Youakim Moubarac - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Youakim Moubarac was a Lebanese

Lebanon

Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

French erudite. He was an Islamologist, an Arabist

Arabist

This is an article about the western scholars known as Arabists, not the political movement Pan-Arabism.An Arabist is someone normally from outside the Arab World who specialises in the study of the Arabic language and Arab culture, and often Arabic literature.-Origins:Arabists began in medieval...

and a disciple of the Orientalist

Oriental studies

Oriental studies is the academic field of study that embraces Near Eastern and Far Eastern societies and cultures, languages, peoples, history and archaeology; in recent years the subject has often been turned into the newer terms of Asian studies and Middle Eastern studies...

Louis Massignon

Louis Massignon was a French scholar of Islam and its history. Although a Catholic himself, he tried to understand Islam from within and thus had a great influence on the way Islam was seen in the West; among other things, he paved the way for a greater openness inside the Catholic Church towards...

and of philosopher Louis Gardet

Louis Gardet

Louis Gardet was a French Roman Catholic priest and historian. As an author he was an expert in Islamic culture and sociology who caught a sympathetic view on Islam as a religion. He considered himself "a Christian philosopher of cultures"...

. A Maronite priest, Moubarac dedicated his life and major works to interfaith dialogue

Interfaith

The term interfaith dialogue refers to cooperative, constructive and positive interaction between people of different religious traditions and/or spiritual or humanistic beliefs, at both the individual and institutional levels...

between Christianity

Christianity

Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...

and Islam

Islam

Islam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~...

, to Arab

Arab

Arab people, also known as Arabs , are a panethnicity primarily living in the Arab world, which is located in Western Asia and North Africa. They are identified as such on one or more of genealogical, linguistic, or cultural grounds, with tribal affiliations, and intra-tribal relationships playing...

and Lebanese

Lebanon

causes, to the unity of the Church and to the Maronite Church

Maronite Church

The Syriac Maronite Church of Antioch is an Eastern Catholic Church in full communion with the Holy See of Rome . It traces its heritage back to the community founded by Maron, a 4th-century Syriac monk venerated as a saint. The first Maronite Patriarch, John Maron, was elected in the late 7th...

Antiochian

School of Antioch

The School of Antioch was one of the two major centers of the study of biblical exegesis and theology during Late Antiquity; the other was the catechetical school of Alexandria...

heritage.

Biography

Youakim Moubarac was born in Kfarsghab

Kfarsghab

Kfarsghab is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

in a Maronite family of long sacerdotal tradition. His Father, Antoun, and Grandfather, Youssef, were Maronite priests serving their community in one of the holiest locations of the Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity

Eastern Christianity comprises the Christian traditions and churches that developed in the Balkans, Eastern Europe, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Northeastern Africa, India and parts of the Far East over several centuries of religious antiquity. The term is generally used in Western Christianity to...

in the Middle East

Middle East

The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...

, the Qadisha Valley.

Early life

After ecclesiastic studies in the Maronite Seminary of Ghazir and the Université Saint-Joseph

Université Saint-Joseph

Saint Joseph University is a private Catholic higher institute of education founded by the Jesuits in 1875 in Beirut, Lebanon, known for its school of medicine and its hospital, Hôtel-Dieu de France. The Lebanese state officially recognizes the university and the diplomas it grants in accord with...

, Beirut

Beirut

Beirut is the capital and largest city of Lebanon, with a population ranging from 1 million to more than 2 million . Located on a peninsula at the midpoint of Lebanon's Mediterranean coastline, it serves as the country's largest and main seaport, and also forms the Beirut Metropolitan...

, Lebanon

Lebanon

, young Youakim was sent in October 1945 to France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

by his superiors. Once his studies ended in the Seminary of Saint Sulpice

Saint-Sulpice (Paris)

Saint-Sulpice is a Roman Catholic church in Paris, France, on the east side of the Place Saint-Sulpice, in the Luxembourg Quarter of the VIe arrondissement. At 113 metres long, 58 metres in width and 34 metres tall, it is only slightly smaller than Notre-Dame and thus the second largest church in...

, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

, he was ordained priest on June 29, 1947 in Lebanon

Lebanon

. In 1948, he was authorized by the Maronite Patriarch to continue his studies at the Institut Catholique de Paris

Institut Catholique de Paris

The Institut Catholique de Paris, or the Catholic University of Paris, is a private university located in Paris, France. The institute was founded in 1875, under the name Université Catholique de Paris, by Maurice Le Sage d'Hauteroche d'Hulst....

. In that same year, he is appointed at the service of the Church of Saint Séverin

Saint-Séverin (Paris)

The Church of Saint-Séverin is a Roman Catholic church in the Latin Quarter of Paris, located on the lively tourist street Rue Saint-Séverin...

in the Quartier Latin, Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

where he stayed for 18 years.

Expanded description

In 1951, he presented his first Ph.D. thesis Abraham dans le Coran and joined as a researcher the Centre national de la recherche scientifique

Centre national de la recherche scientifique

The National Center of Scientific Research is the largest governmental research organization in France and the largest fundamental science agency in Europe....

, the largest public research organization in France

France

.

From 1950 till 1962, Fr. Moubarac assumed the secretariat of Louis Massignon

Louis Massignon

. In 1959, he started his academic career, teaching Classical Arabic

Classical Arabic

Classical Arabic , also known as Qur'anic or Koranic Arabic, is the form of the Arabic language used in literary texts from Umayyad and Abbasid times . It is based on the Medieval dialects of Arab tribes...

at the Institut Catholique de Paris

Institut Catholique de Paris

. Till his death, he taught in several universities such as the Université catholique de Louvain

Université catholique de Louvain

The Université catholique de Louvain, sometimes known, especially in Belgium, as UCL, is Belgium's largest French-speaking university. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve and in Brussels...

, Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, the University of Paris IV: Paris-Sorbonne

University of Paris IV: Paris-Sorbonne

Paris-Sorbonne University is a public research university in Paris, France. The 1968 cultural revolution, commonly known as the French May, resulted in the division of the world's second oldest academic institution, the University of Paris, into thirteen autonomous universities...

and others.

He participated between 1962 and 1965 in the Second Vatican Council

Second Vatican Council

The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

within the Maronite delegation. After 1965, he dedicated himself to his work of promotion of the Interfaith dialogue, of defense of the Palestinian

Palestinian people

The Palestinian people, also referred to as Palestinians or Palestinian Arabs , are an Arabic-speaking people with origins in Palestine. Despite various wars and exoduses, roughly one third of the world's Palestinian population continues to reside in the area encompassing the West Bank, the Gaza...

and especially Lebanese causes from 1975.

From 1985, Father Youakim worked on the rediscovering of the spiritual Syriac roots of the Maronite Church

Maronite Church

. Between 1987 and 1992, he settled in Lebanon

Lebanon

and was in charge of preparing for a Maronite Synod

Synod

A synod historically is a council of a church, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. In modern usage, the word often refers to the governing body of a particular church, whether its members are meeting or not...

.

During this period, and despite an intensive work on the Synod preparation and many spiritual and political missions, Moubarac started two important projects:

In 1989, he started the restoration of the Monastery of Our Lady of Qannoubine, a historical Maronite Monastery in the Qadisha valley which was for centuries the See of the Maronite Patriarch (ca. 15th to 18th Century).
In 1992, he founded with some friends, The Lebanese Cooperative for Development, a microcredit
Microcredit
Microcredit is the extension of very small loans to those in poverty designed to spur entrepreneurship. These individuals lack collateral, steady employment and a verifiable credit history and therefore cannot meet even the most minimal qualifications to gain access to traditional credit...

initiative, whose objectives were to encourage the displaced families
Internally displaced person
An internally displaced person is someone who is forced to flee his or her home but who remains within his or her country's borders. They are often referred to as refugees, although they do not fall within the current legal definition of a refugee. At the end of 2006 it was estimated there were...

during Lebanese Civil War
Lebanese Civil War
The Lebanese Civil War was a multifaceted civil war in Lebanon. The war lasted from 1975 to 1990 and resulted in an estimated 150,000 to 230,000 civilian fatalities. Another one million people were wounded, and today approximately 350,000 people remain displaced. There was also a mass exodus of...

(1975–1990) settle back in their region of origin and to prevent emigration
Emigration
Emigration is the act of leaving one's country or region to settle in another. It is the same as immigration but from the perspective of the country of origin. Human movement before the establishment of political boundaries or within one state is termed migration. There are many reasons why people...

outside Lebanon
Lebanon
Lebanon , officially the Republic of LebanonRepublic of Lebanon is the most common term used by Lebanese government agencies. The term Lebanese Republic, a literal translation of the official Arabic and French names that is not used in today's world. Arabic is the most common language spoken among...

.

In 1991, the decision of Pope John Paul II

Pope John Paul II

Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

to convene a Synod

Synod

in Rome

Rome

Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...

for all Catholic Lebanese Churches cancelled his project.

In 1992, he settled back in Paris

Paris

Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...

where he resumed his academic work.

Death and afterward

Father Youakim died on May 24, 1995 in Montpellier

Montpellier

-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....

, France

France

. His burial took place at the graveyard of the Abbaye Notre-Dame-de-Jouarre, France

France

. Fourteen years later, on August 25, 2009, his remains were transferred, according to his wish, to rest beside his relatives in Mar Youssef Church in Morh Kfarsghab

Morh Kfarsghab

Morh Kfarsghab is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon....

. A solemn mass of requiem, in his home town of Kfarsghab

Kfarsghab

Kfarsghab is a village located in the Zgharta District in the North Governorate of Lebanon...

was presided by the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Mar Nasrallah Boutros Sfeir, honored by the presence of the Minister of Information, M. Tarek Mitri

Tarek Mitri

Tarek Mitri is a Greek Orthodox Professor and Independent politician from Lebanon, he was born in 1950 and has played a significant role in advocating freedom of expression in Lebanon. Most recently, Mitri successfully pushed for lifting the ban on the film adaptation of Marjane Satrapi’s Persepolis...

representing the President of the Lebanese Republic, General Michel Suleiman

Michel Suleiman

Michel Suleiman or Sleiman is the President of Lebanon. Before assuming office as President, he held the position of commander of the Lebanese Armed Forces. After LAF commander Émile Lahoud took office as president in November of 1998, Suleiman succeeded him, taking his place in December...

, the family and friends.

Works

Youakim Moubarac left important works, large parts of which remain unpublished. In 2005 and 2006, two books were published ith some of his unpublished works:

Georges Corm (2004), Youakim Moubarac, Un homme d'exception, Librairie Orientale, Beirut, ISBN 978-9953170145
Dossier dirigé par Jean Stassinet (2005), Youakim Moubarac, Editions L'Age d'Homme, Lausanne, ISBN 978-2825119655

Published works

1956, Bibliographie de Louis Massignon. Réunie et classée par Y. Moubarac, Institut Français de Damas, Damascus.
1956, Les Noms divins dans le Coran et en épigraphie sud-sémitique, Museon, Louvain.
1957, Les Études d'épigraphie sud-sémitique et la naissance de l'Islam : Eléments de bibliographie et lignes de recherches, Librairie orientaliste Paul Geuthner,
1958, Abraham dans le Coran, Editions J. Vrin, Paris.
1962, L'Islam, Castermann, Paris.
1963, Anthologie de la littérature arabe, selon une nouvelle translittération établie par le Cardinal Tisserant, Gedalge, Paris.
1963, Catéchisme pour adultes à Saint-Séverin, Casterman,
1963, Mémorial Louis Massignon, Sous la direction de Youakim Moubarac et des textes arabes de Ibrahim Madkour, Abd al-Rahman Badawi, Taha Hussein, etc., Dar el-Salam, Imprimerie de l'Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale
Institut Français d'Archéologie Orientale
.The Institut Français d’Archéologie Orientale , also known as the French Institute for Oriental Archaeology in Cairo is a French research institute based in Cairo, Egypt, dedicated to the study of the archaeology, history and languages of the various periods of Egypt's civilisation.The IFAO is...

, Cairo.
1964, Guide de l'église Saint-Séverin (XIIIe-XVIe siècles) Deuxième édition revue avec textes en espagnol, italien, anglais et allemand, Association Philippe Néri, Paris.
1965, Bible, Liturgy, and Dogma, Notre Dame, Ind., Fides Publishers,
1965, Saint-Séverin catechism for adults, G. Chapman, London,
1965, Calendrier synoptique, juif, chrétien, musulman 1966, Devrue, Paris.
1966, I Believe in God, Notre Dame, Ind., Fides Publishers.
1966, Calendrier Synoptique, juif, chrétien, musulman, Philippe Néri, Saint Séverin, Paris.
1968, Vocation islamique de Jérusalem, Al Khal Editor, Beirut.
1969, La Pensée chrétienne et l'Islam, des origines jusqu'a la prise de Constantinople, Sorbonne, Paris.
1971, Les Musulmans: consultation islamo-chrétienne, Seven Muslim intellectuals from North Africa, Egypt, Iran, and India replies to questions concerning relations with Christians., Beauchesne, Paris.
1972, Pentalogie Islamo-chrétienne, 5 tomes :
- tome 1 : L’œuvre de Louis Massignon,
- tome 2 : Le Coran et la critique occidentale,
- tome 3 : L’Islam et le dialogue Islamo-Chrétien,
- tome 4 : Les Chrétiens et le Monde Arabe,
- tome 5 : Palestine et Arabité., . Editions du Cénacle Libanais, Beirut.
1977, Recherches sur la pensée chrétienne et l'Islam dans les temps modernes et à l'époque contemporaine, Université libanaise, Beirut.
1975, Muhammad est-il prophète?, Louvain-La-Neuve, Université catholique de Louvain, Faculté de théologie,
1982, Islam et Christianisme en dialogue, Cerf, Paris. ISBN 978-2204018517
1984, Pentalogie antiochienne, Domaine Maronite, 5 tomes en 7 volumes:
- tome 1 : les Maronites entre l'Orient syrien et l'Occident Latin,
- tome 2 : le Liban entre l'Islam, la France et l'arabité,
- tome 3 : hommes et institutions, us et coutumes, proverbes et dictons, recettes et chansons,
- tome 4 : répertoire du Liban,
- tome 5 : livre d'heures et de mélodies,
- tome 6 : livre du pain et du vin,
- tome 7 : livre d'images, Publications du cénacle libanais, Beirut.
1986, La Pensée Chrétienne et l’Islam, Université libanaise, Beirut.
1993, La chambre nuptiale du coeur, Approches spirituelles et questionnements de l'Orient syriani, Cariscript, Paris, ISBN 2876012286
1993, La Question libanaise dans les textes du Patriarche Sfeir, Cariscript, Paris. ISBN 978-2876012189
1996, al-Quds—al-qaḍīyah , al-Markaz al-Raʼīsī, Beirut,

External links

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.