Back Siries-Ortodokse Kerk Afrikaans Ilesia Ortodoxa Siriana AN الكنيسة السريانية الأرثوذكسية Arabic ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܐܪܬܘܕܟܣܝܬܐ ARC الكنيسه السريانيه الارتودكسيه ARZ Ilesia ortodoxa siria AST Süryani Pravoslav Kilsəsi Azerbaijani Сирийска православна църква Bulgarian Església Ortodoxa Siríaca Catalan کڵێسای ئۆرسۆدۆکسی سوریانی CKB
 Syriac Orthodox Church | |
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| ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘ̣ܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܗܰܝܡܳܢܽܘܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ ܫܽܘ̣ܒ̣ܚܳܐ (Classical Syriac) | |
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| Type | Non-Chalcedonian |
| Classification | Oriental Orthodox |
| Orientation | Syriac |
| Scripture | Peshitta |
| Theology | Oriental Orthodox theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Structure | Communion |
| Patriarch | Ignatius Aphrem II |
| Region | Middle East, India, and diaspora |
| Language | Classical Syriac |
| Liturgy | West Syriac: Liturgy of Saint James |
| Headquarters | Cathedral of St. George, Damascus, Syria (since 1959) |
| Founder | Apostles Peter and Paul |
| Origin | 1st century[1][2][3] Antioch, Roman Empire[4][5] |
| Independence | 512[6][7][8] |
| Branched from | Church of Antioch[9] |
| Members | Approximately 1.5 million (including 1.2 million members of the Syriac Orthodox in India)[10][11][12][13] |
| Aid organization | EPDC St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee[14] |
| Other name(s) | Arabic: الكنيسة السريانية الأرثوذكسية Malayalam: സുറിയാനി ഓർത്തഡോക്സ് സഭ, romanized: Suriyāni ōrtḥdōx Sabḥa[15] Spanish: Iglesia católica apostólica siro-ortodoxa de Antioquía |
| Official website | Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate |
| Digital Library | Department of Syriac Studies |
| *Origin is according to Sacred tradition. West Syriac Cross Unicode (U+2670) : ♰ | |
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The Syriac Orthodox Church[a] (Classical Syriac: ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ݂ ܫܽܘܒܚܳܐ, romanized: ʿIto Sūryoyto Trīṣath Shubḥo),[17] also informally known as the Jacobite Church,[18] is an Oriental Orthodox denomination that originated from the Church of Antioch. The church currently has around 1.5 million followers, globally.[10][11][12][13] The church upholds the Miaphysite doctrine in Christology and employs the Liturgy of Saint James, associated with James the Just. Classical Syriac is the official and liturgical language of the church.
The supreme head of the Syriac Orthodox Church is the patriarch of Antioch, a bishop who, according to sacred tradition, continues the leadership passed down from Saint Peter. Since 2014, Ignatius Aphrem II has served as the Syriac Orthodox Antiochian patriarch. The Great Church of Antioch was the patriarchal seat and the headquarters of the church until c. 518, after which Severus of Antioch had to flee to Alexandria, Egypt.[19] After the death of Severus, the patriarchal seat moved from Egypt to different monasteries like the Mor Bar Sauma Monastery; some patriarchs also set up headquarters in Antioch temporarily.[20][21] Later, Mor Hananyo Monastery was declared as the patriarchal seat and the headquarters of the church from c. 1160 until 1932. In 1959, the patriarchal seat and headquarters were relocated to the Cathedral of Saint George in Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria, due to conflicts in the region.[22][23]
The Syriac Orthodox Church comprises 26 archdioceses and 13 patriarchal vicariates. It also has an autonomous maphrianate based in India, the Jacobite Syrian Christian Church.
The Syriac Orthodox Church became distinct in 512 when Severus, a leader who opposed the Council of Chalcedon, was chosen as patriarch after a synod was held at Laodicea, Syria. This happened after Emperor Anastasius I removed the previous patriarch, Flavian II, who supported Chalcedon. Severus's later removal in 518 was not recognized by majority of the Syriac speakers in and out of Antioch,[24][25] and this led to the establishment of an independent Miaphysite patriarchate headed by Severus. In the 6th century, a bishop named Jacob Baradaeus helped strengthen this Miaphysite patriarchate. Meanwhile, those who supported Council of Chalcedon formed what later became the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Maronite Church.
- ^ Chaillot 1998, pp. 21–22.
- ^ Beggiani, Seely J. (2014). Early Syriac Theology. CUA Press. ISBN 978-0-8132-2701-6. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ Simon, Thomas Collins (1862). The Mission and Martyrdom of St. Peter: Or, Did St. Peter Ever Leave the East? Containing the Original Text of All the Passages in Ancient Writers Supposed to Imply a Journey Into Europe, with Translations and Roman-catholic Comments ... by Thomas Collyns Simon. Rivingtons. p. 70.
- ^ "Cave Church of St. Peter – Antioch, Turkey". www.sacred-destinations.com. Archived from the original on 20 May 2018. Retrieved 22 March 2018.
- ^ "BBC – Religions – Christianity: Eastern Orthodox Church". www.bbc.co.uk. Archived from the original on 10 May 2020. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ Bowersock, Glen Warren (1999). Late Antiquity: A Guide to the Postclassical World. Harvard University Press. p. 587. ISBN 978-0-674-51173-6.
- ^ Rassam, Suha (2005). Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day. Gracewing Publishing. ISBN 978-0-85244-633-1. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 24 October 2020.
- ^ Jeppesen, Knud; Nielsen, Kirsten; Rosendal, Bent (1994). In the Last Days: On Jewish and Christian Apocalyptic and Its Period. Aarhus University Press. p. 72. ISBN 978-87-7288-471-4.
- ^ "Catholic Encyclopedia : Church of Antioch". www.newadvent.org. Archived from the original on 26 December 2018. Retrieved 16 December 2018.
- ^ a b Tesch, Noah. "Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East–Britannica". www.britannica.com.
In the first decade of the 21st century, the church claimed more than 1.4 million members.
- ^ a b Kiraz, George A. "Syriac Orthodox Church". Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage: Electronic Edition. Gorgias Press.
There are 400,000 to 500,000 adherents dispersed in the Middle East, Europe, the Americas, and Australia, in addition to ca. one million in India.
- ^ a b Murre-van den Berg, Heleen (2011). "Syriac Orthodox Church". The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. doi:10.1002/9780470670606.wbecc1344.
The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch and all the East has almost one and a half million adherents. Of these, roughly two-thirds (one million) live in India, somewhat more than one-sixth (260,000) in the Middle East, whereas the remaining sixth is divided over Europe (100,000, mostly in Sweden, Germany, and the Netherlands), North and South America (up to 40,000, most of these in the US and Canada), and Australia (a few thousand).
- ^ a b King, Daniel (12 December 2018). The Syriac World. Routledge. pp. 185, 192. ISBN 978-1-317-48211-6.
- ^ "St. Ephrem Patriarchal Development Committee". Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust. 17 February 2023. Archived from the original on 18 October 2023. Retrieved 27 October 2019.
- ^ السريانية الأرثوذكسية. Reverso Context. Archived from the original on 15 October 2023. Retrieved 29 November 2020.
- ^ "Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East". World Council of Churches. January 1960. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021. Retrieved 30 January 2021.
- ^ "Sfar Mele – Deutsch Aramäisch Online Wörterbuch Übersetzer – Targmono". sfarmele.de. Archived from the original on 12 February 2023. Retrieved 12 February 2023.
- ^ Seleznyov 2013, pp. 382–398.
- ^ Wace, Henry. "Dictionary of Christian Biography and Literature to the End of the Sixth Century A.D., with an Account of the Principal Sects and Heresies". www.ccel.org. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ "Patriarch Zakka I: The SOC At a Glance". syriacorthodoxresources.org. Retrieved 10 June 2025.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
:3was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:9was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Cite error: The named reference
:10was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "JSOC Birmingham". www.jsocbirmingham.com. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
- ^ "The Christology of St Severus of Antioch (I) | Coptic Orthodox Diocese of Los Angeles". www.lacopts.org. Retrieved 7 June 2025.
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