Assyrian Church of the East

Eastern Christian denomination

Not to be confused with Syriac Orthodox Church, Church of the East, or Ancient Church of the East.

Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East

The Patriarchal see of the Assyrian Church of the East in Kurdistan Region, Iraq

Abbreviation| ACOE
Classification| Christian
Orientation| Syriac
Theology| East Syriac theology
Catholicos-Patriarch| Mar Awa III[1]
Region| Central Middle East, India; diaspora
Language| Syriac,[2] Aramaic
Liturgy| East Syriac Rite
Headquarters| Ankawa, Erbil, Kurdistan Region, Iraq
Absorbed| Chaldean Syrian Church (1907)
Separations| Chaldean Catholic Church (1830),
Ancient Church of the East (1968)
Members| 400,000+ (2021)[3]
Official website| Official website
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The Assyrian Church of the East[a] (ACOE), sometimes called the Church of the East[5][6] and officially known as the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,[5][7][b] is an Eastern Syriac Christian denomination that follows the traditional Christology and ecclesiology of the historical Church of the East.[9] It belongs to the eastern branch of Syriac Christianity, and employs the Divine Liturgy of Saints Addai and Mari belonging to the East Syriac Rite. Its main liturgical language is Classical Syriac, a dialect of Eastern Aramaic. Officially known as the Church of the East until 1976, it was then renamed the Assyrian Church of the East,[10][11] with its patriarchate remaining hereditary until the death of Shimun XXI Eshai in 1975.

The Assyrian Church of the East is officially headquartered in the city of Erbil, in northern Iraq; its original area encompassed Iraq, southeastern Turkey, northeastern Syria and northwestern Iran, corresponding roughly to ancient Assyria. The current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mar Awa III, was consecrated in September 2021.

The Assyrian Church of the East claims continuity with the historical Church of the East, and is not in communion with the Catholic, Oriental Orthodox or Eastern Orthodox churches.[c] The faction of the original Church of the East that came into full communion with the Holy See between the 16th and 19th centuries is the Chaldean Catholic Church, whose members are mostly ethnic Assyrians. After the Common Christological Declaration in 1994 between the Church of the East and the Catholic Church, and a 2001 theological dialogue between the churches, they drew up guidelines for the faithful to have mutual admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.[12]

The Assyrian Church of the East has a traditional episcopal structure, headed by the Catholicos-Patriarch. Its hierarchy is composed of metropolitan bishops and diocesan bishops, while lower clergy consists of priests and deacons, who serve in dioceses (eparchies) and parishes throughout the Western Asia, India, North America, Oceania, and Europe (including the Caucasus and Russia).[13]

## History

[edit]

A 6th-century Nestorian church, St. John the Arab, in the Assyrian village of Geramon

The Assyrian Church of the East considers itself as the continuation of the Church of the East, a church that originally developed among the Assyrians during the first century AD in Assyria, Upper Mesopotamia and northwestern Persia, east of the Byzantine Empire. It is an apostolic church established by Thomas the Apostle, Addai of Edessa, and Bartholomew the Apostle.

The historical distinctiveness of the Assyrian Church of the East resulted from the series of complex processes and events that occurred within the Church of the East during the transitional period that started in the middle of the 16th century, and lasted until the beginning of the 19th century.[14] That turbulent period was marked by several consequent splits and mergers, resulting in the creation of separate branches and rival patriarchal lines. During the entire period, one of the main questions of dispute was the union with the Catholic Church. Ultimately, the pro-Catholic branches were consolidated as the Chaldean Catholic Church, while the traditional branches were consolidated as the Assyrian Church of the East.[15]

### Schisms and branches

[edit]

Main articles: Church of the East and Schism of 1552

Mar Toma church near Urmia, Iran

During the patriarchal tenure of Shemon VII Ishoyahb (1539–1558), who resided in the ancient Rabban Hormizd Monastery near Alqosh, an internal dissent occurred over several issues, including the question of hereditary succession to the patriarchal throne, and the question of union with the Catholic Church. By that time, Franciscan missionaries had already gained some influence over several local communities,[16] and they took an active role in organizing the opposition to the Patriarch at that time. By the end of 1552, a pro-Catholic party had been organized in Mosul under the leadership of the priest Yohannan Sulaqa,[17] who decided to legitimize his position by traveling to Rome and seeking confirmation by Pope Julius III (1550–1555).[18]

Receiving support from the Franciscan missionaries, he arrived in Rome and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in February 1553. At that point, officials of the Roman Curia were given incorrect information that the elderly Patriarch Shemon VII had actually died. After some deliberation, the Pope decided to appoint Yohannan Sulaqa as "Patriarch of Babylon" and named the breakaway Church as 'The Church of Assyria and Mosul" in April 1553.[19]

Upon consecration, Yohannan Sulaqa took the name Shimun and by the end of the year he returned to his homeland. He started to organize the pro-Catholic party by appointing several metropolitans and bishops.[18]

### The senior Eliya line of Alqosh

[edit]

Further information: Numeration of the Eliya line patriarchs

Union with Rome was actively opposed by Patriarch Shemon VII Ishoyahb, who continued to reside in the Rabban Hormizd Monastery near the ancient Assyrian town of Alqosh. He was succeeded by his nephew Eliya (1558–1591), who was designated as Eliya "VII" in older historiography,[20][21] but renumbered as Eliya "VI" in recent scholarly works.[22][23][24] The same renumbering was applied to his successors, who all took the same name thus creating the Eliya line. During his patriarchal rule, the Eliya line preserved its traditional christology and full ecclesiastical independence.[25] His successor was Patriarch Eliya VII (VIII) (1591–1617), who negotiated on several occasions with the Catholic Church, in 1605 and 1610, and again in 1615–1616, but without any conclusion.[26] Further negotiations were abandoned by the next Patriarch Eliya VIII (IX) (1617–1660).[27] David Wilmshurst noted that his successor, Patriarch Eliya IX (X) (1660–1700) also was a "vigorous defender of the traditional faith".[28]

The Eliya line of traditionalist Patriarchs continued throughout the entire 18th century, residing in the ancient Monastery of Rabban Hormizd, which was eventually attacked and looted by muslim Turks in 1743, at the beginning of the Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746).[29] Faced with a centuries-old rivalry and frequent conflicts between two mighty Islamic empires (Ottoman and Persian), all Christian communities in the bordering regions were constantly exposed to danger – and not only in the times of war, since local, mainly Kurdish, warlords were accustomed to attacking Assyrian and Armenian Christian communities and monasteries and taking their land, often with Ottoman support. Patriarchs Eliya X (XI) (1700–1722) and Eliya XI (XII) (1722–1778) tried to improve the increasingly worsening position of their Christian flock by staying loyal to Ottoman authorities, but the local administration was frequently unable to provide effective protection.[30] The Eliya line of traditionalist Patriarchs ended in 1804 with the death of Eliya XII (XIII) (1778–1804).[31][24]

### The junior Shimun line of Qochanis

[edit]

During the second half of the 16th century, traditionalist patriarchs of the Eliya line were faced with the continuous presence of the pro-Catholic movement, led by successors of Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa. After his death in 1555, the newly established line of patriarchs who were united with the Catholic Church was continued by Abdisho IV Maron (1555–1570), who remained in full communion with the Catholic Church. He visited Rome and was officially confirmed by the Pope of Rome in 1562.[32] Soon after his death, connections with Rome were weakened for the first time during the tenure of Patriarch Yahballaha IV who did not seek confirmation from the Pope.[33] That interlude was ended by his successor Shimun IX Dinkha (1580–1600) who restored full communion with the Catholic Church, and was officially confirmed by the Pope in 1584.[34]

After his death, the patriarchal office was made hereditary, and Patriarchs of this line continued to use the name Shimun, thus creating the Shimun line. Hereditary succession was not acceptable to Rome, and during the tenure of the next Patriarch Shimun X Eliyah (1600–1638) ties with the Catholic Church were loosened again. In 1616, Shimun X signed a traditional profession of faith that was not accepted by the Pope, leaving the Patriarch without Rome's confirmation.[35] His successor Shimun XI Eshuyow (1638–1656) restored communion with the Catholic Church as late as 1653, eventually receiving confirmation from the Pope.[28] By that time, the movement towards full commitment to the traditional faith was constantly growing stronger within the Shimun line. When the next Patriarch Shimun XII Yoalaha decided to send his profession of faith to the Pope, he was deposed by his bishops because of his pro-Catholic attitude. The Pope tried to intervene on his behalf, but without success.[28]

Final resolution of conflicts within the Shimun line occurred under the next Patriarch Shimun XIII Dinkha (1662–1700), who definitively broke communion with the Catholic Church. In 1670, he gave a traditionalist reply to an approach that was made from the Pope, and by 1672 all connections with the Catholic Church were terminated.[36][37] At the same time, Patriarch Shimun XIII moved his seat from Amid to Qochanis. After the final return to the traditional faith, Patriarchs of the Shimun line decided to keep their independence and after that time there were two independent lines of traditional patriarchs: the senior Eliya line in Alqosh and the junior Shimun line in Qochanis.[38]

Such division was additionally caused by the complex structure of local Assyrian communities, traditionally organized as tribal confederations with each tribe being headed by a local lord (malik), while each malik was ultimately subject to the patriarch, who mediated between Christian Assyrians and the Ottoman authorities.[39]

### Consolidation of remaining branches

[edit]

Mar Elias (Eliya), the Nestorian bishop of the Urmia Plain village of Geogtapa, c. 1831. The image comes from A Residence of Eight Years in Persia Among the Nestorians, with Notes of the Mohammedans by Justin Perkins (Andover, 1843).

In 1780, at the beginning of the patriarchal tenure of Eliya XII (XIII) (1778–1804), a group seceded from the Eliya line in Alqosh and elected Yohannan Hormizd, who entered full communion with the Catholic Church and was officially appointed Archbishop of Mosul and patriarchal administrator of the Chaldean Catholic Church, in 1783. Only after the death in 1827 of the last representative of the Josephite line, Joseph V Augustine Hindi, was Yohannan recognized as the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch by the Pope, in 1830. By this official appointment, the final merger of various factions committed to the union with the Catholic Church was achieved, thus forming the modern Chaldean Catholic Church.

At the same time, the long coexistence and rivalry between two traditionalist patriarchal branches — the senior Eliya line of Alqosh and the junior Shimun line of Qochanis — ended in 1804 when the last primate of the Eliya line, Patriarch Eliya XII (XIII) died and was buried in the ancient Rabban Hormizd Monastery. His branch decided not to elect a new patriarch, thus enabling the remaining patriarch Shimun XVI Yohannan (1780–1820) of the Shimun line to become the sole primate of both Assyrian traditionalist branches.[40][41][38] Consolidated after 1804, the reunited traditionalist Church led by patriarchs of the Shimun line became widely known as the "Assyrian Church of the East". Still based in Qodchanis, Assyrian Patriarch Shimun XVI Yohannan was not able to secure control over the traditional seat of the former Eliya line in the ancient Rabban Hormizd Monastery; and around 1808 that venerated monastic institution passed to the Chaldean Catholics.[42]

The next Assyrian Patriarch Shimun XVII Abraham (1820–1861) also governed his church from Qodshanis. During years marked by political turbulence, he tried to maintain good relations with the local Ottoman authorities. In 1843, he was faced with renewed hostilities from Kurdish warlords, who attacked and looted many Christian villages, killing 10,000 Christian men and taking away women and children as captives. The patriarch himself was forced to take temporary refuge in Mosul.[43] He was succeeded by Patriarch Shimun XVIII Rubil (1861–1903) who also resided in Qodshanis. In 1869, he received an open invitation from the Vatican to visit Rome to attend the First Vatican Council as an observer, but he did not accept the invitation,[44] In following years, he also rejected other initiatives for union with the Catholic Church.[45]

Early 20th century Assyrian archbishop and servants

By the end of the 19th century, the Assyrian Church of the East consolidated itself as the sole representative of all traditionalist Assyrians. It also managed to secure a certain level of autonomy within the highly complex system of Ottoman local governance in the bordering regions.[46] On several occasions, Assyrian patriarchs refused to enter communion with the Catholic Church or merge with the Chaldean Catholic Church.[38] On the other hand, by the end of the 19th century some of its communities were converted to Protestantism by various western missionaries,[47] while other communities were drawn to Eastern Orthodoxy. That movement was led by Assyrian Bishop Mar Yonan of Supurghan in the region of Urmia who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in 1898, through the Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Urmia.[48]

### 20th century

[edit]

St. Mary Assyrian Church in Moscow. In spite of both ethnic and religious persecution and a serious decline in membership since its height around the fourth century, the Assyrian Church of the East has survived into the 21st century.

Among all the tragedies and schisms which thinned the church out, no other was as severe as the Assyrian genocide. At that point the Assyrian Church of the East was based in the mountains of Hakkari, as it had been since 1681. In 1915, The Young Turks invaded the region — despite the Assyrians' plea of neutrality during the Caucasus campaign by Russia and their Armenian allies — out of fear of an Assyrian independence movement. In response to this, Assyrians of all denominations (the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church and Assyrian Protestants) entered into a war of independence and allied themselves with the United Kingdom, the Russian Empire and the Armenians against the Ottomans and their Islamic Kurdish, Iranian and Arab allies.[49]

Despite the odds, the Assyrians fought successfully against the Ottomans and their allies for three years throughout southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and northeastern Syria. Eventually, however, they were abandoned by their allies, the Russian Empire and the First Republic of Armenia, due to the Russian Revolution and the collapse of the Armenian defense, leaving the Assyrians vastly outnumbered, surrounded, and cut off from supplies of ammunition and food. During this period, their See at Qodchanis was completely destroyed and the Turks and their Islamic allies massacred all of the Assyrians in the Hakkari Mountains.[50]

Those who survived fled into Iran with what remained of the Assyrian defense under Agha Petros, but they were pursued into Iranian territory despite the fact they were fleeing. Later, in 1918, after the murder of their de facto leader and Patriarch Shimun XIX Benyamin and 150 of his followers during a negotiation, fearing further massacres at the hands of the Turks and Kurds, most of the survivors fled by train from Iran into what was to become Iraq. They sought protection under the British mandate there, and joined the already existing indigenous Assyrian communities of both Eastern Orthodox and Catholic rites in the north, where they formed communities in Baghdad, Basra, and other areas.[50]

#### Patriarch Shimun XXI Eshai

[edit]

Main article: Shimun XXI Eshai

In the aftermath of World War I, the British-educated Patriarch Shimun XXI Eshai, born into the line of patriarchs at Qodchanis, had agitated for an independent Assyrian state. Following the end of the British mandate in 1933[50] and a massacre of Assyrian civilians at Simele by the Iraqi Army, the patriarch was forced to take refuge in Cyprus.[51] There, Shimun petitioned the League of Nations regarding his people's fate, but to little avail, and he was consequently barred from entering Syria and Iraq. He traveled through Europe before moving to Chicago in 1940 to join the growing Assyrian diaspora community there.[51]

Due to the church's and the general Assyrian community's disorganized state as a result of the conflicts of the 20th century, Patriarch Shimun XXI Eshai was forced to reorganize the church's structure in the United States. He transferred his residence to San Francisco in 1954, and was able to travel to Iran, Lebanon, Kuwait, and India, where he worked to strengthen the church.[52]

In 1964, the patriarch decreed a number of changes to the church, including liturgical reform, the adoption of the Gregorian calendar, and the shortening of Lent. These changes, combined with Shimun's long absence from Iraq, caused a rift in the community there, which led to another schism. In 1968, traditionalists within the church elected Thoma Darmo as a rival patriarch to Shimun XXI Eshai, forming the independent Ancient Church of the East, based in Baghdad, Iraq.[53]

In 1972, Shimun decided to step down as patriarch, and the following year he got married, in contravention to longstanding church custom. This led to a synod in 1973 in which further reforms were introduced, the most significant of which included the permanent abolition of hereditary succession — a practice introduced in the middle of the fifteenth century by Patriarch Shemon IV Basidi (who had died in 1497) — and it was also decided that Shimun should be reinstated. The second matter was supposed to be settled at another synod in 1975; however, Shimun was assassinated in November 1975 by an estranged relative before this could take place.[54]

#### Patriarch Dinkha IV

[edit]

Main article: Dinkha IV

Mar Gewargis Assyrian Cathedral in Chicago: Former Patriarchal See

Almost a year after the death of Shimun, Mar Khnanya Dinkha, Metropolitan of Tehran, convened a synod of seven Assyrian bishops which took place at St Paul's Abbey, Alton, in England, from 12 to 17 October 1976. They were joined by two Church of England bishops, representing the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Bishop of London, and elected Dinkha as the 120th Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East. On 17 October he was consecrated as Dinkha IV at St Barnabas Church, Ealing, in an area where many Assyrians lived.[55]

Dinkha, who was then aged 33, operated his see at Tehran until the Iran–Iraq War of 1980–1988, when he went into exile in the United States and transferred the Patriarchal See to Chicago.[56] Much of his patriarchate had been concerned with tending to the Assyrian diaspora community and with ecumenical efforts to strengthen relations with other churches.[56] On 26 March 2015, Dinkha IV died in the United States, leaving the Assyrian Church of the East in a period of sede vacante until 18 September 2015. During that time, Aprem Mooken served as the custodian of the Patriarchate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon.[57][58]

#### Patriarch Gewargis III

[edit]

Main article: Gewargis III

On 18 September 2015, the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East elected the Metropolitan of Iraq, Jordan, and Russia, Warda Sliwa, to succeed the late Dinkha IV as Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East. On 27 September 2015, he was consecrated as Catholicos-Patriarch in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist, in Erbil, Iraq. Upon his consecration, he assumed the ecclesiastical name Gewargis III.

Mar Narsai Church in Nohadra

Church leaders proposed moving the Patriarchal See from Chicago back to Erbil.[59]

There have also been talks of reunification. In the Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East in 1994, the two churches recognized the legitimacy and rightness of each other's titles for Mary.[60]

In 2005, the Assyrian Church of the East had about 380,000 members,[61] mostly living in the United States, Iran, Iraq, Syria, and Turkey.[62][63]

#### Patriarch Awa III

[edit]

Main article: Awa Royel

On 6 September 2021, Mar Gewargis III formally stepped down as Catholicos-Patriarch during an Extraordinary Session of the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East, leaving the Patriarchal See vacant. On 8 September 2021, the Holy Synod elected Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California and Secretary of the Holy Synod, to succeed Mar Gewargis III as the 122nd Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East.[64][65]

## Doctrine

[edit]

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Following doctrinal traditions of the ancient Church of the East, the modern Assyrian Church of the East recognizes the first two ecumenical councils: the First Council of Nicaea (325), and the First Council of Constantinople (381). The Assyrian Church follows trinitarian doctrines, expressed in the Nicene Creed, and professes the eternal procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father.[66]

### Christology

[edit]

Theologically, the Assyrian Church of the East does not accept doctrinal definitions that were adopted at the Council of Ephesus (431) and the Council of Chalcedon (451), and still adheres to the Church of the East's traditional Christology, that is often labeled as Nestorian. The use and exact meaning of that term has been the subject of many debates, not only throughout history but also in modern times, since the Assyrian Church of the East has distinctive views on several Christological questions and claims that its theological doctrines and traditions are essentially Orthodox, while admitting the need for further inter-Christian dialogue that would resolve various questions in the field of comparative Christological terminology.[67]

The Nestorian nature of Assyrian Christianity remains a matter of contention. Elements of Nestorian doctrine were explicitly repudiated by Patriarch Dinkha IV on the occasion of his accession in 1976.[68]

The Christology of the Church of the East has its roots in the Antiochene theological tradition of the early church. The founders of Assyrian theology are Diodorus of Tarsus and Theodore of Mopsuestia, both of whom taught at Antioch. "Antiochene" is a modern designation given to the style of theology associated with the early church at Antioch, as contrasted with the theology of the Church of Alexandria.[69]

Antiochene theology emphasizes Christ's humanity and the reality of the moral choices he faced. In order to preserve the impassibility of Christ's Divine Nature, the unity of his person is defined in a looser fashion than in the Alexandrian tradition.[69] The normative Christology of the Church of the East was written by Babai the Great (d. 628) during the controversy that followed the 431 Council of Ephesus. Babai held that within Christ there exist two qnome (Syriac: ܩܢܘܡܐ / qnômâ, a complex term, equivalent for Greek term hypostasis), unmingled, but everlastingly united in the one prosopon (person) of Christ.

The precise Christological teachings of Nestorius are shrouded in obscurity. Wary of Monophysitism, Nestorius rejected Cyril's theory of a hypostatic union, proposing instead a much looser concept of prosopic union. Nestorianism has come to mean radical Dyophysitism,[70] in which Christ's two natures are eternally separate, though it is doubtful whether Nestorius ever taught such a doctrine. Nestorius' rejection of the term Theotokos ('God-bearer', or 'Mother of God') has traditionally been held as evidence that he asserted the existence of two persons (dyoprosopism) — not merely two natures — in Jesus Christ, but there exists no evidence that Nestorius denied Christ's oneness.[71] In the controversy that followed the Council of Ephesus, the term "Nestorian" was applied to all doctrine upholding a strictly Antiochene Christology. In consequence, the Church of the East was labelled Nestorian, though its official Christology was in fact defined by Babai the Great, at the council that was held in 612.[67]

## Liturgy

[edit]

The church employs the Syriac dialect of Eastern Aramaic in its liturgy, the East Syriac Rite, which includes three anaphoras, attributed to Addai of Edessa and Mari, Theodore of Mopsuestia, and later also Nestorius.[50]

## Iconography

[edit]

In their homes, Christians belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East hang a Christian cross (without the corpus) on the eastern wall of the main room.[72]

The Assyrian Church of the East does not make use of icons, and the interiors of its houses of worship are simple.[73] Iconography has been present in the Church of the East's history; opposition to religious images eventually became the norm due to the spread of Islam in the region, which forbade any type of depictions of saints and biblical prophets. Thus, the church was forced to get rid of her icons.[74][73]

A Nestorian Peshitta Gospel book written in Estrangela, from the 13th century, resides at the State Library of Berlin. This illustrated manuscript from Upper Mesopotamia or Tur Abdin proves that in the 13th century the church was not yet aniconic.[75] The Nestorian Evangelion preserved in the Bibliothèque nationale de France contains an illustration depicting Jesus Christ (not a crucifix) in the circle of a ringed cross (in the form of Celtic cross) surrounded by four angels.[76]

Three Syriac manuscripts from the early 19th century and earlier—they were edited into a compilation titled The Book of Protection by Hermann Gollancz—contain a number of illustrations which are more or less crude. These manuscripts prove the continuous use of images. Moreover, a life-size male stucco figure was discovered in a church of Seleucia-Ctesiphon from the late 6th century. Beneath this church were found the remains of an earlier church. Although it cannot be determined which Nestorian Church was involved, the discovery nevertheless proves that the Church of the East also used figurative representations.[75]

## Organization

[edit]

See also: Dioceses of the Church of the East after 1552

Saint Mary Church: an ancient Assyrian church located in the city of Urmia, West Azerbaijan province, Iran

The Assyrian Church of the East is governed by an episcopal polity, the same as other apostolic churches. The church maintains a system of geographical parishes organized into dioceses and archdioceses. The Catholicos-Patriarch is the head of the church. Its synod is composed of bishops who oversee individual dioceses and metropolitans who oversee episcopal dioceses in their territorial jurisdiction.

The Chaldean Syrian Church, which encompasses India and the Persian Gulf, is the largest diocese of the church. Its history goes back to the Church of the East that established a presence in Kerala, but the two communities maintained only a sporadic connection for several centuries, and consistent relations were only established with the arrival of the Portuguese in India around 1500. The church is represented by the Assyrian Church of the East and is in communion with it.

Membership is estimated to 385,000 adherents,[61] although some[which?] sources say as high as 500,000.[77] According to scholar James Minahan around 19% of the Assyrian people belong to the Assyrian Church of the East.[78] In its own 2018 Report on Religious Freedom, the United States Department of State put the Assyrian Church of the East adherents at approximately 20% of the Christians in Iraq.[79]

### Hierarchy

[edit]

Residence of the Patriarch in Qudshanis, Ottoman Empire (1692–1918).

Due to the unstable political, religious and economic situation in the church's historical homeland of the Middle East, many of the church members now reside in Western countries. Churches and dioceses have been established throughout Europe, America, and Oceania.[13]

### Archdioceses

[edit]

1. Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon – established in October 1984.
2. Archdiocese of Syria – jurisdiction lies throughout all Syria, particularly in the al-Hasakah Governorate, where most of the community resides in al-Hasakah, Qamishli and the 35 villages along the Khabur River. There are also small communities in Damascus and Aleppo.
3. Archdiocese of India – the archdiocese's territory includes the city of Thrissur and surrounding, mostly in the state of Kerala.

### Dioceses

[edit]

An ancient Assyrian church in the city of Urmia, Iran Saint Kirill Assyrian church in Dimitrov, Armenia Saint Hurmizd cathedral in Greenfield Park, Sydney

1. Diocese of Iran – territory includes the capital Tehran, the Urmia and Salmas plains.
2. Diocese of Nohadra and Nineveh – established in 1999 with jurisdiction includes the indigenous communities of Dohuk and Nineveh.
3. Diocese of Bagdad, Russia and Georgia.
4. Diocese of Scandinavia and Germany – territory lies in western Europe and includes Denmark, Sweden, Germany, Finland and Norway.
5. Diocese of Eastern USA – formerly the patriarchal archdiocese from 1994 until 2012. The territory includes the large Chicago, Illinois community, along with smaller parishes in Michigan, New England and New York.
6. Diocese of California – jurisdiction includes parishes in Western US and northern California. Some of the parishes are San Francisco, San Jose, Modesto, Turlock, Ceres, Seattle, and Sacramento.
7. Diocese of Western United States – jurisdiction includes parishes in Arizona and southern California (Los Angeles).
8. Diocese of Canada – includes the territory of Toronto, Windsor, Hamilton and all Canada.
9. Diocese of Victoria and New Zealand – includes Melbourne and New Zealand.
10. Diocese of Western Europe – territory lies in Western Europe and includes the United Kingdom, France, Belgium, Luxembourg, Austria, the Netherlands and Greece.

### Members of the Holy Synod

[edit]

As of May 2024[update]

1. Mar Awa III: 122nd Catholicos-Patriarch
2. Meelis Zaia: Metropolitan of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon and Patriarchal Vicar General
3. Afram Athneil: Metropolitan of Syria
4. Awgin Kuriakose: Metropolitan of India and the Gulf Countries
5. Odisho Awraham: Bishop of Scandinavia and Germany
6. Narsai Benyamin: Bishop of Iran
7. Paulus Benjamin: Bishop of the Eastern United States
8. Abris Youkhannan: Bishop of Dohuk and Nineveh
9. Benyamin Elya: Bishop of Victoria and New Zealand and Secretary of the Holy Synod
10. Awraham Youkhanis:[80] Bishop of Western Europe
11. Elia Tamras:[81] Bishop of Baghdad, Ukraine and Georgia.

Retired:

* Aprem Mooken: Metropolitan Emeritus of Malabar and India
* Sargis Yosip: Bishop Emeritus of Baghdad
* Aprim Khamis: Bishop Emeritus of the Western United States
* Emmanuel Yosip: Bishop Emeritus of Canada

## Ecumenical relations

[edit]

On November 11, 1994, a historic meeting between Patriarch Dinkha IV and Pope John Paul II took place in Rome. Both signed a document titled "Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East". One side effect of this meeting was that the Assyrian Church of the East's relationship with the fellow Chaldean Catholic Church began to improve.[82]

Τhe Assyrian Church of the East was never admitted a full member of the Middle East Council of Churches, due to the Coptic Orthodox Church accusing the Assyrian Church of the East to be Nestorian, and thus, heretical.[6]

The lack of a coherent institution narrative in the Anaphora of Addai and Mari, which dates to apostolic times, has caused many Western Christians, and especially Roman Catholics, to doubt the validity of this anaphora, used extensively by the Assyrian Church of the East, as a prayer of consecration of the eucharistic elements. In 2001, after a study of this issue, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later Pope Benedict XVI), then Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, promulgated a declaration approved by Pope John Paul II stating that this is a valid anaphora. This declaration opened the door to a joint synodal decree officially implementing the present Guidelines for Admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.[83]

## See also

[edit]

* Christianity portal

* Abda of Hira
* Chaldean Syrian Church in India (also known as Assyrian Church of the East in India)
* Church of the East in China
* Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East
* Dioceses of the Church of the East to 1318
* Dioceses of the Church of the East, 1318–1552
* Dioceses of the Church of the East after 1552
* List of patriarchs of the East
* List of Assyrian settlements
* List of Assyrian tribes

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܖ̈ܝܐ, romanized: ʿĒḏtā ḏ-Maḏnḥā ḏ-ʾĀṯūrāyē;[4] Arabic: كنيسة المشرق الآشورية[4]
2. ^ Classical Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܘܫܠܝܚܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ, romanized: ʿĒḏtā Qaddīštā wa-Šlīḥāytā Qāṯōlīqī ḏ-Maḏnḥā ḏ-ʾĀṯūrāyē; Arabic: كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسولية الجاثلقية المقدسة[8]
3. ^ The Assyrian Church of the East allows communion with all baptised Christians. However, this open communion is not mutual with the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox or Oriental Orthodox churches.

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "Interview with Mar Awa Royel, the newly elected patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East". YouTube. 8 September 2021.
2. ^ Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East Official News Website
3. ^ Murre van den Berg 2011, p. 154-159.
4. ^ a b "Østens Assyriske Kirke i Danmark". assyrianchurch.dk. Archived from the original on 2 July 2020. Retrieved 2 July 2020.
5. ^ a b Parry, Ken; Melling, David J.; Brady, Dimitri; Griffith, Sidney H.; Healey, John F., eds. (1 September 2017) [1999]. "Church of the East". The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 122\. doi:10.1002/9781405166584. ISBN 978-1-4051-6658-4.
6. ^ a b Parry, Ken; Melling, David J.; Brady, Dimitri; Griffith, Sidney H.; Healey, John F., eds. (1 September 2017) [1999]. "Middle East Council of Churches". The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity. Oxford, UK: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. p. 317\. doi:10.1002/9781405166584. ISBN 978-1-4051-6658-4.
7. ^ Binns 2002, p. 28.
8. ^ "اخبار كنيسة المشرق الاشورية". اخبار كنيسة المشرق الاشورية (in Arabic). Retrieved 2 July 2020.
9. ^ Hunter 2014, p. 601-620.
10. ^ Joseph 2000, p. 1.
11. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 4.
12. ^ "Guidelines for admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East". Vatican.va. Archived from the original on 3 November 2015. Retrieved 26 July 2010.
13. ^ a b Hunter 2014, p. 614-615.
14. ^ Wilmshurst 2000.
15. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003.
16. ^ Lemmens 1926, p. 17-28.
17. ^ Habbi 1966, p. 99-132.
18. ^ a b Wilmshurst 2000, p. 22.
19. ^ Gulik 1904, p. 261-277.
20. ^ Tisserant 1931, p. 261-263.
21. ^ Fiey 1993, p. 37.
22. ^ Murre van den Berg 1999a, p. 243-244.
23. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 116, 174.
24. ^ a b Hage 2007, p. 473.
25. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 22, 42 194, 260, 355.
26. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 24.
27. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 24-25.
28. ^ a b c Wilmshurst 2000, p. 25.
29. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 205, 263.
30. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 28, 195, 242, 250–251, 355.
31. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 263.
32. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 22-23.
33. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 23.
34. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 23-24.
35. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 24, 315.
36. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 25, 316.
37. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 114, 118, 174–175.
38. ^ a b c Murre van den Berg 1999a, p. 235-264.
39. ^ Wigram 1914.
40. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 120, 175.
41. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 316-319, 356.
42. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 125, 263–264.
43. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 33, 212.
44. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 129-130.
45. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 35-36.
46. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 275-276.
47. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 324.
48. ^ Wilmshurst 2000, p. 36, 281, 314.
49. ^ Yakoub 2020.
50. ^ a b c d Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 354.
51. ^ a b Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 144.
52. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 147-148.
53. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 148-149.
54. ^ Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 149.
55. ^ Joseph 2000, p. 252.
56. ^ a b Baum & Winkler 2003, p. 150-155.
57. ^ "Holy Synod Announcement – Passing of Catholicos-Patriarch". Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East. Archived from the original on 8 October 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
58. ^ "Notice from the Locum Tenens". Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 18 September 2015.
59. ^ Nagl, Kurt (26 September 2015). "Assyrian Church of the East elects new leader". Rudaw Media Network.
60. ^ "Common Christological declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East". The Holy See. 11 November 1994. Archived from the original on 4 January 2009. Retrieved 25 January 2010.
61. ^ a b Rassam, Suha (2005). Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 166\. ISBN 9780852446331. "The number of the faithful at the beginning of the twenty - first century belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East under Mar Dinkha was estimated to be around 385,000 , and the number belonging to the Ancient Church of the East under Mar Addia to be 50,000-70,000."
62. ^ "Nestorian". Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved April 19, 2010.
63. ^ Eduardo Campo, Juan (2009). Encyclopedia of Islam. Infobase Publishing. p. 142\. ISBN 9781438126968. "the Assyrian Church of the East (found mainly in northern Iraq, southern Turkey, Iran, southwest India, and now the United States)."
64. ^ "His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia Remarks on the Election of the New Patriarch". Youtube. Assyrian Church of the East. 8 September 2021. Archived from the original on 12 December 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
65. ^ Sirwan, Dilan (9 September 2021). "The Assyrian Church of the East elects new patriarch in Erbil". Rudaw Media Network. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
66. ^ Brock 1999, p. 293.
67. ^ a b Brock 2006.
68. ^ Hill 1988, p. 107.
69. ^ a b Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 79.
70. ^ Burgess 1989, p. 90, 229, 231.
71. ^ Cross & Livingstone 2005, p. 339.
72. ^ "Sign of the Cross". Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. Archived from the original on 14 April 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2020. "Inside their homes, a cross is placed on the eastern wall of the first room. If one sees a cross in a house and do not find a crucifix or pictures, it is almost certain that the particular family belongs to the Church of the East."
73. ^ a b Horner, Norman A. (1989). A Guide to Christian Churches in the Middle East: Present-day Christianity in the Middle East and North Africa. Mission Focus. p. 23\. ISBN 978-1-877736-00-1. "The Assyrian Church of the East uses neither images nor icons. A stand, holding a copy of the Gospels and covered with a cloth, bears a simple cross that is venerated with the kiss of peace that people in other Eastern churches accord to their icons. The simplicity of their church interiors may reflect a concession to the Islamic objection to religious pictures in places of worship, or it may merely attest to the poverty of an isolated Christian people."
74. ^ Tighe, William J. "The Shadow of Nestorius by William J. Tighe". Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
75. ^ a b Baumer, Christoph (2016). The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity (New ed.). London: I.B. Tauris. pp. 75 and 94. ISBN 978-1-78453-683-1.
76. ^ Drège, Jean-Pierre (1992) [1989]. Marco Polo y la Ruta de la Seda. Collection "Aguilar Universal" (in Spanish). Vol. 31\. Translated by López Carmona, Mari Pepa. Madrid: Aguilar, S. A. de Ediciones. pp. 43 & 187\. ISBN 978-84-0360-187-1. OCLC 1024004171. "Doctrinas persas"
77. ^ "The Church of the East – Mark Dickens". The American Foundation for Syriac Studies. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 25 December 2012.
78. ^ Minahan, James (2002). Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: A-C. Greenwood Publishing Group. p. 206\. ISBN 9780313321092. "The Assyrians, although closely assiociated with their Christian religion, are divided among a number of Christian sects. The largest denominations are the Chaldean Catholic Church with about 45% of the Assyrian population, the Syriac Orthodox with 26%, the Assyrian Church of the East with 19%, the free Orthodox Church of Antioch or Syriac Catholic Church with 4%, and various Protestant sects with a combined 6%."
79. ^ "Iraq 2018 International Religious Freedom Report, p. 3" (PDF). Retrieved 17 April 2023.
80. ^ "Our Churches".
81. ^ "Elia Isaac Tamrs - Names - Orthodoxia".
82. ^ Mooken 2003, p. 18.
83. ^ "Guidelines for admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East". vatican.va.

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* Vine, Aubrey R. (1937). The Nestorian Churches. London: Independent Press.
* Vosté, Jacques Marie (1925). "Missio duorum fratrum Melitensium O. P. in Orientem saec. XVI et relatio, nunc primum edita, eorum quae in istis regionibus gesserunt". Analecta Ordinis Praedicatorum. 33 (4): 261–278.
* Vosté, Jacques Marie (1931). "Mar Iohannan Soulaqa, premier Patriarche des Chaldéens, martyr de l'union avec Rome (†1555)". Angelicum. 8: 187–234.
* Wigram, William Ainger (1914). The Cradle of Mankind: Life in Eastern Kurdistan (PDF). London: Adam and Charles Black.
* Wigram, William Ainger (1929). The Assyrians and Their Neighbours. London: G. Bell & Sons.
* Wilmshurst, David (2000). The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913. Louvain: Peeters Publishers. ISBN 9789042908765.
* Wilmshurst, David (2011). The Martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East. London: East & West Publishing Limited. ISBN 9781907318047.
* Wilmshurst, David (2019). "The Patriarchs of the Church of the East". The Syriac World. London: Routledge. pp. 799–805\. ISBN 9781138899018.
* Yakoub, Afram (2020). The Path to Assyria: A Call for National Revival. Södertälje: Tigris Press. ISBN 9789198154160.
* Yildiz, Efrem (1999). "The Assyrians: A Historical and Current Reality". Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies. 13 (1): 15–30.
* Yildiz, Efrem (2000b). "Los Asirio-Caldeos, Cristianos orientales arameoparlantes" (PDF). Dialogo Ecumenico. 35 (112): 263–282.

## External links

[edit]

Assyrian Church of the East at Wikipedia's sister projects:

* Definitions from Wiktionary
* Media from Commons
* Data from Wikidata

* v
* t
* e

Sacraments of the Assyrian Church of the East

* Priesthood
* Baptism
* Chrismation
* Absolution
* Oblation
* Holy Leaven
* Sign of the cross

* v
* t
* e

Dioceses of the Church of the East

Hierarchy divided into the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East after the schism of 1552

Time periods|

* Dioceses of the Church of the East to 1318
* Dioceses of the Church of the East, 1318–1552
* Dioceses of the Church of the East after 1552

Interior metropolitan
provinces to 1318|

* Adiabene
* Beth Garmaï
* Beth Huzaye
* Maishan
* Nisibis
* Patriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon

Exterior metropolitan
provinces to 1318|

* Beth Sinaye (China)
* Beth Tuptaye (Tibet)
* Dailam
* Damascus
* Fars
* Herat
* Hulwan
* India
* Islands of the Sea
* Kashgar and Nevaketh
* Katai and Ong
* Merv
* Rai
* Samarqand
* Tangut

dioceses to 1318|

* Abiward and Shahr Piroz
* Adarbaigan
* Al-Bariya
* Al-Kuj
* Al-Qabba
* Al-Rustaq
* Aoustan d'Arzun
* Armenia
* Ardashir Khurrah (Shiraf)
* Arzun
* ʿAïn Sipne
* Badisi and Qadistan
* Balad
* Barhis
* Beth Bgash
* Beth Daraye
* Beth Dasen
* Beth Lapat
* Beth Mazunaye (Oman)
* Beth Moksaye
* Beth Nuhadra
* Beth Rahimaï
* Beth Tabyathe and the Kartawaye
* Beth Waziq
* Beth Zabdaï
* Bih Shabur (Kazrun)
* Dabarin
* Dairin
* Darabgard
* Dasqarta d'Malka
* Delasar
* Dinawar
* Egypt
* Erbil
* Eshnuq
* Gawkaï
* Gubeans
* Gurgan
* Haditha
* Hagar
* Hamadan
* Hamir
* Harran and Callinicus
* Hatta
* Hebton
* Herat
* Hesna d'Kifa
* Hirta
* Hormizd Ardashir
* Hrbath Glal
* Ispahan
* Istakhr
* Jerusalem
* Jews
* Karka d'Beth Slokh
* Karka d'Ledan
* Karka d'Maishan
* Karman
* Kashkar
* Khanijar
* Lashom
* Mahoze d'Arewan
* Mardin
* Marga
* Marmadit
* Masabadan
* Mashkena d'Qurdu
* Mashmahig (Bahrain)
* Maʿaltha and Hnitha
* Merw i-Rud
* Meskene
* Mihraganqadaq
* Mosul
* Muqan
* Nahargur
* Niffar, Nil and al-Nuʿmaniya
* Nihawand
* Nineveh
* Piroz Shabur
* Prath d'Maishan
* Pusang
* Qaimar
* Qarta and Adarma
* Qasr and Nahrawan
* Qish
* Qube d'Arzun
* Radani
* Ram Hormizd
* Ramonin
* Reshʿaïna
* Rima
* Salakh
* Salmas
* Segestan
* Seleucia-Ctesiphon
* Shahpur Khwast
* Shahrgard
* Shahrzur
* Shenna d'Beth Ramman
* Shigar and Beth ʿArabaye
* Shushter
* Soqotra
* Susa
* Taimana
* Tahal
* Tamanon
* Tirhan
* Tus and Abrashahr (Nishapur)
* Urmi
* ʿUkbara
* Yemen and Sanaʿa
* Zabe

Post-1318 dioceses
(See also:
dioceses from 1318 to 1552
and dioceses after 1552)|

* Ahwaz
* Alqosh
* Amid
* Anzel
* Ardishai
* Atel and Bohtan
* ʿAmadiya
* ʿAqra
* Berwari
* Cyprus
* Erbil (East Syriac diocese)
* Erbil (Chaldean archeparchy)
* Gawar
* Gazarta
* Hakkari
* Jilu
* Kirkuk
* Mardin
* Mosul
* Nisibis
* Salmas
* Seert
* Sehna
* Shemsdin
* Tis
* Tuleki
* Zakho

Christianity portal

* v
* t
* e

Syriac Christianity

West Syriac, legacy of
the Church of Antioch|

| Eastern Catholic|

* Maronite Church (685)
* Syriac Catholic Church (1662)

|

Oriental Orthodox|

* Syriac Orthodox Church (512)

East Syriac, legacy of
the Church of the East
(the "Nestorian Church")
(410–1552)|

| Eastern Catholic|

* Chaldean Catholic Church (1552)

|

Nestorian|

* Assyrian Church of the East (1552)
* Ancient Church of the East (1968)

Protestant (Eastern Protestant)|

* Assyrian Evangelical Church (1870)
* Assyrian Pentecostal Church (1940)

Saint Thomas Christians,
legacy of
the Malankara Church
(active 1st century–1601)
in Kerala, India|

| Eastern Catholic|

* Syro-Malabar Church (East Syriac) (1665)
* Syro-Malankara Catholic Church (West Syriac) (1932)

|

Oriental Orthodox|

* Jacobite Syrian Christian Church (1665)
* Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church (1912)
* Malabar Independent Syrian Church (1772)

Nestorian (Assyrian Church of the East)|

* Chaldean Syrian Church (1701)

Protestant (Eastern Protestant)|

* Mar Thoma Syrian Church (1852)
* St. Thomas Evangelical Church of India (1961)
* Believers Eastern Church (2017)

Key figures|

* Ephrem the Syrian
* Aphrahat
* Nestorius
* Jacob Baradaeus
* Jacob of Serugh
* Narsai
* Severus of Antioch
* Paul the Jew
* Maron
* Philoxenus of Mabbug
* Thomas of Cana
* Isaac the Syrian
* John Maron
* Mar Sabor and Mar Proth
* Dionysius bar Salibi
* Bar Hebraeus
* Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa
* Abraham of Angamaly
* Gregorios Abdal Jaleel
* Thoma I
* Abraham Koorilos I
* Ignatius Andrew Akijan
* Cyril VI Tanas
* Elias Mellus
* Dionysius of Vattasseril
* Geevarghese Ivanios
* Coorilos Paulose
* Thoma Darmo
* Baselios Paulose II

Languages|

* Sureth
* Turoyo
* Bohtan Neo-Aramaic
* Garshuni
* Hertevin
* Koy Sanjaq Christian
* Mlaḥsô
* Senaya
* Syriac Malayalam
* Syriac (Liturgical)

See also|

* Assyrian people
* Assyrian genocide
* Assyrian nationalism
* Assyrian homeland
* Assyrian independence movement
* Proposals for Assyrian autonomy in Iraq
* Assyrian diaspora
* Terms for Syriac Christians
* Arameans
* Phoenicianism
* Malankara–Persian ecclesiastical relations
* Syriac sacral music

* * Defunct with schism of 1552
* Christianity portal

* v
* t
* e

Eastern Christianity

Cultural area of Christian traditions that developed since Early Christianity in the Middle East, Eastern Europe, North and East Africa, Asia Minor, South India, and parts of the Far East.

Main
divisions|

| Communions|

* Eastern Orthodox Church
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Eastern Catholic Churches
* Assyrian Church of the East
* Ancient Church of the East

|

Independent Churches/Communions|

* Old Believers
* Spiritual Christianity
* True Orthodox churches
* Tolstoyans

Protestantism|

* Eastern Protestantism

Christ Pantocrator (circa 1261) in Hagia Sophia

History|

* Christianization of Armenia
* Christianization of Georgia
* Roman Empire/Byzantine Empire
* Copts
* Proto-orthodoxy
* Ecumenical council
* Heresies
* Nestorianism
* Iconoclasm
* Paulicianism
* Bogomilism
* Church of the East
* China
* Sichuan
* India
* Mongols
* Oriental Orthodox Churches
* Council of Chalcedon
* Saint Thomas Christians/Malankara Church
* Arab Christians
* Antiochian Greek Christians
* Melkite
* Ghassanids
* Christianization of Bulgaria
* Christianization of Kievan Rus'
* Turkic Christians
* Eastern Orthodox Church
* East–West Schism
* Raskol
* Moscow–Constantinople schisms
* 15th–16th centuries schism
* 1996 schism
* 2018 schism

Scriptures|

* Canon
* Old Testament
* New Testament
* Deuterocanon
* Septuagint
* Peshitta

Theology|

* Hesychasm
* Icon
* Apophaticism
* Filioque clause
* Miaphysitism
* Dyophysitism
* Nestorianism
* Theosis
* Theoria
* Phronema
* Philokalia
* Praxis
* Theotokos
* Hypostasis
* Ousia
* Essence–energies distinction
* Metousiosis

Worship|

* Sign of the cross
* Divine Liturgy
* Iconography
* Asceticism
* Omophorion

* v
* t
* e

Christianity

* Index
* Outline
* Glossary
* Prophets
* People
* Lists of Christians
* By country

Bible
(Scriptures)|

* Canon
* Old Testament
* New Testament

Foundations|

* Church
* Creed
* Gospel
* New Covenant
* Christian tradition
* Worship

History
(timeline)
(spread)|

| Early
Christianity|

* Jesus
* in Christianity
* Chronology
* Nativity
* Baptism
* Ministry
* Sermon on the Mount
* Parables
* Miracles
* Great Commandment
* Crucifixion
* Resurrection
* Great Commission
* Ascension
* Apostles
* Church Fathers
* Apostolic Fathers

|

Great Church|

* Ante-Nicene period
* Late antiquity
* Constantine
* First seven ecumenical councils
* Nicaea I
* Chalcedon
* State church of the Roman Empire
* Christian biblical canon

Middle Ages|

* Monasticism
* Papal States
* East–West Schism
* Investiture Controversy
* Crusades
* Age of Discovery

Modern era|

* Auto-da-fé
* Protestant Reformation
* Catholic Reformation
* Thirty Years' War
* Enlightenment
* French Revolution
* Relations with Islam
* Influences

Denominations
(list, members)|

| Western|

* Catholic
* Old Catholic
* Independent Catholic (Palmarian)
* Protestant
* Adventist
* Anabaptist
* Anglican
* Baptist
* Charismatic
* Evangelical
* Holiness
* Lutheran
* Methodist
* Pentecostal
* Quakers
* Reformed
* Western Rite Orthodoxy

|

Eastern|

* Eastern Orthodox
* Church
* Oriental Orthodox (Miaphysite)
* Church of the East (Nestorian)
* Eastern Catholic

Restorationist|

* Jehovah's Witnesses
* Latter Day Saint movement
* Iglesia ni Cristo

Theology|

* Ablution
* Angel
* Born again
* Christology
* Divine apathy
* Ecclesiology
* Four marks
* Body of Christ
* One true church
* People of God
* Canon law
* Faith
* Fall of man
* Forbidden fruit
* Garden of Eden
* Final Judgement
* God
* Trinity
* Father
* Son
* Holy Spirit
* Good works
* Heaven
* Hell
* Holy water
* Hygiene
* Kingdom of God
* Liturgy
* Catholic
* Eastern Catholic
* Eastern Orthodox
* Protestant
* Love
* of Christ
* of God
* Mariology
* Theotokos
* Mission
* Monasticism
* Mortification
* Catholic
* Of the flesh
* New Covenant
* Nicene Creed
* Old Covenant
* Views
* Original sin
* Penance
* Prayer
* Repentance
* Sacraments
* Baptism
* Eucharist
* Marriage
* Confirmation
* Penance
* Anointing of the Sick
* Holy orders
* Saints
* Salvation
* Satan
* Sin
* Eternal sin
* Mortal sin
* Sins that cry to Heaven for Vengeance
* Seven deadly sins
* Venial sin
* Tradition
* Values
* Vice
* Works of mercy
* Worship

Philosophy|

* Natural law
* Ethics
* Science
* Evolution
* Politics
* Social mortgage
* Universal destination of goods
* Views on poverty and wealth
* Option for the poor
* Worldview

Other
features|

| Culture|

* Alcohol
* Architecture
* Architecture of cathedrals and great churches
* Art
* Jesus
* Mary
* Trinity
* God the Father
* Holy Spirit
* Atonement
* Christmas
* Church buildings
* Lists of cathedrals
* Crucifix
* Cupio dissolvi
* Evangelism
* Catechesis
* Catechism
* Catholic priest
* Folk Christianity
* Open-air
* Pastor
* Fallen woman
* Magdalene asylum
* Flag
* Flagellant
* Forgiveness
* Literature
* Marriage
* Catholic
* Music
* Chant
* Choir
* Gospel
* Hymn
* Introit
* Pop
* Psalm
* Requiem
* Mythology
* Pilgrimage
* Popular piety
* Redemptive suffering
* Role in civilization
* Self-flagellation
* Sign of the cross
* Symbolism

|

Movements|

* Crusading movement
* Anarchism
* Charismatic
* Democracy
* Evangelism
* Mission
* Environmentalism
* Existentialism
* Fundamentalism
* Liberation
* Left/Right
* Mysticism
* Pacifism
* Prosperity
* Supremacy
* Terrorism
* Traditionalist Catholicism

Cooperation|

* Christendom
* Ecumenism
* Charta Oecumenica
* World Council of Churches
* World Evangelical Alliance
* Nondenominationalism

Related|

* ... and Islam
* ... and other religions
* ... and violence
* ... as an ethnicity
* Anti-Christian sentiment
* Christian universalism
* Criticism
* Jesus
* Cultural Christians
* Good and evil
* Great Apostasy
* Martyrs
* Miracle
* Nominal Christian
* Persecution
* Religious views on love
* Role of Christianity in civilization
* Christianization
* Cultural Christians
* Spread
* Unlimited atonement
* Views on homosexuality

* Christianity portal
* Category

* v
* t
* e

Assyrian people

Ethno-linguistic group(s) indigenous to the Middle East; also known as Syriac-Arameans or Chaldeans

Identity|

* Assyrian continuity
* Terms for Syriac Christians

Assyrian flag

Aramean-Syriac flag

Chaldean flag

Syriac
Christianity|

| West Syriac Rite|

* Syriac Orthodox Church (518–)
* Syriac Catholic Church (1662–)
* Assyrian Evangelical Church (1870–)
* Assyrian Pentecostal Church (1940–)

|

East Syriac Rite|

* Chaldean Catholic Church (1552–)
* Assyrian Church of the East (1692–)
* Ancient Church of the East (1968–)

Neo-Aramaic
dialects|

* Sureth
* Surayt
* Bohtan
* Hertevin
* Senaya
* Barwar
* Koy Sanjaq
* Bakhdida
* Urmia
* Mlaḥsô
* Syriac script

Culture|

* Assyrian folk-pop music
* Music of Mesopotamia
* Syriac sacral music
* Folk dance
* Cuisine
* Weddings

History
(including
related
contexts)|

| Ancient Assyria|

* Early Assyrian period (2600–2025 BCE)
* Old Assyrian period (2025–1364 BCE)
* Middle Assyrian Empire (1363–912 BCE)
* Neo-Assyrian Empire (911–609 BCE)
* Post-imperial Assyria (609 BCE–240 CE)
* Ancient Mesopotamian religion
* Arameans
* Assyrian tribes

|

Classical
antiquity|

* Seleucid Empire (312–63 BCE)
* Parthian Empire (247 BCE–224 CE)
* Osroene (132 BCE–244 CE)
* Syrian Wars (66 BCE–217 CE)
* Roman Syria (64 BCE–637 CE)
* Adiabene (15–116)
* Roman Assyria (116–118)
* Christianization (1st to 3rd c.)
* Nestorian schism (5th c.)
* Church of the East (410-1552)
* Asoristan (226–651)
* Byzantine–Sasanian Wars (502–628)

Middle ages|

* Muslim conquest of Mesopotamia (630s)
* Muslim conquest of Syria (630s)
* Abbasid Caliphate (750–1258)
* Emirs of Mosul (905–1383)
* Buyid amirate (945–1055)
* Principality of Antioch (1098–1268)
* Ilkhanate (1258–1335)
* Jalayirid Sultanate (1335–1432)
* Qara Qoyunlu (1375–1468)
* Aq Qoyunlu (1453–1501)

Modern era|

* Safavid Empire (1508–55)
* Ottoman Empire (1555–1917)
* Schism of 1552 (16th c.)
* Massacres of Badr Khan (1840s)
* Massacres of Diyarbekir (1895)
* Rise of nationalism (19th c.)
* Adana massacre (1909)
* Assyrian genocide (1914–20)
* Independence movement (1919–)
* Simele massacre (1933)
* Post-Saddam Iraq (2003–)
* Genocide of Christians by ISIL (2014–)
* Qaraqosh wedding fire (2023)

By country|

| Homeland
Settlements|

* Iraq
* Nineveh Plains
* Qaraqosh
* Alqosh
* Tel Keppe
* Bartella
* Ankawa
* Shaqlawa
* Zakho
* Iran
* Urmia
* Salmas
* Sanandaj
* Syria
* Al-Hasakah Governorate
* Al-Hasakah
* Tell Tamer
* Qamishli
* Khabur
* Turkey
* Hakkari
* Diyarbakır
* Elazığ
* Mardin Province
* Mardin
* Mazıdağı
* Tur Abdin

|

Diaspora|

* Armenia
* Azerbaijan
* Australia
* Belgium
* Canada
* Finland
* France
* Georgia
* Germany
* Greece
* Israel
* Jordan
* Lebanon
* Mexico
* Netherlands
* New Zealand
* Palestine
* Russia
* Sweden
* United Kingdom
* United States
* Detroit

Politics|

* Assyrian Democratic Movement
* Athra Alliance
* Assyrian Democratic Organization
* Assyrian Universal Alliance
* Dawronoye
* Syriac Union Party (Syria)
* Syriac Union Party (Lebanon)
* Syriac Military Council
* Sutoro
* World Council of Arameans

* History portal
* Christianity portal

Authority control databases

International|

* VIAF

National|

* Germany
* Czech Republic

Other|

* Yale LUX

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[c.]: circa