Why Maronites became Catholics at the 16th century?

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Yes. Although, maybe I should be grateful since my Church - nor my brothers and sisters in the Syriac Orthodox or Malankara Orthodox Churches - wouldn’t exist in India if it weren’t for the latinization… 🤷
Really ? Why ?
 
Really ? Why ?
The St. Thomas Christians, before the 16th Cent. Portuguese arrival, of the East Syriac Rite and all belonged to one Church in full Communion with the Patriarch of the Chaldean/Assyrian Church.
After the Latins arrived and the Portuguese prevented the Chaldean/Assyrian Patriarch from coming to India 2-3X, the St. Thomas Christians divided among those who stayed united to Rome despite the forced latinizations, and those who joined the Syriac Patriarchate of Antioch. The Malankara Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox in India and the Malankara Syrian Catholics share the common history until the reunion of the Syro-Malankara Catholics to the Latins and the Syro-Malabars in 1930.
 
Yes. Although, maybe I should be grateful since my Church - nor my brothers and sisters in the Syriac Orthodox or Malankara Orthodox Churches - wouldn’t exist in India if it weren’t for the latinization… 🤷
I see it a little differently: not that they/you wouldn’t exist, but that they would still be with their mother church (to borrow a phrase from EOs) i.e. the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. 🙂
 
In this thread: Peter J pretends that we live in Bizarroland, where the Coonan Cross Oath never happened. :rolleyes:
 
In this thread: Peter J pretends that we live in Bizarroland, where the Coonan Cross Oath never happened. :rolleyes:
Have you now taken to attacking people in the third person? 🤷

Well, that may not be any of my business; but regardless, the post I was responding to clearly said "if it weren’t for … " so I thought it was appropriate for me to respond to it on its own terms.
 
The St. Thomas Christians, before the 16th Cent. Portuguese arrival, of the East Syriac Rite and all belonged to one Church in full Communion with the Patriarch of the Chaldean/Assyrian Church.
After the Latins arrived and the Portuguese prevented the Chaldean/Assyrian Patriarch from coming to India 2-3X, the St. Thomas Christians divided among those who stayed united to Rome despite the forced latinizations, and those who joined the Syriac Patriarchate of Antioch. The Malankara Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox in India and the Malankara Syrian Catholics share the common history until the reunion of the Syro-Malankara Catholics to the Latins and the Syro-Malabars in 1930.
So Roma, once again, made his work of division between two similar community ?
Anyway it is great to have your testimony brother, I will be very pleased to get acquainted in real with Malabar and Malankara Christians 🙂
 
Have you now taken to attacking people in the third person? 🤷

Well, that may not be any of my business; but regardless, the post I was responding to clearly said "if it weren’t for … " so I thought it was appropriate for me to respond to it on its own terms.
Peter, you still did not gave your opinion on the subject!! 😦 Do you think if all “Arab” Christian Churches broke communion with Roma and returns all together under the patriarchy of the Antiochian Church and recuperate the entirety of their traditions, it will be a good thing for us (Middle Eastern Christians) ? What is your opinion about that, being a Melkite ?
 
Peter, you still did not gave your opinion on the subject!! 😦 Do you think if all “Arab” Christian Churches broke communion with Roma and returns all together under the patriarchy of the Antiochian Church and recuperate the entirety of their traditions, it will be a good thing for us (Middle Eastern Christians) ? What is your opinion about that, being a Melkite ?
Hi. The three families you refer to – I mean the West Syriac family, the East Syriac family, and the Melkite/Antiochian family – are most certainly an area of interest for me.

Anyhow, to the specific question of going-Orthodox … well, these kinds of questions are hardly ever cut and dried; but personally I’m rather skeptical of it. Even with Greek Catholics who have gone Orthodox, it saddens me, but I’ll say “Well, it’s understandable that they wanted to reunite with their mother church (UGCC becoming Ukrainian Orthodox, Romanian Catholics becoming Romanian Orthodox, etc etc).” But when we talk about the Maronites, and the West Syriac family as a whole, it’s hard to say who’s the mother church and whose the daughter church.

Well … possibly people will read this post as a ramble, but I’ll stop now. Obviously I haven’t given a complete comprehensive answer, but only brought in another factor (hopefully one that won’t heat this thread up even further :o :cool: as it has become a bit of a hot-button thread).
 
Hi. The three families you refer to – I mean the West Syriac family, the East Syriac family, and the Melkite/Antiochian family – are certainly an area of interest for me.

Anyhow, to the specific question of going-Orthodox … well, these kinds of questions are hardly ever cut and dried; but personally I’m rather skeptical of it. Even with Greek Catholics who have gone Orthodox, it saddens me, but I’ll at least say to myself “Well, it’s understandable that they wanted to reunite with their mother church (UGCC becoming Ukrainian Orthodox, Romanian Catholics becoming Romanian Orthodox, etc etc).” But when we talk about the Maronites, and the West Syriac family as a whole, it’s hard to say who’s the mother church and whose the daughter church.

Well … possibly people will read this post as a pointless ramble, but I’ll stop now. Obviously I haven’t given a complete comprehensive answer, but only brought in another factor (hopefully one that won’t heat this thread up even further :o :cool: as it has become a bit of a hot-button thread).
 
So Roma, once again, made his work of division between two similar community ?
Anyway it is great to have your testimony brother, I will be very pleased to get acquainted in real with Malabar and Malankara Christians 🙂
Very pleased to meet another Maronite brother as well! Where are you located?

Regarding Roma – I can’t put all the blame on Rome for the division among the St. Thomas Christians. There were bishops vying for power positions internally (and still are), so the division between the Syriac Orthodox and Malankara Orthodox continue for now 200 years… The Chaldean Bishops who were our Patriarchs were divided in the 16th Cent. among three lines - two were loyal to Rome, and one not; but when the Patriarchate became open, they loyal party and independent parties would switch back and forth depending on who was elected by which group – some of these Patriarchs were uncle and nephew, fighting for power. Today, the two groups who were loyal to Rome and the one which was independent merged and separated so that one of the loyal party and the independent became one and is the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, while the other which was loyal became independent and is the Assyrian Patriarch which Maran Mar Dinkha is head and father.

In between this, the British came to India with money and power and protestantism. This created a third division, the group which has protestant theology but uses and Anglicanised edited edition of the original Holy Qurbono (they removed all the references of Intercession to Saints, Prayer for the Dead, and the Eucharist as Sacrifice, they dont’ celebrate Feasts, nor do Processions).
 
Peter, you still did not gave your opinion on the subject!! 😦 Do you think if all “Arab” Christian Churches broke communion with Roma and returns all together under the patriarchy of the Antiochian Church and recuperate the entirety of their traditions, it will be a good thing for us (Middle Eastern Christians) ? What is your opinion about that, being a Melkite ?
Last I checked aren’t the Thomas Christians from the Assyrian Patriarchate , not Antioch? If so how is it a “return” to Antioch?

But if you are referring to maronites then that’s a whole different story. They have no orthodox counterpart to return to.
 
Last I checked aren’t the Thomas Christians from the Assyrian Patriarchate , not Antioch? If so how is it a “return” to Antioch?
Leaving geography aside, the St Thomas Christians and the Assyrian Church of the East (along the Chaldeans, Maronites, Syriac Orthodox, and Syriac Catholics) are in the East Syriac/West Syriac family(ies).
 
Hi. The three families you refer to – I mean the West Syriac family, the East Syriac family, and the Melkite/Antiochian family – are certainly an area of interest for me.

Anyhow, to the specific question of going-Orthodox … well, these kinds of questions are hardly ever cut and dried; but personally I’m rather skeptical of it. Even with Greek Catholics who have gone Orthodox, it saddens me, but I’ll at least say to myself “Well, it’s understandable that they wanted to reunite with their mother church (UGCC becoming Ukrainian Orthodox, Romanian Catholics becoming Romanian Orthodox, etc etc).” But when we talk about the Maronites, and the West Syriac family as a whole, it’s hard to say who’s the mother church and whose the daughter church.

Well … possibly people will read this post as a pointless ramble, but I’ll stop now. Obviously I haven’t given a complete comprehensive answer, but only brought in another factor (hopefully one that won’t heat this thread up even further :o :cool: as it has become a bit of a hot-button thread).
Okkkk Peter, many thanks for your reply!!

But the Maronite’s mother Church and the mother Church of all Christians of the Middle East is the Antiochian Church.

If people want to had more things or debate again about this thread there is no problem. Unless the Catholics administrators consider that it is too “injurious” to Roma and censor me and send me private warnings as they did.
Btw you sent me a pm but I did not manage to find it in my box…
 
Very pleased to meet another Maronite brother as well! Where are you located?

Regarding Roma – I can’t put all the blame on Rome for the division among the St. Thomas Christians. There were bishops vying for power positions internally (and still are), so the division between the Syriac Orthodox and Malankara Orthodox continue for now 200 years… The Chaldean Bishops who were our Patriarchs were divided in the 16th Cent. among three lines - two were loyal to Rome, and one not; but when the Patriarchate became open, they loyal party and independent parties would switch back and forth depending on who was elected by which group – some of these Patriarchs were uncle and nephew, fighting for power. Today, the two groups who were loyal to Rome and the one which was independent merged and separated so that one of the loyal party and the independent became one and is the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch, while the other which was loyal became independent and is the Assyrian Patriarch which Maran Mar Dinkha is head and father.

In between this, the British came to India with money and power and protestantism. This created a third division, the group which has protestant theology but uses and Anglicanised edited edition of the original Holy Qurbono (they removed all the references of Intercession to Saints, Prayer for the Dead, and the Eucharist as Sacrifice, they dont’ celebrate Feasts, nor do Processions).
I’m from France, I lived all my life in France brother, it is also why I do many mistakes in English and I apologize for that (English teachers in France are very bad hahaha)
And what about you ?!

Thank you again for your reliability and for the fact you gave me about our sister Church. Indeed, it is too bad that rivalry and vainglory lead priest and people of the same community to divisions, too bad…
Concerning my point of view I do not appreciate all those Europeans who came from here and there claiming to spread “God’s word” to hide in reality their hegemonic wills.
 
Last I checked aren’t the Thomas Christians from the Assyrian Patriarchate , not Antioch? If so how is it a “return” to Antioch?
No friend, Assyrian Church is joined to the patriarchy of Antioch.
But if you are referring to maronites then that’s a whole different story. They have no orthodox counterpart to return to.
Maronites were very volatile among history, they always been between Orthodoxy and Catholocism it just depended on what influences they knew.
 
But the Maronite’s mother Church and the mother Church of all Christians of the Middle East is the Antiochian Church.
MaroniteLebaniz,

The Church of Antioch is not the mother Church of all the Christians in the Middle East. Some Middle Eastern Christians, the Chaldean and Assyrian Christians, originate from the mother Church of Seleucia Ctesiphon (the Church of the East).

Antioch was one of the Patriarchal Churches in the Roman Empire, whereas, Seleucia Ctesiphon (the Church of the East) was the only Patriarchal Church in the Persian Empire. The line of Patriarchs for the two Churches were different, in that, the line of Antioch originated with St. Peter, whereas, the line of Seleucia Ctesiphon originated with St. Thomas.

Here are some links for your info:

The Particular Churches of Christendom: i31.tinypic.com/e6tw83.jpg
List of Patriarchs of Antioch: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Patriarchs_of_Antioch
List of Patriarchs of the Church of the East: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Patriarchs_of_the_Church_of_the_East

God bless,

Rony
 
What does the dotted line marked “Cappadocian influence” mean in that chart of churches, Rony? The placement of the Armenian Church seems a little weird there, as they originally worshiped in Syriac (even today, there are lots of words, particularly of religious import, in Armenian that come from Syriac), yet they are above (earlier?) the line marked “Cappadocian and Syrian influence”, which for some reason only flows to the Byzantines. Also to have them completely unconnected to the Persian Empire is wrong, too. It was because of reports from Orthodox (Armenian) Christians within Persia that the Armenian Church eventually came to reject Chalcedon as incompatible with the Orthodox faith, and there have been many, many Armenians in what is today Persia/Iran since even before the Christianization of their people. Before they were Christians, some of the Armenians even practiced Mithraism and Zoroastrianism in common with the Persians. And if the spacing is meant to emphasize relative time-depth, why on earth are the Maronites at equal level with the Ethiopian Orthodox? Mar Maroun himself died in 410 AD, and the first Maronite bishop was not even consecrated until the 7th century (Wikipedia says 676, but I haven’t found independent confirmation of that anywhere). Meanwhile, Christianity was established at the time of King Ezana of Axum circa 324 AD, and (just for the sake of comparison) by the latter half of the 7th century, when the Maronites were getting their first bishop, St. Yared, the author of the Ethiopian hymnody still used today in the Kidase of the EOTC, had been dead for over 100 years.

I know it’s just a quick overview, but things like this make it less useful than it could be.
 
No friend, Assyrian Church is joined to the patriarchy of Antioch.
No brother, the Assyrian Church of the east is its own separate church with its apostolic succession coming from St. Thomas. The Church of antioch is a different church tracing its apostolic succession to St. Peter. Totally separate churches with two different lines of bishops.
Maronites were very volatile among history, they always been between Orthodoxy and Catholocism it just depended on what influences they knew.
If anything the most likely mother church for the maronites (even though I don’t believe they have one) would be the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (despite its later byzantinization) as the maronites were against the non-Chalcedonians as they themselves were Chalcedonian ,and the legitimate patriarch of antioch from the line of Chalcedon is held by the Melkites today.
 
If anything the most likely mother church for the maronites (even though I don’t believe they have one) would be the Melkite Greek Catholic Church (despite its later byzantinization) as the maronites were against the Miaphysites ask were Chalcedonian and the legitimate patriarch of antioch from the line of Chalcedon is held by the Melkites today.
What kind of logic is this?

Also, tell that to St. Jacob of Serug, a most non-Chalcedonian saint they venerate… :rolleyes:
 
But the Maronite’s mother Church and the mother Church of all Christians of the Middle East is the Antiochian Church.
Consider, though: that Antiochian Church split many ways since the fourth century. It lives on today in a family of churches – or rather three families, the WS family, the ES family, and the Antiochian/Melkite family. To equate is simply with the AOC of today would be a significant oversimplification.

And of course, it is worth noting that all three major communions (Catholics, EOs, and OOs) plus the ACoE each have a portion of one of those three families (or, in our case, all three :)).
 
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