Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

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Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch

The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch, also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church of Antioch and All the East, the Antiochian Orthodox Church, the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and the Orthodox Church of Antioch,(Arabic,???????? ??????? ????? ?????? ????? ?????????), claims to be one of the five churches that composed the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church before the East-West Schism. As an autocephalous Eastern Orthodox Church, it claims to be the sole legitimate successor to the Christian community founded in Antioch by the Apostles St. Peter and St. Paul.

The claim is disputed by the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, part of Oriental Orthodoxy. The schism between the two (which happened at a time when the Greek Orthodox Church and the Church of Rome were united) occurred over the Christology enunciated by the Council of Chalcedon. After it the Oriental Orthodox Syriacs retained their own West Syrian Rite, while those faithful to the Council of Chalcedon and the Byzantine Emperor came to adopt the Byzantine Rite, which the Antiochian Orthodox Church still uses for Divine Liturgy. The Syriac Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, and the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, all of them in communion with the Roman Catholic Church, also claim to hold the patriarchate; these three, however, mutually recognize each other as holding authentic patriarchates, being part of the same Catholic communion. The Roman Catholic Church also claimed the patriarchate and appointed titular Latin rite patriarchs for many centuries, until the office was left perpetually vacant as of 1964.

In the Bible, Acts 11:19-26 states that the Christian community at Antioch began when (a) Christians who were scattered from Judea because of persecution went to Antioch and (b) Christians from Cyprus and Cyrene went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also.

The seat of the patriarchate was formerly Antioch, in what is now Turkey. However, in the 15th century, it was moved to the "Street called Straight" in Damascus, modern-day Syria, in response to the Ottoman invasion of Antioch. Its traditional territory includes Syria, Lebanon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait and parts of Turkey.

Its North American branch is autonomous, although the Holy Synod of Antioch still appoints its head bishop, chosen from a list of three candidates nominated in the North American archdiocese. Its Australasia and Oceania branch is the largest in terms of area.

His Beatitude Patriarch Ignatius IV founded the University of Balamand, Lebanon, in 1988. This includes the St John of Damascus Faculty of Theology.