Syrian Orthodox Church
| Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch | |
|---|---|
| Syriac: ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘ̣ܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ ܫܽܘ̣ܒ̥ܚܳܐ | |
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| Classification | Oriental Orthodox |
| Scripture | Peshitta |
| Theology | Miaphysitism |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Primate | Patriarch Ignatius Aphrem II |
| Catholicate of India |
Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church |
| Region |
Levant, India Diaspora: notably in Sweden, Germany, United States, Canada, Guatemala, Brazil, and Australia |
| Language | Syriac |
| Headquarters |
Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria (since 1959) Historically: Antioch, Byzantine Empire |
| Founder | Patriarch Severus of Antioch (Self-traces origin to Saints Peter and Paul) |
| Origin | 512 Antioch, Byzantine Empire |
| Members | 5 million |
| Official website | Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate |
The Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch (Syriac: ܥܺܕܬܳܐ ܣܽܘ̣ܪܝܳܝܬܳܐ ܬܪܺܝܨܰܬ ܫܽܘ̣ܒ̥ܚܳܐ), or Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, is an Oriental Orthodox church based in the Eastern Mediterranean. Employing the Divine Liturgy of Saint James with Syriac as its official and liturgical language, it is part of the Syriac Christianity by heritage. The church is led by the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch Ignatius Aphrem II since 2014, seated in Bab Tuma, Damascus, Syria.
The Syriac Orthodox Church belongs to the Oriental Orthodoxy, a distinct full communion of churches since the schism following the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
Patriarch Severus of Antioch was a significant bishop in the establishment of the organisation of the Syriac Orthodox Church in Antioch, Byzantine Empire, around 512, while Bishop Jacob Baradaeus (died 578) is credited for consolidating its miaphysite theology in the 6th century. However, the church itself claims roots further down the centuries through means of the Patriarchate of Antioch to the first Christian communities established by Saint Peter in Antioch, Roman Empire, in 37, as described in the Acts of the Apostles (New Testament, Acts 11:26). Around 825, many Saint Thomas Christians of Kerala, India, affirmed allegiance to the Syriac Orthodox Church, establishing the Malankara Jacobite Syrian Orthodox Church. In the Levant, controversy occurred in 1783, when the majority of its hierarchy entered in full communion with the Catholic Church, establishing the Syriac Catholic Church as part of the Eastern Catholic Churches. However, another part of clergy gained permission from the Ottoman authorities in Istanbul to reestablish the Syriac Orthodox Church soon after. Although originally established in Antioch around 512, due to persecution, the church's patriarchate has been seated subsequently in Mor Hananyo Monastery, Mardin Province, Ottoman Empire (1160-1933), whereafter Homs (1933-1959), and today in Damascus, Syria (since 1959).
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