Christianity in Lebanon

Christianity in Lebanon
Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon
Total population
4-5 million Lebanese citizens (2022 estimate)[1]
1.2–2 million in Lebanon
Religions
Maronite Church
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Armenian Apostolic Church
(See Religion in Lebanon)
Sects of Christianity in Lebanon (2012)[2]
Christianity denomination percent
Maronite Catholic
52.5%
Greek Orthodox
20%
Melkite Catholic
12.5%
Armenian Apostolic
10%
Protestants
2.5%
other Christian minorities
2.5%

Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures show that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, whom they affiliated to the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. Christianity spread slowly in Lebanon due to pagans who resisted conversion, but it ultimately spread throughout the country. Even after centuries of Muslim rule, it remains the dominant faith of the Mount Lebanon region and has substantial communities elsewhere.

The Maronite Catholics and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the nineteenth century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in the Mount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.[3] Lebanon has the highest proportion of Christians of any Middle Eastern country, estimated to be between 34% and 40%; Egypt and Syria are next, at roughly 10%. Lebanese Christians constitute the majority of the Lebanese diaspora worldwide.

A 2015 study estimated that 2,500 Lebanese Christians have Muslim ancestry, whereas the majority of Lebanese Christians are direct descendants of the original early Christians.[4]

  1. ^ US State Dept 2022 report
  2. ^ "Middle East :: LEBANON". CIA The World Factbook. 16 May 2023.
  3. ^ Deeb, Marius (2013). Syria, Iran, and Hezbollah: The Unholy Alliance and Its War on Lebanon. Hoover Press. ISBN 9780817916664. the Maronites and the Druze, who founded Lebanon in the early eighteenth century.
  4. ^ Johnstone, Patrick; Miller, Duane Alexander (2015). "Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census". Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion. 11: 16. Retrieved 20 October 2015.

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