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Do not fill this in! {{Short description|Eastern Christian denomination}} {{distinguish|Syriac Orthodox Church|Church of the East|Ancient Church of the East}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2023}} {{Infobox Christian denomination | icon = Assyrian church of the East.png | icon_width = 155px | name = Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East | native_name_lang = syc | image = The patriarchate of the Assyrian Church of the East in Erbil.jpg | imagewidth = 200px | caption = The Patriarchal see of the Assyrian Church of the East in [[Ankawa]], [[Iraq]] | abbreviation = ACOE | main_classification = [[Eastern Christian]] | orientation = [[Syriac Christian]] | theology = East Syriac theology<!--[[Dyophysitism|Dyophysite doctrine]] of [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]]<ref>{{cite web |url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/entry/Church-of-the-East|title=Church of the East|last1= Brock |first1=Sebastian P |last2=Coakley |first2=James F |date= |website= |publisher= e-GEDSH:Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage|access-date=27 June 2022 |quote=The Church of the East follows the strictly dyophysite (‘two-nature’) christology of Theodore of Mopsuestia, as a result of which it was misleadingly labelled as ‘Nestorian’ by its theological opponents.}}</ref>{{efn|name=Dyophysitism|Distinguished from [[Chalcedonian Christianity|Chalcedonian Dyophysitism]].<ref>{{cite book| title=Invitation to Syriac Christianity: An Anthology | date=22 February 2022 |url= https://books.google.com/books?id=OJlSEAAAQBAJ&pg=PA409 |page= 409 |editor1=Michael Philip Penn |editor2=Scott Fitzgerald Johnson |editor3=Christine Shepardson |editor4=Charles M. Stang |publisher= Univ of California Press | isbn=9780520299191 |edition=22-Feb-2022 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://gedsh.bethmardutho.org/entry/Church-of-the-East|title=Church of the East|last1= Brock |first1=Sebastian P |last2=Coakley |first2=James F |author1-link= Sebastian Brock|date= |website= |publisher= e-GEDSH:Gorgias Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Syriac Heritage|access-date=27 June 2022 }}</ref>}}{{efn|The justice of imputing [[Nestorianism]] to [[Nestorius]], whom the Assyrian Church of the East venerated as a saint, is disputed.{{sfn|Bethune-Baker|1908|p=82-100}}<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=pYpYLBLxw-cC&dq=Nestorius+%22not+a+Nestorian%22&pg=PA111|title=Dreaming about the Church: Acts of the Apostles of the 20th Century|first=Walbert|last=Bühlmann|date=17 April 1987|publisher=Rowman & Littlefield|isbn=9781556120619 |accessdate=17 April 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref> David Wilmshurst states that for centuries "the word 'Nestorian' was used both as a term of abuse by those who disapproved of the traditional East Syrian theology, as a term of pride by many of its defenders [...] and as a neutral and convenient descriptive term by others. Nowadays it is generally felt that the term carries a stigma".{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=4}} Sebastian P. Brock says: "The association between the Church of the East and Nestorius is of a very tenuous nature, and to continue to call that Church 'Nestorian' is, from a historical point of view, totally misleading and incorrect – quite apart from being highly offensive and a breach of ecumenical good manners".{{sfn|Brock|2006|p=14}} Apart from its religious meaning, the word "Nestorian" has also been used in an ethnic sense, as shown by the phrase "Catholic Nestorians".<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=X_LmnA75Dt8C&dq=%22Catholic+Nestorians%22&pg=PA21|title=Social Relations in Ottoman Diyarbekir, 1870-1915|first1=Joost|last1=Jongerden|first2=Jelle|last2=Verheij|date=3 August 2012|publisher=BRILL|isbn=978-9004225183 |accessdate=17 April 2023|via=Google Books}}</ref><ref>[[Gertrude Lowthian Bell]], [https://archive.org/details/amurathtoamurath00bell/page/280 ''Amurath to Amurath'' (Heinemann 1911), p. 281]</ref><ref>[https://www.jstor.org/stable/592420 Gabriel Oussani, "The Modern Chaldeans and Nestorians, and the Study of Syriac among them" in ''Journal of the American Oriental Society'', vol. 22 (1901), p. 81]; cf. [https://books.google.com/books?id=snPnBQAAQBAJ&dq=%22Catholic+Nestorians%22&pg=PA704 Albrecht Classen (editor), ''East Meets West in the Middle Ages and Early Modern Times'' (Walter de Gruyter 2013), p. 704]</ref> In light of the persistently misused 'Nestorian' term, [[Sebastian Brock]], a [[Fellow of the British Academy]], in his 1996 article titled: "The 'Nestorian' Church: a lamentable misnomer", called the designation for the Church of the East as the "'[[Nestorian Church]]'" as "both inappropriate and misleading", quoted in the larger context: "...the term 'Nestorian Church' has become the standard designation for the ancient oriental church which in the past called itself 'The Church of the East', but which today prefers the fuller title 'The Assyrian Church of the East'. Such a designation is not only discourteous to modern members of this venerable church, but also – as this paper aims to show – both inappropriate and misleading."{{sfn|Brock|1996|p=23-35}}}}{{efn|In 1994, the [[Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East]] marked the resolution of a dispute between those two Churches that had existed since the Council of Ephesus. They expressed their common understanding of doctrine concerning the divinity and humanity of Christ, and recognized the legitimacy and rightness of their respective descriptions of Mary as, on the Assyrian side, "the Mother of Christ our God and Saviour", and, on the Catholic side, as "the Mother of God" and also as "the Mother of Christ".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104205725/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html|url-status=dead|title=Common Christological Declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East|archive-date=4 January 2009|access-date=17 April 2023}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|author=Joshua Castellino |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9VHRny2tWgcC&q=Assyrian+Church+of+the+East+Nestorianism&pg=PT141|title=Minority Rights in the Middle East|quote=Most Assyrians are affiliated to one of four Churches: the [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syrian Orthodox Church]], the [[Syriac Catholic Church|Syrian Catholic Church]], the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] (Catholic), and the Assyrian Church of the East (Nestorian)|isbn = 978-0191668883|date = 2013-04-25| publisher=OUP Oxford }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=From the Oxus River to the Chinese Shores: Studies on East Syriac Christianity in China and Central Asia |quote=The so-called Nestorian Church is also known as the Assyrian Church of the East.|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VYaMuV3N5vUC&q=Assyrian+Church+of+the+East+Nestorianism&pg=PA297|isbn=9783643903297|last1=Tang|first1=Li|last2=Winkler|first2=Dietmar W.|year=2013|publisher=LIT Verlag Münster }}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Understanding Japan Through the Eyes of Christian Faith Third Edition|author=Lee Samuel|quote=Nestorian missionaries who represented the Assyrian Church of the East|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=b8J0AgAAQBAJ&q=Assyrian+Church+of+the+East+Nestorianism&pg=PA121|isbn=9789490179014|date=October 2009|publisher=Lulu.com }}</ref>}}--> | leader_title = [[Catholicos]]-[[Patriarch of the Church of the East|Patriarch]] | leader_name = [[Awa Royel|Mar Awa III]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2Ci34A6MHYc|title = Interview with Mar Awa Royel, the newly elected patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East|website = [[YouTube]]}}</ref> | area = Central [[Middle East]], [[India]]; [[diaspora]] | language = [[Syriac language|Syriac]],<ref name="auto">{{URL|http://news.assyrianchurch.org|Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East Official News Website}}</ref> [[Aramaic language|Aramaic]] | liturgy = [[East Syriac Rite]] | headquarters = [[Ankawa]], [[Erbil]], [[Iraq]] | absorbed = [[Chaldean Syrian Church]] (1907) | separations = {{ubl|[[Chaldean Catholic Church]] (1830) (Eliya Line)|[[Ancient Church of the East]] (1968)}} | members = 400,000+ (2021){{sfn|Murre van den Berg|2011|p=154-159}} | website = {{URL|http://www.assyrianchurch.org|Official website}} }} {{Christianity|expanded=hide}} The '''Assyrian Church of the East'''{{efn|{{lang-syc|ܥܕܬܐ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܖ̈ܝܐ|ʿĒḏtā ḏ-Maḏnḥā ḏ-ʾĀṯūrāyē}};<ref name="Østens Assyriske Kirke i Danmark">{{Cite web|title=Østens Assyriske Kirke i Danmark|url=http://www.assyrianchurch.dk/|access-date=2020-07-02|website=assyrianchurch.dk|archive-date=2020-07-02|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200702080210/http://www.assyrianchurch.dk/|url-status=dead}}</ref> {{lang-ar|كنيسة المشرق الآشورية}}<ref name="Østens Assyriske Kirke i Danmark"/>}} ('''ACOE'''), sometimes called the '''Church of the East'''<ref name=":02" /><ref name=":0222">{{Cite book|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781405166584|title=The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity|date=2017-09-01|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-4051-6658-4|editor-last=Parry|editor-first=Ken|location=Oxford, UK|pages=317|language=en|chapter=Middle East Council of Churches|doi=10.1002/9781405166584|orig-year=1999|editor2-last=Melling|editor2-first=David J.|editor3-last=Brady|editor3-first=Dimitri|editor4-last=Griffith|editor4-first=Sidney H.|editor5-last=Healey|editor5-first=John F.}}</ref> and officially known as the '''Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East''' ('''HACACE'''),<ref name=":02">{{Cite book|url=http://doi.wiley.com/10.1002/9781405166584|title=The Blackwell Dictionary of Eastern Christianity|date=2017-09-01|publisher=Blackwell Publishing Ltd|isbn=978-1-4051-6658-4|editor-last=Parry|editor-first=Ken|location=Oxford, UK|pages=122|language=en|chapter=Church of the East|doi=10.1002/9781405166584|orig-year=1999|editor2-last=Melling|editor2-first=David J.|editor3-last=Brady|editor3-first=Dimitri|editor4-last=Griffith|editor4-first=Sidney H.|editor5-last=Healey|editor5-first=John F.}}</ref>{{sfn|Binns|2002|p=28}}{{efn|{{lang-syc|ܥܕܬܐ ܩܕܝܫܬܐ ܘܫܠܝܚܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝ ܕܡܕܢܚܐ ܕܐܬܘܪ̈ܝܐ|ʿĒḏtā Qaddīštā wa-Šlīḥāytā Qāṯōlīqī ḏ-Maḏnḥā ḏ-ʾĀṯūrāyē}}; {{lang-ar|كنيسة المشرق الآشورية الرسولية الجاثلقية المقدسة}}<ref>{{Cite web|title=اخبار كنيسة المشرق الاشورية|url=https://ar.news.assyrianchurch.org/|access-date=2020-07-02|website=اخبار كنيسة المشرق الاشورية|language=ar}}</ref>}} is an [[Eastern Christianity|Eastern Christian]] church that follows the traditional [[Christology]] and [[ecclesiology]] of the historical [[Church of the East]].{{sfn|Hunter|2014|p=601-620}} It belongs to the eastern branch of [[Syriac Christianity]], and employs the [[Liturgy of Addai and Mari|Divine Liturgy of Saints Addai and Mari]] belonging to the [[East Syriac Rite]]. Its main [[Sacred language|liturgical language]] is [[Syriac language|Classical Syriac]], a dialect of [[Eastern Aramaic languages|Eastern Aramaic]], and the majority of its adherents are ethnic [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]]. The church also has an archdiocese located in [[India]], known as the [[Chaldean Syrian Church|Chaldean Syrian Church of India]]. The Assyrian Church of the East is officially headquartered in the city of [[Erbil]], in northern [[Iraq]]; its original area also spread into southeastern [[Turkey]], northeastern [[Syria]] and northwestern [[Iran]], corresponding roughly to ancient [[Assyria]]. The current Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, [[Awa Royel|Mar Awa III]], was consecrated in September 2021. The Assyrian Church of the East claims continuity with the historical [[Church of the East]], and it is not in communion with either the [[Oriental Orthodox Churches]] or the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]]. The faction of the Church of the East that came to be in full communion with the [[Holy See]] of Rome is the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]]. After the [[Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East|Common Christological Declaration]] in 1994 between the Church of the East and the [[Catholic Church]], and a 2001 theological dialogue between the churches, they drew up guidelines for faithful to have mutual admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20011025_chiesa-caldea-assira_en.html |title=Guidelines for admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East |publisher=Vatican.va |access-date=2010-07-26 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151103164736/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20011025_chiesa-caldea-assira_en.html |archive-date=2015-11-03 }}</ref> The Assyrian Church of the East has a traditional episcopal structure, headed by the [[Catholicos-Patriarch]]. Its hierarchy is composed of [[metropolitan bishop]]s and [[diocesan bishop]]s, while lower clergy consists of [[priest]]s and [[deacon]]s, who serve in dioceses (eparchies) and parishes throughout the [[Middle East]], [[India]], [[North America]], [[Oceania]], and [[Europe]] (including the [[Caucasus]] and [[Russia]]).{{sfn|Hunter|2014|p=614-615}} ==History== [[File:Church of Saint John the Arab.jpg|thumb|225px|left|A 6th-century Nestorian church, St. John the Arab, in the [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] village of [[Andaç, Uludere|Geramon]]]] The Assyrian Church of the East considers itself as the continuation of the [[Church of the East]], a church that originally developed among the [[Assyrian people|Assyrians]] during the first century AD in [[Assyria]], [[Upper Mesopotamia]] and northwestern [[Iran|Persia]], east of the [[Byzantine Empire]]. It is an [[Apostolic see|apostolic]] church established by [[Thomas the Apostle]], [[Addai of Edessa]], and [[Bartholomew the Apostle]]. Contrary to a widespread opinion, the Apostle [[Saint Peter]] never visited the Church of [[Babylon]]<ref>{{cite web | url=https://catholicsentinel.org/Content/Social/Social/Article/Did-the-apostle-Peter-ever-visit-Babylon-/-2/-2/25044 | title=Did the apostle Peter ever visit Babylon? }}{{Dead link|date=February 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The historical distinctiveness of the Assyrian Church of the East resulted from the series of complex processes and events that occurred within the Church of the East during the transitional period that started in the middle of the 16th century, and lasted until the beginning of the 19th century.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000}} That turbulent period was marked by several consequent splits and mergers, resulting in the creation of separate branches and rival patriarchal lines. During the entire period, one of the main questions of dispute was the union with the [[Catholic Church]]. Ultimately, the pro-Catholic branches were consolidated as the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], while the traditional branches were consolidated as the Assyrian Church of the East.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003}} ===Schisms and branches=== {{main|Church of the East|Schism of 1552}} [[File:Mar Toma church urmia.jpg|thumb|[[St. Thomas Church, Balowlan|Mar Toma church]] near [[Urmia]], [[Iran]]]] During the patriarchal tenure of [[Shemon VII Ishoyahb]] (1539–1558), who resided in the ancient [[Rabban Hormizd Monastery]] near [[Alqosh]], an internal dissent occurred over several issues, including the question of hereditary succession to the patriarchal throne, and the question of union with the Catholic Church. By that time, [[Franciscans|Franciscan]] missionaries had already gained some influence over several local communities,{{sfn|Lemmens|1926|p=17-28}} and they took an active role in organizing the opposition to the Patriarch at that time. By the end of 1552, a pro-Catholic party had been organized in [[Mosul]] under the leadership of the priest [[Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa|Yohannan Sulaqa]],{{sfn|Habbi|1966|p=99-132}} who decided to legitimize his position by traveling to [[Rome]] and seeking confirmation by [[Pope Julius III]] (1550–1555).{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=22}} Receiving support from the Franciscan missionaries, he arrived in Rome and entered into full communion with the Catholic Church in February 1553. At that point, officials of the [[Roman Curia]] were given incorrect information that the elderly Patriarch Shemon VII had actually died. After some deliberation, the Pope decided to appoint Yohannan Sulaqa as "Patriarch of Babylon" in April 1553.{{sfn|Gulik|1904|p=261-277}} Upon consecration, Yohannan Sulaqa took the name ''Shimun'' and by the end of the year he returned to his homeland. He started to organize the pro-Catholic party by appointing several metropolitans and bishops.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=22}} ===The senior Eliya line of Alqosh=== {{further|Numeration of the Eliya line patriarchs}} Union with Rome was actively opposed by Patriarch [[Shemon VII Ishoyahb]], who continued to reside in the Rabban Hormizd Monastery near Alqosh. He was succeeded by his nephew [[Eliya VI|Eliya]] (1558–1591), who was designated as Eliya "VII" in older historiography,{{sfn|Tisserant|1931|p=261-263}}{{sfn|Fiey|1993|p=37}} but renumbered as Eliya "VI" in recent scholarly works.{{sfn|Murre van den Berg|1999a|p=243-244}}{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=116, 174}}{{sfn|Hage|2007|p=473}} The same renumbering was applied to his successors, who all took the same name thus creating the ''Eliya line''. During his patriarchal rule, the ''Eliya line'' preserved its traditional christology and full ecclesiastical independence.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=22, 42 194, 260, 355}} His successor was Patriarch [[Eliya VII]] (VIII) (1591–1617), who negotiated on several occasions with the Catholic Church, in 1605 and 1610, and again in 1615–1616, but without any conclusion.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=24}} Further negotiations were abandoned by the next Patriarch [[Eliya VIII]] (IX) (1617–1660).{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=24-25}} David Wilmshurst noted that his successor, Patriarch [[Eliya IX]] (X) (1660–1700) also was a "vigorous defender of the traditional faith".{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=25}} The Eliya line of traditionalist Patriarchs continued throughout the entire 18th century, residing in the ancient Monastery of Rabban Hormizd, which was eventually attacked and looted in 1743, at the beginning of the [[Ottoman–Persian War (1743–1746)]].{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=205, 263}} Faced with a centuries-old rivalry and frequent [[Ottoman–Persian Wars|conflicts]] between two mighty [[Islam]]ic empires ([[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] and [[History of Iran|Persian]]), all Christian communities in the bordering regions were constantly exposed to danger – and not only in the times of war, since local, mainly [[Kurds|Kurdish]], warlords were accustomed to attacking Christian communities and monasteries. Patriarchs [[Eliya X]] (XI) (1700–1722) and [[Eliya XI]] (XII) (1722–1778) tried to improve the increasingly worsening position of their Christian flock by staying loyal to Ottoman authorities, but the local administration was frequently unable to provide effective protection.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=28, 195, 242, 250–251, 355}} The Eliya line of traditionalist Patriarchs ended in 1804 with the death of [[Eliya XII]] (XIII) (1778–1804).{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=263}}{{sfn|Hage|2007|p=473}} ===The junior Shimun line of Qochanis=== During the second half of the 16th century, traditionalist patriarchs of the Eliya line were faced with the continuous presence of the pro-Catholic movement, led by successors of [[Shimun VIII Yohannan Sulaqa]]. After his death in 1555, the newly established line of patriarchs who were united with the Catholic Church was continued by [[Abdisho IV Maron]] (1555–1570), who remained in [[full communion]] with the Catholic Church. He visited Rome and was officially confirmed by the [[Pope|Pope of Rome]] in 1562.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=22-23}} Soon after his death, connections with Rome were weakened for the first time during the tenure of Patriarch [[Yahballaha IV]] who did not seek confirmation from the Pope.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=23}} That interlude was ended by his successor [[Shimun IX Dinkha]] (1580–1600) who restored full communion with the Catholic Church, and was officially confirmed by the Pope in 1584.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=23-24}} After his death, the patriarchal office was made hereditary, and Patriarchs of this line continued to use the name ''Shimun'', thus creating the Shimun line. Hereditary succession was not acceptable to Rome, and during the tenure of the next Patriarch [[Shimun X Eliyah]] (1600–1638) ties with the Catholic Church were loosened again. In 1616, Shimun X signed a traditional profession of faith that was not accepted by the Pope, leaving the Patriarch without Rome's confirmation.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=24, 315}} His successor [[Shimun XI Eshuyow]] (1638–1656) restored communion with the Catholic Church as late as 1653, eventually receiving confirmation from the Pope.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=25}} By that time, the movement towards full commitment to the traditional faith was constantly growing stronger within the Shimun line. When the next Patriarch [[Shimun XII Yoalaha]] decided to send his profession of faith to the Pope, he was deposed by his bishops because of his pro-Catholic attitude. The Pope tried to intervene on his behalf, but without success.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=25}} Final resolution of conflicts within the Shimun line occurred under the next Patriarch [[Shimun XIII Dinkha]] (1662–1700), who definitively broke communion with the Catholic Church. In 1670, he gave a traditionalist reply to an approach that was made from the Pope, and by 1672 all connections with the Catholic Church were terminated.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=25, 316}}{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=114, 118, 174–175}} At the same time, Patriarch Shimun XIII moved his seat from [[Diyarbakır|Amid]] to [[Qudshanis|Qochanis]]. After the final return to the traditional faith, Patriarchs of the Shimun line decided to keep their independence and after that time there were two independent lines of traditional patriarchs: the senior Eliya line in Alqosh and the junior Shimun line in Qochanis.{{sfn|Murre van den Berg|1999a|p=235-264}} Such division was additionally caused by the complex structure of local [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] communities, traditionally organized as tribal confederations with each [[List of Assyrian tribes|tribe]] being headed by a local lord (''[[malik]]''), while each ''malik'' was ultimately subject to the patriarch, who mediated between Christian Assyrians and the Ottoman authorities.{{sfn|Wigram|1914}} ===Consolidation of remaining branches=== [[File:Assyrianmareliasnestorianbishop.jpg|thumb|upright=.5|Mar Elias (Eliya), the Nestorian bishop of the Urmia Plain village of Geogtapa, {{Circa|1831}}. The image comes from ''A Residence of Eight Years in Persia Among the Nestorians, with Notes of the Mohammedans'' by Justin Perkins (Andover, 1843).]] In 1780, at the beginning of the patriarchal tenure of [[Eliya XII]] (XIII) (1778–1804), a group seceded from the Eliya line in Alqosh and elected [[Yohannan VIII Hormizd|Yohannan Hormizd]], who entered full communion with the Catholic Church and was officially appointed [[Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul|Archbishop of Mosul]] and patriarchal administrator of the [[Chaldean Catholic Church]], in 1783. Only after the death in 1827 of the last representative of the Josephite line, [[Joseph V Augustine Hindi]], was Yohannan recognized as the Chaldean Catholic Patriarch by the Pope, in 1830. By this official appointment, the final merger of various factions committed to the union with the Catholic Church was achieved, thus forming the modern Chaldean Catholic Church. At the same time, the long coexistence and rivalry between two traditionalist patriarchal branches — the senior Eliya line of Alqosh and the junior Shimun line of Qochanis — ended in 1804 when the last primate of the Eliya line, Patriarch [[Eliya XII]] (XIII) died and was buried in the ancient [[Rabban Hormizd Monastery]]. His branch decided not to elect a new patriarch, thus enabling the remaining patriarch [[Shimun XVI Yohannan]] (1780–1820) of the Shimun line to become the sole primate of both Assyrian traditionalist branches.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=120, 175}}{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=316-319, 356}}{{sfn|Murre van den Berg|1999a|p=235-264}} Consolidated after 1804, the reunited traditionalist Church led by patriarchs of the Shimun line became widely known as the "Assyrian Church of the East". Still based in Qodchanis, Assyrian Patriarch Shimun XVI Yohannan was not able to secure control over the traditional seat of the former Eliya line in the ancient Rabban Hormizd Monastery; and around 1808 that venerated monastic institution passed to the [[Chaldean Catholics]].{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=125, 263–264}} The next Assyrian Patriarch [[Shimun XVII Abraham]] (1820–1861) also governed his church from [[Konak, Hakkari|Qodshanis]]. During years marked by political turbulence, he tried to maintain good relations with the local Ottoman authorities. In 1843, he was faced with renewed hostilities from [[Kurds|Kurdish]] warlords, who [[1843 and 1846 massacres in Hakkari|attacked]] and looted many Christian villages, killing 10,000 Christian men and taking away women and children as captives. The patriarch himself was forced to take temporary refuge in [[Mosul]].{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=33, 212}} He was succeeded by Patriarch [[Shimun XVIII Rubil]] (1861–1903) who also resided in Qodshanis. In 1869, he received an open invitation from the [[Holy See|Vatican]] to visit [[Rome]] to attend the [[First Vatican Council]] as an observer, but he did not accept the invitation,{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=129-130}} In following years, he also rejected other initiatives for union with the Catholic Church.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=35-36}}[[File:Nestorian archbishop and servants.jpg|thumb|Early 20th century Assyrian archbishop and servants]] By the end of the 19th century, the Assyrian Church of the East consolidated itself as the sole representative of all traditionalist Assyrians. It also managed to secure a certain level of autonomy within the highly complex system of Ottoman local governance in the bordering regions.{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=275-276}} On several occasions, Assyrian patriarchs refused to enter communion with the Catholic Church or merge with the Chaldean Catholic Church.{{sfn|Murre van den Berg|1999a|p=235-264}} On the other hand, by the end of the 19th century some of its communities were converted to [[Protestantism]] by various western missionaries,{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=324}} while other communities were drawn to [[Eastern Orthodoxy]]. That movement was led by Assyrian Bishop Mar Yonan of [[Supurghan]] in the region of [[Urmia]] who converted to Eastern Orthodoxy in 1898, through the [[Russian Ecclesiastical Mission in Urmia]].{{sfn|Wilmshurst|2000|p=36, 281, 314}} ===20th century=== [[File:Церковь Мат Марьям на Дубровке.jpg|alt=|thumb|St. Mary Assyrian Church in [[Moscow]]. In spite of both ethnic and religious [[persecution]] and a serious decline in membership since their height around the fourth century, the Assyrian Church of the East has survived into the 21st century.]] Among all the tragedies and schisms which thinned the church out, no other was as severe as the [[Sayfo|Assyrian genocide]]. At that point the Assyrian Church of the East was based in the mountains of [[Hakkari (historical region)|Hakkari]], as it had been since 1681. In 1915, The [[Young Turks]] invaded the region — despite the Assyrians' plea of neutrality during the [[Caucasus campaign]] by [[Russia]] and their [[Armenians|Armenian]] allies — out of fear of an [[Assyrian independence movement]]. In response to this, Assyrians of all denominations (the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the [[Syriac Orthodox Church]] and Assyrian Protestants) entered into a war of independence and allied themselves with the [[United Kingdom]], the [[Russian Empire]] and the [[Armenians]] against the Ottomans and their Islamic Kurdish, [[Iranian peoples|Iranian]] and [[Arabs|Arab]] allies.{{sfn|Yakoub|2020|p=}} Despite the odds, the Assyrians fought successfully against the Ottomans and their allies for three years throughout southeastern Turkey, northern Iraq, northwestern Iran and northeastern Syria. Eventually, however, they were abandoned by their allies, the Russian Empire and the [[First Republic of Armenia]], due to the [[Russian Revolution]] and the collapse of the Armenian defense, leaving the Assyrians vastly outnumbered, surrounded, and cut off from supplies of ammunition and food. During this period, their See at Qodchanis was completely destroyed and the Turks and their Islamic allies massacred all of the Assyrians in the Hakkari Mountains.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=354}} Those who survived fled into Iran with what remained of the Assyrian defense under [[Agha Petros]], but they were pursued into Iranian territory despite the fact they were fleeing. Later, in 1918, after the murder of their ''de facto'' leader and Patriarch [[Shimun XIX Benyamin]] and 150 of his followers during a negotiation, fearing further massacres at the hands of the Turks and Kurds, most of the survivors fled by train from Iran into what was to become Iraq. They sought protection under the [[Mandate for Mesopotamia|British mandate]] there, and joined the already existing indigenous Assyrian communities of both Eastern Orthodox and Catholic rites in the north, where they formed communities in [[Baghdad]], [[Basra]], and other areas.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=354}} ====Patriarch Shimun XXI Eshai==== {{Main|Shimun XXI Eshai}} In the aftermath of World War I, the British-educated Patriarch [[Shimun XXI Eshai]], born into the line of patriarchs at Qodchanis, had agitated for an independent Assyrian state. Following the end of the British mandate in 1933{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=354}} and a [[Simele massacre|massacre]] of Assyrian civilians at [[Simele]] by the Iraqi Army, the patriarch was forced to take refuge in [[Cyprus]].{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=144}} There, Shimun petitioned the [[League of Nations]] regarding his people's fate, but to little avail, and he was consequently barred from entering Syria and Iraq. He traveled through [[Europe]] before moving to [[Chicago]] in 1940 to join the growing [[Assyrian–Chaldean–Syriac diaspora|Assyrian diaspora]] community there.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=144}} Due to the church's and the general Assyrian community's disorganized state as a result of the conflicts of the 20th century, Patriarch Shimun XXI Eshai was forced to reorganize the church's structure in the [[United States]]. He transferred his residence to [[San Francisco]] in 1954, and was able to travel to [[Iran]], [[Lebanon]], [[Kuwait]], and [[India]], where he worked to strengthen the church.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=147-148}} In 1964, the patriarch decreed a number of changes to the church, including liturgical reform, the adoption of the [[Gregorian calendar]], and the shortening of [[Lent]]. These changes, combined with Shimun's long absence from Iraq, caused a rift in the community there, which led to another schism. In 1968, traditionalists within the church elected [[Thoma Darmo]] as a rival patriarch to Shimun XXI Eshai, forming the independent [[Ancient Church of the East]], based in [[Baghdad]], [[Iraq]].{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=148-149}} In 1972, Shimun decided to step down as patriarch, and the following year he got married, in contravention to longstanding church custom. This led to a synod in 1973 in which further reforms were introduced, the most significant of which included the permanent abolition of hereditary succession — a practice introduced in the middle of the fifteenth century by Patriarch [[Shemon IV|Shemon IV Basidi]] (who had died in 1497) — and it was also decided that Shimun should be reinstated. The second matter was supposed to be settled at another synod in 1975; however, Shimun was assassinated in November 1975 by an estranged relative before this could take place.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=149}} ====Patriarch Dinkha IV==== {{Main|Dinkha IV}} [[File:Mar Gewargis Cathedral Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church Of The East Chicago 2020-0235.jpg|thumb|200px|Mar Gewargis Assyrian Cathedral in [[Chicago]]: Former Patriarchal See]] Almost a year after the death of Shimun, [[Dinkha IV|Mar Khnanya Dinkha]], Metropolitan of [[Tehran]], convened a synod of seven Assyrian bishops which took place at [[Alton Abbey|St Paul's Abbey, Alton]], in England, from 12 to 17 October 1976. They were joined by two [[Church of England]] bishops, representing the [[Archbishop of Canterbury]] and the [[Bishop of London]], and elected Dinkha as the 120th Catholicos-Patriarch of the Church of the East. On 17 October he was consecrated as [[Dinkha IV]] at St Barnabas Church, Ealing, in an area where many Assyrians lived.{{sfn|Joseph|2000|p=252}} Dinkha, who was then aged 33, operated his see at Tehran until the [[Iran–Iraq War]] of 1980–1988, when he went into exile in the United States and transferred the Patriarchal See to Chicago.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=150-155}} Much of his patriarchate had been concerned with tending to the Assyrian diaspora community and with ecumenical efforts to strengthen relations with other churches.{{sfn|Baum|Winkler|2003|p=150-155}} On 26 March 2015, Dinkha IV died in the United States, leaving the Assyrian Church of the East in a period of ''sede vacante'' until 18 September 2015. During that time, [[Aprem Mooken]] served as the custodian of the [[Patriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon|Patriarchate of Seleucia-Ctesiphon]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2015/03/26/holy-synod-announcement-passing-of-catholicos-patriarch/9534 |title=Holy Synod Announcement – Passing of Catholicos-Patriarch |publisher=Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East |access-date=2015-09-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151008040634/http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2015/03/26/holy-synod-announcement-passing-of-catholicos-patriarch/9534 |archive-date=2015-10-08 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2015/03/28/notice-from-the-locum-tenens/9643 |title=Notice from the Locum Tenens |publisher=Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East |access-date=2015-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150524201922/http://news.assyrianchurch.org/2015/03/28/notice-from-the-locum-tenens/9643 |archive-date=2015-05-24 |url-status=dead }}</ref> ====Patriarch Gewargis III==== {{Main|Gewargis III}} On 18 September 2015, the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East elected the Metropolitan of Iraq, Jordan, and Russia, Warda Sliwa, to succeed the late [[Dinkha IV]] as [[List of patriarchs of the East|Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East]]. On 27 September 2015, he was consecrated as Catholicos-Patriarch in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist, in [[Erbil]], Iraq. Upon his consecration, he assumed the ecclesiastical name [[Gewargis III]]. [[File:Assyrian Mar Narsai Church.jpg|thumb|200px|Mar Narsai Church in [[Duhok|Nohadra]]]] Church leaders proposed moving the Patriarchal See from Chicago back to Erbil.<ref>{{cite news |last= Nagl|first=Kurt |date= September 26, 2015|title= Assyrian Church of the East elects new leader|url= http://rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/260920151|publisher= [[Rudaw Media Network]] }}</ref> There have also been talks of reunification. In the [[Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East]] in 1994, the two churches recognized the legitimacy and rightness of each other's titles for [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html |date=November 11, 1994 |access-date=January 25, 2010 |publisher=[[The Holy See]] |title=Common Christological declaration between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090104205725/https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_11111994_assyrian-church_en.html |archive-date=January 4, 2009 }}</ref> In 2005, the Assyrian Church of the East had about 380,000 members,<ref name="Rassam 2005 166">{{cite book|title=Christianity in Iraq: Its Origins and Development to the Present Day|first=Suha |last=Rassam |year= 2005| isbn=9780852446331| page =166|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|quote=The number of the faithful at the beginning of the twenty - first century belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East under Mar Dinkha was estimated to be around 385,000 , and the number belonging to the Ancient Church of the East under Mar Addia to be 50,000-70,000.}}</ref> mostly living in the United States, [[Iran]], [[Iraq]], [[Syria]], and Turkey.<ref name=Britannica>[https://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/409819/Nestorians "Nestorian"]. ''Encyclopædia Britannica''. Retrieved April 19, 2010.</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Islam| first=Juan |last=Eduardo Campo|year= 2009| isbn=9781438126968| page =142|publisher=Infobase Publishing|quote= the Assyrian Church of the East (found mainly in northern Iraq, southern Turkey, Iran, southwest India, and now the United States).}}</ref> ====Patriarch Awa III==== {{Main|Awa Royel}} On 6 September 2021, Mar Gewargis III formally stepped down as Catholicos-Patriarch during an Extraordinary Session of the Holy Synod of the Assyrian Church of the East, leaving the Patriarchal See vacant. On 8 September 2021, the Holy Synod elected [[Awa III|Mar Awa Royel]], Bishop of California and Secretary of the Holy Synod, to succeed Mar Gewargis III as the 122nd [[List of patriarchs of the East|Catholicos-Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East]].<ref>{{cite web |title=His Beatitude Mar Meelis Zaia Remarks on the Election of the New Patriarch |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gj9l0b2a5MY |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/varchive/youtube/20211212/Gj9l0b2a5MY| archive-date=2021-12-12 |url-status=live|website=Youtube |publisher=Assyrian Church of the East |access-date=9 September 2021}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Sirwan |first1=Dilan |title=The Assyrian Church of the East elects new patriarch in Erbil |url=https://www.rudaw.net/english/kurdistan/080920216 |access-date=9 September 2021 |publisher=Rudaw Media Network |date=9 September 2021}}</ref> He was Consecrated and Enthroned as Catholicos-Patriarch on 13 September 2021, on the Feast of the Holy Cross, in the Cathedral Church of St. John the Baptist in Erbil, Iraq, and assumed the ecclesiastical name Mar Awa III. ==Doctrine== {{Eastern Christianity}} Following doctrinal traditions of the ancient [[Church of the East]], the modern Assyrian Church of the East recognizes the first two [[ecumenical councils]]: the [[First Council of Nicaea]] (325), and the [[First Council of Constantinople]] (381). The Assyrian Church follows [[Trinity|trinitarian]] doctrines, expressed in the [[Nicene Creed]], and professes the eternal [[Holy Spirit in Christianity|procession of the Holy Spirit]] from the [[God the Father|Father]].{{sfn|Brock|1999|p=293}} ===Christology=== [[Theologically]], the Assyrian Church of the East does not accept doctrinal definitions that were adopted at the [[Council of Ephesus]] (431) and the [[Council of Chalcedon]] (451), and still adheres to the [[Church of the East]]'s traditional [[Christology]], that is often labeled as [[Nestorianism|Nestorian]]. The use and exact meaning of that term has been the subject of many debates, not only throughout history but also in modern times, since the Assyrian Church of the East has distinctive views on several Christological questions and claims that its theological doctrines and traditions are essentially Orthodox, while admitting the need for further inter-Christian dialogue that would resolve various questions in the field of comparative Christological terminology.{{sfn|Brock|2006}} The Nestorian nature of Assyrian Christianity remains a matter of contention. Elements of Nestorian doctrine were explicitly repudiated by Patriarch [[Dinkha IV]] on the occasion of his accession in 1976.{{sfn|Hill|1988|p=107}} The Christology of the Church of the East has its roots in the [[Catechetical School of Antioch|Antiochene]] theological tradition of the early church. The founders of Assyrian theology are [[Diodorus of Tarsus]] and [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]], both of whom taught at [[Antioch]]. "Antiochene" is a modern designation given to the style of theology associated with the early church at Antioch, as contrasted with the theology of the Church of Alexandria.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=79}} [[Catechetical School of Antioch|Antiochene]] theology emphasizes Christ's humanity and the reality of the moral choices he faced. In order to preserve the impassibility of Christ's Divine Nature, the unity of his [[Christology|person]] is defined in a looser fashion than in the Alexandrian tradition.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=79}} The normative Christology of the Church of the East was written by [[Babai the Great]] (d. 628) during the controversy that followed the 431 [[Council of Ephesus]]. Babai held that within Christ there exist two ''qnome'' ([[Syriac language|Syriac]]: ܩܢܘܡܐ / ''qnômâ'', a complex term, equivalent for [[Koine Greek|Greek]] term [[hypostasis (philosophy and religion)|hypostasis]]), unmingled, but everlastingly united in the one [[prosopon]] (person) of Christ. The precise Christological teachings of [[Nestorius]] are shrouded in obscurity. Wary of Monophysitism, Nestorius rejected Cyril's theory of a [[hypostatic union]], proposing instead a much looser concept of [[Prosopon|prosopic union]]. Nestorianism has come to mean radical [[Dyophysitism]],{{sfn|Burgess|1989|p=90, 229, 231}} in which Christ's two natures are eternally separate, though it is doubtful whether Nestorius ever taught such a doctrine. Nestorius' rejection of the term [[Theotokos]] ('God-bearer', or 'Mother of God') has traditionally been held as evidence that he asserted the existence of two persons (dyoprosopism) — not merely two natures — in Jesus Christ, but there exists no evidence that Nestorius denied Christ's oneness.{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=339}} In the controversy that followed the Council of Ephesus, the term "Nestorian" was applied to all doctrine upholding a strictly Antiochene Christology. In consequence, the Church of the East was labelled Nestorian, though its official Christology was in fact defined by [[Babai the Great]], at the council that was held in 612.{{sfn|Brock|2006|p=}} ==Liturgy== The church employs the [[Syriac language|Syriac]] dialect of [[Eastern Aramaic languages|Eastern Aramaic]] in its [[Christian liturgy|liturgy]], the [[East Syriac Rite]], which includes three [[Anaphora (liturgy)|anaphora]]s, attributed to [[Addai of Edessa]] and [[Saint Mari|Mari]], [[Theodore of Mopsuestia]] and later also [[Nestorius]].{{sfn|Cross|Livingstone|2005|p=354}} == Iconography == In their homes, Christians belonging to the Assyrian Church of the East hang a [[Christian cross]] (without the corpus) on the [[Direction of prayer#Christianity|eastern wall]] of the main room.<ref name="ACE2020">{{cite web |title=Sign of the Cross |url=https://www.assyrianchurch.org.au/about-us/the-sacraments/sign-of-the-cross/ |website=Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon |access-date=11 August 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200414091409/https://www.assyrianchurch.org.au/about-us/the-sacraments/sign-of-the-cross/ |archive-date=14 April 2020 |language=en |quote=Inside their homes, a cross is placed on the eastern wall of the first room. If one sees a cross in a house and do not find a crucifix or pictures, it is almost certain that the particular family belongs to the Church of the East.}}</ref> The Assyrian Church of the East does not currently make use of [[icon]]s and the interior of its houses of worship are simple.<ref name="Horner1989">{{cite book |last1=Horner |first1=Norman A. |title=A Guide to Christian Churches in the Middle East: Present-day Christianity in the Middle East and North Africa |date=1989 |publisher=Mission Focus |isbn=978-1-877736-00-1 |page=23 |language=en |quote=The Assyrian Church of the East uses neither images nor icons. A stand, holding a copy of the Gospels and covered with a cloth, bears a simple cross that is venerated with the kiss of peace that people in other Eastern churches accord to their icons. The simplicity of their church interiors may reflect a concession to the Islamic objection to religious pictures in places of worship, or it may merely attest to the poverty of an isolated Christian people.}}</ref> Iconography has been present in the Church of the East's history; [[Aniconism in Christianity|opposition to religious images]] eventually became the norm due to the [[spread of Islam]] in the region, which forbade any type of depictions of [[saint]]s and [[Prophets of Christianity|biblical prophets]]. As such, the church was forced to get rid of her icons.<ref name="Nestorian">{{Cite web|url=https://www.touchstonemag.com/archives/article.php?id=21-05-027-f|title=The Shadow of Nestorius by William J. Tighe|first=William J.|last=Tighe|website=Touchstone: A Journal of Mere Christianity|accessdate=17 April 2023}}</ref><ref name="Horner1989"/> A Nestorian [[Peshitta]] Gospel book written in [[Syriac alphabet|Estrangela]], from the 13th century, currently resided at the [[Berlin State Library|State Library of Berlin]]. This illustrated manuscript from [[Upper Mesopotamia]] or [[Tur Abdin]] proves that in the 13th century the church was not yet [[Aniconism|aniconic]].<ref name=Assyrian-Christianity>{{cite book |last=Baumer |first=Christoph |date=2016 |title=The Church of the East: An Illustrated History of Assyrian Christianity |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CSXXjwEACAAJ |location=London |publisher=I.B. Tauris |pages=75 and 94 |isbn=978-1-78453-683-1 |author-link=Christoph Baumer |edition=New}}</ref> The [[Nestorian Evangelion]] preserved in the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France]], which contains an illustration depicting Jesus Christ (not a [[crucifix]]) in the circle of a [[ringed cross]] (in the form of [[Celtic cross]]) surrounded by four angels.<ref>{{cite book |last=Drège |first=Jean-Pierre |translator-last=López Carmona |translator-first=Mari Pepa |year=1992 |orig-year=1989 |title=Marco Polo y la Ruta de la Seda |language=es |series=Collection "[[Découvertes Gallimard#Appendix|Aguilar Universal]]" |volume=31 |location=Madrid |publisher=Aguilar, S. A. de Ediciones |pages=43 & 187 |isbn=978-84-0360-187-1 |oclc=1024004171 |quote=Doctrinas persas}}</ref> Three [[Syriac language|Syriac]] manuscripts from the early 19th century and earlier—they were edited into a compilation titled ''[[The Book of Protection]]'' by [[Hermann Gollancz]]—containing a number of illustrations which are more or less crude. These manuscripts prove the continuous use of images. Moreover, a life-size male stucco figure was discovered in a church of [[Patriarchal Province of Seleucia-Ctesiphon|Seleucia-Ctesiphon]] from the late 6th century. Beneath this church were found the remains of an earlier church. Although it cannot be determined which Nestorian Church was involved, the discovery nevertheless proves that the [[Church of the East]] also used figurative representations.<ref name=Assyrian-Christianity /> <gallery> File:Nestorian Peshitta Gospel – Feast of the Discovery of the Cross.jpg|Feast of the Discovery of the [[True Cross]], from a 13th-century Nestorian Peshitta Gospel book written in [[Syriac alphabet|Estrangela]], preserved in the [[Berlin State Library|SBB]]. File:Nestorian Peshitta Gospel – Announcement of Jesus’ Resurrection.jpg|An angel announces the [[resurrection of Christ]] to [[Mary, mother of Jesus|Mary]] and [[Mary Magdalene]], from the Nestorian Peshitta Gospel. File:Nestorian Peshitta Gospel – Pentecost.jpg|The twelve apostles are gathered around Peter at [[Pentecost]], from the Nestorian Peshitta Gospel. File:Cruz de la Iglesia del Oriente («nestoriana»).jpg|Illustration from the [[Nestorian Evangelion]], a [[Syriac language|Syriac]] gospel manuscript preserved in the [[Bibliothèque nationale de France|BnF]]. </gallery> ==Organization== {{See also|Dioceses of the Church of the East after 1552}} [[File:Church of Saint Mary - Urmia - Iran - کلیسای ننه مریم، ارومیه - ایران.jpg|thumb|200px|[[St. Mary Church, Urmia|Saint Mary Church]]: an ancient Assyrian church located in the city of [[Urmia]], [[West Azerbaijan province]], [[Iran]]]] The Assyrian Church of the East is governed by an [[episcopal polity]], the same as other apostolic churches. The church maintains a system of geographical [[parish]]es organized into [[diocese]]s and [[Diocese|archdioceses]]. The [[Catholicos|Catholicos-Patriarch]] is the head of the church. Its synod is composed of bishops who oversee individual dioceses and metropolitans who oversee episcopal dioceses in their territorial jurisdiction. The [[Chaldean Syrian Church]], which encompasses [[India]] and the [[Persian Gulf]], is the largest diocese of the church. Its history goes back to the [[Church of the East]] that established a presence in [[Kerala]], but the two communities maintained only a sporadic connection for several centuries, and consistent relations were only established with the arrival of the [[Portuguese India|Portuguese in India]] around 1500. The church is represented by the Assyrian Church of the East and is in [[Koinonia|communion]] with it. Membership is estimated to 385,000 adherents,<ref name="Rassam 2005 166"/> although some{{which|date=August 2021}} sources say as high as 500,000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.syriacstudies.com/2012/10/05/the-church-of-the-east-mark-dickens/ |title=The Church of the East – Mark Dickens |publisher=The American Foundation for Syriac Studies|date=2012-10-05 |access-date=2012-12-25}}</ref> According to scholar James Minahan around 19% of the [[Assyrian people]] belong to the Assyrian Church of the East.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of the Stateless Nations: A-C|first=James|last= Minahan|year= 2002| isbn=9780313321092| page =206|publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group|quote=The Assyrians, although closely assiociated with their Christian religion, are divided among a number of Christian sects. The largest denominations are the Chaldean Catholic Church with about 45% of the Assyrian population, the Syriac Orthodox with 26%, the Assyrian Church of the East with 19%, the free Orthodox Church of Antioch or Syriac Catholic Church with 4%, and various Protestant sects with a combined 6%.}}</ref> In its own 2018 Report on Religious Freedom, the [[United States Department of State]] put the Assyrian Church of the East adherents at approximately 20% of the [[Christianity in Iraq|Christians in Iraq]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.state.gov/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/IRAQ-2018-INTERNATIONAL-RELIGIOUS-FREEDOM-REPORT.pdf|title=Iraq 2018 International Religious Freedom Report, p. 3|accessdate=17 April 2023}}</ref> ===Hierarchy=== [[File:Qudshanis-Hakkari Mar Shimon house.jpg|thumb|200x200px|Residence of the Patriarch in [[Qudshanis]], [[Ottoman Empire]] (1692–1918).]] The patriarchal seat was moved several times throughout history. Up to the 1804, patriarchs of the senior Eliya line resided in the ancient [[Rabban Hormizd Monastery]], while patriarchs of the junior Shimun line resided in the Cathedral Church of Mar Shallita, in the village of [[Qudshanis]] in the [[Hakkari (historical region)|Hakkari Mountains]] of the [[Ottoman Empire]], and continued to do so up to the [[World War I|First World War]]. After the beginning of conflict in 1915, the patriarchs temporarily resided between [[Urmia]] and [[Salmas]], and after 1918 the patriarchs resided in [[Mosul]]. After the [[Simele massacre]] of 1933, the then Patriarch [[Shimun XXI Eshai]] was exiled to [[Cyprus]] due to his agitation for [[Assyrian independence movement|independence]]. In 1940, he was welcomed to the [[United States]] where he set up his residence in [[Chicago]], and administered the United States and [[Canada]] as his patriarchal province. The patriarchate was then moved to [[Modesto, California]] in 1954, and finally to [[San Francisco]] in 1958 due to health issues. After the assassination of the patriarch and the election of [[Dinkha IV]] in 1976, the patriarchate was temporarily located in [[Tehran]], where the new patriarch was living at the time. After the [[Iran–Iraq War]] and the [[Iranian Revolution]], the patriarchate again returned to [[Chicago]], where it remained until 2015, when it reestablished itself in the [[Middle East]] by organizing in [[Erbil]]'s [[Ankawa]] district in [[Iraq]] after [[Gewargis III]] was consecrated as Catholicos-Patriarch. The Diocese of Eastern United States served as the patriarch's province from 1994 until 2012. Due to the unstable political, religious and economic situation in the church's historical homeland of the Middle East, many of the church members now reside in [[Western world|Western countries]]. Churches and dioceses have been established throughout [[Europe]], [[United States|America]], and [[Oceania]].{{sfn|Hunter|2014|p=614-615}} The largest expatriate concentration of church members is in the United States, mainly situated in [[Illinois]] and [[California]]. ===Archdioceses=== # Archdiocese of India [[Chaldean Syrian Church]] – remains in communion and is the biggest province of the church with close to 30 active churches, primary and secondary schools, hospitals etc. # Archdiocese of Iraq – covers the indigenous territory of the church in [[Iraq]]. The archdiocese's territory includes the cities and surroundings of [[Baghdad]], [[Basra]], [[Kirkuk]], and [[Mosul]]. # Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon – established in October 1984. ===Dioceses=== [[File:Interieur eglise orumieh.jpg|thumb|200px|An ancient Assyrian church in the city of [[Urmia]], [[Iran]]]] [[File:Dimitrov, S.Kirill Assyrian church - panoramio.jpg|thumb|200px|Saint Kirill Assyrian church in [[Dimitrov, Armenia]]]] [[File:Saint Hurmizd cathedral in Sydney11.jpg|thumb|200px|Saint Hurmizd cathedral in [[Greenfield Park, New South Wales|Greenfield Park]], [[Sydney]]]] # Diocese of Syria – jurisdiction lies throughout all Syria, particularly in the [[al-Hasakah Governorate]], where most of the community resides in [[al-Hasakah]], [[Qamishli]] and the 35 villages along the [[Khabur (Euphrates)|Khabur River]]. There are also small communities in [[Damascus]] and [[Aleppo]]. # Diocese of Iran – territory includes the capital [[Tehran]], the [[Urmia]] and [[Salmas]] plains. # Diocese of Nohadra and Russia – established in 1999 with jurisdiction includes the indigenous communities of [[Duhok|Dohuk]], along with [[Russia]] and ex-Soviet states such as [[Armenia]]. # Diocese of Scandinavia and Germany – territory lies in western Europe and includes [[Denmark]], [[Sweden]], [[Germany]], [[Finland]] and [[Norway]]. # Diocese of Eastern USA – formerly the patriarchal archdiocese from 1994 until 2012. The territory includes the large [[Illinois]] community, along with smaller parishes in [[Michigan]], [[New England]] and [[New York (state)|New York]]. # Diocese of California – jurisdiction includes parishes in Western USA and northern California. Some of the parishes are [[San Francisco]], [[San Jose, California|San Jose]], [[Modesto, California|Modesto]], [[Turlock, California|Turlock]], [[Ceres, California|Ceres]], [[Seattle]], and [[Sacramento]]. # Diocese of Western USA-South – jurisdiction includes parishes in [[Arizona]] and southern [[California]]. # Diocese of Canada – includes the territory of [[Toronto]], [[Windsor, Ontario|Windsor]], [[Hamilton, Ontario|Hamilton]] and all [[Canada]]. # Diocese of [[Erbil]] # Diocese of Victoria and New Zealand – includes [[Melbourne]] and New Zealand. #Diocese of Western Europe – territory lies in Western Europe and includes the [[United Kingdom]], [[France]], [[Belgium]], [[Luxembourg]], [[Austria]], the [[Netherlands]] and [[Greece]]. # Diocese of Bagdad, [[Ukraine]] and [[Georgia (country)|Georgia]]. ===Members of the Holy Synod=== ''{{As of|September 2021}}:'' # Mar [[Awa III]]: 122nd Catholicos-Patriarch # [[Mar Awgin Kuriakose]]: Metropolitan of Malabar and India # [[Meelis Zaia]]: Metropolitan of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon # [[Aprim Khamis]]: Bishop of Western United States # [[Emmanuel Yosip|Emmanual Yousip]]: Bishop of Canada # Odisho Awraham: Bishop of Scandinavia and Germany # [[Aprem Natniel]]: Bishop of Syria # [[Mar Iskhaq Yosip]]: Bishop of Dohuk (Northern Iraq) and Russia<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.assyrianchurch.com/his-grace-mar-iskhaq-yosip-visits-moscow-russia/267|title=His Grace Mar Iskhaq Yosip Visits Moscow, Russia | date=5 October 2007|publisher=Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East|accessdate=5 May 2011}}</ref> # [[Yohannan Yoseph]]:<ref>{{Cite web | url=http://www.churchoftheeastindia.org/Mar-Awgin-Kuriakose.php |title = Church of the East - India}}</ref> Bishop in India # Narsai Benyamin: Bishop of Iran # Paulus Benjamin: Bishop of the Eastern United States # Abris Awshalem: Bishop of Kirkuk and Diana # Benyamin Elya: Bishop of Victoria & New Zealand # Awraham Youkhanis:<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.ncca.org.au/ncca-newsletter/may-2019-3/item/1730-our-churches-20190532 |title = Our Churches}}</ref> Bishop of Western Europe # Elia Tamras:<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://orthodoxia.ch/en/name/1871/show | title=Elia Isaac Tamrs - Names - Orthodoxia}}</ref> Bishop of Baghdad, Ukraine and Georgia. ''Retired:'' * [[Aprem Mooken]]: Metropolitan Emeritus of Malabar and India * [[Sargis Yosip]]: Bishop Emeritus of Baghdad (residing in Modesto, California) ==Ecumenical relations== On November 11, 1994, a historic meeting between Patriarch Dinkha IV and [[Pope John Paul II]] took place in [[Rome]]. His Holiness, the Pope, and the patriarch signed a document titled "[[Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East]]". One side effect of this meeting was that the Assyrian Church of the East's relationship with the fellow [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] began to improve.{{sfn|Mooken|2003|p=18}} Since 1995, the Assyrian Church of the East is a full member of the [[Middle East Council of Churches]].'''<ref name=":0222"/>''' The lack of a coherent institution narrative in the [[Liturgy of Addai and Mari|Anaphora of Addai and Mari]], which dates to apostolic times, has caused many Western Christians, and especially Roman Catholics, to doubt the validity of this [[anaphora (liturgy)|anaphora]], used extensively by the Assyrian Church of the East, as a prayer of consecration of the [[Eucharist|eucharistic elements]]. In 2001, after a study of this issue, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger (later [[Pope Benedict XVI]]), then Prefect of the [[Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith]], promulgated a declaration approved by [[Pope John Paul II]] stating that this is a valid anaphora. This declaration opened the door to a joint synodal decree officially implementing the present ''Guidelines for Admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East''.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.vatican.va/roman_curia/pontifical_councils/chrstuni/documents/rc_pc_chrstuni_doc_20011025_chiesa-caldea-assira_en.html|title=Guidelines for admission to the Eucharist between the Chaldean Church and the Assyrian Church of the East|website=vatican.va}}</ref> ==See also== {{Portal|Christianity}} *[[Abda of Hira]] *[[Chaldean Syrian Church]] in India (also known as Assyrian Church of the East in India) *[[Church of the East in China]] *[[Common Christological Declaration Between the Catholic Church and the Assyrian Church of the East]] *[[Dioceses of the Church of the East to 1318]] *[[Dioceses of the Church of the East, 1318–1552]] *[[Dioceses of the Church of the East after 1552]] *[[List of patriarchs of the East]] *[[List of Assyrian settlements]] *[[List of Assyrian tribes]] ==Notes== {{Notelist}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Sources== {{Refbegin|2}} * {{Cite book|last=Aboona|first=Hirmis|author-link=Hirmis Aboona|title=Assyrians, Kurds, and Ottomans: Intercommunal Relations on the Periphery of the Ottoman Empire|year=2008|location=Amherst|publisher=Cambria Press|isbn=9781604975833|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=AdZfWpd4YrYC}} * {{Cite journal|last=Abramtsov|first=David|title=The Assyrians of Persia and the Russian Orthodox Church|journal=One Church|year=1960|volume=14|pages=155–169}} * {{Cite book|last=Assemani|first=Giuseppe Simone|author-link=Giuseppe Simone Assemani|title=Bibliotheca orientalis clementino-vaticana|year=1719|volume=1|location=Roma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TMxbAAAAcAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Assemani|first=Giuseppe Luigi|author-link=Giuseppe Luigi Assemani|title=De catholicis seu patriarchis Chaldaeorum et Nestorianorum commentarius historico-chronologicus|year=1775|location=Roma|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_CQ-CWsHqTgC}} * {{Cite book|last=Assemani|first=Giuseppe Luigi|author-link=Giuseppe Luigi Assemani|title=History of the Chaldean and Nestorian patriarchs|year=2004|location=Piscataway, New Jersey|publisher=Gorgias Press}} * {{Cite book|last=Badger|first=George Percy|author-link=George Percy Badger|title=The Nestorians and Their Rituals|year=1852|volume=1|location=London|publisher=Joseph Masters|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JOPWPqa0aH8C}} * {{Cite book|last=Badger|first=George Percy|author-link=George Percy Badger|title=The Nestorians and Their Rituals|year=1852|volume=2|location=London|publisher=Joseph Masters|isbn=9780790544823|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=cnURAAAAYAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last1=Baum|first1=Wilhelm|author-link1=Wilhelm Baum (historian)|last2=Winkler|first2=Dietmar W.|author2-link=Dietmar W. 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Pennacchietti|year=2006|location=Wiesbaden|publisher=Otto Harrassowitz Verlag|pages=523–533|isbn=9783447054843|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-CTm1NYWrO0C}} * {{Cite book|last=Murre van den Berg|first=Heleen|chapter=Classical Syriac, Neo-Aramaic, and Arabic in the Church of the East and the Chaldean Church between 1500 and 1800|title=Aramaic in Its Historical and Linguistic Setting|year=2008|location=Wiesbaden|publisher=Harrassowitz Verlag|pages=335–352|isbn=9783447057875|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tfVZnCV6ABcC}} * {{Cite book|last=Murre van den Berg|first=Heleen|chapter=Chaldeans and Assyrians: The Church of the East in the Ottoman Period|title=The Christian Heritage of Iraq|year=2009|location=Piscataway|publisher=Gorgias Press|pages=146–164|isbn=9781607241119|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nU2cPgAACAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Murre van den Berg|first=Heleen|chapter=Assyrian Apostolic Church of the East|title=The Encyclopedia of Christian Civilization|year=2011|orig-year=2009|volume=1|location=Malden|publisher=Wiley-Blackwell|pages=154–159|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DYTRSAAACAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Murre van den Berg|first=Heleen|chapter=Light from the East(1948-1954) and the De-Territorialization of the Assyrian Church of the East|title=Religion Beyond its Private Role in Modern Society|year=2013|location=Leiden|publisher=Brill|pages=115–134|isbn=9789004257856|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IQJBAQAAQBAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Murre van den Berg|first=Heleen|title=Scribes and Scriptures: The Church of the East in the Eastern Ottoman Provinces (1500-1850)|year=2015|location=Louvain|publisher=Peeters Publishers|isbn=9789042930797|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-piLrgEACAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Murre van den Berg|first=Heleen|chapter=Classical Syriac and the Syriac Churches: A Twentieth-Century History|title=Syriac Encounters: Papers from the Sixth North American Syriac Symposium|year=2015|location=Louvain|publisher=Peeters Publishers|pages=119–148|isbn=9789042930469|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=K123rQEACAAJ}} * {{Cite journal|last1=Mutlu-Numansen|first1=Sofia|last2=Ossewaarde|first2=Marinus|title=A Struggle for Genocide Recognition: How the Aramean, Assyrian, and Chaldean Diasporas Link Past and Present|journal=Holocaust and Genocide Studies|year=2019|volume=33|issue=3|pages=412–428|doi=10.1093/hgs/dcz045|url=https://research.utwente.nl/files/191702532/Mutlu_Numansen2019struggle.pdf}} * {{Cite book|last=Nichols|first=Aidan|author-link=Aidan Nichols|title=Rome and the Eastern Churches: A Study in Schism|year=2010|orig-year=1992|edition=2nd revised|location=San Francisco|publisher=Ignatius Press|isbn=9781586172824|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Hje62q52XNsC}} * {{Cite journal|last=Садо|first=Стефан|title=Российская православная миссия в Урмии (1898-1918)|journal=Христианское чтение|year=1996|volume=13|pages=73–112|url=http://christian-reading.info/data/1996/13/1996-13-07.pdf|access-date=20 August 2017|archive-date=10 October 2017|archive-url=https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20171010103431/http://christian-reading.info/data/1996/13/1996-13-07.pdf|url-status=dead}} * {{Cite journal|last=Seleznyov|first=Nikolai N.|title=Nestorius of Constantinople: Condemnation, Suppression, Veneration: With special reference to the role of his name in East-Syriac Christianity|journal=Journal of Eastern Christian Studies|year=2010|volume=62|issue=3–4|pages=165–190|url=http://poj.peeters-leuven.be/content.php?url=article&id=2061116&journal_code=JECS&download=yes2}} * {{Cite book|last=Spuler|first=Bertold|chapter=Die Nestorianische Kirche|title=Religionsgeschichte des Orients in der Zeit der Weltreligionen|year=1961|location=Leiden|publisher=Brill|pages=120–169|isbn=9789004293816|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=bnyiDwAAQBAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Tisserant|first=Eugène|author-link=Eugène Tisserant|chapter=L'Église nestorienne|title=Dictionnaire de théologie catholique|year=1931|volume=11|location=Paris|publisher=Letouzey et Ané|pages=157–323|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JxhAAQAAMAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Vine|first=Aubrey R.|title=The Nestorian Churches|year=1937|location=London|publisher=Independent Press|url=https://archive.org/details/MN41565ucmf_1}} * {{Cite journal|last=Vosté|first=Jacques Marie|title=Missio duorum fratrum Melitensium O. P. in Orientem saec. XVI et relatio, nunc primum edita, eorum quae in istis regionibus gesserunt|journal=Analecta Ordinis Praedicatorum|year=1925|volume=33|issue=4|pages=261–278|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HiLxoQEACAAJ}} * {{Cite journal|last=Vosté|first=Jacques Marie|title=Mar Iohannan Soulaqa, premier Patriarche des Chaldéens, martyr de l'union avec Rome (†1555)|journal=Angelicum|year=1931|volume=8|pages=187–234|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=20fCp25zx4wC}} * {{Cite book|last=Wigram|first=William Ainger|author-link=William Ainger Wigram|title=The Cradle of Mankind: Life in Eastern Kurdistan|year=1914|location=London|publisher=Adam and Charles Black|url=https://archive.org/download/cu31924028549925/cu31924028549925.pdf}} * {{Cite book|last=Wigram|first=William Ainger|author-link=William Ainger Wigram|title=The Assyrians and Their Neighbours|year=1929|location=London|publisher=G. Bell & Sons|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.282998}} * {{Cite book|last=Wilmshurst|first=David|title=The Ecclesiastical Organisation of the Church of the East, 1318–1913|year=2000|location=Louvain|publisher=Peeters Publishers|isbn=9789042908765|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jB8ir0ek8bgC}} * {{Cite book|last=Wilmshurst|first=David|title=The Martyred Church: A History of the Church of the East|year=2011|location=London|publisher=East & West Publishing Limited|isbn=9781907318047|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zfxNtwAACAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Wilmshurst|first=David|chapter=The Patriarchs of the Church of the East|title=The Syriac World|year=2019|location=London|publisher=Routledge|pages=799–805|isbn=9781138899018|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=E48JswEACAAJ}} * {{Cite book|last=Yakoub|first=Afram|title=The Path to Assyria: A Call for National Revival|year=2020|location=Södertälje|publisher=Tigris Press|isbn=9789198154160|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=QFDFzQEACAAJ}} * {{Cite journal|last=Yildiz|first=Efrem|title=The Assyrians: A Historical and Current Reality|journal=Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies|year=1999|volume=13|number=1|pages=15–30|url=https://www.academia.edu/22095031}} * {{Cite journal|last=Yildiz|first=Efrem|title=Los Asirio-Caldeos, Cristianos orientales arameoparlantes|journal=Dialogo Ecumenico|year=2000b|volume=35|number=112|pages=263–282|url=https://summa.upsa.es/high.raw?id=0000002192&name=00000001.original.pdf}} {{refend}} ==External links== {{sister project links|auto=1|wikt=1|d=Q203179}} *{{Official website|https://www.assyrianchurch.org/home/}} {{Sacraments of the Assyrian Church of the East}} {{Dioceses of the Church of the East}} {{Syriac Christianity}} {{Eastern Christianity footer}} {{Christianity footer}} {{Assyrian topics}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Assyrian Church Of The East}} [[Category:Assyrian Church of the East| ]] [[Category:1552 establishments in Asia]] [[Category:Assyrian-American culture in Illinois]] [[Category:Religious organizations based in Chicago]] Summary: Please note that all contributions to Christianpedia may be edited, altered, or removed by other contributors. 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