Volume I - Issue 8 March 2007 Chairman’s Message ESU held a book Exhibition in Sweden The year 2006 form the Syriacs point of view was an exciting year. As turkey did not make the neces- On 17th February 2007, the ESU repre- speech approved the positive influence sary progress in the negotiation of activities such as holding book exhibi- talks with the EU, the EU decided to sentatives in Sweden organized a Book freeze 8 sections of the negotiation Exhibition in order to introduce the exist- tions among our people and emphasized areas. The continuity of the relations ing and new released books and publi- that it is crucially important to have, not between Turkey and the EU without cations about our people, as well as their a halt is very important for the Syriacs living in Turkey and in Europe. The Syriacs, who integrated authors. within the European democracy, wish to return to The Book Exhibition was held in the their homeland in the Southeast of Turkey (Tur Halls of the St. Peter Church of Abdin). Therefore, any step taken by Turkey towards Hallonberg. As this was the first such the EU helps the development of the democracy in Turkey and opens the road before the Syriacs who exhibition held in Europe, it attracted a wish to return to their homeland. Should the rela- tions between the EU and Turkey come to the point of a halt or be frozen like what happened during the last year, the return process of the Syriacs to their homeland would become very difficult. Thus, there has been no enhancement in the situation of the Syriacs in Turkey during the year 2006. only religious activities but also cultural and political activities among our Syriac Another vital part of Mesopotamia is Iraq. Iraq people today, in the 21st century. became the focus point of the bomb attacks in the year 2006. Baghdad, where most of the bomb attacks took place, is the city where the majority of The head of ESU-Sweden Mr. Simon the Syriac-Assyrian-Chaldeans reside. The atroci- Oguz, in his closing speech stated that in ties in the town claimed the lives of tens of Christians the development program of ESU one of and caused half the number of their population to flee elsewhere. The immigration started in the direc- large number of people from the Syriac the aims is to hold such important cultur- tion of Syria, Jordan and the Western countries. The community and from outside our com- al exhibitions of this sort about our peo- ESU, on several occasions attempted to draw the munity who attended and showed their ple in the future, and promote the cultur- attention of the international community to the interest in the book exhibition. al development of the individual mem- Christians of Iraq (Syriac-Assyrian-Chaldean) and bers of our people. emphasized that the formation of a safe zone could stop the migration. During the last year the security 5 Professors and over 20 authors of situation of the Christians entered the agenda of the books as well as some publishers intro- international community and more ideas started to duced their books and publications. be discussed about the safe zone (autonomy). After Some of the Professors and authors who these debates, the Christian migration from the mid- dle and south of Iraq turned in the direction of north- attended the fair were: Prof. Shabo ern Iraq. Talay, Prof David Gaunt and Prof. Yosef The third part of the homeland of the Syriacs is Bigun. Prof Shabo Talay as well as other Syria. During the year 2006 there has been no neg- guests were invited to hold speeches ative developments against the Syriacs in Syria. In Syria, the Syriacs although on a limited scale have during the book fair. In their speeches the freedom of developing their culture and the Syriac Orthodox Church’s Patriarchate since 1931, when it was driven out of Turkey, still resides in Syria. Thus, stated that this will not be the last The changes in situation of the Middle East during 2007 will have significant effects on the future of the activity of this sort to be held by ESU, but Syriacs. It has become clear that the new strategy of many more such activities are to be the president of the USA George W. Bush will lead expected to be held by ESU in the in the Middle East in 2007. future. The Syriacs managed to survive in the Middle East throughout many dark centuries in their history. Just Following the Exhibition, a cultural surviving is no longer enough of a promising future reception/party was held in the Evening for the Syriacs who are one of the most ancient peo- the guests generally emphasized the hours. Thus, the activity was ended by a ple of the Middle East. The Syriacs also like any other people have a right to continue their lives with importance of organizing such exhibi- cultural festivity that was attended by their culture, freely, without being threatened. tions and the importance of promoting more than 300 guests and that lasted Therefore, no matter how long it seems in the future, the authors with their publications. until the morning hours. the democracy of the Middle East means a vital hope for the Syriacs. The Archbishop of Scandinavia Mor www.esu-sweden.com Iskender Alptekin, ESU Chairman Julios Abdlahad Gello Shabo also in his The Voice of the Syriacs Volume 1 - Issue 8 page 2 The new trend in the Syriac Orthodox Church: rising The roots of the Syriac Orthodox Church Nsibin), they developed the existing sci- Patriarchate of the Syriac Church was lay in the ancient Church of Antioch, ence and by translating the Greek philos- removed from its roots. which is one of the oldest Christian ophy (Especially the works of Aristotle) Churches in the Middle East. When this they presented it to the Middle Eastern However, when Syria became a mandate church was founded by the apostle St. Culture. Then, they translated the Greek of France, the Syriac Church benefited Simon Peter in the year 37 A.D, at the Philosophy from Syriac into Arabic and from this new development. Because, in beginning the Syriacs, the Greeks and they presented it to the Arabic Culture 1933 the French authorities allowed the the Jews of the region who converted into too. Syriac Church of Antioch to re-establish the Christianity joined it. Soon after, in the its Patriarchate in the town of Humus in year 107 A.D in a letter written by St. From the beginning of the 13th Century Syria. Ignatius Nurono to the Roman Church, he onwards, the Syriac Church started to addressed the Church of Antioch as the loose its significance. Meanwhile, the Under the see of H.H Patriarch Mor Syriac Church. headquarters of the Syriac Orthodox Afrem Barsaum (1933-1957) and H.H Church Patriarchate was moved from Mor Yakup III. (1957-1980) the Church Prior to the dawn of the Christianity, the Malatya to Deyrul Zafaran Monastery in started to recover and to re-thrive. New Assyrian, Aramaic and other Semitic folk Mardin (1293). monks were trained for the Church serv- groups, living in Syria and Mesopotamia ice. Another development experienced in under the political reign of the Romans With the attacks of Timurlenk who those years was that the members of the and the Parthians who converted into advanced on the Middle East (1398- church, started to move to America and Christianity, named themselves as 1402) the Church was largely scattered. Europe. The Church also followed suit Syriacs. The Syriac’s political centre in Only in the Monastery of Mor Gabriel and established new Archdioceses in the Northern Mesopotamia was Urhoy Timurlenk murdered about 500 monks. USA and in Europe. (Edessa) the capital of the semi-inde- After that, the Church lost its productivity pendent kingdom of Osrohone (Abgar) in the science and the literature all In 1980 H.H Mor Ignatius Zakka Iwaz was (132 B.C – 248 A.D). together. ordained to the Holy See of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch’s The Syriacs of the Church of Antioch, fol- Also, under the Ottoman rule the Church Patriarchate. Under his see the Church lowing the divisions and the contempo- continued to experience a setback. In the re-institutionalized itself in many parts of rary politics of the ecumenical councils of 1915 Genocide the Church the world. The monastic Ephesus 431 A.D and Chalcedon 451 of Antioch sustained the system of the monks was A.D, divided into three denominational most awesome hit in its re-thrived, thus, in the last groups. One of the groups defended the entire history. Thus, its bor- 15 years many new monks monophysite approach to the Nature of ders marginalized only in were trained. Mor Ignatius Jesus Christ, the second group defended Tur Abdin, in Some villages Zakka Iwaz ordained 45 the Diophysite nature put forward y around Mosul (Nineveh) new Bishops and Nestour and the third group followed a and in some parts of India. Archbishops between the pro-Costantinopol line (Melkite). The Church, who lost most years 1980 and 2007. of its Clerics in the 1915 These Bishops estab- The separation between the three groups Genocide, came to the lished new archdioceses deepened with the time and each one of verge of being dispersed and dioceses in Turkey, them formed independent church hierar- and to be entirely wiped out Syria, Iraq, Israel, chies for themselves. The Monophysite in the history. Lebanon, Germany, Syriac Patriarchate was forced out of Switzerland, Austria, Antioch in the year 558 A.D.