Assyrian people

The Arameans of the present consider themselves the descendants of the ancient Syrians. They are Christians. Their liturgy and everyday language is Aramaic. In the churches, especially the classical Syriac used. Therefore called and they are also called Syrian Christians ( Syriacs ).

The Syrians or their families of origin today belong to various Eastern Churches: the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Syrian Catholic Church, the Syriac Maronite Church of the Ancient Church of the East, the Assyrian Church of the East and the Chaldean Catholic Church or Protestant communities. They live in countries in the Middle East and to a large extent in the Diaspora, especially in Europe and in the USA.

Foreign name

The traditional collective designation of members of the churches syrischsprachiger tradition ( Christian ) " Syrians " is misleading. She is rejected by some of the so signified. What is needed is a unique and widely accepted alternative name. Whether such will prevail with the original name " Arameans " must prove. Since the term is promoted as a collective term, he can not take the place closer Traditions and denominations names in scientific terminology. Otherwise weighty historical and contemporary differences between the various Syrian Christians groups would be leveled. The name " Syrians " (Greek Syroi, aram. Syriacs ) for the Syrians is of Greek origin and spread greatly during the period of Hellenism.

Christianization of the Arameans

Since the time of Jesus was Aramaic of Palestine to the Persian Empire and beyond common, there are historically neither a uniform Christianization of the Syrians still common to all church history. In this respect Jesus and his disciples spoke a form of Aramaic, it indicates an Aramaic Christianity from the beginning. However, it will be very soon superseded by a Christianity Greek language in which the New Testament distributed, celebrated worship and Christian theology operated. As a theological and liturgical language, referred to as Syriac Aramaic initially especially in the area of Edessa and then in Mesopotamia east of the borders of the Roman Empire important.

• It go in late antiquity, the two major churches of Syrian Christianity out: the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch
• The East Syrian " Church of the East "

• Also the Syrian Church of the Maronites
• The Syriac Catholic Church and
• The Chaldean Catholic Church, which in modern times with the Roman Pontiff Uniate branch of the " Church of the East " (see also Syrian Christians in Iraq ).
• The Aramaic free - church, " Hito hirto Suryayto ", mostly as Mhaymne (corresponding Arabic mu ʾ min, "believers " ) are known.
• The Assyrian Evangelical Church
• The Assyrian Pentecostal Church

Aramaic had minor groups and there are still today in the Patriarchates of Jerusalem and Antioch the followers of the Council of Chalcedon. Together, all of these churches is to use the (Alt ) as Syrian liturgical language and has long been the rule or supremacy of Islam in their traditional areas of distribution.

Settlement areas and population

Today Aramaic Christians mostly live in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Lebanon, Turkey. In the Western diaspora, they live mainly in Germany and in Sweden and in the United States. In northern Iraq, in the plain of Mosul and Baghdad in the region as well as in Northeast, Central Syria and in three villages in Qalamun Mountains west of Damascus ( Neuwestaramäisch ) still lives a greater number. All information about numbers of Aramaic Christians today are based on estimates and are often politically colored. So what counts the Syrian Orthodox Church of Antioch about 6,000,000 members.

The largest Aramaic community in Germany, based on the number of inhabitants, is located in the East-Westphalian district of Gütersloh. Spread over the cities of Gütersloh, Rheda- Wiedenbrück, Harsewinkel and Verl live there about 13,000 Syrians.

Mandaeans and Muslim Syrians

The use of Aramaic was and is not limited to Christians, but make them and their churches have long been the strongest support group this language. Mandaeans are not Christian Arameans. In the villages Bach'a and Dschubb - ' Adin (both in Syria ) lives an Aramaic, Muslim majority. In addition, the Kurdish Jews speak Aramaic.