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Identity of the Syriac Orthodox Church of
Antioch
By: His Holiness
Mor Ignatius Zakka I Iwas
Patriarch of Antioch and all the East
Damascus, Syria
It would be most helpful to remind you of the identity
of our Holy
Church: The Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch the apostolic see of
which was established in AD 37 by St. Peter, the chief of apostles in
Antioch the ancient capital of Syria. It is therefore a Syrian Church.
The faithful of this church are called Syrians after the name of
Syria. At the dawn of Christianity members of this church were the
people who had settled in upper and lower Mesopotamia and were either
Jews or pagans who spoke Aramaic Syriac which was the vernacular
language of ancient Syria. They were converted to Christianity through
the ministry of the apostles and disciples who scattered after the
martyrdom of Archdeacon St. Stephen in Jerusalem.
Many of them came to Antioch to preach the Holy Gospel and multitudes
of Jews and pagans were converted to Christianity by their efforts.
St. Peter consecrated two bishops for them: St. Evodios
for the conversion of Gentiles ant! Pagans and St. Ignatius the
Illuminator for the conversion of Jews into Christianity. St. Ignatius
united the two groups after St. Evodios had departed to his heavenly
reward. He was the one who called the church "universal'' being the
first lo use the term as an attribute of the Church.
The
vernacular of the Syrian church
Our venerable
Syrian Fathers used their Aramaic Syriac in preaching the Holy Gospel
and were capable of ministering the Gospel of salvation in the Middle
East, India. China, Ethiopia and other countries of the world using
their Syriac language clearly and simply. They used this language in
writing hymns, prayers and liturgical books. They also translated
universal cultures into Syriac and afterwards into other various
languages. Syriac has been the official and liturgical language of our
church up to the present day. It is Therefore our sacred duty to
maintain it and teach it lo our children. It is the holy language
spoken by our Lord Jesus Christ His blessed mother the Virgin Mary and
His holy apostles.
Jurisdiction of the apostolic see of Antioch
The apostolic see
of Antioch occupies a highly esteemed position in Christendom.
Throughout our study of Church history over the ages, we can see that
the geographical content of our church jurisdiction as specified by
the Council of N ices (325) has gone beyond the ancient geographic
borders as Syrians spread throughout the world coming under the
jurisdiction of the apostolic see of Antioch wherever they settled or
dwelled.
Active members in the Syrian church
An active member
in the body of the Syrian Church is one who adheres to the true
orthodox faith received from our Holy Fathers and the just doctrine
specified in the tree Ecumenical Councils convened in Nicaea 325.
Constantinople 381 and Ephesus 431. He is that member who is well
committed to the Syrian Orthodox tradition and loyal to the legitimate
spiritual leadership of the Church.
DEAR BRETHREN, in
my capacity as successor to St. Peter, the chief of the apostles, I do
address you using the same words with which St. Peter addressed the
strangers: " Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father
through sanctification of the Spirit, for obedience and sprinkling of
the Blood of Jesus Christ: Grace to you and peace be multiplied. (I
Peter 1:2)"
One God
We, the Syrian
Orthodox, are all one in our Lord Jesus Christ one in our church which
is the mystical body of Christ and one in our holy apostolic see of
Antioch which represents the supreme spiritual authority in the
Church. No matter how varied we are as people and as nationalities,
how different the civilizations we belong to and the languages we
speak, we are one in our apostolic patrimony our religious doctrine
our Syriac language and supreme spiritual leadership.
Our forefathers
shed their blood for the sake of preserving these principles and
scouring liberty in our Lord Jesus Christ.
The meaning of freedom
Our spiritual
concept of real freedom is to live according to God's law and abide by
His judgment. In other words we follow the orthodox path by being
righteous, holy and God-fearing meanwhile adhering to the true faith
and abiding by the constitution laws and rules of the Church. We thus
set a good example for the citizens in the countries wherever we live.
Church hierarchy and the faithful
Our Church
comprises the hierarchy and the faithful. Authority in the Church is
purely religious and restricted to the hierarchy who are in charge of
the Church at the authoritative, teaching and judicial levels. It is
the Church that Jesus Christ referred to when addressing the apostles:
"He who hears you, hears Me, he who rejects you rejects Me, and he who
rejects Me rejects Him who sent Me (Luke 10. 16,)" It is also
the Church that He referred to when addressing the person whose
brother trespassed against him commending him to go and tell him his
fault: And if lie refuses to hear them, tell it to the church. But if
he refuses even to hear the church let him be to you like a heathen
and a tax collector. Assuredly, I say to you. Whatever you bird on
earth will be bound in heaven and whatever you loose on earth will be
loosed in heaven (Matthew 18. l 7.18)"
The laity, on the
other hand, have their role to play in the life of the Church.
However, the Church is not a secular mundane institution nor a
charitable association but a spiritual institution whose authority is
derived from heaven. It is the authority of the clergy only that
governs the Church on the religious spiritual and social levels.
All the
institutions within the Church shall must obtain their legitimacy and
their right to function from the clerical authority otherwise, they
shall be deemed as alien to the body of the Church and shall therefore
be rejected whatever purposes they might have been established for in
the first place and regardless o f the objectives they are trying to
fulfill They would still be considered as alien to the Church, no
matter how good their means are unless they derive their legitimacy
from the spiritual leadership. Hence be- ware of those who attempt to
break the ranks in the Church under the false pretext of unifying it.
A crucial point in the life of the church
Our church today
is at a crossroads: either to go back to its pure original sources
adheres to its honourable and ancient traditions keep pursuing its
great values as characteristic of our great Fathers, or follow new
theories that attempt to destroy the pillars of God's kingdom, thus
cheating cleans in the divine Church management.
Thanks to God
Almighty for helping us reject every weird theory that is foreign to
our patrimony and our glorious Church history. We do absolutely
repudiate any distortion of our identity or any corruption of our
precious civilized heritage. We have deep convictions that the Church
established by the Lord Jesus on the solid rock of faith shall never
be shaken and the gales of hell shall never subdue it. We must look
forward to a better future for our Holy Church, depending on adequate
and detailed studies that might serve as scheduled plans for the
spiritual functioning of the Church. We must moreover, have practical
application of these plans.
Church constitution and enforcement
Every institution
has a constitution rules and regulations of its own. They are
considered to be binding. Every constitution and every law has three
basic elements: firstly the party establishing the constitution,
secondly, the party declaring it; thirdly, the party abiding by it.
The constitution of our Church has been set up by the Holy Synod
presided over by the Patriarch, who retains the right to amend the
constitution and revise it. The Patriarch is also entitled to have it
declared to all the faithful in the Church so that it becomes binding.
All the faithful must obey the constitution of the Church its laws
regulations and pronounced judgments.
Obedience due to
the decisions of the Holy General and Local Synods convened and
presided over by the Patriarch has been inherited from our Holy
Fathers. Decisions of these synods arc considered as binding on the
part of the Church in general. Each diocese has a board consisting of
the bishop and clergy and another composed of trustees of the laity.
The latter has its own by-laws set up by the Holy Synod and confirmed
by his Holiness the Patriarch for the government of its members and
the regulation of its affairs. Both the board of clergy and the board
of trustees have the power to set up by-laws that do not conflict with
the constitution of the Church its general law and judgments, nor with
the decisions of the Holy Synods or the laws or the country where the
diocese is established.
Prayer and sacrifice
Our Lord Jesus
Christ has given us example of giving and sacrificing. It is therefore
mandatory that we in our turn sacrifice our leisure time or rather the
time we consider as greatly valuable, devoting it to the worship of
God Almighty. Spiritually and truthfully, never complaining of lack or
time for participation in the prayer with the congregation. We shall
never be able to have adequate sacrifices to God Almighty if we are
incapable of being generous in devoting time for prayer to God and for
the Church.
It is the duty of
all the hierarchy to celebrate the daily offices in the morning and
evening according to the tradition of our Holy Church. They must
devote their time to tile glorification of God seeking mercy from him
for themselves and for the community, entrusted to them so that the
Church may enjoy success, progress and prosperity.
We shall not be
considered as generous and benefactors before God unless we devote our
time and offer our finances and possessions the widow did donating the
two brass pennies which were all she possessed to the temple. Likewise
local churches will not be considered as loyal to the diocese unless
they fulfill their duties towards it as a whole. The dioceses, in
their turn, must fulfill their duties towards the Holy Patriarchal
See. As such they will set a good example for Church unity. As true
believers we are bound to feel that we are one unified body, as tree
and its branches are.
Obedience is better than sacrifice
All followers of
Jesus Christ shat l endeavor to have Jesus Christ glory be to Him as
their ideal in His obedience to His heavenly Father. Bearing in mind
that the motto of the Church is the statement: "to obey is better than
sacrifice (1 Samuel 1
5:22).''
It is also the duty of the local spiritual authorities to have mutual
recognition according lo Church laws' and the laity shall have to pay
due respect to Church hierarchies so that order shall prevail
everywhere in the Church.
Jesus Christ is our ideal
Our Lord Jesus
Christ is our ideal in His humbleness and His sympathy for people's
suffering, His sharing in their hops, their joys and grievances, His
love for little children, His discourses with young people and His
forgiveness of sinners, he commanded us that we follow in His
footsteps saying: "Take My yoke upon you. And learn of Me; for 1 am
gentle and lowly in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For
sly yoke is easy, and my burden is light. (Matthew l l: 29-30)"
Dear brethren you,
as members of your local churches do constitute the local
congregations. You are brothers and sisters who have been called upon
to follow in the Lord Jesus' footsteps wherever you are, in church, at
home or at work. This would imply that each one of you shall have to
work for the glory of God in proportion with the charisma God has
endowed you with, making use of this gift for the benefit of the
community in which you lives. Each one shall have to feel committed to
have those sublime virtues consolidated in their thoughts, minds and
hearts in order that their life be in harmony with God's will.
Congregation and the priest
We do urge you in
our sermons to interact in your spiritual life within the congregation
in which you are the living members. Share this spiritual life with
your brothers and sisters so that you all become one heart and one
thought with your priest whom you call 'dour father''. It is worth
noting that what distinguishes our Holy Church from other Churches is
the spiritual role to be played by the priest in the congregation. He
is the spiritual father of every member of the family that belongs lo
this congregation. His relationship with each person must be deep and
strong. The tits you maintained in your home country must be kept in
the Diaspora and you mast desire to preserve this spiritual bond
between the priest and members of the congregation whether young or
old male or female. The Church hierarchy shall have to render their
spiritual services to their spiritual children enthusiastically and
zealously because these faithful are the articulate foundation stones
upon which the spiritual edifice of the Church is constructed.
The sacrament of matrimony
In the context of
our discourse about families we are bound to say something about the
sacrament of matrimony which is one of the seven holy sacraments of
the Church We are obliged to respect this sacrament the example set by
our fathers in our mother countries. Our fathers observed and honored
thid sacrament with solemnity throughout the ages.
Bringing children up
The first and most
important objective of the sacrament of matrimony is giving birth to
children, Parents are bound to be not only the biological parents of
their children , but their spiritual ones as well so that these
children be born to God by grace and be heirs of His heavenly kingdom.
It is the
responsibility of Church patrons to cooperate in bringing these
children up in a good Christian manner. For Jesus Christ highly
regards children in the community, saying: " Whoever receives one of
these little children in My name receives Me: and whoever receives Me,
receives not Me but Him who sent Me (Mark
9: 37)"
Youth in the church
Young people are
so dear to the heart of our Lord Jesus Christ. When Jesus, glory be to
Him became man assuming thus our human nature except sin, He
perforated all His declared divine economy in the flesh on earth as an
adult. Now Christ has keen interest in working through young people
for the salvation of people. Hence we do urge our young spiritual
children to get involved in the spiritual and social activities of the
Church. Solomon's words: "The first step towards wisdom is the fear of
God" could serve as a amender. Furthermore God fearing is, in our
opinion the ultimate goal.
Women in the church
Our Syrian
Orthodox Churchy has granted women their religious and social rights
recognizing their merit and honouring them in the person of the Virgin
Mary who conceived God incarnate in her womb and gave birth to Christ
miraculously. Thus she was called Theotokos (Mother of God). It
was Jesus Christ's will to reveal Himself after resurrection to women
first. Some women served Him and His disciples when He was in the
flesh traveling and doing good.
It is clear that
women in the Syrian Church occupy a highly elevated position as
deaconesses, nuns' mothers of holy fathers and women dedicating their
lives to chastity and celibacy. When women are good members in the
Church of God their children will consequently be good and virtuous.
It is absolutely true that women eau lend a hand for the progress of
the Church and the community. They are capable of training choirs in
the church and conducting Bible studies in community canters or Sunday
schools as they might be called by some in the Diaspora. They are
capable of starting charitable societies to serve the orphans, widows
and the poor. They can also give good advice for the progress and
development of the Church community. Therefore, we urge our spiritual
daughters to do their best lo fulfill their duties towards serving the
Church.
A world in need of peace
One unequivocal
and bitter truth is the imbalanced and unstable world of today.
Admittance of such a truth is little more than a confession that the
world is nothing but the reflection of human conscience. This is not
restricted to our generation, but applies to all previous generation
and those to come.
The problems
encountering us, materially and spiritually, are more complicated than
those faced by previous generation. In short, technology in highly
civilized counties is advancing rapidly on all levels and in different
settings. The aftermath of this progress, however, is man's
transformation into a dumb machine and his grave spiritual loss,
Christ is the remedy and the solution for our complicated problems and
those created by changes imposed by modern civilization and depriving
man of happiness. This would have a great impact on the life of modern
man through this spiritual peace bestowed on him in his daily life by
Christ.
What we are
presently in need of is true repentance, that is spiritual renewal
which would be the best impetus that might encourage us to work with
full responsibility and extreme courage for creating a new world full
of peace a peace is the most significant need today , we do exhort
you. Dear faithful, to share in our prayer to God Almighty to
enlighten the minds and hearts of world leaders to work on enhancing
social justice and universal peace throughout the world.
Christian unity
We live in an age
of ecumenical movements. The majority of Christians believe that
Christian unity is the main objective the ultimate goal and the most
exalted end leading to the fulfillment of the Lord Jesus' desire in
His last prayer, " that you clay be one''.
Needless to say,
our divisions have become a stumbling block since the basis of
Christian unity is the love of God and neighbor. Therefore, if we as
Christians are incapable of loving one another how could we be
faithful witnesses to our Lord Jesus Christ? How could the fruitful
real love be manifested in our daily life? In relevance to this. The
Apostle Paul says: Love suffers long and is kind, love does not envy,
and love does not parade itself is not puffed up; does not behave
rudely does not seek its own is not provoked thinks no evil, does not
rejoice in iniquity but rejoices in the truth, Love never fails. (1
Corinthians 1 3: 4-8.)"
Let us keep
praying that we may love one another as members in the mystical body
of Christ which is the Church and to love all people. Our top priority
must first be the improvement of mutual relations between churches and
then between believers of good will of other religions as well as the
improvement of our relations with other inter- national communities.
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