied also on funding from

8256-817: The wider communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity that originates from the historical Church of Antioch . Headed by the Greek Orthodox patriarch of Antioch , it considers itself the successor to the Christian community founded in Antioch by the Apostles Peter and Paul . It is one of the largest Christian denominations of the Middle East, alongside the Copts of Egypt and the Maronites of Lebanon. Its adherents, known as Antiochian Christians , are

8352-612: Was Greek. They were Greek-speaking Jews of the Diaspora, who returned to settle in Jerusalem. To identify them, Luke uses the term Hellenistai. When he had in mind Greeks, gentiles, non-Jews who spoke Greek and lived according to the Greek fashion, then he used the word Hellenes (Acts 21.28). As the very context of Acts 6 makes clear, the Hellenistai are not Hellenes. These ethno-cultural and social tensions were eventually surmounted by

8448-459: Was Islamist in general, rather than Shi'i in particular. Hezbollah's position on the Sunni-Shi'i divide was that instead of dwelling on theological differences, Sunnis and Shi'ites ought to cooperate with one another to oppose the Israeli occupation of Arab lands. To maintain a sense of Muslim unity, Hezbollah avoided direct criticism of Saudi Arabia; even during the 2007 Lebanon's conflict with

8544-570: Was formed by supporters of Sheikh Ragheb Harb , a leader of the southern Shia resistance killed by Israel in 1984. Regardless of when the name came into official use, a number of Shi'a groups were slowly assimilated into the organization, such as Islamic Jihad , Organization of the Oppressed on Earth and the Revolutionary Justice Organization . These designations are considered to be synonymous with Hezbollah by

8640-645: Was headed by 12 senior clerical members with responsibility for tactical decisions and supervision of overall Hizballah activity throughout Lebanon, and the Majlis al-Shura al-Karar (the Deciding Assembly), headed by Sheikh Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah and composed of eleven other clerics with responsibility for all strategic matters. Within the Majlis al-Shura, there existed seven specialized committees dealing with ideological, financial, military and political, judicial, informational and social affairs. In turn,

8736-446: Was initially supported by 1,500 Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) instructors, who helped unify various Lebanese Shia factions under Hezbollah's leadership. Hezbollah's 1985 manifesto outlined its key objectives , which include expelling Western influence from the region, destroying Israel , pledging allegiance to Iran's supreme leader , and establishing an Islamic government influenced by Iran's political ideology . However,

8832-704: Was no Hezbollah. We were accepted with perfumed rice and flowers by the Shia in the south. It was our presence there that created Hezbollah." Hezbollah waged an asymmetric war using suicide attacks against the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and Israeli targets outside of Lebanon. Hezbollah is reputed to have been among the first Islamic resistance groups in the Middle East to use the tactics of suicide bombing, assassination, and capturing foreign soldiers, as well as murders and hijackings. Hezbollah also employed more conventional military tactics and weaponry, notably Katyusha rockets and other missiles. At

8928-532: Was not. It was the beginning of a legend which also contained a strong element of truth. The Shia were now the Lebanese resistance, nationalist no doubt but also inspired by their religion. The party of God – in Arabic, the Hezbollah – were on the beaches of Khalde that night. Hezbollah emerged in South Lebanon during a consolidation of Shia militias as a rival to the older Amal Movement . Hezbollah played

9024-529: Was part of a string of other successes in the strategic Qalamoun region, including the seizure of the former rebel bastion of Yabroud in the previous month. The people of Maaloula celebrated as a new statue of Mary, mother of Jesus was erected in its centre, replacing the figure destroyed in Islamist attacks in 2013. On 13 June 2015, Syrian officials unveiled the new statue of the Virgin Mary, draped in

9120-681: Was the cathedral church of Antioch to the Melkite and Latin patriarch during late antiquity and the Middle Ages . However, in the 14th century, it was moved to Damascus , modern-day Syria . Its traditional territory includes Syria , Lebanon , Iraq , Kuwait , the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf , and also parts of Turkey . Its territory formerly included the Church of Cyprus until

9216-416: Was the name used by Hezbollah for its attacks in Lebanon, parts of the Middle East and Europe. The US, Israel and Canada consider the names "Islamic Jihad Organization", "Organization of the Oppressed on Earth" and the "Revolutionary Justice Organization" to be synonymous with Hezbollah. The group receives substantial financial and military backing from Iran , positioning itself as the leading member of

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