The
Church of Antioch (Arabic,
كنيسة أنطاكية) is one of the five Christian churches that composed the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the
East-West SchismThe East–West Schism, or The Great Schism, divided medieval Christianity into Eastern and Western branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical...
.
The Church traces its origins to the Christian community founded in
AntiochAntioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River...
by the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. It later became one of the five major patriarchates of early Christianity.
In the Bible, according to , the Christian community at Antioch began when Christians who were scattered from Judea because of persecution fled to Antioch.
Discussion
Ask a question about 'Church of Antioch' Start a new discussion about 'Church of Antioch' Answer questions from other users |
The
Church of Antioch (Arabic,
كنيسة أنطاكية) is one of the five Christian churches that composed the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the
East-West SchismThe East–West Schism, or The Great Schism, divided medieval Christianity into Eastern and Western branches, which later became known as the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, respectively. Relations between East and West had long been embittered by political and ecclesiastical...
.
History
The Church traces its origins to the Christian community founded in
AntiochAntioch on the Orontes was an ancient city on the eastern side of the Orontes River...
by the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul. It later became one of the five major patriarchates of early Christianity.
In the Bible, according to , the Christian community at Antioch began when Christians who were scattered from Judea because of persecution fled to Antioch. They were joined by Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene who migrated to Antioch. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first referred to as Christians.
The seat of the patriarchate was formerly Antioch, in what is now
TurkeyTurkey , known officially as the Republic of Turkey
, is a Eurasian country that stretches across the Anatolian peninsula in Western Asia and Thrace in the Balkan region of southeastern Europe...
. However, in the 15th century, it was moved to Syria in response to the Ottoman invasion.
Modern Branches of the Church of Antioch
The patriarchate of Antioch is claimed by at least five major Eastern Christian churches, three of which- the Melkite, Syriac, and Maronite Catholic churches- are in communion with the
Catholic ChurchThe Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church. With more than a billion members, over half of all Christians and more than one-sixth of the world's population, the Catholic Church is a communion of the Western, or Latin Rite Church, and...
and thus recognize each other's claims. The Antiochian Orthodox Church belongs to the
Eastern Orthodox ChurchThe Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number 225 million members...
and the Syriac Orthodox Church is a member of the
Oriental Orthodox CommunionOriental Orthodoxy is the communion of Eastern Christian Churches that recognize only three ecumenical councils — the First Council of Nicaea, the First Council of Constantinople and the Council of Ephesus. They rejected the dogmatic definitions of the Council of Chalcedon...
.
The five branches are:
- the Antiochian Orthodox Church
The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, the Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, Antiochian Orthodox Church, and the Orthodox Church of Antioch,, according to the Eastern Orthodox Church is one of the five churches that...
- the Syriac Orthodox Church
The Syriac Orthodox Church is an autocephalous Oriental Orthodox church based in the Middle East, with members spread throughout the world. It parted ways with Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism over the Council of Chalcedon in 451, which the Syriac Orthodox Church rejects. It is a major...
- the Melkite Greek Catholic Church
style="float: right;"|- |The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is an Eastern Catholic sui juris particular Church in full union with the Roman Catholic Church. The church's origins lie in the Near East, but, today, Melkite Catholics are spread throughout the world. At present there is a worldwide...
- the Syriac Catholic Church
The Syriac Catholic Church, or Syrian Catholic Church, is a Christian church in the Levant having practices and rites in common with the Syriac Orthodox Church. They are one of the Eastern Catholic Churches following the Antiochene rite, the Syriac tradition of Antioch, along with the Maronites and...
- the Maronite Catholic Church
The Roman Catholic Church also claimed the patriarchate and appointed titular Latin rite patriarchs for many centuries until it renounced those claims in 1964.