Eastern Orthodoxy in Syria

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Saint George's Cathedral in Hama
Map of places in Syria with significant Christian populations

Eastern Orthodoxy in Syria represents Christians in

Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch,[note 1] the largest and oldest Christian community in the country.[1]

Dual self-designation: "Melkites" and "Eastern Romans"

Members of the Eastern Orthodox Church or the Greek Catholic Rite in Syria and the

Arabic, both referring to the Byzantine inheritance, and indeed they follow its central Greek-language version of the Constantinian or Byzantine Rite
.

In that particular context, the term "Rūm" is used in preference to "Yūnāniyyūn" which means "European Greeks" or Ionians Classical Arabic.

Members of these communities also call themselves "Melkites", which literally means "monarchists" or "supporters of the emperor" in Semitic languages (a reference to their ancient allegiance to

Greek Catholic
Church of Antioch.

Presence in neighboring countries

These churches also exist in other parts of the Middle-East, notably Southern

pan-Syrian" leanings, notably during the colonial and post-colonial eras. The Greek Orthodox Christians also have a long and continuous association with Orthodox Christian European nations such as Greece, Cyprus, Russia, Ukraine, Bulgaria, Serbia and Romania
.

Notable Orthodox Christians in Syria

Cities, towns and villages with a Greek Orthodox Christian majority or large minority in Syria

See also

Notes

  1. ^ In English translations of official documents, the Church of Antioch refers to itself as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East

References

  1. US State Department
    The July–December, 2010 International Religious Freedom Report
  2. .
  3. Ha'aretz
    . 8 August 2011. Retrieved 28 July 2012.

Sources