Figure 1.--Here we have a Syrian boy pictured on a photo postcard. There is writing on the back, but all we can make out is the location and date--Aleppo, October 29, 1959. The boy's name may be Qaubis Bereji Kliom. The hand writing is nmjot very clear. In fact we are even unsure about the language. Click here to see the writing. The boy holds a scroll. This may be a First Communion portrait.

Syria just north of modern Israel played an important role in the development of Christianity. The New Testamentb largely transpires south of modern Syria, but there were Jewish comminities in Syria rapidly sopread into Syria which at the time was largely part of the Roman Empire. Modern Iraq was a battlefround with the Parthians, but Syria was kargely controlled by the Romans. The language of the region (both modern Palestine and Syria) was Aramaic, the tongue spoke by Jesus. Christianity would be the first of the great religions adopted in Syria. Paul of Tsarsus would be the most important figure in the evolution of Christianity, second only to Jesus. Other important early Christian theologians were from Syria. Antioch became one of the important hub of Christian thought along with Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome. St. Paul, was based at Antioch and launched evangelical missions from hat city before traveling to Rome an martyrdom. Paul of course became converted on the road to Damascus where he was planning to persecute Jews who had converted to Christianity. 【St. Paul, Acts 9:1-6.】 Ignatius (35-98 AD) was an early Church Father and third Bishop of Antioch playing a major role in the early Church. He was eventually arrested, taken to Rome and martyred on the orders of Emperor Trajan. Antioch became a great center of Christian leaning. It was here where some of the that great debates were conducted on the nature of Jesus, Mary, and the Trinity. Also important was the growth of Gnosticism rejected by Church Councils. Theodoret (393-458) was a moderate Bishop in Cyrrhus near Antioch. He was an important figure in the monophysite controversy with the Alexandrian Church concerning the nature and person of Jesus. This was at a critical when Church fathers began to ascribe a divine nature to Jesus. Theodoret argued on his humanity. The importance of Syria in the Christian Church ended with the Islamic conquest (634–38 AD). The Rashidun Caliphate invaded Syria as part of the wider Arab-Byzantine Wars. The Byzantines were decisively defeated at the Battle of Yarmouk (636). It was the first great wave of early Muslim conquests after the death of Mohamed and began the rapid advance of Islam into the Byzantine Christian Levant. The Arabs tolerated the Christians, but it ended the importance of Syria in the developing Christian Church. Several denominations are present, including Chalcedonian Antiochans, Melkites, Armenians, Syriac Catholics, Chaldean Catholics, Roman Catholics, Maronites, the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Syrian Orthodox Church, and several others. The Ottomans made some effort to protect Jews and Christians from Arab majority over time. Despite several notable massacres (19th century), Syria had a substantial minority Christian population into the 20th century. That population has declined substantially in recent years. Islamists talk about a war on Islam, where in reality what is transpiring in Syria and many other Arab countries is an Islamic war on non-Muslims. Today only about 5 percent of Syrians are Christians and the Cristian community is under siege by Islamists who have succeeded in driving out or killing the Jewish community.

Sources

St.Paul, "Acts".

Created: 2:59 AM 4/22/2024
Last updated: 2:59 AM 4/22/2024