Syriacs
From Open Encyclopedia
{{Infobox Ethnic group |group=Syriacs (ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Suryoye/Suryāye) |poptime= estimation, between 5 - 7 million. |popplace=Iraq, Syria, Turkey, Lebanon, Germany, Sweden, Netherlands, Belgium, France, United States, Canada, Australia |langs=Syriac, Turoyo, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic |rels=Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church, Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean Catholic Church, Maronite Catholic Church, Melkite Greek Catholic Church |related=Arameans, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Maronites}}
Syriacs (in Syriac: ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Suryoye/Suryāye) is a term used to coin all Assyrians, Chaldeans, and the Maronite people of the Middle East. They for a large part continue to speak Aramaic languages, were converted to Christianity in the first centuries AD, and share the Syriac language (a dialect of Aramaic once spoken in Edessa in what is now Şanlıurfa, Turkey) as a language of liturgy and literature.
Biblically they are believed to be the descendants of Aram, the grandson of Noah. This also the view that can be found among the early Syriac church fathers between the fourth and 13th century AD. The Assyrians on the other hand are believed to be descended from his brother Ashur.
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Language
Originally the Syriac people spoke modern Aramaic languages in everyday life, for example Turoyo; was spoken in Tur Abdin, a region comprising Midyat and its surrounding villages, in the Mardin Province of Turkey. Other examples are Western Neo-Aramaic, Assyrian Neo-Aramaic, and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic. Nowadays many Syriacs speak Arabic (in the Middle East) and languages of their adopted nations. Speakers of modern Aramaic languages still exist today and are estimated at around one million worldwide.
The Genocide
In the late 19th century and in the beginning of the 20th century, at least one million Assyrians were slaughtered in the Ottoman Empire.
Diaspora
Due to severe persecutions starting from the 19th century, and even more so in the early 20th, Syriacs have started to migrate to countries in the Western world and form a diaspora. Communities have been formed in the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and a number of other locations.
The Name
The name ܣܘܪܝܝܐ (in West Syriac pronounced as Suryoyo, in East Syriac as Suryaya) means Syria was the Greek name of Aram when it was under Assyrian control and was rendered Syria the Greeks. Traditionally, in English the people have been referred to as Syrians, but since the foundation of the Syrian Arab Republic, this name has become ambiguous. For this reason, the Holy Synod of the Syrian Orthodox Church, stated that the English language name of the church should be Syriac Orthodox Church.
Religious Affiliations
- Main article: Syriac Christianity
The Syriacs are in majority affiliated to one of the following churches:
- Syriac Orthodox Church
- Syriac Catholic Church
- Syriac Protestant Churches
- Assyrian Church of the East
- Chaldean Catholic Church
- Maronite Catholic Church
- Melkite Greek Catholic Church
Ethnicity
The question of ethnic identification is hotly debated among the Syriac people in diaspora. In the Middle East, the majority of them do refer themselfs as Assyrians. Others refer to themselves according to their religious affilliations (Chaldeans and Maronites), or use the Syriac name Suryoye/Suraye (in English: Syriacs, in Turkish: Süryaniler, in Swedish: Syrianer).
See also
| Syriacs ܣܘܪܝܝܐ Suryoye / Suraye | |
| Self-identifications : Arameans · Assyrians · Chaldeans · Lebanese · Syriacs | |
| Languages : Aramaic : Classical Syriac · Assyrian Neo-Aramaic · Bohtan Neo-Aramaic · Chaldean Neo-Aramaic · Hértevin · Koy Sanjaq Surat · Mlahsö · Senaya · Turoyo Non-Aramaic : Cypriot Maronite Arabic · Garshuni | |
| Churches : Assyrian Church of the East · Chaldean Catholic Church · Maronite Catholic Church · Melkite Greek Catholic Church · Syriac Catholic Church · Syriac Orthodox Church | |
