Maronite Church

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Maronites الموارنة ܡܪܘܢܝܐ
Maronite villagers building a church in Mount Lebanon, 1920s.
Total population
3,106,000 million [1]
Founder
Disciples of Saint Maroun
Regions with significant populations
Lebanon 1,413,652 [1]  Brazil 500,000 [2]  Argentina 500,000 [3]  Mexico 150,000 [4]  Australia 92,000 [5]  Canada 80,000 [5]  United States 75,000 [5]  Syria 50,000 [4][6]  Israel 6,700 [7]  Cyprus 5,000 [8]
Religions
Christianity
Scriptures
Bible
Languages
Vernacular: Lebanese Arabic, Cypriot Maronite Arabic Liturgical: Syriac

Maronites Lebanese Mawarnai (Arabic: الموارنة‎, Lebanese: Marune, Syriac: ܡܪܘܢܝܐ, Latin: Ecclesia Maronitarum) are members of one of the Lebanese or Syriac Eastern Catholic Churches, with a heritage reaching back to Maron the Syriac Monk in the early 5th century. The first Maronite patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th century. Although reduced in numbers today, Maronites remain one of the principal ethno-religious groups in Lebanon and they continue to represent the absolute majority of Lebanese people when the Lebanese diaspora is included.

Before the conquest by Arabian Muslims reached Lebanon, both those Lebanese who would become Muslim and the majority which would remain Christian, the Lebanese people(Syriacs/Arameans), including Maronites, spoke a dialect of Aramaic.^[9][10][11] Syriac (Christian Aramaic) still remains the liturgical language of the Maronite Church.^[12]

[edit] History

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St Maron (died sometime between 406 and 423), founder of the Maronite spiritual movement. Since the 17th century, his feast day has been celebrated on 9 February.

It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus Christ were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). Antioch, especially after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70, became a center for Christianity. According to Catholic tradition, the first Bishop was Saint Peter before his travels to Rome. The third Bishop was the Apostolic Father Ignatius of Antioch. Antioch became one of the five original Patriarchates (the Pentarchy) after Constantine recognized Christianity.

St. Maron, a contemporary and friend of St. John Chrysostom, was a monk in the fourth century who left Antioch for the Orontes River to lead an ascetic life, following the traditions of Anthony the Great of the Desert and Pachomius. Many of his followers also lived a monastic lifestyle. Following the death of Maron in 410, his disciples built a monastery in his memory and formed the nucleus of the Maronite Church.

The Maronites held fast to the beliefs of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. When 350 monks were slain by the Monophysites of Antioch, the Maronites sought refuge in the mountains of Lebanon. Correspondence concerning the event brought papal and orthodox recognition of the Maronites which was solidified by Pope Hormisdas on February 10, 518.

The martyrdom of the Patriarch of Antioch in 602 left the Maronites without a leader, a situation which continued because of the final and most devastating war between the Byzantine and Persian Empires of the early 7th century. The chaos and utter depression which followed led the Maronites to elect their first Maronite Patriarch, John Maroun, in 687. This however was seen as a usurpation by the Orthodox church. Thus, at a time when Islam was rising on the borders of the Byzantine Empire and a united front was necessary to keep out the Islamic infiltration, the Maronites were focused on a struggle to retain their independence against Roman imperial power. This situation was mirrored in other Christian communities in the Byzantine Empire and helped facilitate the Muslim conquest of the most of Eastern Christendom by the end of the century.

Part of a series of articles on the Maronites Maronite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East Current primacy Patriarch Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeïr Headquarters originally from Antioch moved to Bkerké (Mount-Lebanon) Liturgical Languages Syriac · Arabic The Maronites Saints St. Maroun Saint Charbel · Saint Rafqa St. Nimatulah Hardini History · Political movements History of Phoenicians Byzantine Empire · Crusades Lebanese Maronite Order History of Lebanon · Lebanese diaspora Lebanese politics v • d • e

Now under Arabic rule after the Muslim conquest of Syria, the Maronites' relationship with the Byzantine Empire improved. The imperial court, seeing its earlier mistake, saw an advantage in the current situation. Thus, Byzantine Emperor Constantine IV provided direct ecclesiastical, political and military support to the Maronites. The new alliance soon coordinated devastating raids on Muslim forces, providing a welcome relief to the besieged Christians throughout the East. Some of the Maronites relocated to Mount Lebanon at this time and formed several communities that became known as the Marada. That is from the view of Patriarch Doueihi, a renowned patriarch and historian. Another view is of Ibn al-Qilaii, a Maronite scholar from the 16th century who proposed that Maronites fled Muslim persecutions of the Umayyads, late 9th century.

The most widely accepted theory stipulates that the Maronites fled Jacobite monophysite persecution, because of Monothelite heresy as advanced by Sergius of Tyr a scholar of the 10th century. It is most probable because nearly all the sects became Monothelite after that Patriarch Sergius I of Constantinople introduced it. The Maronite migration to the mountains was over a long period. But a main migration must had occurred around the 7th century.

In about 1017 a new Muslim sect emerged calling themselves the Druze, at this time the Maronites were oppressed. having to wear Black robes and black turbans so to be easily identified and they were forbidden to ride horses.

It was late in the 10th century when the Crusaders made their way to the lands of the Levant to overthrow Islam, on their way passing through Lebanon where they came across the Maronites. The Maronites had been largely cut off from the rest of the Christian world resulting in part from a blockade that was said to have lasted for around 400 years. Rome, in fact, had been unaware that the Maronites were still in existence. The crusaders and Maronites established ties and from this point forward would provide each other with mutual assistance.

Maronite monk and pilgrims, Mount Lebanon.

Since 637 the Maronites have been isolated from Christians of the Byzantine Empire and Western Europe. In turn, they have appointed their own Patriarch, starting with John Maron, who had been a bishop of Batroun, Mount Lebanon. Through him, the Maronites of today claim full apostolic succession through the See of Antioch. Nonetheless, controversy surrounds this claim as some Maronites have been accused of having fully adopted the Monothelite heresy. This led to a number of civil wars (ex: 1282 and 1499).

In 694 the army of Justinian II attacked the Maronites and in between 300 and 500 monks executed.

Following the conquest of Eastern Christendom outside of Anatolia and Europe by the Muslims, and the establishment of secured lines of control between Islamic Caliphs and Byzantine Emperors, little was heard from the Maronites for 400 years. Secure in their mountain strongholds, It was not until the Crusader Raymond of Toulouse on his way to conquer Jerusalem in the Great Crusade that the Maronites were re-discovered in the mountains near Tripoli, Lebanon. Raymond later returned to besiege Tripoli after his conquest of Jerusalem and relations between the Maronites and European Christianity were re-established.

During the Crusades in the 12th century, Maronites assisted the Crusaders and affirmed their affiliation with the Holy See in Rome in 1182. Consequently, at least from this point onwards, the Maronites have upheld an unbroken ecclesiastical orthodoxy and unity with the Catholic Church. To commemorate their communion, in 1100 Maronite Patriarch Youseff Al Jirjisi received the crown and staff marking his patriarchal authority, from Pope Paschal II. In 1131 Maronite Patriarch Gregorious Al Halati received letters from Pope Innocent II in which the Papacy recognized the independence of the Patriarchate.

It was in the 16 century when western Religious groups started settling in Lebanon. The migration began in 1626 with the migration was the Capuchins, then followed by the Jesuits. The groups moving at this time did this in order to serve the Lebanese, they opened schools for the maronite people till there was a School next to each church, Tis made it possible for the maronite people to acquire a good eduction. The Maronites where on the forefront of the cultural Renaissance in the Middle east.

Maronite nun from Mount Lebanon, painting from 1779.

However, connection to Rome was arduously maintained and through diplomatic threats and maneuvering, European Christian powers helped keep the Maronite community from destruction. Eventually, a Maronite College was established at Rome on July 5, 1584. From this college, the Maronite community obtained some valuable assistance in maintaining and buttressing their Christian identity. In 1610, the Maronite monks of the Monastery of Saint Anthony of Qozhaya imported one of the first printing presses in what is known as the Arabic-speaking world, however that press was printing in the Syriac language and not Arabic. The monasteries of Lebanon would later become key players in the Arabic Renaissance of the late 19th century as a result of developing Arabic, as well as Syriac, printable script.

Following the defeat of the Mamelukes by the Ottoman Empire, and to reward their new Druze ally who fought with them in the battle of Marj Dabek (1516), the Ottomans rewarded Prince Fakher el Din al Maani the First, with the Principality of Lebanon, where he will establish a Druze-Maronite alliance lasting for hundreds of years and resulting in the establishment of a prosperous principality which would be the base of the Modern Lebanese Republic.

The Maronites were partners in governing the new Principality, often the post of Moudabbir (roughly Prime Minister) and the post of Army Commander were given to a Maronite, usually a Khazen or a Hobeich of Kesserwan. During the rule of the Principality (1516-1840) the Maronites started emigrating back from Northern Mount Lebanon to Southern Mount Lebanon where they lived before they were almost exterminated by the Mamelukes in 1307 due to their alliance with the Crusaders. Thus repopulating the Historics Kesserwan and all the Druze mountain. It was this love and affection between the Maronites and Druze that helped establish the Lebanese identity.

On july 15th 1584 a maronite college was established in Rome. Pope Gregory hosted the grand opening. The Maronite college satisfyed the community.

Fakhr-al-din II who was said to have been brought up by a maronite family. Fought for lebanese independents for over 50 years. In the midd 16th century the porte launched an attack on Lebanon. Fakhr's army was made up of 25,000, mixed Maronites and Druze. Facing 80,0000 porte troops whom attacked from ground and sea. Fakhr and three of his son's were captured and executed in Constaintinople on the 13 day of April 1635

In 1638, France declared that it would protect the Catholics within the Ottoman Empire, including the Maronites.

1856 the maronites uprising took place against the governor*(Dawood pasha). Youseff karam was the son of Sheikh Boutros Karam, at that time Sheikh was lord of Ehden its surrounding district.

In 1997 Pope of the Catholic Church, John Paul II visited Lebanon to give

hope to Lebanese Catholics. He said, "Lebanon is more than a country,
it is a message.

[edit] Organization

This section does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2009)

The Peshitta is the standard Syriac Bible, used by the Maronite Church, amongst others. The illustration is of the Peshitta text of Exodus 13:14-16 produced in Amida in the year 464.

The head of the Maronite Church is the Maronite Patriarch of Antioch, who is elected by the bishops of the Maronite church and now resides in Bkerké, close to Jounieh, north of Beirut (the Maronite Patriarch resides in the northern town of Dimane during the summer months). The current Patriarch (since 1986) is Mar Nasrallah Cardinal Boutros Sfeir. When a new patriarch is elected and enthroned, he requests ecclesiastic communion from the Pope, thus maintaining their communion with the Catholic Church. As an Eastern patriarch, if he chooses to join the College of Cardinals, the patriarch is enrolled in the order of Cardinal Bishops, and does not receive a suburbicarian see, since he is a head of a sui iuris Church.

Maronites share the same doctrine as other Catholics, but they retain their own liturgy, theology, spirituality, discipline and hierarchy. Strictly speaking, the Maronite church belongs to the Antiochene Tradition and is a West Syro-Antiochene Rite. Syriac is the liturgical language, instead of Latin which is a tradition of the Roman Church. Nevertheless, they are considered, along with the Syro-Malabar Church, to be among the most Latinised of the Eastern Catholic Churches.

Cardinal Sfeir's personal commitment accelerated liturgical reforms in the 1980s and 1990s, bearing fruit in 1992 with the publication of a new Maronite Missal. This represents an attempt to return to the original form of the Antiochene Liturgy, removing the liturgical latinisation of past centuries. The Service of the Word has been described as far more enriched than in previous Missals, and it features six Anaphoras (Eucharistic Prayers).

Celibacy is not required for deacons and priests with parishes (though they may not re-marry after the death of a spouse); monks must remain celibate, as well as bishops who are normally selected from the monasteries. Due to a long-term understanding with their Latin counterparts in North America, Maronite priests in that area are expected to remain celibate. The bishops who serve as eparchs and archeparchs of the eparchies and archeparchies (the equivalent of diocese and archdiocese in the Roman Catholic Church) are answerable to the patriarch.

[edit] Population

The exact worldwide Maronite population is not known, although it is at least 3 million according to CNEWA (Catholic Near East Welfare Association).^[13] It is estimated that 1,300,000 to 1,500,000 remain in Lebanon where they constitute up to 30% of the population. According to a Lebanese agreement celebrated among the various religious leaders, the president must be a Maronite. Syrian Maronites total 40,000 and they follow the archdioceses of Aleppo and Damascus and the Diocese of Latakia. There is also a Maronite community in Cyprus which speaks Cypriot Maronite Arabic.^[14] They are a recognized religious minority on the island and the community elects a representative to sit in the house of representatives (parliament) to voice their interests. They are descended of those Maronites who accompanied the crusaders there, although more recent Lebanese and Palestinian Christian immigrants are often included as part of the community. A noticeable Maronite community also exists in northern Israel.

Maronite Patriarch and bishops in Rome, 1906.

The two residing eparchies in the United States have issued their own "Maronite Census". The Census is designed to estimate approximately how many Maronites reside in the United States due to their emigrations to that country. Many Maronites have been assimilated into American culture, often taking on Roman Catholicism as there were no Maronite parishes or priests available. The Census was designed to locate those people. There is also an eparchy in São Paulo, Brazil.

Modern Maronites often adopt French or other Western European given names (with biblical origins) for their children like Michel, Marc, Marie, Georges, Carole, Charles, Chris, Antoine and Pierre.

Given names of Arabic origins identical with those of their Muslim neighbors are also common, such as Khalil, Samir, Salim, Jameel, or Tawfik. Other common names are strictly Christian and are Aramaic, or Arabic, forms of biblical, Hebrew, or Greek Christian names, such as Antun (Anthony or Antonios), Butros (Peter), Boulos (Paul), Rami, Semaan or Shamaoun (Simon), Jergyes (George), Elie (Ilyas or Elias), Iskander (Alexander) and Beshara (literally Good News in reference to the Gospel). Other common names are Sarkis (Sergius) and Bakhos (Bacchus), while others are common both among Christians and Muslims, such as Yousseff (Joseph) or Ibrahim (Abraham).

Some Maronite Christians are named in honour of Maronite saints, including the Aramaic names Maroun (after their patron saint, Maron), Nimtullah, Charbel and Rafqa.

[edit] See also

Part of a series on the Eastern Catholics
Churches
Syro-Malabar Church
Chaldean Church
Coptic Church
Ethiopian Church
Maronite Church
Syriac Church
Syro-Malankara Church
Armenian Church
Albanian Greek Church
Belarusian Greek Church
Bulgarian Greek Church
Croatian Greek Church
Greek Byzantine Church
Hungarian Greek Church
Italo-Albanian Church
Macedonian Greek Church
Melkite Greek Church
Romanian-Greek Church
Russian Byzantine Church
Ruthenian Church
Slovak Greek Church
Ukrainian Greek Church
Catholicism Portal    v • d • e

• Saint George: Devotions, traditions and prayers
• List of Maronites
• Maron
• Cypriot Maronite Arabic
• Lebanese Christian Nationalism: The Rise and Fall of an Ethnic Resistance
• Assyrians
• Syriacs

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

• Kamal Salibi - A House of Many Mansions - The History of Lebanon Reconsidered (University of California Press, 1990).
• Maronite Church. New Catholic Encyclopedia, Second Edition, 2003.
• Riley-Smith, Johnathan - The Oxford Illustrated History of the Crusades (Oxford University Press, Oxford, 1995)

[edit] External links

This article's external links may not follow Wikipedia's content policies or guidelines. Please improve this article by removing excessive or inappropriate external links.

• Congregation of the Lebanese Maronites Missionnaries
• The Maronite Research Institute
• World Maronite Union
• Maronite Podcast - Experience the Maronite Church's prayers
• The Lebanese Christians: Unsuspecting Victims of a Sunni Shiite Cold War in Lebanon
• List of Maronite Catholic Churches in the US
• Our Lady of Lebanon
• Beith Souryoyé Morounoyé - The Syriac Maronites
• The Maronite Patriarchate
• The USA Maronite Census (broken link)
• The Maronite Catholic Church of Australia
• Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
• Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles
• St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus Catholic Maronite Church of Tulsa, Oklahoma
• The Eastern Catholic Churches
• Catholic Encyclopedia - Maronites
• Catholic World News: Trying to Shake a Troubled Past — Maronite population discussed
• Maronite Worldwide Knowledgebase
• Maronite History and Maronite Families
• A Catholic Village in the south of Lebanon
• Maronites history
• What Language(s) Did Jesus Speak and Why Does It Matter?
• Maronite Monks
• The Druzes and the Maronites under the Turkish Rule from 1840 to 1860 Cornell University Library Historical Monographs Collection. {Reprinted by} Cornell University Library Digital Collections
• German Homepage of Maronitische Christliche Union Deutschlands e.V. Arabic/German

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