Lesson 23 Flashcards
- What is the importance of Antioch in the history of the Church?
It is important to note that the followers of Jesus Christ were called Christians for the first time in Antioch. Also it was at Antioch that St. Peter established his Apostolic See.
In the early centuries of the Christian era, Antioch was a very important place. Antioch was the third biggest town of the Roman Empire. E. S. Burchiar, in his book about the history of Antioch, mentions that in the 4th century, Antioch had 5,00,000 people living in 1,00,000 houses within a radius of 15 miles. Antioch in the 4th century was much bigger than many of the modern Indian cities.
Antioch was the center of Greek culture and learning. It was famous as a center of trade also. Prominent countries of that time like Greece, Egypt and Syria had trade relationship with Antioch. Since traders from various parts of the world visited Antioch, travel to and communications with other parts of the world were easy from Antioch. All these must have prompted St. Peter to establish his See at Antioch
- Write about the ancient Dayara movement in the Syrian Orthodox Church.
In the earlier classes, we learned about many Church Fathers, who lived before the time of Yacoob Burdana (Jacob Baradaeus) and suffered much in their endeavor to keep the faith pure. Most of these Fathers belonged to the Dayara (monastery) movement. At least from the 3rd century, Dayara movement was existent in the Syrian Orthodox church. Though, due to unfavorable circumstances the inmates in these Dayaras are small in number these days, for centuries the Dayaras have been centers of spirituality, knowledge and service.
- What were the privileges enjoyed by the Christians during the Muslim rule?
The Muslim rule before the Crusades helped the Christians in many ways. The Muslim rulers were keen to make use of the knowledge of the Christians. That was good for the Christians. Secondly since Syria, Persia and Mesopotamia got united politically, the gospel spread to many places where it had not reached till then. Since the dyophysites (believers in double nature) lost their strength with the lack of royal support, the Church did not have to face their hostility any further. The peaceful atmosphere allowed the Syrian Christians to continue their pursuits in other fields. In fields like science, medicine, astronomy, history and theology, Syrian Christians made significant contributions.
