Oriental Orthodoxy is the second largest Christian denomination in

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to the north, Iran to the east, the Persian Gulf and K ...

after the collective

Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also called the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous ('' sui iuris'') particular churches of t ...

. It includes the Syriac Orthodox Church, headed by a patriarch in Damascus, and the

Armenian Apostolic Church , native_name_lang = hy , icon = Armenian Apostolic Church logo.svg , icon_width = 100px , icon_alt = , image = Էջմիածնի_Մայր_Տաճար.jpg , imagewidth = 250px , a ...

, which serves the population of

Armenians in Iraq Iraqi Armenians ( ar, أرمنيون عراقيون ''’Armanion Iraqion''; Armenian: իրաքահայեր ''irakahayer'') are Iraqi citizens and residents of Armenian ethnicity. Many Armenians settled in Iraq after fleeing the 1915 Armenian g ...

. A sizable population have fled from Iraq following the US invasion and subsequent conflicts. Most Oriental Orthodox Christians are of ethnic Iraqi-Assyrian heritage, who make up about 500,000. The other significant minority of Oriental Orthodox Christians are ethnic Armenians. Christians are present in Baghdad, Basra, Mosul and northern Iraq.

History

The early history of Oriental Orthodoxy on the territory of modern-day Iraq was marked by constant Byzantine-Sasanian wars during the period between 5th and 7th century. In that period, major part of the

Mesopotamia Mesopotamia ''Mesopotamíā''; ar, بِلَاد ٱلرَّافِدَيْن or ; syc, ܐܪܡ ܢܗܪ̈ܝܢ, or , ) is a historical region of Western Asia situated within the Tigris–Euphrates river system, in the northern part of the ...

region was ruled by the

Sassanian Empire The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the History of Iran, last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th cen ...

(Persia). Since official Persian religion was

Zoroastrianism Zoroastrianism is an Iranian religion and one of the world's oldest organized faiths, based on the teachings of the Iranian-speaking prophet Zoroaster. It has a dualistic cosmology of good and evil within the framework of a monotheisti ...

, all Christian communities in the region were under constant pressure, and suffered occasional persecutions. Also, relations between different Christian communities was marked by frequent theological disputes and constant rivalry. During that time, Oriental Orthodox Christians in the region kept their traditional ties with the

Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch , native_name_lang = syc , image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg , imagewidth = 250 , alt = Cathedral of Saint George , caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...

. In order to consolidate ecclesiastical structure of Oriental Orthodox churches within the Sassanian Empire, the Patriarchate decided to appoint theologian

Marutha of Tikrit Marutha of Tikrit ( syr, ܡܪܘܬܐ ܕܬܓܪܝܬ, ar, ماروثا التكريتي, la, Marutha Tagrithesis) was the Grand Metropolitan of the East and head of the Syriac Orthodox Church of the East from 628 or 629 until his death in 649. H ...

as metropolitan over all Oriental Orthodox dioceses in the Empire (629), granting him the title of

maphrian The Maphrian ( syr, ܡܦܪܝܢܐ, maphryānā or ''maphryono''), originally known as the Grand Metropolitan of the East and also known as the Catholicos, was the second-highest rank in the ecclesiastical hierarchy of the Syriac Orthodox Church, ...

Oriental Orthodox Dioceses and Churches in Iraq

There are 3 dioceses belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church, 1 diocese belongs to the Armenian Apostolic Orthodox Church, and some churches belong to the

Coptic Orthodox Archdiocese of Jerusalem The Holy and Ancient Archdiocese of Jerusalem, All Palestine, and All the Near East or the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate in Jerusalem ( ar, بطريركية الاقباط الأرثوذكس بالقدس �برشية أورشليم المقدسة � ...

. * Syrian Orthodox Archbishopric of

Mosul Mosul ( ar, الموصل, al-Mawṣil, ku, مووسڵ, translit=Mûsil, Turkish: ''Musul'', syr, ܡܘܨܠ, Māwṣil) is a major city in northern Iraq, serving as the capital of Nineveh Governorate. The city is considered the second larg ...

, Kirkuk and

Kurdistan Kurdistan ( ku, کوردستان ,Kurdistan ; lit. "land of the Kurds") or Greater Kurdistan is a roughly defined geo-cultural territory in Western Asia wherein the Kurds form a prominent majority population and the Kurdish culture, languages ...

under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Nicodimus Dawood Sharaf. * Syrian Orthodox Archbishopric of

Baghdad Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon. I ...

and

Basrah Basra ( ar, ٱلْبَصْرَة, al-Baṣrah) is an Iraqi city located on the Shatt al-Arab. It had an estimated population of 1.4 million in 2018. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is ha ...

under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Severius Jamil Hawa * Syrian Orthodox Archbishopric of St Matthew's Monastery under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Timothius Mousa Shamani. * Armenian Orthodox Diocese of Iraq under the spiritual guidance and direction of Bishop Oshakan Kulkolian. * Coptic Orthodox Churches belongs to the

, under the spiritual guidance and direction of Archbishop Antonios.

References

Sources

* * * * * * * * * *

External links

European Centre for Law and Justice (2011): The Persecution of Oriental Christians, what answer from Europe?
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oriental Orthodoxy In Iraq

History

Oriental Orthodox Dioceses and Churches in Iraq

See also

References

Sources

External links