The 'Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East'
[1] (Syriac: ܥܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܘܫܠܝܚܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ) under His Holiness
Mar Dinkha IV is a
Christian church that traces its origins to the
See of
Seleucia-Ctesiphon, said to be founded by
Saint Thomas the Apostle as well as
Saint Mari and
Addai as evidenced in the Doctrine of Addai. This church is sometimes referred to as the "
Nestorian church."
It is sometimes mistakenly called the 'Assyrian Orthodox Church', and is also mistakenly thought to be an
Oriental Orthodox body. The usage of the term "Orthodox" is not to be found in the service books of the church nor is it in any official correspondence but a late and confusing usage of a term that belongs to
Eastern Orthodox and
Oriental Orthodox churches. The term "correct faith" or "correct doctrine" in
Syriac is not to be found in any nomenclature of the body either. In
Syriac transliterated that would be "trisa subHa". In
India, it is known as the '
Chaldean Syrian Church'. In the
West it is often known as the '
Nestorian Church' although the Church of the East takes issues with the term and regards it as pejorative.
Pope John Paul II proclaimed it as the '“Martyrs’ Church”' with reference to the important place that persecution has in the history of the church and the honor accorded to famous martyrs. The church declares that no other church has suffered as many martyrdoms as the Assyrian Church of the East.
The Assyrian Church is the original Christian church in what was once
Parthia; eastern
Iraq and
Iran. Geographically it stretched in the
medieval period to
China and India: a monument found in
Xi'an (Hsi-an), the
Tang-period capital of China (originally
Chang'an), in
Chinese and
Syriac described the activities of the church in the
7th and
8th century, while half a
millennium later a Chinese
monk went from
Beijing to
Paris and
Rome to call for an alliance with the
Mongols against the
Mamelukes. Prior to the
Portuguese arrival in India in
1498, it provided "'East Syrian'" bishops to the
Saint Thomas Christians. Patriarch
Timothy I (
727–
823) wrote of the large Christian community in Tibet.
The founders of Assyrian theology are
Diodorus of Tarsus and
Theodore of Mopsuestia, who taught at
Antioch. The normative
Christology of the Assyrian church was written by
Babai the Great (
551–
628) and is clearly different from the accusations of
dualism directed toward
Nestorius: his main christological work is strikingly called the '
Book of the Union', and in it Babai teaches that the two ''qnome'' (
essences) are unmingled but everlastingly united in the one ''parsopa'' (
personality) of
Christ.
Early history
''For a fuller account see
History of the Church of the East in Asia''
Consolidation of the Church
Christian communities existed in the regions of
Assyria,
Babylonia, and
Persia as early as the
second century. A
council is known to have been held at
Seleucia-Ctesiphon about
325 to deal with jurisdictional conflicts among the leading bishops. At a subsequent
Council of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in
410 the Christian communities of
Mesopotamia renounced all subjection to Antioch and the "Western" bishops and the Bishop of
Seleucia-Ctesiphon assumed the rank of
Catholicos.
★ J.-M. Fiey, ''Jalons pour une histoire de l'eglise en Iraq'', (Louvain: Secretariat du CSCO, 1970).
★ M.-L. Chaumont, ''La Christianisation de l'empire Iranien'', (Louvain: Peeters, 1988).
Schism with the Catholic/Orthodox Church
The Assyrian Church was split from the
Catholic/
Orthodox Church (the undivided Church of the East and West prior to the Great Schism of 1054) as a result of the
Nestorian schism in
431, but the theology of the Assyrian church cannot be defined as
Nestorianism. Nestorius, a
pupil of Theodore of Mopsuestia and
bishop of
Constantinople, was condemned because he refused to call the
Virgin Mary '
mother of God' ("Theotokos" in Greek). He would only call her 'mother of Christ' ("Christotokos" in Greek). His opponent
Cyril of Alexandria accused him of dividing Christ into two
persons, which he clearly denied. The affair was complicated by the unclear arguments of Cyril, which soon after provoked the
Monophysite schism.
Cyril of
Alexandria worked hard to remove Nestorius and his supporters and followers from power. But in the Syriac-speaking world Theodore of Mopsuestia was held in very high esteem, and the condemnation of his pupil Nestorius was not received well. His followers were given refuge. The
Persian kings, who were at constant war with the Roman Empire, saw the opportunity to assure the loyalty of their Christian subjects and supported the Nestorian schism:
★ They granted protection to Nestorians (
462).
★ They executed the pro-Roman Catholicos
Babowai who was then replaced by the Nestorian Bishop of
Nisibis Bar Sauma (
484).
★ They allowed the transfer of the school of
Edessa to the Persian city Nisibis when the Roman emperor closed it for its Nestorian tendencies (
489).
Subsequent history
At the time of the arrival of the Nestorian refugees from Edessa, the prelate was
Babaeus or
Babowai (sometimes also called 'Babai', not to be confused with 'Babai the Great') (
457–
484), who appears to have received them with open arms. But
Bar Sauma, having become Bishop of Nisibis, the nearest important city to Edessa, broke with the weak Catholicos, whom he had deposed at the
Synod of Beth Lapat in April,
484. In the same year Babowai was accused before the king of conspiring with Constantinople and cruelly put to death.
At the synod of Beth Lapat, it was also decided that monks and all church dignitaries should marry.
This led to
apostasy and a weakening of spiritual life, and already by
544 some of the reforms had been reverted. The counter reforms reached their zenith in
571 when
Abraham the Great of Kashkar founded a new
monastery on
Mt. Izla above Nisibis to revive the strict monastic movement, and
Henana of Adiabene became head of the school of Nisibis. Henana then broke with the Antiochene tradition of Theodore and openly followed the teaching of
Origen. Attempts by the Bishops to censor and condemn Henana failed because of his protection by the royal court and he remained head of the school, even though almost all the students left.
The wars of
610–
628 between the Persian and Byzantine empires weakened the political standing of the Assyrian church and several sees and villages were lost to the Monophysites. The Assyrian church was not allowed to choose a new Catholicos, and its theological tradition was undermined by Henana.
Babai the Great together with
Archdeacon Mar Aba administered the church without the authority vested in the position of the Catholicos. But in his official position as 'visitor of the monasteries of the north' Babai had the authority to investigate the
orthodoxy of the monks and monasteries of northern Mesopotamia and to enforce discipline. In particular, he drove out married monks.
Babai the Great and his co-religionists worked hard to defend the legacy of Theodore: rival schools were set up in Nisibis and Balad, and the monastery of Mar Abraham, headed by Babai, took in a number of students from the school of Nisibis. Babai himself wrote a great number of commentaries and
hagiographies to defeat the Monophysites and the Origenist Henana, and developed the only systematic Assyrian Christology. He taught that the two ''qnome'' (essence) are unmingled but everlastingly united in the one ''parsopa'' (personality) of Christ.
The defenders were successful: at the
episcopal gathering of
612 the teachings of Theodore were
canonized. Soon Babai's writings and Christology became normative, and the writings of Henana were doomed to oblivion. Assyrian monasticism was purged and gathered momentum. The church proved to be well organized during the
Arab conquest that followed the
Byzantine-Persian Wars, and flourished for many centuries after.
Southern expansion
Assyrian Christians reached
India at an early date, either overland or via
Christians in the Persian Gulf. There they are popularly known as
Saint Thomas Christians. Bishops from the ''Church of the East'' were sent from Mesopotamia to India until the
Sixteenth Century, but ecclesio-political considerations related to
Portuguese missions meant that for the next few centuries bishops for India were ordained only with authorization from Rome, or from the
Chaldean Catholic Church (a
particular church in communion with Rome). Those who sought independent ecclesiastical organization looked mainly to the
Syrian Orthodox Church. During the
Nineteenth Century, Christians in
Trichur again sought the ordination of a native bishop under authority of the Church of the East. This resulted in the organization of the
Chaldean Syrian Church as a part of the Church of the East. The present Metropolitan of India is Mar Aprem.
Eastern expansion
The Assyrian Church was the first Christian tradition to reach China (in
635), reaching
Mongolia at about the same time, and its relics can still be seen in Chinese cities such as
Xi'an (
Sai-an Fu), at that time the capital of China. An
inscribed stone, set up in February,
781 at
Chou-Chih (
Pinyin, "
Zhouzhi"), fifty miles to the south-west, describes the introduction of Christianity into China from Persia in the reign of
Tang Taizong; see the entry for
Nestorian Stele. However when
Tang Wu Zong decided to suppress all foreign
religions; Christianity largely ceased to exist in China. The church appears to have survived for a time, however, among the
Uyghur, and had a substantial revival under the
Mongols of the
Yuan Dynasty. Numerous gravestones written in
Syriac survive from this time period in what is today
Kyrgyzstan. A native of China was elected Patriarch as
Yaballaha III in
1281, and his colleague
Rabban Bar Sauma journeyed as far west as
Gascony. A
fourteenth-century monument in the remains of the Monastery of the Cross at Zhoukoudian in the
Fangshan District near Beijing can still be seen. In
2003, it was discovered that a single church body of the Assyrian Church still existed in China, cut off from any contact with its
Patriarch for centuries; see possibly Phoenixtv.com, title, date of article.
Recent historical research indicates the presence of Christianity in
Tibetan controlled lands as early as the sixth and seventh centuries. A strong presence existed by the eighth century when Patriarch Timothy I (727–823) in 782 called the Tibetans one of the more significant communities of the Church of the East and wrote of the need to appoint another bishop in ca.794.
★ Erica Hunter, "The Church of the East in Central Asia," ''Bulletin of the John Rylands University Library of Manchester'', 78, no.3 (1996), 129-142.
★ W. Klein, ''Das Nestorianische Christentum an den Handelswegen durch Kyrgyzstan'', Silk Road Studies 3 (Turnhout: Brepols, 2000).
★ A. C. Moule, ''Christians in China before the year 1550'', (London: SPCK, 1930).
★
P. Y. Saeki, ''Nestorian Documents and Relics in China'', 2nd ed., (Tokyo: Maruzen, 1951).
★
Article on the 14th Century monument at Zhoukoudian in China
Modern times
In the
15th century, the church decreed that the title of Patriarch could pass only to relatives of then-patriarch
Mar Shimun IV. This upset many in the church's hierarchy, and in
1552 a rival Patriarch,
Mar Yohanan Soulaqa VIII was elected. This rival Patriarch met with the
Pope and entered into communion with the
Roman Catholic Church. The Assyrian Church now had two rival leaders, a hereditary patriarch in
Alqosh (in modern-day northern
Iraq), and a Papal-appointed patriarch in
Diyarbakır (in modern-day eastern
Turkey). This situation lasted until
1662 when the Patriarch in Diyarbakır,
Mar Shimun XIII Denha, broke communion with Rome, resumed relations with the line at Alqosh, and moved his seat to the village of
Qochanis in the Turkish mountains. The
Vatican responded by appointing a new patriarch to Diyarbakır to govern the Assyrians who stayed loyal to the
Holy See. This latter group became known as the
Chaldean Catholic Church. In
1804 the hereditary line of Patriarchs in Alqosh died out, and that church's hierarchy decided to accept the authority of the Chaldean patriarchs. The line of patriarchs at
Qochanis remained independent.
Assyrians faced reprisals under the
Hashemite monarchy for co-operating with the
British during the years after
World War I, and most fled to the West. The Patriarch
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII, though born into the line of Patriarchs at Qochanis, was educated in Britain. For a time he sought a homeland for the Assyrians in
Iraq but was forced to take refuge in
Cyprus in
1933, later moving to
Chicago, Illinois, and finally settling near
San Francisco, California. The present Patriarch of Babylon is based in
Chicago, and less than 1 million of the world's 4.5 million Assyrians remain in Iraq.
The Chaldean community was less numerous at the time of the
British Mandate of Palestine, and did not play a major role in the British rule of the country. However with the
exodus of Church of the East members, the Chaldean Catholic Church became the largest non-
Muslim group in Iraq, and some later rose to power in the
Ba'ath Party government, the most prominent being
Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz.
In
1964, the issue of hereditary succession again caused a schism, with the subsequent election of
Mar Thoma Darmo as a rival to the hereditary
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII. Shortly thereafter the patriarch became convinced that nothing in the
canon law of the Church of the East prohibited the patriarch from
marrying.He therefore married in
August 1973.Mar Shimun announced his resignation in
1973, but was asked to stay in office.
He was later allowed to continue in office, but was assassinated in
1975 while negotiations were being carried out over the conditions of his reinstatement.
Mar Dinkha IV was elected as Shimun's successor, and announced the permanent end of the hereditary succession. While this removes the underlying dispute, the rift between the rival Patriarchs still exists, with
Mar Addai as the successor to Mar Thomas Darmo at the head of a group called the
Ancient Church of the East.
On
November 11,
1994, an historic meeting of Mar Dinkha IV and
Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II took place in the Vatican and a ''Common Christological Declaration'' was signed. One side effect of this meeting was that the Assyrian Church's relationship to the Chaldean Catholic Church was improved.
In September 2006, Mar Dinkha IV paid a historic visit to Northern Iraq to give oversight to the churches there and to encourage the governor of the Kurdish region to open a Christian school as well as a library in Arbil.
★ Mar Aprem Mooken, ''The Assyrian Church of the East in the Twentieth Century''. Mōrān ’Eth’ō, 18. (Kottayam: St. Ephrem Ecumenical Research Institute, 2003).
Liturgy
The most common eucharistic liturgy of the Church of the East is the
Liturgy of Addai and Mari. This rite is well known to liturgical scholars because it lacks the words of institution used by Jesus at the
Last Supper ("This is my body"..."This is [the cup of] my blood"). For that reason many (especially Roman Catholics) considered this liturgy as invalid. However, in 2001, after a study of this issue, the
Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity and the
Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (Cardinal
Ratzinger, now
Benedict XVI, then being prefect) declared that this was a valid liturgy and that Roman Catholics in Iraq could receive the
Eucharist in an Assyrian Church if unable to attend their own churches. This declaration was approved by Pope
John Paul II.
Sacraments
Priesthood
The Priesthood is the ministry of mediation between God and man in those things which impart forgiveness of sins, convey blessings and put away wrath. This is the priesthood of Christ in which the priests of the Church share.
Baptism
Baptism is the immersion in and the washing with water and this is divided into five kinds.
Oil of Unction
The
Oil of Unction is an apostolical tradition, originating from the oil consecrated by the Apostles.
Oblation (Qorbana)
The oblation is a service offered up by those below to those above, through material elements, in hope of the forgiveness of sins and of an answer to prayer. A meal of leavened bread and non-alchoholic wine. These are considered the literal body and blood of Christ, and purifies the spirit and soul.
Absolution
The Holy Eucharist, communion, mass, or Liturgy is the heart and essence of the Christian faith and worship. Correct preparation for it is essential. The priesthood of Melchizedek, among whom Jesus has been designated Highpriest, is a priesthood of spiritual physicians who treat sin as an ailment needing medical attention. in this sense absolution or curing people of their sins in order to present them blameless before God is the central work of this priesthood.
Holy Leaven (Melka)
The holy and blessed Apostles, Thomas and Bartholomew of the Twelve, and Adai and Man of the Seventy, who discipled the East, committed to all the Churches in the East the Holy Leaven Melchizedek used for both bread & wine. The tradition remains in the west only in the form of keeping the eucharitic hosts together. It might be related to the Jewish tradition of keeping some Challah dough to make the next Challah.
Sign of the Cross
This is also a special sacrament exclusive to this church. This replaces the western sacrament of marriage, which is not counted as a sacrament in this Church.
Structure
The patriarch is head of the church, and under him there are three
archdioceses in the Assyrian Church: one for
Lebanon,
Syria, and
Europe, another for
India, and the last serves
Iraq and
Russia. Individual
dioceses exist in the eastern
USA (including
Chicago), western USA,
California,
Canada,
Syria,
Iran,
Europe, and one for both
Australia and
New Zealand. Several
congregations exist in
Georgia, India, Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and Syria. A single
parish exists in the
People's Republic of China, whose existence stretches back to antiquity, and another in Moscow. The present Patriarch, Mar Dinkha IV, has his headquarters (along with four other houses of worship) in
Chicago,
Illinois,
USA.
Archdiocese of Lebanon, Syria & Europe
Metropolitan
Mar Narsai D'Baz
★ Syria -
Mar Aprem Natniel
★ Europe -
Mar Odisho Oraham
Archdiocese of India
Metropolitan
Mar Aprem Mooken
Archdiocese Iraq & Russia
Metropolitan
Mar Gewargis Sliwa
★ Baghdad - Bishop
Mar Sargis Yousip
★ Nohadra and Russia - Bishop
Mar Iskhaq Yousip
Individual dioceses
★ Australia & New Zealand - Bishop
Mar Meelis Zaia
★ Canada - Bishop
Mar Emmanuel
★ Eastern USA
★ Iran - Currently overseen by the Patriarch
Mar Dinkha IV
★ Western California - Currently overseen by Bishop
Mar Odisho Oraham
★ Western USA -
Mar Aprim Khamis
Iraqi Christian Martyrs
★ Fr.
Ragheed Aziz Ganni with subdeacons Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid Hanna Isho, and Gassan Isam Bidawed, 3 June 2007, Mosul, Iraq.
See also
★
Nestorian Assyrians
★
East Syrian Rite
★
Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East
★
List of Christian denominations
★
List of Patriarchs of Babylon
★
Matran Family of Shamizdin
★
Christianity in Nochiya
★
Nestorianism in China
★ Christoph Baumer, ''The Church of the East, an Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity'' (London and New York: I. B. Tauris, 2006).
External links
★
Assyrian Church of the East
★
Assyrian Church of the East - St. Paul's Parish (Orange County, CA)
★
Official Website of the Assyrian Church of the East
★
Diocese of Australia and New Zealand
★
Diocese of Europe
★
Article on the Assyrian Church of the East – from the Catholic Near East Welfare Association
★
An Unofficial Website on the Church of the East – An informational site written by an amateur church historian
★
Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East – Commission on Inter-Church Relations and Education Development: ''Is the theology of the Church of the East Nestorian?''
★
Website of the Moscow parish of the Assyrian Church of the East
★
Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East from Vatican.va
★
Guidelines for Chaldean Catholics receiving the Eucharist in Assyrian Churches
References
1. An Introduction to the Christian Orthodox Churches, By John Binns, page 28 [1]
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