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Diversity Religion

Syria’s ChristiansSyria’s Christians

Third in our series of Syria’s religious makeup: the Christians. We aim to educate ourselves and our fellow Syrians on the history and communities of our country. Misinformation often grows vastly and knowledge about one another is a vital way to achieve coexistence & move forward. This article delves into the indigeneity of Christianity in Syria, a cradle of the faith. Christianity came to be in the Levant, at a time when Syria was under Roman rule. The language spoken at the time by inhabitants was Aramaic. When the Roman empire split, Syria was an important center of the Eastern Roman Empire, which became known as the Byzantine Empire that was heavily influenced by Greek culture and language. It was in Byzantine Syria that Christianity flourished amongst an Aramaic and Greek speaking population, later spreading worldwide. In order to understand Syria’s Christians today, we need to go back to when Syria was referred to as Aram and understand the ways Aramaic still lives amongst us as a result of its preservation through Christianity. As one of the few Middle Eastern nations with a prominent Christian community, and as one of the oldest Christian communities of the world, Syria’s Christians have left their mark on every aspect of Syrian life from politics and education, to the cultural and artistic scenes. The community is diverse in its sects and ethnic identities, with the 3 largest sects being branches of the Church of Antioch: the Greek Orthodox, Greek Melkite Catholics (the names of both reflecting the Byzantine rite heritage), in addition to the Syriac Orthodox Church. Other prominent churches of Syriac rites include Syriac Catholics, Maronites, and the Assyrian/Chaldean churches, in addition to the large Armenian communities mainly based in Aleppo. Historically a majority, the community has gradually shrunk in size, and today form < 10% of Syria, the 3rd largest religious group after the Sunnis & Alawites

Pre Christian Syria – Aram

The history of Christianity in Syria requires us to go back to when Syria was referred to as Aram – the highlands, (Canaan the lowlands). It was also known as Eber Nari by the Assyrians, meaning beyond/west of the Euphrates river: a large portion of what is today classified as Syria. Aramaeans, the predecessors of most Syrians, are typically regarded as the descendants of Aram, son of Shem, grandson of Noah the prophet. Syria’s historic native language, Aramaic was spoken for millennia, and is an identity that was preserved + throughout Christian history in Syria and lives on today amongst all Syrians (explained at the end).

Early Christianity in Syria

The Aramaic speaking apostles spread from Canaan to the world, escaping Roman & Jewish persecution. St Peter set off to Syria & Antioch (South West Turkey/North West Syria), and is the first Patriarch & founder of the Church of Antioch, which today has two branches in Syria, the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East & the Greek Melkite Catholic Church.

Saint Thomas resided in Damascus, where one of the seven ancient gates of Old Damascus and the surrounding neighbourhood still bear his name (Bab Touma – Gate of Thomas). From here, he set off to India where churches of the Syriac rite were established with over 6 million followers in India today. Then comes Saint Paul.

A disciple of Jesus, Ananias of Damascus envisioned Jesus commanding him to find Saul who was blinded by the vision, in Straight Street (the biblical street still running across Old Damascus). Saul was healed and preached Christianity in Damascus. Upsetting the city’s Jews, he escaped with the aid of followers who lowered him over the wall of Bab Kissan, another of Damascus’s seven ancient gates (still standing). From Damascus, St Paul set off to Europe with Saint Peter.

While Christianity continued growing throughout Roman era Syria, the Empire split into the Roman West & Byzantine East in 476 AD. By 634 AD, the Byzantines lost their centuries-old rule in Syria to Arab Muslims. Despite that, Syrian Christians, who spoke mainly Greek & Syriac, remained a majority for centuries on. It is said, that Islam overtook Christianity as a majority religion in Syria by ~1000 AD during the Abassid era, also when Arabic became the dominant spoken language of Syrians, replacing Syriac as a common language.

Throughout history, countless monasteries & churches have been built in Syria, some being the oldest functioning in the world. In addition, 7 Catholic popes and well over 60 Christian saints are Syrian.

Aramaic in Syrian Christianity and its Legacy A dialect of Aramaic, Syriac, developed around the 1st † century AD in modern day Urfa, Turkey, just north of Syria, becoming the dominant spoken language in Syria for a millennium. As the region’s historic native language, it largely affects the phonology of Syrian Arabic & its t grammatical structure. Syrian Arabic vocabulary also borrows Syriac words, most of Syria’s cities & villages retain Aramaic names, and it also left a mark on Syrian/Levantine musical traditions.

Traditional Syrian music combines the influence of the many cultures it has witnessed, but Syriac/Aramaic particularly influences Levantine folklore songs or lullabies like yalla tnam, originally passed down generations in Aramaic. The iconic Aleppine Muwashshah is also believed to combine early Syriac musical tradition with secular Arabic poetic forms and Syria is credited as the source of Christian hymnody.

Christianity in Ottoman Syria

The treatment of Christians during the Ottoman Era in Syria (1516-1918) differed over time. Usually forming between 20-35% of Syria throughout this time, many urban Christians even economically flourished at some point with a rising class of Christian merchants & bankers, especially after developing amicable ties with France; particularly Catholic Syrians. Syrian † Christians are also key to the establishment of some of the most prominent schools across the country which still operate today.

Unforgettable Tragedies

The mid 1800’s was the beginning of a tragedy. A combination of colonial intervention, economic decline of the Ottomans, sectarianism, and poverty culminated in a bloody massacre of the Christians of Mount Lebanon by the Druze, and a catastrophic spillover in Damascus at the hands of Muslims & Druze marching in from surrounding villages and even from the city. Anxiety spread throughout the Levant as word spread of the slaughter of over 12,000 Damascene Christians in a week.

Damascene Christians hid in homes of Muslim friends & neighbours, however these Damascene Muslims were threatened upon the discovery of this by the violent mobs. Surviving Christians were sheltered by a few Muslim nobles including Emir † Abdelkader, an Algerian leader living in the city who hid thousands of Christians in his palace & the Damascus Citadel, others fled to the nearby village of Saidnaya, and many permanently left for Beirut. The Christian quarters with all its homes, businesses, churches & foreign consulates were completely destroyed and looted.

Emigration, Demographics & Sects

A crumbling Ottoman Empire saw the first wave of Syrian Christian exodus, as thousands of Syrian Christians left for North & South America between 1880-1920. Today, well over 6 million South Americans claim descent from Syrian immigrants. Emigration was slow but continuous throughout the 1900s, until the current Syrian war caused a third of Syrian Christians to flee. Before 2011, Syrian Christians comprised up to 13% of Syria. Today they form no more than 10%. Roughly half of whom adhere to the Greek Orthodox Church. There are 11 more denominations in Syria, with the next three largest being the Melkite Greek Catholic, Syriac Orthodox & Armenian Apostolic (Orthodox) Churches.

Then smaller but sizable Catholic communities of various liturgical rites: (Armenian, Maronite, Roman (Latin), Syriac & Chaldean (Assyrian Catholics)). They are followed by the independent + Assyrian Church of the East and smaller groups of Protestants & Evangelists. Aleppo boasted the largest population of Christians in Syria (likely Damascus today) and the most diverse Christian community of the Middle East after Beirut. They formed ~40% of the city in the 1940s, due to an influx of Armenian & Syriac/Assyrian refugees who were terrorized in modern day Turkey during the late Ottoman era, joining a sizable Syrian Christian population (mostly Greek Melkites & Orthodox).

Today, Syrian Christians are present throughout all Syrian cities, forming majorities in several villages including a region called Wadi al Nasara (Valley of the Christians) in Homs Governorate & the town of Maaloula in Rural Damascus, where a rare ancient dialect of Aramaic almost identical to that of Jesus & the apostles is still spoken. Syrian Christians are of various ethnic backgrounds. Following a particular church rite does not equate to the same ethnic background (the same way speaking Arabic in Syria does not mean being ethnically Arab). Syrians of the largest Christian denominations in Syria (Greek Orthodox & Melkites), can be of Aramaean heritage, Arab lineage (tracing ancestry to ancient Syrian Arab Christian tribes: Ghassanids), or even Greek ancestry from the Byzantine era or are historically from Antioch.

Liturgies are in Arabic & Greek. Maronites, like the Syriac Orthodox & Catholics, have Western Syriac liturgies and are typically indigenous Levantines. Adherents of Armenian churches are exclusively ethnically Armenian. The same can be said for members of the Assyrian/Chaldean churches, who ethnically identify as Aramean (or Assyrian with roots in Mesopotamia), and liturgies are usually in Eastern Syriac.

Prominent Figures

Politics

  • Fares Al Khoury – 2x former Prime Minister of Syria, President of Parliament & Syria’s first UN Permanent Representative. Founded the Syrian Ministry of Finance & a founding father of the Law Faculty of Damascus University. An anti imperialist, anti pan Arabist & secular Syrian Nationalist & a forefather of Syrian politics.
  • Michael Aflaq – Founder of the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party, Syria’s governing party since the 60s
  • Carlos Menem – President of Argentina (1989-1999) born to Syrian parents
  • Alice Kandalaft – first Arab woman in the UN to represent her nation (1948)

Artists

  • Faia Younan – Prominent Syrian singer of Syriac heritage
  • Lena Chamamyan – Prominent Syrian singer of Armenian & Syriac heritage
  • George Wassouf – One of the Arab world’s most well-known singers
  • Mayada Bseliss – One of Syria’s most prominent singers
  • Nouri Iskandar – Syriac Syrian conductor & director of the Music Conservatory in Aleppo
  • Carmen Tockmaji – Syrian singer
  • Paul Anka – Iconic Canadian singer of Syrian background
  • Yousef Abdelky– Syriac Syrian artist & architect of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque in Abu Dhabi
  • Sami Al Shawwa – Iconic Aleppine violinist in the early 1900s, gained fame in Egypt & Syria

Literature

  • Maryana Marrash – Aleppine Syrian writer, poet, and feminist during the Arab Renaissance. She is the first “Arab” woman to publish articles in newspapers, a collection of poems & establish the first unsegregated “literary salons”
  • Louris Maher – The first Syrian woman to graduate as a doctor from Damascus University.
  • Colette Khoury – Novelist, poet, feminist & political activist
    Qustaki al Homsi – Writer & poet during the Arab Renaissance. Considered to be the founder of modern Arabic literary criticism.
    Hanna Diab – Syrian Maronite writer and storyteller. He is the original writer of the stories of One Thousand and One Nights which include Aladdin & Ali Baba and the Forty Thieves.
  • Hanna Mina – A very prominent Syrian novelist & winner of the 2005 Arab Writer’s Prize

Actors

Kosai Khauli, Dima Kandalaft, Bassem Yakhour, Nadine Khoury, Antoinette Najeeb, Abed Fahed, Milad Yousef, Andre Skaf, Salloum Haddad

Sports & Media

  • Ghada Shouaa – Syria’s first Olympic Gold Medalist
  • Mardik Mardikian – Syrian Armenian member of Syria’s National Football Team
  • Rihan Younan & Zeina Yazigi – Syrian reporters & journalists

Religious Figures

  • Saint Maron – Syriac hermit monk whose followers founded the Syriac Maronite Church. His followers largely left Northwest Syria, settling in nearby Lebanon, which today has the highest Maronite population worldwide (forming~ 30% of Lebanon).
  • Saint Ananias of Damascus – A Damascene disciple of Jesus mentioned in the Bible
  • Saint Ephrem the Syrian – Theologian, writer, and one of history’s most notable hymn composers. His Syriac hymns are integral to the history of Christianity and adherents of the Syriac rites.