Church of Antioch

For other uses, seeChurch of Antioch (disambiguation).

TheChurch of Antioch(Arabic:كنيسة أنطاكية,romanized:kánīsa ʾanṭākiya;Arabic pronunciation:[ka.niː.saʔan.tˤaː.ki.ja]) was the first of the five major churches of the earlypentarchyinChristianity,with its primary seat in the ancient Greek city ofAntioch(present-dayAntakya, Turkey).

The earliest record of the church of Antioch is given inActs 11,stating that some "men of Cyprus andCyrene,which, when they had come to Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus [...] and a great number believed, and turned to the Lord. "Later, at the start of their missionary journeys,Paul the Apostle(also called Saul) andBarnabaspreached in Antioch for a year, and followers of the church were called "Christians" for the first time.

History

Followers ofJesusas themessiahtrace the origin of the termChristianto the church established at Antioch, which was founded atPentecostinJerusalem.According to verses 19–26 of Acts 11,Barnabaswent to Tarsus in search ofSauland brought him to Antioch. They met with the church and taught for a year. The disciples, who had been scattered because of persecution in Jerusalem, were first calledChristiansin Antioch. This name was later recognised by theApostles in Jerusalem.One of the leading members of this group was Barnabas, who was sent to organize the new church. The group later became thePatriarchate of Antioch,part of thepentarchyas one of the five greatpatriarchates.

Saul, also known as Paul the Apostle, began his missionary journeys in Antioch.According to Acts,Judaizersfrom Jerusalem caused a disturbance in the church.Paul started his first missionary journey from Antioch and returned there.After theJerusalem decreeto the gentile converts in Antioch, Paul began his second missionary journey from Antioch.His third journey also began there.Ignatiusthen served as bishop there for forty years until his martyrdom in 107 AD.

Antioch served as a central point for sending missionaries to the gentiles, probably after theGreat Commission.Nicolas,one of theSeven Deacons,was a missionary from Antioch. According to theAlexandrine manuscriptof Acts 11:20–26, the Christians dispersed by the martyrdom of Stephen preached to theidolatrousGreeks of Antioch, not to "Grecians" orGreek-speaking Jews.

Antioch was also the birthplace ofJohn Chrysostom,a prominent Christian father who died in 407AD.

The seat of the Patriarchate was originally in Antioch (in present-dayTurkey). In response to the Ottoman invasion in the 15th century, it was moved to Syria.

Some ancient synagogue priestlyritesandhymnsof Greek origin have partially survived to the modern day, particularly in the unique worship of theMelkiteandGreek Orthodoxcommunities in the TurkishHatay province,Syria, Lebanon and northern Israel. Members of these communities still refer to themselves asRūm,which literally means "Eastern Romans" or "Byzantines" inTurkish,PersianandArabic.The termRūmis preferred toYūnāniyyūn,which means "Greek" or "Ionian".

Successive branches

Oriental Orthodox

• Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East

Eastern Orthodox

• Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East

Catholic

TheMaronite,Melkite,andSyriacCatholic patriarchates are infull communionwith theCatholic Churchand thus recognise each other's claims. The Catholic Church also appointed aLatin Patriarch of Antiochin 1100 by way ofBohemond(founder of thePrincipality of Antioch,one of thecrusader states). After theCrusades,this office became titular in 1268, and lasted as titular for many centuries until it was abolished in 1964.

The Maronite Patriarchate of Antioch and all the East was founded byMaronin the 5th century; it survived the laterMuslim invasions,reaffirming communion with Rome in the 12th century. The Melkite Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch and of All the East, of Alexandria and of Jerusalem was formed in 1724 byCyril VI Tanas,who brought the Antiochian Orthodox community into communion withRome.Those who rejected this move formed the extantAntiochian Orthodox Church.The Syriac Catholic Patriarchate of Antioch was first formed in 1662 with the election of the Catholic-alignedAndrew Akijanas Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, and later re-established in 1782 with the election of the CatholicMichael III Jarwehas the same.

See also

• Early Christianity
• Incident at Antioch
• God-fearer