The Roman Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch

The Roman Patriarchate of Antioch

By Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

The Patriarchate of Antioch as an Orthodox Church is very ancient, since in Antioch, which was an ancient Greek city founded in 300 BC, one of the ancient Christian Churches developed, where for the first time the Disciples of Christ were called Christians (Acts 11:26). And in the Church of Antioch, by the command of the Holy Spirit, it was decided for there to be a mission to the Gentiles and they entrusted this work to the Apostle Paul and the Apostle Barnabas (Acts 13:1-3).

Thus, the Patriarchate of Antioch, with its seat in Antioch, belongs to the ancient Patriarchates, occupying the third place to this day, after Constantinople and Alexandria. In the 14th century AD, due to various events, the seat of the Patriarchate was transferred from Antioch, which today belongs to Turkey, to Damascus in Syria, one of the oldest inhabited cities since 5,000 BC, where it exists to this day. Also, outside of Syria the Patriarchate of Antioch has Lebanon and provinces in Turkey, Arabia, etc.

Syria is a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-Christian region. In terms of multi-ethnic, it is divided into three ethnic groups, the Syrians who descend from the Assyrians, an ancient civilization from 2,500 BC in Mesopotamia, the Assyrian-Aramaeans who also come from Mesopotamia, and the Arabs. In terms of multi-religious, the Syrians are Christians and Muslims, and in terms of multi-Christian, they are Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox/Anti-Chalcedonian, Maronite/Monothelite, "Roman Catholics", Protestants, etc. In terms of religion, 74% are Sunni Muslims, 12% are Alawites, and 10% are Christians of all shades.

I noticed that recently various scholars have been talking about Levantine Christians or Greek Orthodox who live in Syria and Lebanon. Neither is true. Levantines are Western Christians who went to the Middle East. The Christians who are natives and belong to the Patriarchate of Antioch are called Rum Orthodox, that is, Roman Orthodox, which was a province of the Christian Roman Empire with its seat in Constantinople, and historically they have their reference there.

Father John Romanides, when he went to Syria and Lebanon in 1972 to teach at the Balamand Theological School, met the Roman Orthodox Christians and subsequently developed the relevant aspects of Romiosini.

The Patriarchate of Antioch founded and operates a University in the Sacred Monastery of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Balamand, Lebanon, in which there are various Departments or Schools, such as that of Theology, Architecture, Medicine, Philology, etc. It is a very organized University with significant consequences for the entire region of the Patriarchate.

For three years, 1987-1990, and then in the years 2000-2001, I taught at the Balamand Theological School of the Patriarchate of Antioch, and because there was a civil war in Northern Lebanon, where the seat of the University is, and the entire region was cut off by land, sea and air, I went to Northern Lebanon (Tripoli, Lebanon) via Damascus. Thus, in Damascus I became acquainted with the entire ecclesiastical activity of the Patriarchate through its divine worship, pastoral actions, speeches, student gatherings, vigils, etc. Let me remind you that in Syria and Lebanon, one of the two “choirs” of chanters in the church chants in Greek to remind them of their origin from the Eastern Roman Empire, i.e. Byzantium.

I encountered this ecclesiastical activity in many cities in Syria, such as Tartous, Latakia, Aleppo, Homs, near which is the famous Valley of the Christians, centered on the Sacred Monastery of Saint George and the famous Sacred Monastery of the Dormition in Saydnaya, which exerts great influence in the region.

The current Patriarch of Antioch, John Yazigi, many Metropolitans, Bishops, Clergy and theologians know the Greek language well, they boast because they are Roman Orthodox and love Greece. Of course they boast about Saint John of Damascus, the great and leading Father of the Church, Saints Ephraim and Isaac the Syrian, Saint John Chrysostom, etc.

The dynamic and active Orthodox Church of Antioch is going through a great trial at this time, as are all the Christians of Syria and Lebanon, because they do not know how the new situation will develop. That is why it is in our prayers and our hearts, and the Church of Greece, as it has announced, is ready to assist with any help needed, as it has done until today.

Source: Published in "NEA" on 12/21/2024. Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

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Arabic-speaking Christians or Roman Orthodox

December 16, 2024

By Konstantinos Holevas, Political Scientist

Every Greek citizen follows the developments in Syria with reasonable concern and expresses the wish for the establishment of peace, reconciliation and democracy in the country.

Our Government, Church and people show and must show special interest in the Greek Orthodox Christians of Syria, who have suffered from time to time. We recall the hostage-taking of the nuns of the Sacred Monastery of Saint Thekla in Maaloula, Syria. The Orthodox nuns were captured by gunmen in September 2013 and released in March 2014.

We also remember the kidnapping and disappearance in 2013 of the two Metropolitans of Aleppo, the Greek Orthodox Metropolitan Paul Yazigi, brother of the Patriarch of Antioch, John, and his Syro-Jacobite fellow confessor. Their captors, extremist Islamists, probably murdered them.

Arabic-speaking Orthodox Christians use the term Rum Orthodox, that is, Roman Orthodox, to define their identity. Those who live in various regions of Syria and Lebanon belong to the Patriarchate of Antioch. They consider themselves heirs of the Roman Empire of Constantinople – New Rome, that is, the Byzantine Empire. They are indigenous and belong to the Greek Orthodox culture. In divine worship they use Arabic, but also Greek. In 2011, 500,000 lived in Syria.

The Sacred Metropolis of Aleppo in Syria is officially called the Metropolis of Beroea, Aleppo and Alexandretta. The reference to Beroea in Hellenistic Syria demonstrates the honor that the Roman Orthodox pay to the legacy of Alexander the Great and his descendants.

It is obvious that when we speak of the Orthodox Christians of Syria we are referring to Syrian citizens who speak Arabic and at the same time maintain the consciousness of their Hellenistic and Roman/Byzantine origins. It is likely that most of them are of Greek origin, as the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece, Hieronymos, rightly called them in a recent announcement.

The eminent historian and follower of Constantine Paparrigopoulos, Pavlos Karolidis, wrote a treatise in 1909 on the national origin of the Christians of the Middle East, in which he presents evidence for the Greek origin of the Roman Orthodox of Syria and Lebanon.

It is wrong to confuse them with the Greek citizens who live in Syria, who are few in number. It is also historically incorrect to call them “Levantines.” This term was used during the 19th and 20th centuries to characterize Western Europeans living in Turkey and the Middle East as settlers or merchants. The Levantines are considered by the Arabs as aliens, foreigners. On the contrary, the Roman Orthodox of the region have always been treated as natives. The Roman/Byzantine presence and heritage is more ancient than the Muslim presence in the region of Syria, Lebanon and the Holy Land.

Greece, for religious, cultural and historical reasons, must protect the Roman Orthodox, their churches and monasteries. The recent telephone conversation between Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and the Patriarch of Antioch, John, was a good move. I believe that the Greek State will continue to demonstrate its interest and solidarity with the Greek Orthodox (Roman Orthodox) and will use its diplomatic channels to ensure the religious freedom of our co-religionists and other Christian communities in Syria.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.