Re: CHAT: Religions (was: Visible planets)

Peter Bleackley scripsit:

> I was under the impression that Arabic Christianity was considerably more
> ancient than that, dating back to the early Church - I know that there are
> Christian Churches in Iraq, where I don't think the crusaders ever set
> foot.
Indeed, though of course the term "Arabic Christianity" is unhistorical,
since the use of Arabic outside Arabia itself is a by-product of the
Islamic conquests.  But the original undivided Patriarchy of Antioch is
as old as Christian ecclesiastical organization itself.

I count seven Christian churches whose adherents are mostly
Arabic-speaking today: the Assyrian Church of the East (so-called
"Nestorian"), the Oriental Orthodox Syriac Church (so-called
"Monophysite"), the Orthodox Syrian Church, the three Catholic
counterparts of these (Chaldean, Syrian, and Melkite respectively),
and the Maronite Catholic Church.  In addition, there are doubtless
individual Arabs who are Latin Catholics or Protestants or belong to
another Orthodox church.

--
I suggest you call for help,                    John Cowan
or learn the difficult art of mud-breathing.    jcowan@reutershealth.com
        --Great-Souled Sam                      http://www.ccil.org/~cowan

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