Frequently Asked Questions

How old is the Orthodox Faith?

How old is the Orthodox faith?

by Rev. Dr. Miltiades Efthimiou

If you are a Lutheran, your religion was founded by Martin Luther, an ex-monk of the Catholic Church, in the year 1517.

If you belong to the Church of England, your religion was founded by King Henry VIII in the year 1534 because the Pope would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.

If you are a Presbyterian, your religion was founded by John Knox in Scotland in the year 1560.

If you are a Congregationalist, your religion was originated by Robert Brown in Holland in 1582.

If you are Protestant Episcopalian, your religion was an offshoot of the Church of England, founded by Samuel Senbury in the American colonies in the 17th century.

If you are a Baptist, you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth, who launched it in Amsterdam in 1606.

If you are of the Dutch Reformed Church, you recognize Michelis Jones as the founder. Your religion originated in New York in 1628.

If you are a Methodist, your religion was founded by John and Charles Wesley in England in 1774.

If you are a Mormon (Latter Day Saints), Joseph Smith started your religion in Palmyra, New York, in 1829.

If you worship with the Salvation Army, your sect began with William Booth in London in 1865.

If you are Christian Scientist, you look to 1879 as the year in which your religion was born and to Mary Baker Eddy as its founder.

Your religion is one of the hundreds of new sects founded by men within the past hundred years, If you belong to one of the religious organizations known as "Church of the Nazarene, Pentecostal Gospel," "Holiness Church," or "Jehovah's Witnesses,"

If you are Roman Catholic, your church shared the same rich apostolic and doctrinal heritage as the Orthodox Church for the first thousand years of its history. During the first millennium, they were the same Church. In 1054, the Pope of Rome broke away from the other four Apostolic Patriarchates (which include Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem), by tampering with the Original Creed of the Church, and considering himself to be infallible. Thus your church is 1,000 years old.

If you are Orthodox Christian, your religion was founded in the year 33 by Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

It has not changed since that time. Our church is now almost 2,000 years old. It is for this reason, that Orthodoxy, the Church of the Apostles and the Fathers is considered the true "one Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church."

This is the greatest legacy that we can pass on to the young people of the new millennium. (Source - Cleveland Prayer Group Website)

Who are the Syriac Orthodox?

The Syriac Orthodox are the faithful of one of the oldest Apostolic Churches, the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch. The Church is a universal one in the sense that its faithful are from a diversity of backgrounds (mainly Middle Eastern and Indian). It grew in the ancient land of Syria (hence the name) which covers modern Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, but spread all over the East as far as India.

The Church is universal in the sense that it transcends differences of nationalities and culture in the true spirit of the Apostle St. Paul’s admonition to the Colossians (3:11) – “there is neither Gentile nor Jew … Barbarian not Scythian.”; its faithful are from a diversity of backgrounds (today, predominantly from the Middle East and India) and spread across the globe. Its origins are in the ancient region of Greater Syria (hence the name) which covers modern Syria, Iraq, Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Palestine, but spread all over the East as far as India. The Church is known as Syriac Orthodox because it has Syriac as its liturgical language.

Where is the headquarters of the Church?

The seat of the patriarchate moved from Antioch ca. AD 518, after a period of turbulent history, to various locations in the Near East until it settled in the Deyrul-Zafaran monastery in Mardin, Turkey, during the 13th century. The patriarchate was transferred to Homs, Syria, in 1933, and later to Damascus in 1957. It happened after a period of heinous violence during and after World War I, which took the lives of a quarter-million faithful.

Since 1996, the Patriarch resides in the Patriarchal Monastery in Ma`arat Sayyidnaya, in the outskirts of Damascus, but continues to administer the Church from the Patriarchate in Bab Touma, Damascus.

Antioch on the River Orontes (today Antakya in Turkey) was the city where the earliest Christians fleeing from Palestine after the resurrection of Christ established themselves. It was here that Christians got this name (Acts 11:28, 14:28). It is here that St. Peter, the Chief among the Apostles, founded a church in AD 37.

Antioch became the seat of a bishopric that administered the early Church in the Syriac-speaking Eastern parts of the Roman Empire. At the Nicea Synod, this bishopric was recognized as one among four Patriarchates with jurisdiction over all the East. The seat of the patriarchate moved after the period of turbulent history that lead to an unfortunate schism, to various locations in the Near East until it settled in Deyrul-Zafaran monastery in Mardin, Turkey, during the 13th century.

What is the language of the Church?

The official language of the church is Syriac, a dialect of Aramaic - the language spoken by Lord Jesus Christ and His disciples. All of its liturgies originate from Syriac sources. The church, however, allows the faithful to use local languages along with Syriac. Many liturgical works have been translated into Arabic, Malayalam, English, and Turkish.

(The Syriac Church has adopted Greek sources at various times – Patr. Severus for example. It even adopted material from John of Damascus. All Quqalya came from Greek sources)

How does the Syriac Orthodox faith differ from other Christian faiths?

The Council of Chalcedon in A.D. 451 resulted in the schism of Christendom into two groups. The Catholic (Rome) and Greek (Byzantine) Churches accepted the Council, while the Syrian (Antioch) and Coptic (Alexandria) Churches rejected it. The former group adopted the doctrine that Christ is in two natures, human and divine, while the latter adopted the doctrine that Christ has one incarnate nature from two natures. It is worth noting that the drafts of the Council were according to the position of the Syrian and Coptic Churches. The final resolution, however, was according to the doctrine of the Western Churches. The difference lies in one preposition as explained. One word split the Church for centuries and the schism continues to this day.

Is the Syriac Orthodox Church a monophysite church?

No. The monophysite dogma is an extreme version of the one nature Christological doctrine put forth by Eutyches. It claims that Christ has one nature only and that the divine nature subsumed human nature. Adversaries have accused the Syriac Orthodox Church of the monophysite position. However, this dogma was rejected by the Syriac Orthodox Church always. That some scholars still use this term is rather unfortunate. Prof. Sebastian Brock of Oxford University has correctly suggested using the term miaphysite more accurately describes the Syriac Orthodox position.

Is the Syriac Orthodox Church also called the Jacobite Church?

No. It is a name used by the adversaries of the church. In an attempt to denigrate, they suggest that St. Jacob Baradaeus founded the church.

During the sixth century, the Syriac Orthodox Church endured persecution under the Byzantian Empire because it upheld its faith. It was at this time that Jacob Baradeus emerged on the scene. He journeyed all over the East ordaining priests and deacons thus reviving the church from the brink of extinction. Jacob is considered a great Saint of the Syriac Orthodox Church, but not its founder. Hence, the Church rejects the name Jacobite.

It is a fact that Syriac Orthodox Christians in Malankara (India) innocently refer to themselves as Jacobites. For several centuries Christians in Malankara were referred to by the term Nazarani. The term Jacobite was introduced into Malankara in the nineteenth century by Anglicans. Christians who remained in the mother church following schisms influenced by the Anglicans adopted the term without realizing its negative connotations.

After the Portuguese imposition of Roman Catholicism and its rejection at Koonan Kurishu in 1599, the Syriac Orthodox Christians came to be known as the Puthenkoor (the new allegiance)

Is the Syriac Orthodox Church the only church that traces its origins to the Church of Antioch?

No. There are other Patriarchates of Antioch. The Seat of the Patriarchate was occupied intermittently by adherents of two groups. After the Council of Chalcedon in 451, the one who rejected the council, and the other who accepted. By the sixth century, two distinct lines of patriarchs emerged. The Syriac Orthodox line rejected the Greek Orthodox (called Rum Orthodox in the Middle East) who accepted the council.

There was another dispute in the Syriac Orthodox Church, around the seventh century. Followers of St. Maron in Lebanon formed the Maronite Church, whose patriarch also took the title, Patriarch of Antioch. This church later became a uniate Roman Catholic church. In the 18th century, a group split from the Rum Orthodox, joined the Roman Catholic Church and formed the Greek Catholic Church (Rum Catholics). Their patriarch also took the title, Patriarch of Antioch. In the second quarter of the same century, a group split from the Syriac Orthodox Church and in communion with Rome, established the Syrian Catholic Church.

What is the relation between the Syriac Orthodox Church in Antioch and the Syriac Orthodox Church in India?

The Church in Malankara (Kerala, India) is an integral part of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Apostle Thomas is believed to have set out from Edessa, the cradle of Syriac Christianity, to India to preach the Gospel in India. He is believed to have arrived in India in AD 52 and was martyred at Mylapore in Chennai (formerly Madras) in AD 72. Christianity in India since its earliest days adhered exclusively to the Syriac tradition until the Portuguese introduced the Latin tradition in the 16th century. The spiritual head of the Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church is the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch. However, the Church enjoys a considerable degree of autonomy, particularly in its temporal affairs. Its local head is the Catholicos of the East.

Why do we make the sign of the Cross?

The sign of the Cross, depicting the symbol common to Christians, is integral to Syriac Orthodox worship and common prayer. It is made with the right hand. The thumb and the first two fingers are held together which signify faith in the Holy Trinity, i.e.. FATHER, SON, and HOLY SPIRIT. The last two fingers are bent against the palm. The sign of the Cross, is made using three fingers. Starting from the forehead to the chest and then touching the left to the right shoulder. By this sign, we confess that the Almighty God came down from heaven, to redeem us from satan. He suffered and died on the cross for our sins. From the slavery of sin to the freedom of righteousness and sonship of God.

The sign of the Cross is both unspoken and a confession of faith and the outward expression of inner prayer. In making the sign of the Cross a person prays with his whole being. By making the sign of the Cross, we are appealing to the Son of God who redeemed us from death. With this sign of victory, we banish the evil thoughts and feelings that creep into our minds.

All the blessings are given with the sign of the Cross. We have to make the sign of the Cross when we receive blessings in our liturgy. We have to make the sign of the Cross, when the censor is waved at the congregation by the deacon, priest, or bishop waves. It is also done at the time of receiving communion, kissing the cross, and the bishop's hand at the reception of blessings.

The sign is made at the outset of the prayer, and thrice at the time of Trisagion. Thrice at the recital of the praise of Cherubim, thrice at the time of the Creed, thrice at the time of Halleluiah (morning prayer), and when we remember the Cross.

The sign of Cross is always, with few exceptions, associated with a bow to the object of prayer, the invisibly present God. First, we peacefully make the sign of the Cross, and then we bow or do prostration. By making the sign of the Cross we abide in the protective shade of the Holy Cross.

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