Antiochian Greek Christians
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| Estimated 1.5 million | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 Syria
|
520,000 - 700,000 |
 Lebanon
|
500,000 |
 United States
|
74,527 |
 Australia
|
37,500 |
 Turkey
|
18,000 |
 Canada
|
10,000 |
| Religions | |
| Christianity (Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and Melkite Greek Catholic Church) | |
| Languages | |
| Vernacular: Arabic (Levantine Arabic) Turkish (in Turkey) Liturgical: Greek and Arabic Diaspora: English, French, Spanish, Portuguese |
|
Antiochian Greek Christians, also known as Rûm, are an Arabic-speaking ethnoreligious Christian group from the Levant region. They are either members of the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch or the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, and they are native to the Levant. More specifically, the territories of Western Syria, northern and central Lebanon, and the southern Turkish province of Hatay, which includes the city of Antakya (ancient Antioch)- one of the holiest cities in Eastern Christianity. Many of their descendants now live in the global Middle Eastern Christian diaspora.
The designation "Greek" mostly refers to the use of Koine Greek in liturgy, and most Antiochian Greek Christians therefore identify themselves as natives. However, According to Greek historian Pavlos Karolidis writings in 1908, they are a mixture of ancient Greek settlers and particularly Macedonians, Roman-era Greeks, and Byzantine Greeks (Rûm). Karolidis was attempting to refute the Russian claims that they were of Aramaic origin. However, even during the First Crusade era, most of them were referred to as Syriacs ethnically and Greeks only in regard to religious affinity: only the inhabitants of Antioch city were thought to be Greek ethnically.
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Wikipedia