Group+3.5+Christian+Arabs

Group 3.5

Christian Arabs

The Maronites of Lebanon by Emily Storrer

The Maronites are an old Christian culture centered in the mountains of Lebanon. The Maronite people base their faith on three central principles; Catholicism, the Roman Church, and Saint Maron (Kisirwani). Today there are approximately 1.5 million Maronites in Lebanon and another 6 million around the world in what is known as the diaspora (Catholic Near East Welfare Association). As a people the Maronites have a  long history filled with religious, political, and cultural conflict. When the Maronites broke away from the Melchite church of Syria in the seventh century they fled to the mountains of Lebanon where they lived for many centuries (Kisirwani). The Lebanese mountains provided the Maronites protection from the Muslim state, allowing them great political and religious freedom. The mountains were also the home of two other religious minorities, the Shi’i and the Druze. All three groups lived peacefully together until violence between the Maronites and Druze broke out between 1840 and 1860 (Kisirwani). The saint that is recognized and revered by all Maronites is Saint John Maron, a hermit and a monk, who was sent to the Maronite community in Lebanon where he built a monastery and instructed many followers of the faith who called themselves the Maronites **(** The Maronites and Lebanon). The Maronites are followers of Catholicism and have been associated with the Roman Catholic Church for over two hundred years. The maronites have such close ties with the Catholic Church that they were the only group to support and join the Crusades in the eleventh century. One writer in the fifteenth century described the Maronites as a people “chosen by God among Christians in the east to preserve the Christian faith in the Lebanese mountains.” (Vatikiotis) The Maronites enter ed into an official union with the Vatican in 1736 **,** and when the Ottoman Empire fell in the eighteenth century France became the new mother country of the Maronites, and created what they called “Greater Lebanon” (Vatikiotis). The religious divides created by people such as the Maronites in Lebanon have contributed to a long history of internal conflict, including three civil wars spanning the past two hundred years. According to historians all three civil wars involved conflict over religious tensions, including tensions between the Maronites and Muslims, and were initiated by regional and even foreign powers (Khashan). Many Maronites today have called for the creation of a Christian state in Lebanon, because of their attachment to their land and because they  feel their political and religious identity is unique. Despite these efforts however, the Maronites have not been able to sever ties with Lebanon (Khashan), but they remain a unique example of Christian communities in the Arab world.

Sources

1. Hilal Khashan. **The Political Values of Lebanese Maronite College Students.** //The Journal of Conflict Resolution//. Vol. 34, No. 4 (Dec., 1990), pp. 723-744. http://www.jstor.org.proxy1.cl.msu.edu/stable/174186?seq=5&Search=yes&searchText=Catholic&searchText=Church&searchText=Maronite&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3FQuery%3DMaronite%2BCatholic%2BChurch%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=353&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

2. Maroun Kisirwani. **Foreign Interference and Religious Animosity in Lebanon.** //Journal of Contemporary History//. Vol. 15, No. 4 (Oct., 1980), pp. 685-700. http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/stable/260504seq=5&Search=yes&searchText=John&searchText=Maroun&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoBasicSearch%3Facc%3Don%26Query%3DJohn%2BMaroun%26gw%3Djtx%26acc%3Don%26prq%3DSaint%2BMaroun%26Search%3DSearch%26hp%3D25%26wc%3Don%26acc%3Don&prevSearch=&item=1&ttl=92&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

3. P. J. Vatikiotis. **The Crisis in Lebanon: A Local Historical Perspective.** //The World Today.// Vol. 40, No. 3 (Mar., 1984), pp. 85-92 http://www.jstor.org.proxy2.cl.msu.edu/stable/40395589seq=2&Search=yes&searchText=Maronites&list=hide&searchUri=%2Faction%2FdoAdvancedSearch%3Fq0%3DMaronites%26f0%3Dall%26c1%3DAND%26q1%3D%26f1%3Dall%26acc%3Don%26wc%3Don%26ar%3Don%26sd%3D%26ed%3D%26la%3Deng%26jo%3D%26Search%3DSearch&prevSearch=&item=21&ttl=638&returnArticleService=showFullText&resultsServiceName=null

4. The Maronites and Lebanon. Official site of the Maronite Patriarch. []

5. Catholic Near East Welfare Association [].

The Coptics

By Brooke Sauchak

The term “Copt” is derived from the Greek word, “Ayguptos,” meaning Egyptian. Coptic Christians have contributed a great deal to the practice of Christianity in the Arab World. As native inhabitants of Egypt, Copts, as they are called, have had a profound influence on the culture, religion and history of the country. Contributions include thousands of texts, monasticism, the Catechetical School of Alexandria and the Coptic language itself **(Encyclopedia of,The Christian Coptic)**. Coptic Christianity dates back nineteen centuries, to the beginning of the religion. Saint Mark, an evangelist, brought Christianity to Alexandria, Egypt during the rule of Roman Emperor Nero **(The Christian Coptic)**. Almost every ruler of Egypt has persecuted Coptic Christians; Saint Mark was murdered by Roman soldiers in Alexandria. Copts endured a great deal of religious persecution by Roman Pagans and Catholics after the split of the church in 451 and following the Crusades **(Encyclopedia of)**. When Arabs invaded Egypt, in 641, they met little resistance by the Christians. Copts were allowed to freely practice their faith **(An Overview of, The Christian Coptic)**. The Prophet Mohammad’s wife was an Egyptian and showed great kindness toward the Copts making it easier for them remain a part of society **(The Christian Coptic)**. By the end of the 12th century Egypt turned from predominantly Christian to predominantly Muslim. Coptic Christianity flourished (slightly) during the Fatimid period, but oppression was present until the 19th Century **(Encyclopedia of)**. Throughout history Copts were forced to pay a special tax, the “Gezya,” or they were no longer protected from the Muslim society **(The Christian Coptic)**. This “prot ection” under Islamic law is called “dhimmis” **(Rowe)**. Coptic Christians were inferior (mainly marked by the “Gezya” tax) and this led to hostility and violence among Muslims toward Christians **(The Christian Coptic)**. Under the rule of Mohammad Ali, the tax was finally lifted but regulation of Christian associated life was still present. Restriction on repairing or building churches and mosques remained an issue and there were limits on the number of churches per region **(Rowe, The Christian Coptic)**. They were discouraged from exploring their Coptic identity and this interfered with the practice of Coptic faith **(The Christian Coptic)**.

Today, Coptic Christians remain the most concentrated and socially organized Christian Arabs. They account for approximately ten to twenty percent of the population in Egypt **(Fargues)**. They share a history with Muslims and often identify with them. Coptic leader, Makram Ebeid once said “Christianity is my religion, but Islam is my culture” **(Fargues)**. As Muslims remain the majority in the Arab world, Coptic Christians still face a great deal of resentment and are subjected to discrimination, persecution and harassment. In 1957, Islamic teaching was forced into curriculum and riots broke out in 1999 killing twenty-one Copts **(Fargues)**. Arabic, now the main language in Egypt, superseded the Coptic language, once common. The historic language, is however, still used in the Coptic Church **(St. Mark)**. Separation of church and state has always been important to Copts. This has resulted in tension with the government, which fails to fully include Copts in common everyday life **(The Christian Coptic)**. Churches are still the main source for estimates of the population **(Fargues)**.

However, according to an article published in 2000 by Saad Michael Saad, the situation for Coptic Christians seems to be improving; they are integrating into Muslim society. The Quran itself appeals to equal human rights, as do the traditions of Islam, some Muslims are beginning to put these traditions into practice **(Saad)**. At the turn of the century there was an increase in the number of churches allowed **(Rowe)**. The overwhelming majority, though, does remain Muslim and Non-Musli m communities are shrinking **(Fargues)**. Although Coptic Christians are slowing converting to Islam, emigrating or facing persecution they have nonetheless played a significant role in Christianity in the Arab World.

Sources 1. Rowe, P.S. **Neo-millet systems and transnational religious movements: the Humayun decrees and church construction in Egypt.** //Journal of Church and State//. Vol. 49, No. 2 (2007), pp.329. []

2. Saad, S. M**. A Christian appeal to Islam**. //The Christian Century//. Vol. 117, No. 6 (Feb., 2000) pp.198. []

3. Encyclopedia of the Middle East Copt. [] (copts)

4. An Overview of the Coptic Christians of Egypt []

5. St. Mark Foundation []

6. The Christian Coptic Orthodox Church Of Egypt []

7. Fargues, P. **Demographic Islamization: Non-Muslims in Muslim Countries.** SAIS Review. Vol. 21, No. 2 (2001), pp. 103-115. []

8. Image. http://theconservativetreehouse.files.wordpress.com/2011/02/coptic-christians.jpg

9. Image. http://www.archangelmichaelchurch.net/Home/generalinformation/cross.gif

The City of Antioch

By Ryan Westra
Antioch, now known as Antakya, was an ancient city located in present day Turkey (Kamm). This city is commonly known for being the birthplace of Christianity.

The word “Christian” was first used to describe a follower of Jesus Christ after the gospel of Christ had an impact on the city of Antioch. Before Christianity reached Antioch, Jesus’ twelve apostles chose seven men to serve alongside them. One of the men chosen was Stephen (Acts 6:5). Stephen became a martyr of the Christian faith when he was stoned to death (Acts 7:54-60). As a result of Stephen’s death, the church in Jerusalem was persecuted and scattered to many different regions in Judea and Samaria. Most of the people who were scattered talked about Jesus only to the Jews. Men from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and spoke to Gentiles (non-Jews) as well. Many people believed in Jesus and the church in Jerusalem got word of this, sending Barnabas to the church in Antioch. Through Barnabas, many more people were converted, and this is the time when disciples of Jesus Christ became known as Christians (Acts 11:19-26).

While this was going on, a group of Christians in Jerusalem had an issue with Gentiles in Antioch becoming Christians. This group said that for a Gentile to be a Christian, he would have to follow the Mosaic Law. Paul and Barnabas were completely against this idea (Schaefer). In Galatians 2:15-21, Paul explains that a person is not justified by works of the law (following the Mosaic Law for example), but by faith in Jesus Christ. In other words, you become a Christian by having faith in Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and not by obeying the law. Apart from this dispute, Antioch was a very important Christian stronghold. From Antioch, Paul set out on his major missionary journeys (Metzger).

The Antioch of today is unlike its Christian past. Now known as Antakya, the city has a population of 190,000 and its religion is primarily conservative Islam. The Jewish population is smaller than 150 people, and the Christians are a minority as well. Jews speak Arabic and Turkish, and Arabic is the most common language heard in the streets. Some people will claim not to be Arab, yet speak Arabic in their homes. Although Antioch is the birthplace of Christianity, it has now become a Muslim city (Kamm).

= Sources =

1. Metzger, B. M. **Antioch-on-the-Orontes**. The Biblical Archaeologist. Vol. 11, No. 4 (Dec., 1948), pp. 69-88. http://www.jstor.org/stable/3209158

2. Kamm, H. **IN ANCIENT ANTIOCH, MODERN HOSTILITIES SMOLDER**. The New York Times. (1986), pp. 1.2. http://ezproxy.msu.edu/login?url=http://search.proquest.com/docview/425876170?accountid=12598

3. Schaefer, F. **The Church of Antioch**. The Catholic Encyclopedia. Vol. 1 (Mar., 2011). []

Christians in Iraq By Zachary Taylor

Today there are over 1,000,000 Christians in Iraq, most from the northern part of the country. Most of the rest of the country’s Christian population lives in Baghdad. In southern Iraq there a few Christian communities in the province of Basrah. Basran Christians are found there today as a result of the driving out of Christian communities in the Arabian peninsula during the Caliphate of Umar and sought refuge in what is present day Iraq. Most of the Christians in Southern and Central Iraq speak Arabic. A few speak a “neo-Aramaic” language while the rest are Christian Armenians who fled from Armenia during the genocide.

[[image:Capture.JPG width="208" height="172" align="right" caption="Chaldean Flag"]]
Until the fifth century, the Christian churches in Iraq were independent of the patriarch of Byzantium. The Christian churches in Iraq briefly joined the Byzantine church from 428 to 431 but left when the patriarch was deposed when he advocated that there were two separate “natures of Christ.” The resulting independent church, known as the Nestorian Church, grew in Iraq until 1552. In 1552 a number of Nestorians broke away and joined with Rome. This split was caused by conflict over the attempt of the Nestorian church to establish the position of patriarch as hereditary. This split became known as the schism of 1552 and permanently divided the church in the East.[2]This group of became known as the Chaldean Church and steadily grew, eventually eclipsing the Nestorians. The Chaldeans have also become known as part of a greater group called the “Eastern Catholics.” The Nestorian Church, also called the Assyrian Church or the Church of the East, was further divided in 1898 and then again in the early 1900s until 1917 when many followers in Northern Iraq converted to the Russian Orthodox Church. Many converted in an effort to destabilize Ottoman rule in the region, especially during the First World War.[3]There is also a small group known as the Jacobites who are native to Iraq and number between 10,000 and 15,000. Most Jacobites live in Northern Iraqi villages and gets its name from Jacob, the Bishop of Edessa and was founded in the sixth century. Both the Chaldeans, the Nestorians, and Jacbites speak Syriac during their liturgy.

Rise in violence against Christians in Iraq.
In recent years, especially since the fall of Sadam, violence against Christians in Iraq has been on the rise. As a result, there has been a steady decline in their numbers. Many Chaldeans, for example, have fled to the United States and, in particular, to Southeast Michigan. [4] The relationship between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church has improved in the aftermath of the fall of Sadam and the rise in violence targeted at Christians, notably, with the signing of the “Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East”. [5]

[1] Abu-Haidar. “Christian Arabic of Baghdad.” http://books.google.com/books?hl=en&lr=&id=0kOclNALY3wC&oi=fnd&pg=PR11&dq=christians+in+iraq&ots=_fCVbSCBcU&sig=AthG-UlTmce41JE4bL8PDcYK1Rg#v=onepage&q=christians%20in%20iraq&f=false [2] O’Mahony, Anthony (2006). "Syriac Christianity in the modern Middle East". In Angold, Michael. Eastern Christianity. Cambridge History of Christianity. 5. Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521811132. [3] David Wilmshurst, The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318-1913, Peeters Publishers, 2000 ISBN 9042908769 [4] Eparchy of Saint Thomas the Apostle of Detroit. http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/diocese/ddech.html#stats [5] “Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.” Catholic Church. http://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html

= The Chaldean Catholic Church = By Rashmi Umarji   Chaldeans ( Neo-Aramaic: ܟܲܠܕܵܝܹ̈ܐ) are ethnically Assyrian, and adhere to the Chaldean Catholic Church. [5] Most converted to Catholicism from the Church of the East in the 17th and 18th centuries. The liturgical language of the Chaldean Church are Chaldean Neo-Aramaic. The liturgy of the Chaldean Church is written in Syriac. The Chaldean Catholic Church (Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܟܠܕܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ) is an Eastern particular church of the Roman Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Roman Catholic Church. The Chaldean Catholic Church presently comprises an estimated 1,500,000 Chaldean Christians. ==The structure of the Chaldean Catholic Church is modeled after the Roman church into the following dioceses [2]: == 
 * Patriarchate of Babylon - the figurehead of the Church
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Metropolitan Archdioceses - larger cities in which the patriarchate divides his time, for Chaldeans, the most prominent ones in the Arab world are Baghdad and Mosul
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Archdioceses - presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Eparchies - loosely translating as 'rule over something’, eparchies are found across the world, the closest one to East Lansing being St Thomas of Detroit [1]
 * <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; list-style-type: disc; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Finally, territories dependent on the Patriarch are the last category

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> According to legend, Chaldeans were converted to Christianity by the Apostle Thomas on one of his missionary journeys to the East. (St. Addai, an associate of Thomas, is revered as a Chaldean patron.) In the third century, they were followers of Nestorius, a patriarch of Constantinople who was declared a heretic by the Roman Church for teaching that Jesus Christ was not concurrently God and man. [5] This division between the followers of Nestorius in the East and the Roman Church lasted until 1445, when some Chaldeans were received into the Roman Church by Pope Eugenius IV. They were permitted to retain their historic rituals and the Chaldean/Aramaic language for mass and other ceremonies. [3]

<span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">After the massacres of Tamerlane around 1400 had devastated several bishoprics, the Church of the East, which had previously extended as far as China, was reduced to a handful of survivors who lived in the triangular area between Amid, Salmas and Mosul. The Patriarch Mar Shimun IV Basidi (1437–1493) made the office of patriarch hereditary within his own family. Searching for an appropriate name to call this new Catholic rite, the Pope focused on their historic homeland, which in ancient times had been the land of the Babylonians, Assyrians, and Chaldeans. It was also the historic homeland of the prophet Abraham, who came from Ur, a city of the Chaldeans. Hence, the Pope chose "Chaldean" as the name for the new Catholic rite. A literary revival in the early 20th century was mostly due to the Lazarist, Pere Bedjan, a Persian Chaldean catholic, who devoted much industry and learning to popularizing among his people, including Catholics, Orthodox Christians and the Assyrian Church, their ancient chronicles, the lives of Assyrian saints and martyrs, even works of the ancient Assyrian doctors. <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"><span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Notable Chaldeans include Anna Eshoo, a member of the United States House of Representatives, and p erhaps the best known Iraqi Chaldean catholic is former Iraqi deputy prime minister, Tariq Aziz (real name Michael Youhanna) [1]. =<span style="font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif; font-size: 160%;">Sources = <span style="background-color: transparent; display: block; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;"> <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">[1] Goodin, Michael. "More than party stores: Chaldeans move into mainstream," in Crain's Detroit Business, December 17, 1990, vol. 6, no. 51. [2] Kamoo, Ray. Ancient & Modern Chaldean History: A Comprehensive Bibliography of Sources. Boston: Scarecrow Press, 1999. [3] Sengstock, Mary C. The Chaldean-Americans: Changing Conceptions of Ethnic Identity, 2nd ed. New York: Center for Migration Studies, 1998. <span style="background-color: transparent; color: #000000; font-family: Arial; font-size: 11pt; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> [4] Stertz, Bradley A., and Krystal Miller. "Chaldeans in Detroit are prime targets of threats, violence," in Wall Street Journal, January 21, 1991 pp. A1(W), A1(E). [5] Twin Rivers Bibliography: Assyrian, Chaldian & Syrians Past & Present, compiled & edited by Francis K. Khosho. Springfield, Illinois: Khosho, 1987.