204-674: Relative size of Christian traditions in the Middle East & North Africa. Christianity , which originated in the Middle East during the 1st century AD , is a significant minority religion within the region, characterized by the diversity of its beliefs and traditions, compared to Christianity in other parts of the Old World . Today, Christians make up approximately 5% of the Middle Eastern population, down from 13% in
408-631: A Jewish Christian sect with Hellenistic influence of Second Temple Judaism . An early Jewish Christian community was founded in Jerusalem under the leadership of the Pillars of the Church , namely James the Just , the brother of Jesus, Peter , and John. Jewish Christianity soon attracted Gentile God-fearers, posing a problem for its Jewish religious outlook , which insisted on close observance of
612-648: A Jewish group (probably non-rabbinic) producing a translation of the Hebrew Bible becoming the basis of the Church of the Easts Christian Peshitta . Syriac Christianity is most famous for its poet-theologians, Aphrahat , Ephrem , Narsai and Jacob of Serugh . Eusebius credits Mark the Evangelist as the bringer of Christianity to Egypt, and manuscript evidence shows that the faith
816-696: A division that still, to some extent, exists to this day. Likewise, in the 4th century, the bishop of Seleucia-Ctesiphon , the Sasanian capital, was recognised as leader of the Syriac and Greek-speaking Christians in the Persian empire, assuming the title catholicos, later patriarch . Christianity in Ethiopia and Nubia is traditionally linked to the biblical tale of the conversion of the Ethiopian eunuch in
1020-542: A few scriptures overlapping with the developing orthodox canon, most Gnostic texts and Gnostic gospels were eventually considered heretical and suppressed by mainstream Christians. A gradual splitting off of Gentile Christianity left Jewish Christians continuing to follow the Law of Moses , including practices such as circumcision. By the fifth century, they and the Jewish–Christian gospels would be largely suppressed by
1224-585: A heavy blow due to the Assyrian genocide (by Ottoman troops crossing the border), Armenian genocide (by Ottoman troops crossing the border), the Iranian Revolution and the Iran–Iraq War . Especially due to the two Ottoman-conducted genocides, regions where Christians even made up majorities or had a significant native historical presence for millennia, never became the same again. However, due to
1428-962: A majority in some districts. Assyrian Christians belong to Syriac churches such as the Chaldean Catholic Church , the Assyrian Church of the East , the Ancient Church of the East , the Syriac Catholic Church and the Syriac Orthodox Church , with a small number of Protestant converts following the Assyrian Pentecostal Church and Assyrian Evangelical Church . The Iraqi former foreign minister and deputy prime minister Tariq Aziz (real name Michael Youkhanna )
1632-506: A majority of the population until the Fatimid period (10th to 12th centuries), though scholarly estimates on this issue are tentative and vary between authors. In the period prior to the establishment of Abbasid rule in AD 750, many pastoral Kurds moved into upper Mesopotamia, taking advantage of an unstable situation. Cities in northern and northeastern ancient Assyria were raided and attacked by
1836-663: A news conference at the State Department that ISIS "is responsible for genocide against groups in areas under its control including Yazidis , Assyrian Christians , Armenians and Shia Muslims "; it was the first time since Darfur (2004) that the United States declared a genocide. Kurdish tribes in Turkey, Syria, and Iran have conducted regular raids against their Christian neighbors and even paramilitary assaults during World War I. Kurds were responsible for most of
2040-493: A result of the increasing hostility and acts of violence against Jews in Iraq and Kurdish towns and villages, and as a result of a new situation that had been built up during the 1940s in Iraq and Kurdistan in which the ability of Jews to live in relative comfort and relative tolerance (that was erupted from time to time prior to that period) with their Arab and Muslim neighbors, as they did for many years, practically came to an end. At
2244-522: A series of violent anti-Christian genocides of Armenians , Assyrians , and Greeks between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. These include the massacres of ethnic Assyrian and Armenian Christians in the 1870s; these killings, which resulted in over ten thousand deaths, were known as the Hamidian massacres . The settlement of Muslim Kurds from the Qajar Empire along the eastern border
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#17327726663872448-804: A significant impact contributing the culture of the Mashriq , Turkey , and Iran . Christianity spread rapidly from Jerusalem along major trade routes to major settlements, finding its strongest growth among Hellenized Jews in places like Antioch and Alexandria . The Greek-speaking Mediterranean region was a powerhouse for the Early Church, producing many revered Church Fathers as well as those who became labelled as heresiarchs , such as Nestorius . From Antioch , where Christians were first so called, came Ignatius , Diodore of Tarsus , John Chrysostom , Theodore of Mopsuestia , Nestorius , Theodoret , John of Antioch , Severus of Antioch and Peter
2652-523: A small scale by both Jewish and Roman authorities , with Roman action starting at the time of the Great Fire of Rome in 64 AD. Examples of early executions under Jewish authority reported in the New Testament include the deaths of Saint Stephen and James, son of Zebedee . The Decian persecution was the first empire-wide conflict, when the edict of Decius in 250 AD required everyone in
2856-462: A theology closer to that of Antioch, refereed by Rome, and condemned the monophysite theology of Eutyches. However, the outcome was rejected by many Christians in the Middle East, especially by non-Greek-speaking Christians on the fringe of the Roman Empire – Copts, Syriacs, Assyrians and Armenians. In 482, Emperor Zeno attempted to reconcile his church with his Henotikon . However, reunion
3060-698: A third of Jordan's economy. Christianity Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion, professing that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and is the Son of God , whose coming as the Messiah was prophesied in the Hebrew Bible (called the Old Testament in Christianity) and chronicled in the New Testament . It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with over 2.4 billion followers, comprising around 31.2% of
3264-578: A very small proportion of Arab Christians and small numbers of Armenian , Kurdish , Iranian and Turcoman Christians. The Iraqi Christian population is also declining due to lower birth rates and higher death rates than their Muslim compatriots. Since the 2003 invasion, Iraqi Christians suffer from lack of security. Many lived in the capital Baghdad and in Mosul prior to the Iraq War , but most have since fled to northern Iraq, where Assyrian Christians form
3468-433: A vital role in the Middle East. Middle Eastern Christians are relatively wealthy, well educated, and politically moderate, as they have today an active role in social, economic, sporting and political spheres in their societies in the Middle East. Scholars and intellectuals agree Christians in the Middle East have made significant contributions to Arab and Islamic civilization since the introduction of Islam , and they have had
3672-590: A working language by the 18th century), they believe in an Ancient Egyptian Coptic identity rather than an Arab identity (also referred to as Pharaonism ). Copts reside mainly in Egypt, but also in Sudan and Libya , with tiny communities in Israel , Cyprus , Jordan , Lebanon , and Tunisia . Copts presently constitute the largest Christian population in the Middle East, generally estimated at 10–15% by officials, or in
3876-664: Is a native Christian. Most Christians in Egypt are Copts , who are mainly members of the Coptic Orthodox Church . The Coptic language – a derivative of the Ancient Egyptian language, written mainly in the Greek alphabet , is used as the liturgical language of all Coptic churches inside and outside of Egypt. Although ethnic Copts in Egypt now speak Egyptian Arabic (the Coptic language having ceased to be
4080-638: Is administered by a permanent synod , which includes the Patriarch and four bishops, the ordinary tribunal of the patriarch for legal affairs, the patriarchal economos who serves as financial administrator, and a chancery . In the Arab World and Africa , the church has dioceses in: Throughout the rest of the world, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has dioceses and exarchates for its diaspora in: In Western Europe ,
4284-525: Is also used by Presbyterians , Methodists , and Congregationalists . This particular creed was developed between the 2nd and 9th centuries. Its central doctrines are those of the Trinity and God the Creator . Each of the doctrines found in this creed can be traced to statements current in the apostolic period . The creed was apparently used as a summary of Christian doctrine for baptismal candidates in
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#17327726663874488-683: Is an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Holy See as part of the worldwide Catholic Church . Its chief pastor is Patriarch Youssef Absi , headquartered at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Dormition in Damascus , Syria . The Melkites, who are Byzantine Rite Catholics, trace their history to the early Christians of Antioch , formerly part of Syria and now in Turkey , of
4692-641: Is disputed and a wide range of estimates is given as a result. More Armenian communities reside in Jordan , Lebanon , Iraq , Egypt , Israel , and formerly also Syria until the Syrian Civil War . The Armenian genocide , which was perpetrated by the Ottoman government and Turkish Muslims both during and after World War I , drastically reduced the once sizeable Armenian population in the Middle East. The Greeks , who had once inhabited large parts of
4896-437: Is probably the most famous Assyrian Iraqi Christian, along with the footballer Ammo Baba . Assyrians in Iraq have traditionally excelled in business, sports, the arts, music, and the military. Assyrians are distinct from other Semitic Christian groups in the Middle East in that they have retained their original Neo-Aramaic language and Syriac written script, and have maintained an Assyrian continuity from ancient times to
5100-430: Is recorded in the canonical gospels, although infancy gospels were popular in antiquity. In comparison, his adulthood, especially the week before his death, is well documented in the gospels contained within the New Testament , because that part of his life is believed to be most important. The biblical accounts of Jesus's ministry include: his baptism , miracles , preaching, teaching, and deeds. Christians consider
5304-752: Is seated at the right hand of the Father, and will ultimately return to fulfill the rest of the Messianic prophecy , including the resurrection of the dead , the Last Judgment , and the final establishment of the Kingdom of God . According to the canonical gospels of Matthew and Luke , Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit and born from the Virgin Mary . Little of Jesus's childhood
5508-599: Is thin. The Ghassanid tribe were important Christian foederati of Rome, while the Lakhmids were an Arab Christian tribe that fought for the Persians. Although the Hejaz was never a stronghold of Arab Christianity, there are reports of Christians around Mecca and Yathrib before the advent of Islam. Christianity came to Armenia both from the south, Mesopotamia / Assyria , and the west, Asia Minor , as demonstrated by
5712-641: The Acts of the Apostles (8. 26–30). The Kebra Nagast also connects the Yemenite Queen of Sheba with the royal line of Axum . Evidence from coinage and other historical references point to the early 4th-century conversion of King Ezana of Axum as the establishment of Christianity, whence Nubia and other surrounding areas were evangelized, all under the oversight of the Patriarch of Alexandria . In
5916-544: The Armenian genocide , Greek genocide , and Assyrian genocide committed against them by the Ottoman Turks and their allies, leading many to flee and congregate in areas in northern Iraq, northeastern Syria, North America , and Western Europe . The great majority of Aramaic speaking Christians are followers of the Assyrian Church of the East , Chaldean Catholic Church , Syriac Orthodox Church , Ancient Church of
6120-521: The Bible and sacred traditions on which Christianity is based. Concise doctrinal statements or confessions of religious beliefs are known as creeds . They began as baptismal formulae and were later expanded during the Christological controversies of the 4th and 5th centuries to become statements of faith. " Jesus is Lord " is the earliest creed of Christianity and continues to be used, as with
6324-668: The Byzantine Emperor , a term applied to them by non-Chalcedonians. Of the Chalcedonian churches, Greek Catholics continue to use the term, while Eastern Orthodox do not. The Greek element signifies the Byzantine Rite heritage of the church, the liturgy used by all the Eastern Orthodox churches . The term Catholic acknowledges communion with the Church of Rome and implies participation in
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6528-917: The Cappadocian Fathers ) and the Levantine coast ( Gaza , Caesarea and Beirut ). Politically, the Middle East of the first four Christian centuries was divided between the Roman Empire and the Parthian Empire (later Sasanian Persia ). Christians experienced sporadic persecutions in both political spheres. Within the Parthian Empire, most Christians lived in the region of Mesopotamia / Asuristan ( Assyria ) and were ethnic Assyrian Mesopotamians who spoke eastern Aramaic dialects loosely related to those Western Aramaic dialects spoken by their co-religionists just across
6732-773: The Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century. In the 7th century, Muslims conquered Syria (including Jerusalem ), North Africa, and Spain, converting some of the Christian population to Islam , including some of the Christian populations in pre-Islamic Arabia , and placing the rest under a separate legal status . Part of the Muslims' success was due to the exhaustion of the Byzantine Empire in its decades long conflict with Persia . Beginning in
6936-627: The Celtic , the Baltic and some Slavic peoples . Around 500, Christianity was thoroughly integrated into Byzantine and Kingdom of Italy culture and Benedict of Nursia set out his Monastic Rule , establishing a system of regulations for the foundation and running of monasteries . Monasticism became a powerful force throughout Europe, and gave rise to many early centers of learning, most famously in Ireland , Scotland , and Gaul , contributing to
7140-427: The Church of the East (600,000). Smaller church communities number in the thousands despite efforts toward unity ( ecumenism ). In the West , Christianity remains the dominant religion even with a decline in adherence , with about 70% of that population identifying as Christian. Christianity is growing in Africa and Asia, the world's most populous continents. Christians remain greatly persecuted in many regions of
7344-415: The Council of Nicaea in 325. However, Christians in the Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire (speaking variously Syriac, Armenian or Greek) are often found distancing themselves politically from their Roman co-religionists to appease the shah . Thus, around 387, when the Armenian Highland came under Sasanian control , a separate leadership from that in Caesarea developed and eventually settled in Echmiadzin ,
7548-399: The Edict of Worms condemned and excommunicated Luther and his followers, resulting in the schism of the Western Christendom into several branches. Other reformers like Zwingli , Oecolampadius , Calvin , Knox , and Arminius further criticized Catholic teaching and worship. These challenges developed into the movement called Protestantism , which repudiated the primacy of the pope ,
7752-486: The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch in Western Asia ; the latter is no longer referred to as Melkite . The Melkite Greek Catholic Church has played an important role in the leadership of Arab Christianity . It has always been led by Arabic-speaking Christians, whereas its Orthodox counterpart had Greek patriarchs until 1899. Indeed, at the very beginning of her separate existence, around 1725, one lay leader and theologian Abdallah Zakher of Aleppo (1684–1748) set up
7956-437: The Holy See under Patriarch Cyril VI Tanas in 1724. Those who rejected this move formed the extant Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. The term Melkite – from the Syriac word malkā for 'king' and the Arabic word malakī ( Arabic : ملكي , meaning 'royal', and by extension, 'imperial') – was originally a pejorative term for Middle Eastern Christians who accepted the authority of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD) and
8160-446: The Inquisition , were established with the aim of suppressing heresy and securing religious and doctrinal unity within Christianity through conversion and prosecution. The 15th-century Renaissance brought about a renewed interest in ancient and classical learning. During the Reformation , Martin Luther posted the Ninety-five Theses 1517 against the sale of indulgences . Printed copies soon spread throughout Europe. In 1521
8364-437: The Kurdish , Turks , Turcoman , Iranian , Azeri , Circassian , Israelis , Kawliya , Yezidis , Mandeans , and Shabaks . Christians are persecuted widely across the Arab and Muslim world and the ongoing situation has been compared to a genocide. According to a 2018 report commissioned by the British government , Christians are “on the verge of extinction in the Middle East”, explaining that “Evidence shows not only
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8568-413: The Magisterial Reformation as corrupted. Their activity brought about the Radical Reformation , which gave birth to various Anabaptist denominations. Partly in response to the Protestant Reformation, the Catholic Church engaged in a substantial process of reform and renewal, known as the Counter-Reformation or Catholic Reform. The Council of Trent clarified and reasserted Catholic doctrine. During
8772-419: The Melkite Greek Catholic Church , an Eastern Catholic Church . They number over 1 million in the Middle East. They came into existence as a result of a schism within the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch due to the election of a Patriarch in 1724. Armenians are present in the Middle East, and their largest community, estimated to have 200,000 members, is located in Iran . The number of Armenians in Turkey
8976-446: The Near East , the Melkite Church has also grown through intermarriage with, and the conversion of, people of various ethnic heritages as well as transritualism. At present there is a worldwide membership of approximately 1.6 million. While the Melkite Catholic Church's Byzantine liturgical traditions are shared with those of Eastern Orthodoxy , the church has officially been part of the Catholic Church since re-entering communion with
9180-420: The Old Testament . The Christian concept of messiah differs significantly from the contemporary Jewish concept . The core Christian belief is that through belief in and acceptance of the death and resurrection of Jesus , sinful humans can be reconciled to God, and thereby are offered salvation and the promise of eternal life . While there have been many theological disputes over the nature of Jesus over
9384-462: The Oriental Orthodox , taught Christ "to be acknowledged in two natures, inconfusedly, unchangeably, indivisibly, inseparably": one divine and one human, and that both natures, while perfect in themselves, are nevertheless also perfectly united into one person . The Athanasian Creed , received in the Western Church as having the same status as the Nicene and Chalcedonian, says: "We worship one God in Trinity, and Trinity in Unity; neither confounding
9588-443: The Restoration Movement , such as the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) , the Evangelical Christian Church in Canada , and the Churches of Christ . The central tenet of Christianity is the belief in Jesus as the Son of God and the Messiah (Christ). Christians believe that Jesus, as the Messiah, was anointed by God as savior of humanity and hold that Jesus's coming was the fulfillment of messianic prophecies of
9792-479: The Roman Empire by the Edict of Milan (313), later convening the Council of Nicaea (325) where Early Christianity was consolidated into what would become the state religion of the Roman Empire (380). The Church of the East and Oriental Orthodoxy both split over differences in Christology (5th century), while the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church separated in the East–West Schism (1054). Protestantism split into numerous denominations from
9996-473: The Safavid Empire . In 1583, the Ottoman sultan Murad IV "gave huge provinces to the Kurdish tribe of Mokri", whose leader claimed to descend from Saladin . The French traveler Monsieur Tavernier noted that in 1662, Van and Urmia were purely Armenian ; however, only a century later, another European traveler, Carsten Niebuhr, noted that both Turkomans and Kurds were involved in spreading disturbances. In 1840, Hortio Southgate visited these same regions, he
10200-485: The State church of the Roman Empire . As soon as it became connected to the state, Christianity grew wealthy; the Church solicited donations from the rich and could now own land. Constantine was also instrumental in the convocation of the First Council of Nicaea in 325, which sought to address Arianism and formulated the Nicene Creed, which is still used by in Catholicism , Eastern Orthodoxy , Lutheranism , Anglicanism , and many other Protestant churches. Nicaea
10404-436: The Syriac Orthodox Church – and the majority of Armenians – the Armenian Apostolic Church . The name Melkite (meaning 'of the king' in Aramaic ), originally intended as a slur applied to those who adhered to Chalcedon (it is no longer used to describe them), who continued to be organised into the historic and autocephalous patriarchates of Constantinople , Antioch , Alexandria and Jerusalem . Collectively they form
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#173277266638710608-488: The UNESCO world heritage list. Some 80% of Christians residing permanently in Israel are Arabs, numbering at least 180,400 as of 2019. Of all Christians, around 60% belong to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church , 32% of all Christians belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church , mainly the Jerusalem Patriarchate though some recent immigrants are Russian Orthodox . Smaller numbers are Roman Catholics , Maronites , Assyrians , Armenians , Georgians and Messianic Jews . During
10812-475: The United States (24,000), and other countries. According to figures by the Holy See in 2008, Lebanon is now home to the largest Melkite community in the Middle East (425,000), followed by Syria (234,000). There are more than 80,000 Greek Melkite Catholics in Israel and Palestine, and 27,600 Greek Melkite Catholics in Jordan. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is in full communion with the Holy See (the Latin Catholic Pope of Rome and his Roman Congregation for
11016-416: The Urmia region, and along the north western border with Mesopotamia . These were added to by other Semites , followers of the Nestorian church, some of whom were Assyrians from Mesopotamia, others being from Syria. Furthermore, there has been a thriving native Christian Armenian community since ancient times in northwestern Iran, nowadays Iranian Azerbaijan . The many Armenian churches and monasteries in
11220-422: The World Council of Churches . The Apostles' Creed is the most widely accepted statement of the articles of Christian faith. It is used by a number of Christian denominations for both liturgical and catechetical purposes, most visibly by liturgical churches of Western Christian tradition, including the Latin Church of the Catholic Church , Lutheranism , Anglicanism , and Western Rite Orthodoxy . It
11424-486: The dechristianization of France during the French Revolution , the Spanish Civil War , and certain Marxist movements, especially the Russian Revolution and the persecution of Christians in the Soviet Union under state atheism . Especially pressing in Europe was the formation of nation states after the Napoleonic era . In all European countries, different Christian denominations found themselves in competition to greater or lesser extents with each other and with
11628-429: The papal tiara as a crown. Bishop Coussa was almost immediately elevated to the cardinalate, but died two years later. His cause for canonization was introduced by his religious order, the Basilian Alepian Order . Further protests against the de-latinisation of the church occurred during the patriarchate of Maximos V Hakim (1967–2000) when some church officials who supported Latin traditions protested against allowing
11832-498: The state religion in Armenia in the early 4th century AD, making Armenia the first officially Christian state. It was not an entirely new religion in Armenia, having penetrated into the country from at least the third century, but it may have been present even earlier. Constantine I was exposed to Christianity in his youth, and throughout his life his support for the religion grew, culminating in baptism on his deathbed. During his reign, state-sanctioned persecution of Christians
12036-451: The world population . Its adherents, known as Christians , are estimated to make up a majority of the population in 157 countries and territories . Christianity remains culturally diverse in its Western and Eastern branches , and doctrinally diverse concerning justification and the nature of salvation , ecclesiology , ordination , and Christology . The creeds of various Christian denominations generally hold in common Jesus as
12240-403: The 1990s, the Christian community had been increased due to the immigration of Jewish-Christian mixed marriages , who had predominantly arrived from the countries of the former Soviet Union. This added another 20–30 thousands of mostly Greek Orthodox Christians with Russian and Ukrainian ancestry. Many Christian towns or neighborhoods were totally or partially destroyed during the creation of
12444-399: The 1st century , after the death of Jesus, as a Judaic sect with Hellenistic influence in the Roman province of Judaea . The disciples of Jesus spread their faith around the Eastern Mediterranean area, despite significant persecution . The inclusion of Gentiles led Christianity to slowly separate from Judaism (2nd century). Emperor Constantine I decriminalized Christianity in
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#173277266638712648-463: The 1st century AD, where Christianity was introduced by Saint Peter . The Melkite Church, like many other Eastern Catholic particular churches, shares the Byzantine Rite with the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and other Eastern Orthodox churches . It is mainly centered in Syria , Lebanon , Jordan , Israel and Palestine . Melkite Greek Catholics are present, however, throughout the world by migration due to persecution of Christians . Outside
12852-477: The 1st to 3rd centuries AD. This region was the birthplace of Eastern Rite ( Assyrian Church of the East ) Christianity, a flourishing Syriac literary tradition, and the centre of a missionary expansion that stretched as far as India , Central Asia and China . By one estimate, there was about 1.5 million largely Assyrian Christians in Iraq by 2003, or 7% of the population, but with the fall of Saddam Hussein Christians began to leave Iraq in large numbers, and
13056-423: The 20 million range. However, as Egyptian censuses since 2006 have not reported religious affiliation due to being optional, along with the government acknowledging the census is not a proper representation of Christians, various Coptic groups and churches claim a higher number in the range of 15 to 23 million. Many Copts are internationally renowned. Some of the most well known Copts include Boutros Boutros-Ghali ,
13260-409: The 5th century, Bahrain was a center of Nestorian Christianity , including two of its bishoprics . The ecclesiastical province covering Bahrain was known as Bet Qatraye. Samahij was the seat of bishops. Bahrain was a center of Nestorian Christianity until al-Bahrain adopted Islam in 629 AD. As a sect, the Nestorians were often persecuted as heretics by the Byzantine Empire , but Bahrain was outside
13464-461: The 6 million Christians who were living in the Ottoman Empire in 1914 of 26 million inhabitants and large-scale deportations in the Armenian genocide , Assyrian genocide , Greek genocide , the Dersim Massacre , and the Great Famine of Mount Lebanon . The Ottoman Turks reinforced their eastern frontier with what they "considered a loyal Sunni Kurd element". They settled the Kurds in these regions in return for their support in their campaigns against
13668-415: The 6th century AD. These new universities expanded the curriculum to include academic programs for clerics, lawyers, civil servants, and physicians. The university is generally regarded as an institution that has its origin in the Medieval Christian setting. Accompanying the rise of the "new towns" throughout Europe, mendicant orders were founded, bringing the consecrated religious life out of
13872-482: The 6th century, Ethiopian military might conquered a large portion of Yemen, strengthening Christian concentration in southern Arabia. The first major disagreement that led to a fracturing of the church was the so-called Nestorian Schism of the 5th century. This argument revolved around claims by Alexandrians over alleged theological extremism by Antiochians, and its battleground was the Roman capital, Constantinople, originating from its bishop's, Nestorius's, teaching on
14076-501: The 8th century, with the rise of Carolingian leaders, the Papacy sought greater political support in the Frankish Kingdom . The Middle Ages brought about major changes within the church. Pope Gregory the Great dramatically reformed the ecclesiastical structure and administration. In the early 8th century, iconoclasm became a divisive issue, when it was sponsored by the Byzantine emperors. The Second Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (787) finally pronounced in favor of icons. In
14280-439: The Arab Christian students, compared with all the students from other sectors. The percentage of Arab Christian women who are higher education students is higher than other sectors. In Jordan, Christians constitute 6% of the population as of 2017 according to the Jordanian government. This percentage represents a sharp decrease from a figure of 18% in the early 20th century. This drop is largely due to an influx of Muslim Arabs from
14484-441: The Archbishop of Aleppo, convened the Synod of Qarqafe which adapted and ratified propositions of the 1786 Synod of Pistoia . It was formally accepted by the Melkite church, but was formally condemned in 1835 by Pope Gregory XVI in the bull Melchitarum Catholicorum Synodus . In 1847, Pope Pius IX (1846–1878) reinstituted the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem in the person of the 34-year-old Giuseppe Valerga (1813–1872), whom
14688-687: The Assyrian Christians lost their land and hegemony in their habitat in the Hakkārī (or Julamerk) region in southeastern Turkey and became refugees in other lands, notably Iran and Iraq, and ultimately in exiled communities in Western countries (the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, Russia and within many of the 27 EU member states like Sweden, France, Germany, Austria and
14892-968: The Assyrian and Syriac Christian community out of their historical homeland, but since the defeat of the Islamic State in 2017 , Christians began to slowly return. The next largest Christian group in the Middle East are the once Aramaic speaking and now Arabic-speaking Maronites who are Eastern-Rite Catholics and number some 1.1–1.2 million across the Middle East, mainly concentrated within Lebanon . In Israel , Maronites together with smaller Aramaic-speaking Christian populations of Syriac Orthodox and Greek Catholic adherence, are legally and ethnically classified as either Arameans or Arabs , per their choice. Arab Christians are descended from Arab Christian tribes, Arabized Greeks or recent converts to Protestantism . Most Arab Christians are adherents of
15096-617: The Byzantine Emperor Alexios I for aid against Turkish expansion. The Crusades ultimately failed to stifle Islamic aggression and even contributed to Christian enmity with the sacking of Constantinople during the Fourth Crusade . The Christian Church experienced internal conflict between the 7th and 13th centuries that resulted in a schism between the Latin Church of Western Christianity branch,
15300-941: The Catholic Church in the Reformation era (16th century). Following the Age of Discovery (15th–17th century), Christianity expanded throughout the world via missionary work , evangelism , immigration and extensive trade. Christianity played a prominent role in the development of Western civilization , particularly in Europe from late antiquity and the Middle Ages . The six major branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism (1.3 billion people), Protestantism (625 million-900 million), Eastern Orthodoxy (230 million), Oriental Orthodoxy (60 million), Restorationism (35 million), and
15504-706: The East Christianity respectively. There are at least 600 churches serving the nation's Christian adherents. Christianity has a long history in Iran, dating back to Parthian times, in the early years of the Christian faith, although the major religion among the Iranian peoples themselves was Zoroastrianism . The Sasanian Empire was the centre of the Nestorian Church . Many of the early followers were Armenians , and transplanted Assyrians living in
15708-546: The East , Assyrian Pentecostal Church and Assyrian Evangelical Church . In Iraq, the numbers of Christians has declined to between 300,000 and 500,000 (from 0.8 to 1.4 million before 2003 US invasion). Assyrian Christians were between 800,000 and 1.2 million before 2003. In 2014, the Chaldean and Syriac population of the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq was scattered to Dohuk , Erbil and Jordan due to ISIS forcing
15912-590: The East , Ethiopian Orthodox , Maronite and Syriac Orthodox churches. There are more informal arrangements with other churches such as the Anglican Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints . Arab Christians are one of the most educated groups in Israel. Maariv have described the Arab Christians sectors as "the most successful in education system", since Arab Christians fared
16116-579: The Eastern Churches ), where the Patriarch is represented by his Procurator at Rome , but fully follows the traditions and customs of Byzantine Christianity . The traditional languages of worship are Arabic and Greek , but today, services are held in a variety of languages, depending on the country where the church is located. The Melkite Synod of Bishops, composed of all of the church's bishops, meets each year to consider administrative, theological and church-wide issues. The vast majority of
16320-612: The Eastern tradition of Christianity, arguing that Latin rite Catholics should be more receptive to the authentic traditions of Eastern Christianity. He won a great deal of respect from Orthodox observers at the council as well as the approbation of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, Athenagoras I , who noted: "You have represented the East at the Council and there you have caused our voice to be heard." Following
16524-644: The Empire's control offering some safety. The names of several of Muharraq Island 's villages today reflect this Christian legacy, with Al Dair meaning "the monastery" or "the parish." In 410 AD, according to the Oriental Syriac Church synodal records, a bishop named Batai was excommunicated from the church in Bahrain. Alees Samaan , the former Bahraini ambassador to the United Kingdom
16728-556: The Fuller , many of whom are associated with the School of Antioch . In like manner, Alexandria boasted many prominent theologians, including Athenagoras , Pantaenus , Clement , Origen , Dionysius , Gregory Thaumaturgus , Arius , Athanasius , Didymus the Blind , Cyril and Dioscorus , associated with School of Alexandria . The two schools dominated the theological controversies of
16932-455: The Greek hierodeacon Sylvester of Antioch as a priest and bishop so as to take Jeremias' place. Sylvester exacerbated divisions with his heavy-handed rule of the church – considered both "unyielding and uncompromising" by both supporters and opponents – as many Melkites acknowledged Cyril's claim to the patriarchal throne. Sylvester began a five-year campaign of persecution against Cyril and
17136-664: The Greek and Assyrian-Syriac origin of Christian terms in early Armenian texts. Eusebius ( EH 6:46, 2) mentions Meruzanes as the bishop of the Armenians around 260. Following the conversion of King Trdat III to Christianity (circa 301), Gregory the Illuminator was consecrated Bishop of Armenia in 314. Armenians continue to celebrate their church as the oldest national church . Gregory was consecrated at Caesarea in Cappadocia . The Georgian kingdom of Iberia ( Kartli )
17340-636: The Greek-speaking Eastern Romans (called "Byzantines" in modern parlance) had continued to identify themselves even when the Western Roman empire had ceased to exist. The name literally means 'Roman Catholic', confusingly for the modern English-speaker, but that refers not to the Latin Church but to the Greek-speaking Eastern Orthodox "Byzantine" Roman heritage, the centre of gravity of which was
17544-585: The Greeks and the Latins at the Council of Florence, especially with regard to the issue of papal primacy. He was keenly aware of the disastrous impact that the dogmatic definition of papal infallibility would have on relations with the Eastern Orthodox Church and emerged as a prominent opponent of the dogma at the Council. He also defended the rights and privileges of the patriarchs according to
17748-609: The Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan than elsewhere in the Middle East and North Africa. They have a disproportionately large representation in the Jordanian parliament (10% of the Parliament) and hold important government portfolios, ambassadorial appointments abroad, and positions of high military rank. A survey by a Western embassy found that half of Jordan's prominent business families were Christians. Christians run about
17952-583: The Hijaz after the First World War. Almost 50% of Jordanian Christians belong to the Eastern Orthodox Church , 45% are Catholics, with a small minority adhering to Protestantism. A part of Jordanian Christians have Palestinian roots since 1948. Christians are well integrated in the Jordanian society and have a high level of freedom. Nearly all Christians belong to the middle or upper classes. Moreover, Christians enjoy more economic and social opportunity in
18156-629: The Jewish commandments. Paul the Apostle solved this by insisting that salvation by faith in Christ , and participation in his death and resurrection by their baptism, sufficed. At first he persecuted the early Christians, but after a conversion experience he preached to the gentiles , and is regarded as having had a formative effect on the emerging Christian identity as separate from Judaism. Eventually, his departure from Jewish customs would result in
18360-517: The Kurds of Persian Azerbaijan, "who killed, looted, and enslaved the indigenous population", and the Kurds were moving into various regions in east of ancient Assyria . When the Seljuks invaded Mesopotamia, they recruited the Kurds for their campaigns. The invading Seljuks and Kurds "destroyed whatever they encountered" and enslaved women . The Seljuks rewarded the Kurds for their support with land, and
18564-423: The Kurds, rejected any form of coexistence" with Assyrians, and "in the eyes of the Kurds", the presence of Assyrian tribes in the midst of their own "settlements represented a serious challenge to their dominance of the region. The remaining Assyrian settlements prevented Kurdish settlements from forming a cohesive, homogenous ethnic block" and the "Kurds' aspirations remained unfulfilled". But when Nadir Shah invaded
18768-658: The Latin and Maronite Churches in 1857. The act caused serious problems within the Melkite community, resulting in a short-lived schism. At one point, the Metropolitan of Beirut , Agapios Riashi, refused to comply and supported two priests, Gabriel Gibara and John Massamiri, who openly revolted and formed dissident groups in Damascus and Egypt. Three bishops – Theodosius Qayoumgi, Basil Chahiat, and Meletius Findi – representing
18972-695: The Melkite diocesan priests in the Middle East are married . The current Patriarch is Youssef Absi who was elected on 21 June 2017. The patriarchate is based in the Syrian capital Damascus , but it formally remains one of the Eastern Catholic Patriarchs claiming the apostolic succession to the Ancient see of Antioch, and has been permanently granted the styles of Titular Patriarch of Alexandria and Jerusalem, two other patriarchates with multiple Catholic succession. The patriarchate
19176-669: The Melkite Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church . They numbered over 1 million before the Syrian Civil War: some 700,000 in Syria, 400,000 in Lebanon, 200,000 in Israel, Palestine, and Jordan, with small numbers in Iraq and Egypt. Most Arab Catholic Christians are originally non-Arab , with Melkites and Rum Christians who are descended from Arabized Greek-speaking Byzantine populations. They are members of
19380-543: The Melkite Greek Catholic Church today is found throughout the world and no longer made up exclusively of faithful of Eastern Mediterranean origin. The Patriarchate of Maximos V saw many advances in the worldwide presence of the Melkite Church, called "the Diaspora": Eparchies (the Eastern equivalent of a diocese) were established in the United States, Canada, Brazil, Australia, Argentina , and Mexico in response to
19584-532: The Melkite Greek Catholic Church was the largest Christian community in Israel, with roughly 60% of Israeli Christians belonging to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. Due to the Christian emigration from the Middle East, São Paulo is now home to the largest Melkite community in the diaspora (estimated around 433,000), followed by Argentina (302,800). Other large Melkite communities can be found in Australia (52,000), Canada (35,000), Venezuela (25,400),
19788-660: The Melkite National convention in Birmingham in 1960, parts of which were televised on the national news. In 1960, the issue was resolved by Pope John XXIII at the request of Patriarch Maximos IV in favour of the use of vernacular languages in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy. Pope John also consecrated a Melkite priest, Father Gabriel Acacius Coussa , as a bishop, using the Byzantine Rite and
19992-424: The Melkite delegation. Patriarch Gregory and the Melkite bishops subscribed to it, but with the qualifying clause as used at the Council of Florence attached: "except the rights and privileges of Eastern patriarchs". He earned the enmity of Pius IX for this. According to one account, during his next visit to the pontiff , Gregory was cast to the floor at Pius' feet by the papal guard while the pope placed his foot on
20196-564: The Melkite faithful who supported him, enforced by Ottoman Turkish troops, forcing Cyril to find refuge in Lebanon. Five years after the election of Cyril VI , in 1729, Pope Benedict XIII recognized him as Patriarch of Antioch and recognized his followers as being in full communion with the Catholic Church and the Pope of Rome . From this time onward, the Melkite Greek Catholic Church has existed separately from and in parallel to
20400-763: The Melkite seminary of Ain Traz in 1866. He also promoted the establishment of Saint Ann's Seminary, Jerusalem, in 1882 by the White Fathers for the training of the Melkite clergy. Following the Ottoman Reform Edict of 1856 , decreed by Sultan Abdülmecid I , the situation of Christians in the Near East improved. This allowed Gregory to successfully encourage greater participation by the Melkite laity in both church administration as well as public affairs. Gregory also took an interest in ministering to
20604-559: The Middle East face persecution –in various grades, depending on the residence country– and are often isolated. The defeat and dissolution of the Ottoman Empire (1908–1922) and World War I (1914–1918) ushered in the greatest period of violence against Christians in the region. The Ottoman Turks conducted a large-scale genocide and ethnic cleansing of the ancient and indigenous Greek , Armenian , Assyrian , and Maronite Christian inhabitants of Anatolia, north-western Iran,
20808-599: The Netherlands and Frisia . Ultimately, these differences led to the outbreak of conflicts in which religion played a key factor. The Thirty Years' War , the English Civil War , and the French Wars of Religion are prominent examples. These events intensified the Christian debate on persecution and toleration . In the revival of neoplatonism Renaissance humanists did not reject Christianity; quite
21012-661: The Netherlands). Mordechai Zaken wrote this important study from an analytical and comparative point of view, comparing the Assyrian Christians experience with the experience of the Kurdish Jews who had been dwelling in Kurdistan for two thousands years or so, but were forced to migrate the land to Israel in the early 1950s. The Jews of Kurdistan were forced to leave and migrate as a result of the Arab-Israeli war, as
21216-669: The Patriarchal College in Cairo. This group included Fathers George Selim Hakim , Joseph Tawil , Elias Zoghby , and former Jesuit Oreste Kerame ; they later became bishops and participated in the Second Vatican Council, and saw their efforts vindicated; the work done by the School laid the foundation for Maximos' work at the Second Vatican Council. These reforms led to protests by some Melkite churches that
21420-638: The Persons nor dividing the Substance ". Most Christians ( Catholic , Eastern Orthodox , Oriental Orthodox , and Protestant alike) accept the use of creeds and subscribe to at least one of the creeds mentioned above. Certain Evangelical Protestants , though not all of them, reject creeds as definitive statements of faith, even while agreeing with some or all of the substance of the creeds. Also rejecting creeds are groups with roots in
21624-552: The Philippines and Romania). Numerous churches have opened in Tel Aviv , in particular. Nine churches are officially recognized under Israel's confessional system , for the self-regulation of status issues, such as marriage and divorce. These are the Eastern Orthodox , Roman Catholic (Latin rite) , Gregorian-Armenian , Armenian Catholic , Syriac Catholic , Chaldean (Uniate) , Melkite (Greek Catholic) , Assyrian Church of
21828-645: The Republic of Ireland, and Switzerland, all countries with competing denominations. Competition is found in Germany, the Netherlands, and again Switzerland, all countries with minority Catholic populations, which to a greater or lesser extent identified with the nation. Finally, separation between religion (again, specifically Catholicism) and the state is found to a great degree in France and Italy, countries where
22032-498: The Roman Empire (except Jews) to perform a sacrifice to the Roman gods. The Diocletianic Persecution beginning in 303 AD was also particularly severe. Roman persecution ended in 313 AD with the Edict of Milan . While Proto-orthodox Christianity was becoming dominant, heterodox sects also existed at the same time, which held radically different beliefs. Gnostic Christianity developed a duotheistic doctrine based on illusion and enlightenment rather than forgiveness of sin. With only
22236-425: The Roman border, but with Akkadian influences. Legendary accounts are of the evangelization of the East by Thomas ( Mar Toma ), Addai / Thaddaeus and Mari . Syriac ( Syrian//Syriac are etymologically derived from Assyrian ) emerged as the standard Aramaic dialect of the three Assyrian border cities of Edessa , Nisibis and Arbela . Translation of the scriptures into Syriac began early in this region, with
22440-435: The Second Vatican Council the Melkites moved to restoring traditional worship. This involved both the restoration of Melkite practices such as administering the Eucharist to infants following post-baptismal chrismation as well as removal of Latinized elements such as communion rails and confessionals. In the pre-conciliar days, the leaders of this trend were members of "The Cairo School", a group of young priests centered on
22644-414: The See was technically still in union with the Constantinople and Rome despite the split of 1054). The Arab Muslim conquests of the 7th century brought to end the hegemony of Byzantium and Persia over the Middle East. The conquest came at the end of a particularly gruelling period of the Roman-Persian Wars , from the beginning of the 7th century, in which the Sasanid Shah Khosrau II had captured much of
22848-429: The Seljuk leader Sinjur renamed the region called Kirmanshah in Persia as Kurdistan. Mosul, historically a Christian city, was repeatedly attacked. The historian Ibn Khaldun wrote that 'the Kurds spoiled and spread horror everywhere'. The historian Al Makrezi, referring to the situation that emerged after the Kurdish settlement in al Jazirah, wrote that "they were able to establish Kurdish centres as their shares for helping
23052-446: The Son of God —the Logos incarnated —who ministered , suffered , and died on a cross , but rose from the dead for the salvation of humankind; and referred to as the gospel , meaning the "good news". The four canonical gospels of Matthew , Mark , Luke and John describe Jesus's life and teachings as preserved in the early Christian tradition, with the Old Testament as the gospels' respected background. Christianity began in
23256-430: The State in the 1940s and 1950s such as Iqrith , Al bassa , kufur birim , Ma’loul , West Jerusalem neighborhoods, all residents of Safed , Beisan , Tiberias (including Christians), a big part of the Christians in Haifa , Jaffa , Lydda , Ramleh and other places. In recent years, the Christian population in Israel has increased significantly by presence of foreign workers from a number of countries (predominantly
23460-402: The Syria, Egypt, Anatolia and the Caucasus, and the Byzantines under Heraclius only managed a decisive counter-attack in the 620s. The Greek-Orthodox Patriarch Sophronius negotiated with Caliph Umar in 637 for the peaceful transfer of Jerusalem into Arab control (including the Umariyya Covenant ). Likewise, resistance to the Arab onslaught in Egypt was minimal. This seems to be more due to
23664-444: The Turkish race in their conquest". In time, Armenia and Assyria became "Kurdistan". Afterwards happened the raids of Timur Lang, "whom the Kurds loyally followed and who enabled them to occupy the land of the Armenians, who were forcibly expelled". Timur Lang rewarded the Kurds by "settling them in the devastated regions, which until then had been inhabited by the followers of the Church of the East ." The Ottoman Turks carried out
23868-399: The United States. Consequently, indeed there is still a small and fragile community of Assyrians in Iraq , however, millions of Assyrian Christians live today in exile in many communities in the West. Iran's Christian minority numbers some 300,000–370,000. Most are ethnic Armenians (up to 250,000–300,000) and Assyrians (up to 40,000), who follow Armenian Orthodox and Assyrian Church of
24072-414: The West , the papacy became a political player, first visible in Pope Leo 's diplomatic dealings with Huns and Vandals . The church also entered into a long period of missionary activity and expansion among the various tribes. While Arianists instituted the death penalty for practicing pagans (see the Massacre of Verden , for example), Catholicism also spread among the Hungarians , the Germanic ,
24276-417: The West during this period was enormous and of long-lasting significance. The later rise of Islam in North Africa reduced the size and numbers of Christian congregations, leaving in large numbers only the Coptic Church in Egypt, the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church in the Horn of Africa and the Nubian Church in the Sudan (Nobatia, Makuria and Alodia). With the decline and fall of the Roman Empire in
24480-420: The anti-Chalcedonians—who were predominantly Armenian or Coptic -speaking provincials. The Battle of Yarmuk (636) took the Melkite homeland out of Byzantine control and placed it under the occupation of the Arab invaders. Whereas the Greek language and culture remained important, especially for the Melkites of Jerusalem, Antiochene Melkite tradition merged with the Arabic language and culture. Indeed, there
24684-443: The appointment of a bishop and the holding of a synod in Bostra around 240, which is the earliest reference to church organisation in an Arabic-speaking area. Later that decade, Eusebius (6:37) describes another synod in Arabia Petraea . Some scholars have followed hints in Eusebius and Jerome that Philip the Arab , the son of an Arab sheikh , may have been the first Christian Roman Emperor. However, evidence to support this theory
24888-401: The archeparchies of Sidon , Zahlé , and Baalbek , respectively, sided with the dissidents. In the face of the growing conflict, Clement attempted to abdicate his position as patriarch, but the pope, Pius IX , rejected his resignation. Pius IX summoned Riashi, but was rebuffed, instead sending a letter with the other three bishops. The Vatican condemned the letter and called on Bahouth to claim
25092-458: The atrocities committed against the Assyrian Christians due also to a long tradition of perceived Kurdish rights to pillage Christians. A Kurdish chieftain assassinated the patriarch of the church of the East at the negotiation dinner in 1918, and the aftermath led to further decimation of the Christian population. Bahrain's second largest religion is Christianity forming a minority of 14.5% of Bahrain. Christians in Bahrain number 205,000 people. In
25296-405: The best in terms of education in comparison to any other group receiving an education in Israel. Arab Christians have one of the highest rates of success in the matriculation examinations, (64%) both in comparison to the Muslims and the Druze and in comparison to all students in the Jewish education system as a group. The rate of students studying in the field of medicine was also higher among
25500-460: The canons promulgated by earlier ecumenical councils. Speaking at the Council on 19 May 1870, Patriarch Gregory asserted: The Eastern Church attributes to the pope the most complete and highest power, however in a manner where the fullness and primacy are in harmony with the rights of the patriarchal sees. This is why, in virtue of an ancient right founded on customs, the Roman Pontiffs did not, except in very significant cases, exercise over these sees
25704-462: The centralizing tendencies of Rome. Leo also confirmed that the limitations placed on the Armenian Catholic patriarch by Pius IX's 1867 letter Reversurus would not apply to the Melkite Church; further, Leo formally recognized an expansion of Patriarch Gregory's jurisdiction to include all Melkites throughout the Ottoman Empire . Patriarch Maximos IV Sayegh took part in the Second Vatican Council where he argued against Latinization and championed
25908-414: The churches of Rome. Its points include: The Nicene Creed was formulated, largely in response to Arianism , at the Councils of Nicaea and Constantinople in 325 and 381 respectively, and ratified as the universal creed of Christendom by the First Council of Ephesus in 431. The Chalcedonian Definition , or Creed of Chalcedon, developed at the Council of Chalcedon in 451, though rejected by
26112-407: The city of "New Rome" ( Latin : Nova Roma , Greek : Νέα Ρώμη ), Constantinople . According to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, its origins go back to the establishment of Christianity in the Near East. As Christianity began to spread, the disciples preached the Gospel throughout the region and were for the first time recorded to be called "Christians" in the city of Antioch ( Acts 11:26),
26316-409: The concomitant rise of ISIS have greatly increased violence against Christians in those countries. Some, including Hillary Clinton or the European Parliament referred to the ISIS campaign against Christians and other religious minorities in the region as a genocide . Later on, in March 2016 the United States officially joined this view, with U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry declaring during
26520-457: The continued emptying of the Eastern Mediterranean of her native Christian peoples. In 1950, the richest Melkite community in the world was in Egypt. After the establishment of the United Arab Republic by Gamal Abdul Nasser in 1958, a combination of factors led several thousand Melkites from Syria – particularly Aleppo and Damascus – and Egypt to emigrate to Lebanon. In 1967, a native Egyptian of Syrian-Aleppin descent, George Selim Hakim,
26724-570: The contrary, many of the greatest works of the Renaissance were devoted to it, and the Catholic Church patronized many works of Renaissance art . Much, if not most, of the new art was commissioned by or in dedication to the Church. Some scholars and historians attribute Christianity to having contributed to the rise of the Scientific Revolution . Many well-known historical figures who influenced Western science considered themselves Christian such as Nicolaus Copernicus , Galileo Galilei , Johannes Kepler , Isaac Newton and Robert Boyle . In
26928-513: The country, mostly in Iraqi Kurdistan. The vast majority are Neo-Aramaic speaking ethnic Assyrians (also known as Chaldo-Assyrians ), descendant from the ancient Mesopotamians in general and the ancient Assyrians more specifically, who are concentrated in the north, particularly the Nineveh Plains , Dohuk and Sinjar regions, border regions with south east Turkey, north west Iran and northern Syria, and in and around cities such as Mosul , Erbil , Kirkuk , and also in Baghdad . There are also
27132-438: The de-latinisation had gone too far. During the Patriarchate of Maximos IV Sayegh , some Melkites in the United States objected to the use of the vernacular in the celebration of the Divine Liturgy, a movement that was spearheaded by the future archbishop of Nazareth, Father Joseph Raya of Birmingham, Alabama. The issue garnered national news coverage after Bishop Fulton Sheen celebrated a Pontifical Divine Liturgy in English at
27336-448: The decisions, and the two principal churches remain in schism to the present day. However, the Catholic Church has achieved union with various smaller eastern churches . In the thirteenth century, a new emphasis on Jesus' suffering, exemplified by the Franciscans' preaching, had the consequence of turning worshippers' attention towards Jews, on whom Christians had placed the blame for Jesus' death . Christianity's limited tolerance of Jews
27540-480: The division caused by the Reformation led to outbreaks of religious violence and the establishment of separate state churches in Europe. Lutheranism spread into the northern, central, and eastern parts of present-day Germany, Livonia , and Scandinavia. Anglicanism was established in England in 1534. Calvinism and its varieties, such as Presbyterianism , were introduced in Scotland, the Netherlands, Hungary, Switzerland, and France. Arminianism gained followers in
27744-417: The dominant sects in both Judaism and Christianity. Christianity spread to Aramaic -speaking peoples along the Mediterranean coast and also to the inland parts of the Roman Empire and beyond that into the Parthian Empire and the later Sasanian Empire , including Mesopotamia , which was dominated at different times and to varying extents by these empires. The presence of Christianity in Africa began in
27948-400: The earliest centuries of Christian history, generally, Christians believe that Jesus is God incarnate and " true God and true man " (or both fully divine and fully human). Jesus, having become fully human , suffered the pains and temptations of a mortal man, but did not sin . As fully God, he rose to life again. According to the New Testament , he rose from the dead, ascended to heaven,
28152-533: The early 10th century, Western Christian monasticism was further rejuvenated through the leadership of the great Benedictine monastery of Cluny . In the West, from the 11th century onward, some older cathedral schools became universities (see, for example, University of Oxford , University of Paris and University of Bologna ). Previously, higher education had been the domain of Christian cathedral schools or monastic schools ( Scholae monasticae ), led by monks and nuns . Evidence of such schools dates back to
28356-527: The early 20th century. Cyprus is the only Christian majority country in the Middle East, with Christians forming between 76% and 78% of the country's total population, most of them adhering to Eastern Orthodox Christianity . Lebanon has the second highest proportion of Christians in the Middle East, around 40%, predominantly Maronites . After Lebanon , Egypt has the next largest proportion of Christians (predominantly Copts ), at around 10% of its total population. Copts, numbering around 10 million, constitute
28560-471: The early 7th century, and finally broke off ties with their Armenian non-Chalcedonian neighbours in the 720s. The term Melkite refers to the adherents of the Antiochene Greek Orthodox Patriarchy who switched allegiance to the Papacy in 1729 after a disputed election to the Patriarchal See in 1724 because the See of Constantinople which objected to the canonically elected Patriarch Cyril who was considered to be too pro-Roman consecrated another candidate (until then
28764-406: The end of the 4th century Christianity became the official state religion. The Melkite Greek Catholic Church traces its origins to the Christian communities of the Levant and Egypt . The term Melkites was originally referred to those Christian in Egypt who were loyal to the Council of Chalcedon and was later referred to those in the Levant region as well. The church's leadership was vested in
28968-485: The end, the Jews of Kurdistan had to leave their Kurdish habitat en masse and migrate into Israel. The Assyrian Christians on the other hand, came to similar conclusion but migrated in stages following each and every eruption of a political crisis with the regime in which boundaries they lived or following each conflict with their Muslim, Turkish, Arabs or Kurdish neighbors, or following the departure or expulsion of their patriarch Mar Shimon in 1933, first to Cyprus and then to
29172-405: The end, the independence of the Assyrian tribes was destroyed not directly by the Turks but by their Kurdish neighbours under Turkish auspices." In spite of the fact that every country in the Middle East has at least a small number of worshippers of Christ from a Muslim background, and in spite of the fact that the vast majority of native Christians are Arabic speakers themselves, Christians in
29376-411: The era known as the Great Divergence , when in the West, the Age of Enlightenment and the scientific revolution brought about great societal changes, Christianity was confronted with various forms of skepticism and with certain modern political ideologies , such as versions of socialism and liberalism . Events ranged from mere anti-clericalism to violent outbursts against Christianity, such as
29580-607: The establishment of Christianity as an independent religion. This formative period was followed by the early bishops , whom Christians consider the successors of Christ's apostles . From the year 150, Christian teachers began to produce theological and apologetic works aimed at defending the faith. These authors are known as the Church Fathers , and the study of them is called patristics . Notable early Fathers include Ignatius of Antioch , Polycarp , Justin Martyr , Irenaeus , Tertullian , Clement of Alexandria and Origen . Persecution of Christians occurred intermittently and on
29784-410: The faith. The Iberian church was under the authority of the Patriarch of Antioch , until the reforming king Vakhtang Gorgasali set up an independent catholicos in 467. In 314, the Edict of Milan proclaimed religious toleration in the Roman Empire, and Christianity rapidly rose to prominence. The church's dioceses and bishoprics came to be modelled on state administration: partly the motive for
29988-461: The first printing press in the Arab world . In 1835, Maximos III Mazloum , Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch, was recognized by the Ottoman Empire as the leader of a millet , a distinctive religious community within the Empire. Pope Gregory XVI gave Maximos III Mazloum the triple-patriarchate of Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem, a title that is still held by the leader of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church. In 1806, Germanos Adam ,
30192-400: The first centuries of Christian theology. Whereas Antioch traditionally focused on the grammatical and historical interpretation of Scripture and developed a dyophysite christology , Alexandria was much influenced by neoplatonism , using an allegorical interpretation and developing miaphysitism . Other prominent centres of Christian learning developed in Asia Minor (most remarkably among
30396-405: The first of the Eastern churches to respond to the introduction of the filioque clause in the West. In 1724, Cyril VI Tanas was elected new Patriarch of Antioch . As Cyril was considered to be pro-Western, the Patriarch Jeremias III of Constantinople feared that his authority would be compromised. Therefore, Jeremias declared Cyril's election to be invalid, excommunicated him, and ordained
30600-468: The following centuries, competition between Catholicism and Protestantism became deeply entangled with political struggles among European states. Meanwhile, the discovery of America by Christopher Columbus in 1492 brought about a new wave of missionary activity. Partly from missionary zeal, but under the impetus of colonial expansion by the European powers, Christianity spread to the Americas, Oceania, East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Throughout Europe,
30804-403: The fringes of northern Iraq and northern Syria, and Mount Lebanon during and immediately after the First World War, resulting in well over 3 million deaths and large-scale deportations in the Armenian genocide , Assyrian genocide , Greek genocide , the Dersim Massacre , and Great Famine of Mount Lebanon . More recently, the fall of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq , the Syrian Civil War and
31008-409: The general congregation and left Rome prior to the adoption of the dogmatic constitution Pastor aeternus on papal infallibility. Other members of the anti-infallibilist minority, both from the Latin church and from other Eastern Catholic churches, also left the city. After the First Vatican Council concluded, an emissary of the Roman Curia was dispatched to secure the signatures of the patriarch and
31212-418: The geographic spread of anti-Christian persecution, but also its increasing severity. In some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide , according to that adopted by the UN.” In 2024, the International Christian Concern again raised warnings about the persecution of Christians in the Middle East. Christian communities have played
31416-436: The growing number of Melkites who had emigrated to the Americas. In 1889 he dispatched Father Ibrahim Beshawate of the Basilian Salvatorian Order in Saida, Lebanon, to New York in order to minister to the growing Syrian community there. According to historian Philip Hitte, Beshawate was the first permanent priest in the United States from the Near East from among the Melkite, Maronite , and Antiochian Orthodox churches. Gregory
31620-405: The growth of Christianity. Certainly, early Georgian liturgy does share a number of conspicuous features with that of Jerusalem. The Black Sea coastal kingdom of Lazica (Egrisi) had closer ties to Constantinople , and its bishops were by imperial appointment. Although the Lazican church originated around the same time as its Iberian neighbour, it was not until 523 when its king, Tzath , accepted
31824-437: The historical See of the Melkite Catholic Patriarchate . Scholars attribute the actual writing of the gospels in Koine Greek to the Hellenized Christian population of Antioch, with authors such as St. Luke , the author of the Gospel of Luke and The Acts of the Apostles . By the 2nd century, Christianity was widespread in Antioch and throughout Syria. Growth of the church did not stop during periods of persecution, and by
32028-418: The historicity of this story "is now deeply suspect." Despite this, Patriarch Gregory and the Melkite Church remained committed to their union with the Church of Rome. Relationships with the Vatican improved following the death of Pius IX and the subsequent election of Leo XIII as pontiff. Leo's encyclical Orientalium dignitas addressed some of the Eastern Catholic Churches' concerns on latinization and
32232-422: The indigenous hierarchy nicknamed "The Butcher" because of his fierce opposition to the Eastern Orthodox churches of the Holy Land. When he arrived in Jerusalem in 1847, there were 4,200 Latin Catholics and when he died in 1872, the number had doubled. In 1856, Clement Bahouth became Patriarch. Under pressure from the Roman Curia to adopt Latin Church practices, he introduced the Gregorian calendar used by
32436-540: The last century have been significant, since 1900, Christianity has spread rapidly in the Global South and Third World countries. The late 20th century has shown the shift of Christian adherence to the Third World and the Southern Hemisphere in general, with the West no longer the chief standard bearer of Christianity. Approximately 7 to 10% of Arabs are Christians , most prevalent in Egypt, Syria and Lebanon . While Christians worldwide share basic convictions, there are differences of interpretations and opinions of
32640-530: The middle of the 1st century in Egypt and by the end of the 2nd century in the region around Carthage . Mark the Evangelist is claimed to have started the Church of Alexandria in about 43 AD; various later churches claim this as their own legacy, including the Coptic Orthodox Church . Important Africans who influenced the early development of Christianity include Tertullian , Clement of Alexandria , Origen of Alexandria , Cyprian , Athanasius , and Augustine of Hippo . King Tiridates III made Christianity
32844-519: The monastery and into the new urban setting. The two principal mendicant movements were the Franciscans and the Dominicans , founded by Francis of Assisi and Dominic , respectively. Both orders made significant contributions to the development of the great universities of Europe. Another new order was the Cistercians , whose large, isolated monasteries spearheaded the settlement of former wilderness areas. In this period, church building and ecclesiastical architecture reached new heights, culminating in
33048-478: The nature of Christ. He was condemned for splitting Christ's person into separate divine and human natures; the extremes of this view, however, were not preached by Nestorius. Cyril of Alexandria succeeded in the deposition of Nestorius at the First Council of Ephesus in 431. The result led to a crisis among the Antiochians, some of whom, including Nestorius himself, found protection in Persia, which continued to espouse traditional Antiochian theology. The schism led to
33252-423: The now-Catholic Church, and an Eastern , largely Greek, branch (the Eastern Orthodox Church ). The two sides disagreed on a number of administrative, liturgical and doctrinal issues, most prominently Eastern Orthodox opposition to papal supremacy . The Second Council of Lyon (1274) and the Council of Florence (1439) attempted to reunite the churches, but in both cases, the Eastern Orthodox refused to implement
33456-553: The only Christian majority state in the Middle East, although Lebanon was founded with a Christian majority in the first half of the 20th century. Smaller Christian groups in the Middle East include Georgians , Ossetians , and Russians . There are also several million foreign Christian workers in the Gulf states, mostly from the Philippines , India , Sri Lanka , and Indonesia : Bahrain has 1,000 Christian citizens, and Kuwait has 400 native Christian citizens, in addition to 450,000 Christian foreign residents in Kuwait. Although
33660-453: The orders of Romanesque and Gothic architecture and the building of the great European cathedrals. Christian nationalism emerged during this era in which Christians felt the desire to recover lands in which Christianity had historically flourished. From 1095 under the pontificate of Urban II , the First Crusade was launched. These were a series of military campaigns in the Holy Land and elsewhere, initiated in response to pleas from
33864-420: The ordinary and immediate jurisdiction that we are asked now to define without any exception. This definition would completely destroy the constitution of the entire Greek church. That is why my conscience as a pastor refuses to accept this constitution. Patriarch Gregory refused to sign the Council's dogmatic declaration on papal infallibility. He and the seven other Melkite bishops present voted non placet at
34068-417: The ordination of married men as priests. Today the church sees itself as an authentic Orthodox church in communion with the Catholic Church. As such it has a role as a voice of the East within the western church, a bridge between faiths and peoples. Due to heavy emigration from the Eastern Mediterranean, which began with the Damascus massacres of 1860 in which most of the Christian communities were attacked,
34272-404: The papacy. This conflict came to a head in the First Vatican Council , and in Germany would lead directly to the Kulturkampf . Christian commitment in Europe dropped as modernity and secularism came into their own, particularly in the Czech Republic and Estonia , while religious commitments in America have been generally high in comparison to Europe. Changes in worldwide Christianity over
34476-399: The patriarch's head. This story, however, has been cast into doubt by more recent studies of the First Vatican Council. John R. Quinn cites Joseph Hajjar in his book Revered and Reviled: A Re-Examination of Vatican Council 1, : "We have been unable to find any document to provide historical verification for such treatment by the Pope." Orthodox historian A. Edward Siecienski reports that
34680-402: The peaks in Christian history and Christian civilization , and Constantinople remained the leading city of the Christian world in size, wealth, and culture. There was a renewed interest in classical Greek philosophy , as well as an increase in literary output in vernacular Greek. Byzantine art and literature held a preeminent place in Europe, and the cultural impact of Byzantine art on
34884-421: The pope assented and his resignation was officially accepted on 24 September 1864. On 29 September, the Bishop of Acre , Gregory II Youssef , was chosen as Patriarch. Officially confirmed in 1865, Gregory initially focused on improving church institutions. During his time as patriarch, Gregory founded both the Patriarchal College in Beirut in 1865 and the Patriarchal College in Damascus in 1875 and he re-opened
35088-399: The population shrank to less than 500,000 today. Assyrian Christians still made up the majority population in northern Iraq until the massacres conducted by Tamurlane in the 14th century, which also saw their ancient city of Assur finally abandoned after 4,000 years. In modern times, Assyrian Christians numbered about 636,000 to 800,000 in 2005, representing 3% to 5% of the population of
35292-404: The present, resisting the adoption of Arabic language and Arabization . In his recent PhD thesis and in his recent book the Israeli scholar Mordechai Zaken discussed the history of the Assyrian Christians of Turkey and Iraq (in the Kurdish vicinity) during the last 180 years, from 1843 onwards. In his studies Zaken outlines three major eruptions that took place between 1843 and 1933 during which
35496-428: The region, such as the notable St. Thaddeus Monastery , are extant remainders of this. Other significantly Christian populated areas in Parthian and Sassanid Iran included the provinces of Persian Armenia , Caucasian Albania , and Caucasian Iberia , amongst others. In the course of the 20th century, Iran's large Christian minority, mainly the native Armenians and Assyrians who have a presence in Iran for millennia, took
35700-535: The resurrection of Jesus to be the cornerstone of their faith (see 1 Corinthians 15 ) and the most important event in history. Among Christian beliefs, the death and resurrection of Jesus are two core events on which much of Christian doctrine and theology is based. According to the New Testament, Jesus was crucified , died a physical death, was buried within a tomb, and rose from the dead three days later. Melkite Greek Catholic Church The Melkite Greek Catholic Church , or Melkite Byzantine Catholic Church ,
35904-417: The role of tradition, the seven sacraments , and other doctrines and practices. The Reformation in England began in 1534, when King Henry VIII had himself declared head of the Church of England . Beginning in 1536, the monasteries throughout England, Wales and Ireland were dissolved . Thomas Müntzer , Andreas Karlstadt and other theologians perceived both the Catholic Church and the confessions of
36108-437: The same genocides, Iran's Christian community was boosted as well at the same time as many migrated to Iran from the Ottoman regions. The most famous contemporary Christian of Iranian origin is probably the American tennis player Andre Agassi , who is ethnically Armenian - Assyrian . The "Armenian Monastic Ensemble", which includes several of the nation's most ancient Christian Armenian churches and monasteries, are inscribed on
36312-425: The single largest Christian community in the Middle East. The Eastern Aramaic speaking Assyrians of northern Iraq , northeastern Syria , southeastern Turkey , and parts of Iran have suffered due to ethnic cleansing , religious discrimination , and persecution for many centuries. During the 20th century, the percentage of Christians in the Middle East fell mainly as a result of the late Ottoman genocides :
36516-416: The sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations ; Sir Magdi Yacoub , the cardiothoracic surgeon; Hani Azer , the civil engineer; billionaire Fayez Sarofim , one of the richest men in the world; and Naguib Sawiris , the CEO of Orascom . Christianity has a long history in Iraq, with the early conversions of the indigenous Assyrian inhabitants of Assyria (Parthian controlled Assuristan ) dating from
36720-443: The speed at which conversions happened, is a complex subject that is not fully understood by historians. Among other new rules, the Muslim rulers imposed a special poll tax, the jizya , on non-Muslims, which acted as an economic pressure to convert alongside other social advantages converts could gain in Muslim society. In Egypt, Islamization was likely slower than in other Muslim-controlled regions, with Christians likely constituting
36924-402: The state actively opposed itself to the authority of the Catholic Church. The combined factors of the formation of nation states and ultramontanism , especially in Germany and the Netherlands, but also in England to a much lesser extent, often forced Catholic churches, organizations, and believers to choose between the national demands of the state and the authority of the Church, specifically
37128-497: The state. Variables were the relative sizes of the denominations and the religious, political, and ideological orientation of the states. Urs Altermatt of the University of Fribourg , looking specifically at Catholicism in Europe, identifies four models for the European nations. In traditionally Catholic-majority countries such as Belgium, Spain, and Austria, to some extent, religious and national communities are more or less identical. Cultural symbiosis and separation are found in Poland,
37332-468: The support of the Sublime Porte . Riashi continued to resist and was, as a result, excluded from the First Vatican Council . The other three bishops eventually resubmitted to the patriarch. Although Massamiri – who had been consecrated as the Orthodox Bishop of Palmyra – was brought back by the next patriarch, Gregory II Youssef , Gibara died in dissidence. In 1864, Bahouth again requested to be allowed to resign, hoping to retire to monastic life. This time,
37536-464: The territory of ancient Assyria in 1743 he got the full backing and support of the Kurds. This was a further step to "strengthening both the older Kurdish settlements, including those made after Çaldıran , and the newer ones that followed Nadir Shah's İnvasİon." Hence the Assyrians lost both land and numbers. After Nadir Shah's invasion, the "Assyrian tribes also faced further tightening of the Kurdish circle around their country". According to Adoona, "in
37740-487: The three apostolic patriarchates of the ancient patriarchates : Alexandria , Antioch and Jerusalem . After the Fourth Ecumenical Council, the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451, fifth-century Middle-Eastern Christian society became sharply divided between those who did and those who did not accept the outcome of the council. Those who accepted the decrees of the council, the Chalcedonians , were mainly Greek -speaking city-dwellers, and were called Melkites ('imperials') by
37944-401: The total isolation of the Persian-sphere Church of the East , and the adoption of much Alexandrian theology in the Antiochian sphere of influence. Some of the Alexandrian victors at Ephesus, however, began to push their anti-Nestorian agenda too far, of whom Eutyches was the most prominent. Much back and forth led to the Council of Chalcedon of 451, which found a compromise that returned to
38148-408: The traditional basis for the Greek Orthodox Church , known as Rūm Orthodox ( Arabic : الروم الأرثوذكس ) in Arabic, which is their language of worship throughout Lebanon , Egypt, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Jordan, Syria and Christian diaspora. The Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church held to a moderate Antiochian doctrine through these schisms and began aligning itself with Byzantium from
38352-409: The universal Christian church. According to Church tradition, the Melkite Church of Antioch is the "oldest continuous Christian community in the world". In Arabic , the official language of the church, it is called ar-Rūm al-Kāṯūlīk ( Arabic : الروم الكاثوليك , lit. ' [Eastern] Roman Catholic '). The Arabic word Rūm means 'Romans', from the Greek word Romaioi by which
38556-538: The vast majority of Middle Eastern populations descend from Pre-Arab and Non-Arab peoples extant long before the 7th century AD Arab Islamic conquest , a 2015 study estimates there are also 483,500 Christian believers from a previously Muslim background in the Middle East, most of them being adherents of various Protestant churches. Converts to Christianity from other religions such as Islam , Yezidism , Mandeanism , Yarsan , Zoroastrianism , Baháʼísm , Druze , and Judaism exist in relatively small numbers amongst
38760-412: The war fatigue throughout the region rather than entirely due to religious differences. After the conquests, Muslims initially remained a ruling minority within the conquered territories in the Middle East and North Africa. By the 12th century the non-Muslim population had become a minority. The factors and processes that led to the progressive Islamization of these regions during this period, as well as
38964-512: The western Middle East and Asia Minor , declined in number due to the Arab–Byzantine wars , then suffered another decline after the Ottoman invasion of Anatolia , and all but vanished from Turkey as a result of the Greek genocide , which was perpetrated by the Ottoman government and Turkish Muslims both during and after World War I , and the expulsions that followed the war. Today, the largest Middle Eastern Greek community resides in Cyprus and numbers around 810,000 Cypriot Greeks constitute
39168-437: The world, particularly in the Middle East , North Africa , East Asia , and South Asia . Early Jewish Christians referred to themselves as 'The Way' ( Koinē Greek : τῆς ὁδοῦ , romanized: tês hodoû ), probably coming from Isaiah 40:3 , "prepare the way of the Lord". According to Acts 11:26 , the term "Christian" ( Χρῑστῐᾱνός , Khrīstiānós ), meaning "followers of Christ" in reference to Jesus's disciples ,
39372-424: Was Arabic Christian poetry before the arrival of Islam , but the Antiochene blending with Arabic culture led to a degree of distancing from the Patriarch of Constantinople . Despite the Arab invasion, the Melkites continued to exercise an important role in the Universal Church. The Melkites played a leading role in condemning the iconoclast controversy when it re-appeared in the early 9th century, and were among
39576-487: Was also a prominent proponent of Eastern ecclesiology at the First Vatican Council, giving a now oft-lauded speech during its fifty-fourth session regarding the third chapter of Pastor aeternus . In the two discourses he gave at the Council on 19 May and 14 June 1870, he insisted on the importance of conforming to the decisions of the Council of Florence , of not creating innovations such as papal infallibility , but accepting what had been decided by common agreement between
39780-424: Was elected the successor of Maximos IV, and took the name Maximos V . He was to reign until he retired at the age of 92 in the Jubilee Year of 2000. He reposed on the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, June 29, 2001. He was succeeded by Archbishop Lutfi Laham, who took the name Gregory III. Melkite Greek Catholic Church is the largest Catholic community in Syria and Israel, and the second largest in Lebanon. As of 2014
39984-412: Was ended with the Edict of Toleration in 311 and the Edict of Milan in 313. At that point, Christianity was still a minority belief, comprising perhaps only 5% of the Roman population. Influenced by his adviser Mardonius , Constantine's nephew Julian unsuccessfully tried to suppress Christianity. On 27 February 380, Theodosius I , Gratian , and Valentinian II established Nicene Christianity as
40188-415: Was firmly established there by the middle of the 2nd century. Although the Greek-speaking community of Alexandria dominated the Egyptian church, speakers of native Coptic and many bilingual Christians were the majority. From the early 4th century, at the latest, the monastic movement emerged in the Egyptian desert, led by Anthony and Pachomius (see Desert Fathers ). Eusebius ( EH 6:20) also mentions
40392-414: Was first used in the city of Antioch by the non-Jewish inhabitants there. The earliest recorded use of the term "Christianity/Christianism" ( Χρῑστῐᾱνισμός , Khrīstiānismós ) was by Ignatius of Antioch around 100 AD . The name Jesus comes from ‹See Tfd› Greek : Ἰησοῦς Iēsous , likely from Hebrew / Aramaic : יֵשׁוּעַ Yēšūaʿ. Christianity developed during the 1st century AD as
40596-410: Was never achieved, and the non-Chalcedonians adopted miaphysitism based on traditional Alexandrian doctrine, in revolt against the Byzantine Church. These so-called Oriental Orthodox Churches include the majority of Egyptian Christians – the Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria – majority of Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians – the Ethiopian and Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Churches – many Syriacs –
40800-400: Was not new—Augustine of Hippo said that Jews should not be allowed to enjoy the citizenship that Christians took for granted—but the growing antipathy towards Jews was a factor that led to the expulsion of Jews from England in 1290 , the first of many such expulsions in Europe. Beginning around 1184, following the crusade against Cathar heresy, various institutions, broadly referred to as
41004-418: Was probably evangelized first in the 2nd or 3rd century. However, the church was only established there in 330s. A number of sources, both in Georgian and other languages, associate Nino of Cappadocia with bringing Christianity to the Georgians and converting King Mirian III of Iberia . Georgian Christian literature emphasizes her connection with Jerusalem and the role played by the Georgian Jewish community in
41208-578: Was surprised by the "dramatic changes" and by "the decline in the number of the Armenians compared with the number of the new Kurdish settlers who then were still in the process of moving in". Southgate ascribed these changes to "the Kurdish persecution of the indigenous people". The inhabitants of Salamis, for instance, had been forced to leave. The Russian historian Minorsky at about the same time also stated that "the Kurds had occupied parts of Armenia permanently and were no longer living on their original land." According to Aboona, "the majorities, in particular
41412-399: Was the first of a series of ecumenical councils , which formally defined critical elements of the theology of the Church, notably concerning Christology . The Church of the East did not accept the third and following ecumenical councils and is still separate today by its successors ( Assyrian Church of the East ). In terms of prosperity and cultural life, the Byzantine Empire was one of
41616-555: Was the first powerful action in changing the demographics of the Assyrian homeland . The Muslim Kurds remained loyal to the Ottoman Turks as long as they were enjoying power and greatness. The Ottoman Turks conducted a large-scale genocide and ethnic cleansing of the ancient and indigenous Greek , Armenian , Assyrian , and Maronite Christian inhabitants of Anatolia, northwestern Iran, the fringes of northern Iraq and northern Syria, and Mount Lebanon during and immediately after World War I , resulting in well over 3 million deaths among
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