Antiochian church: history, current state

At present, the world Orthodoxy includes fifteen autocephalous (independent) churches. Among them, according to the accepted in the Russian Orthodox Church diptych - the order of remembrance for the liturgy of their priests, the third place is occupied by the Antiochian Church, which is one of the oldest in the world. Her history and the problems of modern life will be the subject of our conversation.

The Legacy of the Holy Apostles

According to the legend, it was founded in 37 by the holy apostles Peter and Paul, who visited the city of Antioch, which was in the territory of ancient Syria. Today it is called Antakya and is a part of modern Turkey. It should be noted that it was in this city that the followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians. This is evidenced by the lines of the 11th chapter of the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles.

Like all Christians of the first centuries, members of the Church of Antioch immediately after its foundation were subjected to severe persecution by the Gentiles. The end was put only by the co-rulers of the Roman Empire - the emperors Constantine the Great and Licinius, in 313, by a special edict they legalized freedom of religion in all territories subject to them, including Antioch.

The first monks-ascetics and the beginning of the patriarchate

It is known that after the Church of Antioch came out of the underground, monasticism was widely spread in it, which at that time was still a religious innovation and existed only in Egypt. But, unlike the monks of the Nile Valley, their Syrian brethren led a less closed and alienated way of life. Their usual activities included missionary work and charity.

This picture changed significantly in the next century, when a whole galaxy of historical hermits entered the history of the church, practicing this kind of ascetic feat, like pandemonium. The monks, famous in this way, for a long time created a continuous prayer, choosing it as an open top of a tower, a pillar or just a high stone. The founder of this movement is the Syrian monk, canonized in the face of the Reverend, - Simeon Stylite.

The Antiochian Orthodox Church is one of the oldest Patriarchates, that is, independent local churches headed by their own patriarch. Its first presenter was the bishop Maxim, who ascended in 451 to the patriarchal throne, who remained in power for five years.

Theological disagreements that caused the split

During the V and VII centuries, the Church of Antioch experienced a period of sharp confrontation between the representatives of two opposing theological directions. One group consisted of the followers of the doctrine of the dual nature of Jesus Christ, his Divine and human essence, incarnate in Him not unified and separate. They are called dyophysites.

Their opponents, the Myafisite, held a different view. In their opinion, the nature of Jesus Christ was one, but embodied in himself both God and man. This concept was rejected and recognized as heretical at the Council of Chalcedon in 451. Despite the fact that it was backed by Emperor Justin I, who ruled in those years, supporters of the Myafisite doctrine eventually managed to unite and win over to their side the majority of the inhabitants of Syria. As a result, a parallel patriarchate was formed, which later became the Syrian Orthodox Church. She is still a miafisite, and her former opponents were part of the Greek church.

Under the rule of the Arab conquerors

In May 637, Syria was captured by the Arabs, which was a real disaster for the Greek-Orthodox communities living in it. Their situation worsened by the fact that the conquerors saw in them not only the infidels, but also the potential allies of their main enemy, Byzantium.

As a result, the Patriarchs of Antioch, beginning with Macedonia, who left the country in 638, were forced to transfer their department to Constantinople, but after the death of George in 702, the patriarchate did not stop at all. The Church of Antioch regained its presidency only forty years later, when the Caliph Hisham who ruled in those years gave permission to elect a new patriarch, but at the same time he established strict control over his loyalty.

The invasion of the Seljuk Turks and the invasion of the Crusaders

In the XI century, Antioch was subjected to a new invasion of the conquerors. This time they were the Seljuk Turks - one of the branches of Western Turks, named after its leader Seldzhuk. However, they were not destined to hold their conquests for a long time, because already in a dozen years they were knocked out by the Crusaders who appeared in these parts. Again, the Church of Antioch was forced to endure the most difficult times for it, as it fell under the rule of Catholics, who everywhere tried to establish the dominance of their confession.

To this end, they were expelled by the Patriarch John, who ruled at that time, and the Roman prelate Bernard was placed in his place. Very soon all Orthodox bishops in the territories that were under the rule of the Crusaders were replaced by Catholic hierarchs. In this regard, the Antiochian Orthodox Department once again moved to Constantinople, where it was until 1261, when the position of the European conquerors was greatly weakened.

Moving to Damascus and the Ottoman yoke

At the end of the thirteenth century, the crusaders were forced to leave their last possessions in the East, but by this time the Orthodox, still two hundred years ago half the population of Syria, were almost completely exterminated and made up only small, disparate groups. In 1342, the Patriarchal Department of the Church of Antioch was moved to Damascus. There it is located today. This is, by the way, the answer to the frequently asked question about where the Church of Antioch is today.

In 1517, Syria was captured by the Ottoman Empire, and as a result, the Patriarch of Antioch was subordinated to his Constantinopolitan brother. The reason was that Byzantium had long been under Turkish domination, and the Patriarch of Constantinople enjoyed a certain patronage of the authorities. Despite the fact that the Orthodox Church was encumbered with significant taxes, there were no significant worsening in the position of its rank-and-file members. There have also been no attempts to force them to Islamize.

The past and the present

In the modern era, the Church of Antioch enjoyed the patronage of the Russian government. It was with his support in 1899 that the Orthodox Patriarch Meletios (Dumani) took over the patriarchal throne. The tradition of choosing Arabs for this position remains to this day. Later, Nicholas I repeatedly supplied the church with cash grants.

Today, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, headed by one hundred and sixty-seventh by the patriarch John X (Yaziji), includes twenty-two dioceses, and the number of parishioners, according to various estimates, varies within two million people. As mentioned above, the patriarchal residence is located in Damascus.

Church conflict in the Middle East

In 2013, there was a conflict between the two oldest churches in the world. The reason for it was mutual disagreement over the rights to the confessional presence in Qatar. Antiochian Patriarch John X expressed dissatisfaction with his Jerusalem colleague about his claims to the diocese in this Middle Eastern emirate. He received the answer in a form that does not tolerate objections. Since then, the conflict between the Jerusalem and Antiochian churches has become so intransigent that even the Eucharistic (liturgical) communion was interrupted between them.

Such a situation, of course, damages the integrity and unity of the entire world Orthodoxy. In this regard, the leadership of the Moscow Patriarchate has repeatedly expressed the hope that the Antiochian and Jerusalem churches will be able to overcome differences and find an acceptable solution.

Refusal to participate in the Ecumenical Council

This year, from June 18 to 26, the All-Orthodox (Ecumenical) Cathedral was held in Crete . However, it took place without four autocephalous local churches, for various reasons, rejected the invitation to participate. Among them was the Church of Antioch. The All-Orthodox Council was prepared in the atmosphere of heated discussions on many issues that caused disagreement among its potential participants.

But as a result of the long and multifaceted work carried out by representatives of churches, it was not possible to reach an agreement on most of the most important issues. This, in particular, is the reason for the refusal of the Church of Antioch from the cathedral. It was explained in the statement of the representative of their Synodal Department, which was heard in May this year. A similar decision was made by the leadership of the Bulgarian, Georgian and Russian Orthodox churches.