The origin of the Syriacs

The origin of the Syriacs goes back to the earliest historical periods of Mesopotamia. This people of Semitic origin is the continuation of the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia, who merged and intermingled with one another over the course of history. The findings, documents, writings and historical events obtained today through archaeological and historical research in Mesopotamia, together with the existing cultural, linguistic, religious and traditional features of this people, show that the origin of the Syriacs rests on the ancient peoples of Mesopotamia, the Akkadians, Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans and Arameans, who were kindred peoples and throughout history founded closely related and similar civilisations.[1]

Their civilisations before Christ

In Mesopotamia, over the course of the two millennia before Christ, first and foremost the Akkadians, and later the Assyrians, Babylonians, Chaldeans and Arameans, founded civilisations that were very similar to one another in cultural terms. Since all of these peoples came from the same origin, the Semitic race, they possessed closely related civilisations. For this reason they could quickly and easily take up one another's cultural heritage and carry it forward.

Throughout their civilisations, the ziggurats they built in the Middle East, the world's first monumental towers, the Tower of Babel mentioned in the Torah, the immense palaces and temples (the temple of Ishtar), the unrivalled Hanging Gardens of Babylon, counted among the seven wonders of the world, the ancient cities surviving from the period of the Assyrian Empire such as Nineveh (Ninve), Assur, Nimrud (Kalah), Babylon and Khorsabad, the cities of Petra and Tadmor (Palmyra) left by the Arameans, and other ancient remains all display the mastery of the Mesopotamians in the fields of art and architecture.

After the Sumerians, who rendered great services to the development of humanity by inventing writing, first the Akkadians and then the Assyrians and Babylonians, who settled in the same geography and developed the Sumerian cultural heritage, also made the first regulations in the field of law and became pioneers for the world in this respect. The first lawgiver king in history is Urukagina (2375 BC), king of Lagash (a city-state in Mesopotamia). Later the Babylonian king Hammurabi (2100-2050 BC) collected the laws of his time and, together with the laws he himself developed, had them written on clay tablets, thus ensuring that the laws known in history as the Code of Hammurabi have survived to the present day.

One of the first libraries ever created in the world was founded at Nineveh by the Assyrian king Ashurbanipal (668-627 BC). Approximately 20,000 tablets that survive from this library are exhibited in the British Museum. The contents of the writings on the tablets comprise the characteristics and behaviour of humans, animals and plants; divination texts based on the movements of the sun, moon, planets and stars; dictionaries in Sumerian, Akkadian and other languages; and tales, proverbs, spells, prayers and ritual texts. This library played a major role in the survival to the present day of the traditional Mesopotamian epics such as the Creation, Gilgamesh, Irra, Etana and Anzu.[2]

The conversion of the Syriacs to Christianity and their civilisations after Christ

Beginning in the 6th century BC, the Babylonians, Chaldeans and Arameans merged to a great extent and became indistinguishable.[3] By the last few centuries before Christ, the Assyrians, Chaldeans and Arameans of Upper Mesopotamia had likewise merged and, since they shared a common past and culture, became a people with common hopes for the future.[4]

When Christianity began to spread in the Near East, the peoples of Upper Mesopotamia, who possessed closely related cultures and languages, began to embrace the good news of this new religion, Christianity, already in the first centuries after Christ.[5] From the beginning of the 300s, Christianity became a widespread religion in the geography inhabited by the Syriacs.

Alongside their own Mesopotamian cultures, these peoples also absorbed the Hellenistic (ancient Greek) culture that spread into the region from the 3rd century BC, and, blending the religion and philosophy of Christianity with their ancient cultures, they gradually founded a civilisation of a predominantly religious character. The peoples of Mesopotamia, moulded together with Christianity and completely merged, came in the subsequent periods to be known on the stage of history and civilisation chiefly by the name Syriac (Suryoye, Suroye).

After their conversion to Christianity, the Syriacs created a culture and civilisation of a predominantly religious character. During the "golden ages" of Syriac civilisation, between the 4th and 7th centuries, they founded a great number of beautiful monasteries, some of which have survived to the present day (such as the monasteries of Mor Gabriel, Deyrulzafaran, Mor Yakub at Salah and Mor Matay near Mosul), churches and schools (such as the schools of Antioch, Urfa, Nsibin and Kenneshrin). In addition, they produced diverse and valuable works in the fields of language, culture and literature, most of them with religious motifs. Many of these written works are still extant today, either in Syriac institutions or in the great museums and university libraries of Europe.

The Syriac Patriarch Afrem Barsaum (d. 1957), one of the Syriac intellectuals who came of age in the 20th century, writes the following on this subject in his book Scattered Pearls: "If Greek culture has gained esteem through wisdom and Arab culture through eloquence (rhetoric), Syriac culture has gained esteem through its advancement in religion".[6] In the schools founded during the golden ages of Syriac civilisation, especially in the school of Urhoy (Edessa) (present-day Urfa), most of the ancient Greek books of science and philosophy were translated into Syriac, and from Syriac into Arabic, and this played a major role in the enlightenment of the Arab-Islamic world throughout the Middle Ages.[7] In this respect the Syriacs served as a bridge between the cultures of West and East.

On the name Syriac

The equivalent of the word Syriac in the Syriac language is Suryoyo (plural Suryoye) in the written language and Suroyo (plural Suroye) in the spoken language. There are differing theses regarding where the word Suroyo/Suryoyo comes from. A widespread thesis holds that the name Suroyo/Suryoyo (Syriac) is derived from the name Assur (Othur/Athur/Ashur/Assur); another thesis holds that this name comes from the name Suriya/Suroyo (Syria/Syrian); and yet another thesis holds that it comes from the Aramean king Suros.

The Church Fathers write in their writings and works that the origin of the Syriacs rests chiefly on the Arameans. One of the strongest reasons why this view is so widespread within the Church is that the language used by the Syriacs, namely Syriac, is a branch of Aramaic. However, together with the movement of enlightenment and nationalism that began to stir from the beginning of the 1900s, the idea that the Syriacs are descended in origin from the Assyrians, Chaldeans and Arameans began to be defended by many intellectuals, writers and leaders. To give a few examples of this:

The Syriac Patriarch Mor Ignatius Yakub III (1912-1980) writes in the Preface to his book Maktbonutho d'Ito Suryoyto d'Antiukh (History of the Syriac Church of Antioch): "…in origin the forefathers of the Syriac Church are the Assyrians and the Arameans…".[8] The Bishop of Mardin, Mor Philoxenos Yuhanna Dolabani, as he set down in many of his poems and writings, also says in the Preface he wrote in 1955 for Abrohom Gabriel Sawme's book series Mardutho d'Suryoye (Syriac Culture): "…all those designations of the Syriac tribes rest on the same ancient and age-old ethnic origin. Separatism, therefore, is not real…".[9] Many intellectuals, writers and teachers, foremost among them Naum Faik of Diyarbakır and Abdulmesih Karabaşi, who are counted among the great intellectuals of the 1900s, are in favour of this view.

The Syriac language

Syriac is a branch of Aramaic, which was widely used throughout the Middle East from the 7th and 6th centuries BC until the first few centuries after the birth of Jesus Christ. Aramaic was used both as a written and as a spoken language broadly in Upper Mesopotamia (Urfa, Mardin, Turabdin, Urmia, Nineveh...), in the surroundings of Antioch and Aleppo, and in the lands of Judea and Palestine. Since the peoples in Judea around the time of Christ spoke this language, Jesus Christ delivered his sermons in this language. Indeed, in the Old Testament part of the Holy Bible, some sections of the books of Daniel and Ezra, and according to some researchers also the books of Job and Ecclesiastes, were written in this language.[10]

Today Syriac has two branches, eastern and western. The West Syriacs (Syriac Orthodox, Syriac Catholics and Maronites) use the West Syriac dialect and script style, while the East Syriacs (the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldeans) use the East Syriac dialect and script style. Between these two dialects, which use the same alphabet in terms of the names of the letters but different letter styles, there are also certain differences of pronunciation. Before the eastern and western script characters, the Syriacs used, from the first centuries after Christ until the 12th and 13th centuries, a common letter style called "Estrangeloyo". Even today it is possible to encounter writers and calligraphers who use Estrangeloyo letters when writing book titles and subject headings.

In addition, there are also dialects and vernaculars widely spoken among the people. These dialects spoken in daily life differ in places considerably from the written language. The Syriacs of Turabdin speak the "Turoyo" (Surayt) dialect in daily life. The East Syriacs (Assyrians and Chaldeans) use dialects such as "Svadaya" (Surit) or "Dashta". Indeed, over the last century the Assyrians in Iraq have begun to write the dialect they speak just as it is and to use it as a written language as well.

Syriac culture and literature

Beginning in the 2nd century AD and continuing until the 12th century, the Syriacs developed a rich culture and literature. However, with the Arabs gaining dominion over the Middle East region, the use of Arabic gradually increased and, in parallel, the influence of Syriac declined. Especially between the 4th and 7th centuries, known as the "golden ages", the Syriacs produced a great number of works in the fields of theology, canon law, civil law, the rites of religious ceremonies (liturgy), church music, biblical commentary, grammar, poetry, logic, philosophy, natural sciences, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, medicine and history,[11] and made translations of many Greek works whose originals have been lost. Most of the works of the famous Syriac men of letters and writers whom we list below have come down to the present day thanks to Syriac calligraphy.

Famous Syriac men of letters and writers [12]

In addition to these, Mor Yakub Afrahat (340) produced various works in theology, Mor Maruthe of Mifarkin (Silvan) (421) in medicine and grammar, Sergius of Rishayno (Rasulayn) (636) in philosophy and medicine, Severus Sebokht (667) in philosophy, astronomy and mathematics, Mor Yakub of Urfa (708) in theology and philosophy, Dionysius of Telmahre (845) in theology and history, Mor Mushe Bar Kifo (903) in theology, logic and history, and Mor Yakub Bar Salibi (1171) in theology and biblical commentary.

The Syriac language and civilisation in a sense played a very important bridging role in the development of the Arab-Islamic civilisation. However, after the Arab-Islamic civilisation became dominant throughout the Middle East, Syriac culture and literature gradually began to shrink and fell into a state in which its sphere of influence narrowed.

In the 19th century new stirrings began in the fields of literature and enlightenment. However, the hardships experienced in the wake of the First World War, the years of massacre, misery and emigration, and the new political structures in the Near East caused the Syriacs to be dispersed across the Middle East and to emigrate to distant lands, and thus the newly begun cultural enlightenment too was cut short.

Among the intellectuals of this latter period, Tuma Odo (Bishop of Urmia of the Chaldean Church, 1855-1918), who produced the most comprehensive Syriac-Syriac dictionary in our possession today, and Yakub Avgin Manna (Bishop of Van of the Chaldean Church, 1867-1929), who produced a Syriac-Arabic dictionary, emerged as two important men of language and letters. The Syriac Patriarch Mor Ignatius Afrem Barsaum (1887-1957), in his work entitled Berule Bdire (Scattered Pearls), wrote the history of the Syriac language, literature and culture and compiled important information on the writers who produced works in fields such as language, religion and literature and on the works they produced. Naum Faik of Diyarbakır (1868-1930), besides grammar and poetry, also made great efforts in the field of the press. In 1910 he began to publish in Diyarbakır the journal Kavkab Madenho (Star of the East) in the Syriac, Turkish, Arabic and English languages. Later he published for many years in America the journals Bethnahrin (Mesopotamia) and Huyodo (Unity). Mor Yuhanna Dolabani (1885-1969) authored close to 70 works in the fields of grammar, poetry, theology and history, some of them translations, of which approximately 50 were printed.[14] Dolabani, who also carried out noteworthy work in the field of the press, published for many years the journal Hekmtho (Wisdom), first in Jerusalem and later in Mardin until it was closed down. Abdulmesih Karabaşi (1903-1988) too produced works in translation, the novel and especially grammar.

The Syriac Church [15]

Christianity began to spread in Syria, Anatolia and Mesopotamia already in the first century after Christ. The Syriacs are one of the first peoples after the Jews to accept Christianity. The churches founded in Antioch and Urfa are among the first churches founded in history. Beginning from the third century, Christianity reached many regions inhabited by the Syriacs, including Antioch, Urfa, Mardin, Nusaybin (Nsibin) and the Turabdin region (the surroundings of Mardin-Midyat). Some of the churches and monasteries founded in these regions, especially in Turabdin, in the 4th, 5th and 6th centuries still stand today.

The first important centre of Christianity after Jerusalem, and the first ecclesiastical centre of the Syriacs, is Antioch. The work of Simon Peter, regarded as the head of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, and of Paul holds an important place in the founding of the community of the faithful and of the church in Antioch. The title "Syriac Patriarchate of Antioch", which the Syriac patriarchs still use today, derives from this first church founded in Antioch. In the first period of Christianity the Church of Antioch held a very important place, like the ecclesiastical centres of that period, Rome, Alexandria and Constantinople.

Until the 5th century the Church of Antioch was the sole church and patriarchal institution embracing the Syriac people. However, from the middle of the 5th century onwards, as a result of theological disputes and other disagreements, certain divisions emerged in the Church and schisms occurred.

The first division took place after the church council that convened at Ephesus in 431. In those years the patriarch Nestorius put forward a new doctrine and was excluded by the church leaders. The faithful who adopted the doctrine of Nestorius were from that date onwards called Nestorians. Later, the Church of Antioch did not recognise the Council of Chalcedon (Kadıköy) that convened in 451. However, a section of the Syriacs accepted the decisions of this council and of the Byzantine emperor, and they were given the name "Malkoye" (Melkites), meaning supporters of the king. The Syriacs who did not bow to the decisions of this council and of the emperor were, in the subsequent centuries, given the designation "Jacobites" with reference to the bishop Mor Yakub Burd'ono (544?).

In the 7th century the Maronite Church was founded in Lebanon, and in the 13th century it was united with the Papacy of Rome. In the 15th century the East Syriacs who separated from the Nestorians and adopted the Catholic denomination founded the Chaldean Church. In the 17th century a section of Syriacs who separated from the Syriac Orthodox Church and converted to Catholicism founded the Syriac Catholic Church. At the end of the 19th century, as a result of the efforts of Western missionaries, some Syriacs converted to Protestantism, and Syriac Protestant communities formed here and there.

In the world today the Syriac people is divided, in terms of faith, among many churches that descend from the tradition of the Church of Antioch. In recent years dialogue and union talks have been taking place, if only to a limited extent, between some of these churches. The churches that are regarded as being of Syriac origin and that descend from the Antiochene church tradition are the following: the Syriac Orthodox Church (Jacobite!), the Assyrian Church of the East (Nestorian!), the Maronite Church, the Chaldean Church, the churches known in Syria and Lebanon as Greek Orthodox and Greek Catholic (Melkite!), the Syriac Catholic Church and the Syriac Protestant communities...

Conclusion

The Syriacs, whose origins rest on the ancient people of Mesopotamia, are one of the oldest settled peoples of Mesopotamia and the Near East. From whatever angle one looks at it, this people, which has a past of at least three thousand years in these lands, has throughout history left behind in Anatolia, Syria and Iraq a great number of historical monuments, some of which still stand, and a valuable cultural heritage. The monuments, inscriptions and works surviving from the historical ages, the churches and monasteries surviving from the first periods of Christianity, and the ancient language and culture possessed by this people are a historical, cultural and human richness in these lands. The churches and monasteries still standing in the Turabdin region can be cited as an example of this cultural richness. The Monastery of Deyrulzafaran near Mardin and the Monastery of Mor Gabriel near Midyat, with a past of 1,600 years, are among the oldest and still active monasteries in the world. However, in other regions most of these ancient churches, monasteries and monuments were destroyed or vanished in the course of history.

Over the last century the Syriacs have dwindled steadily in the lands where they had lived for centuries. One of the most important reasons for the decline of the Syriacs in their own historical areas of settlement is the massacre (seyfo), deprivation, misery and years of emigration experienced in 1914-15 during the First World War. Another important reason is the emigration to European and other countries that began in the 1960s and continued until the beginning of the 1990s. Today approximately 15,000 Syriacs remain in Turkey. Owing to difficult conditions and the grave problems and pressures experienced in the region, in recent times the number of Syriacs in Syria and Lebanon, and especially in Iraq, is also decreasing day by day, and they are taking the road to Europe. Today close to 200,000 Syriacs who emigrated from Turkey and other Middle Eastern countries live in European countries, the majority of them in Germany and Sweden.

The ability of the Syriacs to preserve and sustain their existence in the Near East, and to experience their own social, religious, linguistic, cultural and economic development in these countries, depends on the democratic, humanitarian and legal openings and improvements that will take place in these countries.

Simon Taştekin Çello