Ancient Church of the East
Encyclopedia
The Ancient Church of the East ( ʿĒtā ʿAttīqtā d'Maḏnəḥā) was established in 1968. It follows the traditions of one of the oldest Christian churches, the Church of the East
, whose origins trace back to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in central Mesopotamia. But as a result of the schism, it became independent of the Assyrian Church of the East
.
Baghdad
is the seat of the Ancient Church of the East and Mar Thoma Darmo
its first Catholicos-Patriarch (1968–1969). The present head of the church is Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Addai II
since 1970. It is is considered the most traditionalist in the Eastern Rite churches.
of using the Gregorian Calendar
rather than using the traditional Julian calendar
that is off by 13 days. The schism arose in the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964 in resistance to these changes made to the church traditions, thereby causing a separate Ancient Church of the East to be established and headquartered in Baghdad
.
In 1968, the followers of the newly established church elected a rival catholicos-patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo
while Mar Shimun XXIII continued as the official head of the Assyrian Church of the East
. The elected catholicos-patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo was a native of Mesopotamia, a former Metropolitan of the Assyrian Church of the East in India from 1952 to 1968 based at Thrissur
, India
. He became the head of the Ancient Church of the East in October 1968 and relocated to Baghdad.
Following Patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo's death in 1969, Mar Addai II
was elected to head the Ancient Church of the East in February 1970.
, presently Mar Addai II
. The Ancient Church of the East has an ordained
clergy divided into the three traditional orders of deacon
, priest
(or presbyter
), and bishop
. It also has an episcopal polity
, meaning it is organized into diocese
s, each headed by a bishop and made up of several individual parish
communities overseen by priests. Dioceses are organized into provinces
under the authority of a metropolitan bishop
.
Archdioceses and dioceses
The Ancient Church of the East is divided into a number of archdioceses and dioceses as follows:
Calendar issues
In June 2010, the Ancient Church of the East Synod officially declared that the church will begin starting 2010 to celebrate Christmas
on the 25th December of each year according to the Gregorian calendar
. From its establishment, the church had continued to celebrate Christmas on January 7 of each year. This move will mean that both the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East will follow the same calendar. The calendar issue was one of the main reasons the Church of the East had split. Easter will continue to be celebrated according to the Julian calendar
.
This latest move by the Ancient Church of the East comes as a reconciliatory gesture to encourage efforts for talks for reunification. A joint holy synod between the two churches was postponed and is expected to be held at some future date.
During the reign of Mar Shimun XXIII
, in 1964, a schism appeared in the Assyrian Church of the East causing the establishment of the Ancient Church of the East. The seat of the new church remained vacant for three years before Mar Thoma Darmo
was assigned as Patriarch the Ancient Church of the East, while Mar Shimun XXIII continued as the official head of the Assyrian Church of the East
.
Church of the East
The Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
, whose origins trace back to the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in central Mesopotamia. But as a result of the schism, it became independent of the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
.
Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
is the seat of the Ancient Church of the East and Mar Thoma Darmo
Mar Thoma Darmo
Mar Thoma Darmo, , was the first Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East from 1968 to 1969....
its first Catholicos-Patriarch (1968–1969). The present head of the church is Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Addai II
Mar Addai II
Mar Addai II , born Shimun Giwargis, is the incumbent Catholicos Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and resides in the Apostolic See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Baghdad, Iraq.,He was elected to the position of Catholicos-Patriarch in February 1970, several months after the death of...
since 1970. It is is considered the most traditionalist in the Eastern Rite churches.
Establishment
The Ancient Church of the East was established in opposition to a reform introduced in the Assyrian Church of the EastAssyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
of using the Gregorian Calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
rather than using the traditional Julian calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
that is off by 13 days. The schism arose in the Assyrian Church of the East in 1964 in resistance to these changes made to the church traditions, thereby causing a separate Ancient Church of the East to be established and headquartered in Baghdad
Baghdad
Baghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
.
In 1968, the followers of the newly established church elected a rival catholicos-patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo
Mar Thoma Darmo
Mar Thoma Darmo, , was the first Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East from 1968 to 1969....
while Mar Shimun XXIII continued as the official head of the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
. The elected catholicos-patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo was a native of Mesopotamia, a former Metropolitan of the Assyrian Church of the East in India from 1952 to 1968 based at Thrissur
Thrissur
This article is about the city in India. For the district, see Thrissur district. For the urban agglomeration area of Thrissur see Thrissur Metropolitan Area...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He became the head of the Ancient Church of the East in October 1968 and relocated to Baghdad.
Following Patriarch Mar Thoma Darmo's death in 1969, Mar Addai II
Mar Addai II
Mar Addai II , born Shimun Giwargis, is the incumbent Catholicos Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and resides in the Apostolic See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Baghdad, Iraq.,He was elected to the position of Catholicos-Patriarch in February 1970, several months after the death of...
was elected to head the Ancient Church of the East in February 1970.
Organization
The head of the church is the Patriarch of the Church of the East, who also bears the title of CatholicosCatholicos
Catholicos, plural Catholicoi, is a title used for the head of certain churches in some Eastern Christian traditions. The title implies autocephaly and in some cases is borne by the designated head of an autonomous church, in which case the holder might have other titles such as Patriarch...
, presently Mar Addai II
Mar Addai II
Mar Addai II , born Shimun Giwargis, is the incumbent Catholicos Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and resides in the Apostolic See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Baghdad, Iraq.,He was elected to the position of Catholicos-Patriarch in February 1970, several months after the death of...
. The Ancient Church of the East has an ordained
Ordination
In general religious use, ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart as clergy to perform various religious rites and ceremonies. The process and ceremonies of ordination itself varies by religion and denomination. One who is in preparation for, or who is...
clergy divided into the three traditional orders of deacon
Deacon
Deacon is a ministry in the Christian Church that is generally associated with service of some kind, but which varies among theological and denominational traditions...
, priest
Priest
A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...
(or presbyter
Presbyter
Presbyter in the New Testament refers to a leader in local Christian congregations, then a synonym of episkopos...
), and bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
. It also has an episcopal polity
Episcopal polity
Episcopal polity is a form of church governance that is hierarchical in structure with the chief authority over a local Christian church resting in a bishop...
, meaning it is organized into diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
s, each headed by a bishop and made up of several individual parish
Parish
A parish is a territorial unit historically under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of one parish priest, who might be assisted in his pastoral duties by a curate or curates - also priests but not the parish priest - from a more or less central parish church with its associated organization...
communities overseen by priests. Dioceses are organized into provinces
Ecclesiastical Province
An ecclesiastical province is a large jurisdiction of religious government, so named by analogy with a secular province, existing in certain hierarchical Christian churches, especially in the Catholic Church and Orthodox Churches and in the Anglican Communion...
under the authority of a metropolitan bishop
Metropolitan bishop
In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...
.
Archdioceses and dioceses
The Ancient Church of the East is divided into a number of archdioceses and dioceses as follows:
- Patriarchal Archdiocese of Baghdad and Basra (BaghdadBaghdadBaghdad is the capital of Iraq, as well as the coterminous Baghdad Governorate. The population of Baghdad in 2011 is approximately 7,216,040...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) - Overseen by H.H. Mar Addai IIMar Addai IIMar Addai II , born Shimun Giwargis, is the incumbent Catholicos Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and resides in the Apostolic See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Baghdad, Iraq.,He was elected to the position of Catholicos-Patriarch in February 1970, several months after the death of...
Catholicos Patriarch - Archdiocese of Kirkuk (KirkukKirkukKirkuk is a city in Iraq and the capital of Kirkuk Governorate.It is located in the Iraqi governorate of Kirkuk, north of the capital, Baghdad...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) - Overseen by Archbishop Mar Narsai Toma - Archdiocese of Nineveh (MosulMosulMosul , is a city in northern Iraq and the capital of the Ninawa Governorate, some northwest of Baghdad. The original city stands on the west bank of the Tigris River, opposite the ancient Assyrian city of Nineveh on the east bank, but the metropolitan area has now grown to encompass substantial...
, IraqIraqIraq ; officially the Republic of Iraq is a country in Western Asia spanning most of the northwestern end of the Zagros mountain range, the eastern part of the Syrian Desert and the northern part of the Arabian Desert....
) - Overseen by Archbishop Mar Toma Gewargis - Archdiocese of Australia and New Zealand - Overseen by Archbishop Mar Yacoub Daniel
- Archdiocese of Europe (MainzMainzMainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
, GermanyGermanyGermany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
) - Overseen by Archbishop Timothaus Mar ShallitaTimothaus Mar ShallitaTimothaus Mar Shallita Youwala is Archbishop of the Ancient Holy Apostolic Catholic Church of the East for Germany and all Europe., University of Potsdam, Retrieved November 27, 2010 He currently resides in Mainz-Kastel, Germany.-Life:thumb|left|Archbishop Timothaus Mar Shallita Youwala... - Diocese of USA and Canada (ChicagoChicagoChicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, IllinoisIllinoisIllinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
) - Overseen by Bishop Mar Emmanuel Eilya - Diocese of California (Modesto, CaliforniaModesto, CaliforniaModesto is a city in, and is the county seat of, Stanislaus County, California. With a population of approximately 201,165 at the 2010 census, Modesto ranks as the 18th largest city in the state of California....
) - Overseen by Bishop Mar Daniel Yako - Diocese of Baghdad and Syria (Baghdad, Iraq) - Overseen by Bishop Mar Zaia Khoshaba
- Diocese of Dohuk (Dohuk, Iraq) - Overseen by Bishop Mar Aprem Daweed
- Diocese of St. Zaia Cathedral Sydney - Overseen by Bishop Mar Mari Emmanuel
Calendar issues
In June 2010, the Ancient Church of the East Synod officially declared that the church will begin starting 2010 to celebrate Christmas
Christmas
Christmas or Christmas Day is an annual holiday generally celebrated on December 25 by billions of people around the world. It is a Christian feast that commemorates the birth of Jesus Christ, liturgically closing the Advent season and initiating the season of Christmastide, which lasts twelve days...
on the 25th December of each year according to the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
. From its establishment, the church had continued to celebrate Christmas on January 7 of each year. This move will mean that both the Ancient Church of the East and the Assyrian Church of the East will follow the same calendar. The calendar issue was one of the main reasons the Church of the East had split. Easter will continue to be celebrated according to the Julian calendar
Julian calendar
The Julian calendar began in 45 BC as a reform of the Roman calendar by Julius Caesar. It was chosen after consultation with the astronomer Sosigenes of Alexandria and was probably designed to approximate the tropical year .The Julian calendar has a regular year of 365 days divided into 12 months...
.
This latest move by the Ancient Church of the East comes as a reconciliatory gesture to encourage efforts for talks for reunification. A joint holy synod between the two churches was postponed and is expected to be held at some future date.
Prior to 1964
The Ancient Church of the East acknowledges the traditional lineage of the Patriarchs of the Church of the East from Thoma Shlikha, (Saint Thomas) (c. 33-c. 77) until the schism 1964-1967 and considers itself a true continuation of this lineage.During the reign of Mar Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII
Mar Eshai Shimun XXIII , sometimes known as Mar Shimun XXI Ishaya, Mar Shimun Ishai, or Simon Jesse, was Catholicos Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East from 1920, when he was a youth, until his assassination on 6 November 1975...
, in 1964, a schism appeared in the Assyrian Church of the East causing the establishment of the Ancient Church of the East. The seat of the new church remained vacant for three years before Mar Thoma Darmo
Mar Thoma Darmo
Mar Thoma Darmo, , was the first Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East from 1968 to 1969....
was assigned as Patriarch the Ancient Church of the East, while Mar Shimun XXIII continued as the official head of the Assyrian Church of the East
Assyrian Church of the East
The Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
.
1964–present
- Vacant (1964–1967) – first period of the schism
- Mar Thoma DarmoMar Thoma DarmoMar Thoma Darmo, , was the first Catholicos-Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East from 1968 to 1969....
(1968–1969) - Mar Addai IIMar Addai IIMar Addai II , born Shimun Giwargis, is the incumbent Catholicos Patriarch of the Ancient Church of the East and resides in the Apostolic See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon in Baghdad, Iraq.,He was elected to the position of Catholicos-Patriarch in February 1970, several months after the death of...
(1970–present)
See also
- Church of the EastChurch of the EastThe Church of the East tāʾ d-Maḏnḥāʾ), also known as the Nestorian Church, is a Christian church, part of the Syriac tradition of Eastern Christianity. Originally the church of the Persian Sassanid Empire, it quickly spread widely through Asia...
- Assyrian Church of the EastAssyrian Church of the EastThe Assyrian Church of the East, officially the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East ʻIttā Qaddishtā w-Shlikhāitā Qattoliqi d-Madnĕkhā d-Āturāyē), is a Syriac Church historically centered in Mesopotamia. It is one of the churches that claim continuity with the historical...
- East Syrian RiteEast Syrian RiteThe East Syrian Rite is a Christian liturgy, also known as the Assyro-Chaldean Rite, Assyrian or Chaldean Rite, and the Persian Rite although it originated in Edessa, Mesopotamia...
- List of Patriarchs of the Church of the East
- Chaldean Syrian ChurchChaldean Syrian ChurchThe Chaldean Syrian Church is an Indian Christian church that is currently an archbishopric of the Assyrian Church of the East. Its members are part of the St. Thomas Christian community, who trace their origins to the evangelical activities of Thomas the Apostle in the 1st century. They are almost...
in India (also known as Assyrian Church of the East in India) - Chaldean Catholic ChurchChaldean Catholic ChurchThe Chaldean Catholic Church , is an Eastern Syriac particular church of the Catholic Church, maintaining full communion with the Bishop of Rome and the rest of the Catholic Church...
- Assyrian peopleAssyrian peopleThe Assyrian people are a distinct ethnic group whose origins lie in ancient Mesopotamia...