The Romaïan Cultural Society condemns the heinous crime in the Jordanian town of Hmoud and calls for greater awareness, wisdom, and foresight

Romaïan Cultural Society

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI  

Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiry

With profound anguish and sorrow, the Romaïan Cultural Society has received news of the horrific crime that has befallen the congregation of St. George’s Church in the town of Hmoud, in the Karak region of Jordan. The tragedy has, thus far, claimed the lives of eight martyrs and left dozens wounded—all of whom have been transported to hospitals for medical treatment, in the hope that, by the grace of God, they may find healing. The Society—much like all Christians throughout the Levant and the Romaioi community in particular—condemns this atrocious act in the strongest possible terms. We pray that God may enfold the souls of these righteous martyrs in His mercy and grant a swift recovery to those who have been wounded. As faithful Christians, we view these martyrs as righteous souls who now behold the glory of God, and we believe that the suffering of the wounded serves as an experience that draws them ever closer to the Divine.

Our primary duty is to pray for the repose of the souls of our dead and for the healing of the wounds of those who have been injured. This is what we do, reaffirming our hope in the Resurrection, standing in solidarity with those who are suffering, and praying that the Lord may forgive the sins of those who committed this massacre, hoping that they repent and, ultimately, receive forgiveness.

However, our second duty is to recall this painful event within the context of many similar occurrences—perpetrated throughout history by the same kind of evildoers who attacked the Church of Saint George in Hmoud yesterday, seeking to erase Christianity from existence. Not long ago, such evildoers attacked the Church of the Prophet Elias in the suburbs of Damascus, killing dozens of Christians. Others, like them, continue to persevere in various Syrian cities and towns, where Christians face hardships and persecution—often from willingly unidentified sources. These pressures have led to the mass exodus of hundreds of thousands of Christian citizens, who have sought refuge in safer havens.

Over the last two decades, Christians in various countries across the Levant have been subjected to numerous massacres and acts of persecution. This has led to a sharp decline in their numbers, resulting in a shrinking proportion of the Christian population and a diminished presence in Iraq, Palestine, Egypt, and Lebanon. In earlier centuries, Anatolia and North Africa witnessed a near-total or complete disappearance of the Christian population, following massacres that amounted to acts of genocide.

On this day the 25th of October, as we mourn the martyrs of Karak, we also remember Saint Arethas—whose feast day we celebrate today—who, along with hundreds of his fellow citizens, was martyred in the city of Najran in the Arabian Peninsula. We are compelled to ask: where are the Christians of those lands today—the descendants of those who perished in defense of their faith and beliefs? We also recall the great saints of Cappadocia (Basil the Great, Gregory of Nysse, and Gregory the Theologian) as well as the saints of Edessa, Mesopotamia, Galatia, Phrygia, Asia Minor, Pontus, and other regions. One must wonder: where are their descendants left in these countries to restore their churches or to kneel in prayer upon their graves?

These perpetrators of evil have eradicated the Christian presence in many countries across the Middle East, and they are now well on their way to complete this process in the few remaining places where Christians still reside. It is our duty not to become mere spectators to massacres—massacres that we unfortunately consign to oblivion, where the memories of the martyrs are reduced to annual commemorations and feasts, devoid of any concrete actions or measures to prevent further loss of life.

We are called upon to reflect deeply on the causes of these tragedies and to address the frailty that has afflicted us—a frailty that continues to leave us vulnerable to massacres, persecution, displacement, and forced exile. It is our duty to ensure that our prayers are accompanied by a profound awareness of our history and heritage. We must cultivate a strong sense of belonging, ensuring that both our present and future generations recognize themselves as an integral, indigenous component of the Levant—not as outsiders in these lands. It is our duty to stand united and to move beyond the practice of currying favor with governing authorities and influent individuals. 

We must join hands and assert our right to exist. It is our duty to knock on the doors of the Christian world, reminding them that Christianity originated in our Levant and carried the Gospel to the entire world. Furthermore, we must not feel ashamed to seek support and protection from our brothers in faith and civilization at a time when our very existence is threatened by imminent dangers.

Our message to all Christians in our lands and across the world is this: the cradle of Christianity is on the verge of becoming a mere relic—a place emptied of its Christians. Unless we join forces—with reason, awareness, courage, and careful planning—we will not survive in our beloved Levant, which risks becoming as devoid of Christians as the Arabian Peninsula, Anatolia, and North Africa. Beware of complacency, forgetfulness, and hypocrisy!

Please see more here:

الجمعية الثقافية الرومية تستنكر الجريمة الشنيعة في بلدة حمود الأردنية وتدعو لمزيدٍ من الوعي والحكمة والرؤى

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Will the European Parliament Help Persecuted Christians in Syria?

The Romeoi (Rum) of the Levant: Identity and a Concise Historical Overview

Αrticles about Romeosyne in the side of NIKI

Renewed Persecution of Syria’s Greek Orthodox Christians by Islamists — Europe Must Intervene

 

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI 

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ: Για τους νέους διωγμούς των Ελληνορθοδόξων Ρωμηών της Συρίας από τους Ισλαμιστές!

Photo from here

In the first days of October 2026, a new wave of violence broke out against the Greek Orthodox Christians (Rum Orthodox; Romeoí) of Syria, centred on ancient Seleucia (Al-Suqaylabiyah), which was founded by the Greek king Seleucus I Nicator around 300 BC.

A Greek Orthodox Christian (Romeós) from the area, whose own life and the lives of his family are in danger every day, writes:

“Last night, in the Greek Orthodox town of Al-Suqaylabiyah in the Hama countryside, armed Muslim groups from the neighbouring village of Qalaat al-Madiq stormed Al-Suqaylabiyah. They smashed shops, roamed the streets, broke into homes, vandalised property, and opened fire randomly, injuring a woman in her hand. They were assisted by members of the Public Security. Some threats were received to shell the town, and when the men of Al-Suqaylabiyah tried to defend themselves, Public Security began arresting them. These recurring events in the town of Al-Suqaylabiyah are no longer just passing incidents, but rather a systematic plan to empty the town and displace its people.”

We recall that only last March (2026), a new attack had taken place against Romeoí, again centred on the same town. A personal appeal, accompanied by video footage, was published by a Romeós from Al-Suqaylabiyah, addressed to the Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, asking him to take action for their protection.

In that appeal he wrote:

«Mr. Kyriakos Mitsotakis,

I write to you from the town of ancient Seleucia, known today as Suqaylabiyah.

Do not leave us alone in the face of these Turkish-backed armed groups. We, and the generations before us, have never abandoned our Antiochian Greek heritage. For this identity, we have paid dearly—thousands of lives over the years.

Today, in 2026, our streets are once again filled with the smell of blood—echoes of the suffering our grandparents endured. History is repeating itself before our eyes.

There was a time when the world did not see what was happening to us. But today, there is no excuse. You can see it with your own eyes.

We ask you: do not abandon us»

The Romeoí of Syria have lived there for two thousand years, since the earliest days of Christianity. For at least the past fifteen years, they have been tortured, murdered and uprooted from their homeland as a result of uncontrolled Islamist fanaticism.

In 2013, the Greek Orthodox Bishop Paul and the Syriac non-Chalcedonian Bishop Yohanna Ibrahim were abducted and, according to a video that later circulated, were tortured and killed. In the same year, more than 200 Romeoí—including many young children—were murdered by Islamist extremists.

From then until the present day, our brothers and sisters, the Romeoí of Syria, have continued to endure terror, violence and killings, culminating in the deadly bombing of the Greek Orthodox Church of the Prophet Elijah in Damascus on 22 June 2025.

We also recall that, on 11 May 2026, Syria’s Foreign Minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shaibani, declared that in Syria “there are no minorities”. This statement caused understandable alarm, as it was interpreted as an indication of an intention on the part of Syria’s new jihadist regime to eliminate the country’s minorities.

On 31 March, Greek Member of the European Parliament Nikos Anadiotis, of the NIKI party, submitted a motion for a resolution of the European Parliament calling upon the European Union to act for the protection of Syria’s Greek Orthodox Christians from massacre (see “Greek MEP Aims to Break EU Silence Regarding Christian Persecution in Syria”).

The Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI urgently calls upon the European Parliament and all institutions of the European Union to demand from the Syrian regime a firm commitment to the protection of the Romeoí and of all Christian communities.

It is inconceivable that the European Union should proceed with agreements supporting Syria’s political regime without first having secured the safety of Christians, particularly while fanatical Islamists continue to attack them.

When Europe accepts, without protest, hundreds of thousands of Muslims of unknown origin and intentions, it is inconceivable that it should leave unprotected hundreds of thousands of civilians who have lived in those lands for centuries before the arrival of the Arabs and the emergence of Islam, and who have kept Greek and Orthodox Christian civilisation alive for thousands of years.

When they have all been slaughtered or uprooted from their ancestral homes, will we not be ashamed before History, which will record in letters of blood that we abandoned them?

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI
Greece

Please see more here:

When the Romeoi (Rum) are persecuted, does Greece merely “follow the situation”? 

New Massacre of Romeoi in Damascus

Greek Orthodox (Romeoi/Rum) continue to be murdered in Syria! NIKI denounces the killing of two Romeoi in the Valley of the Christians and demands justice and protection for the Romeoi.  

Will the European Parliament Help Persecuted Christians in Syria?

What do we mean by “Fathers of the Church”?

 

Orthodox Outlet for Dogmatic Enquiries 

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ: Τι είναι οι Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας

“Fathers” and “Patricity” in Christian theology

“Fathers and Teachers of the Church” (or, in brief, simply “Fathers of the Church”) is the title used to denote Christian priests of all ranks¹ (but also some who were not priests), who have been acknowledged as spiritual teachers and have also been acknowledged as authors for their formulation, their definition of the boundaries of, and the defending of, the Christian dogma.²

According to Western scholasticism (i.e., the philosophical theology that developed in western Europe following the Schism of 1054 and up until its apex during the Medieval era), the Patristic era ended in the 6^th century A.D. for the Western Church (with the last Western Father being Saint Isidore of Seville) and in the 8^th century for the Eastern Church (with the last Eastern Father being Saint John of Damascus). More recent historical and literary research, which has developed in the West and has adopted the criteria of scholasticism, has likewise adopted the idea of separating “Patristic literature” (=the works of the Fathers up until the 8^th century) from “Byzantine literature” (=the works of Byzantine authors after the 8^th century).

The Orthodox Church however regards Her theology as being always Patristic and only to the extent that it continues to be Patristic, can it also be considered valid and true. Thus, the Church discerns carriers of Her Patristic spirit in every Christian era, from the 2^nd century (=the first century after the generation of Apostles, with Saints like Clement of Rome, Polycarp of Smyrna, Ignatius of Antioch the “God-bearer”, e.a..), through to the late Byzantine era (for example, Saints Gregory Palamas 14^th century, Mark of Ephesus 15^th century), but also after the Byzantine era (Saint Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain 18^th – 19^th century, the Russian Saints of the 19^th century: Ignatius Branchianinov and Theophanes the Recluse, Innocent Beniaminov, e.a.), while even in our times there also appear to be several authentic carriers of the Patristic spirit of ecclesiastic theology – some of whom have been recognized officially as Saints (for example Saint Nectarios of Pentapolis, Luke the Physician of Symferoupolis, John of Shanghai (Maximovitch), Nicholas of Ohrid (Velimirovitch), e.a.), while others, albeit not “officially” recognized through an ecclesiastic “decision” of any kind, are nevertheless recognized in practice; for example holy teachers such as Justin Popovic, Sophrony Sacharov, Filotheos Zervakos, e.a..

The Church’s persistence with Patricity in Her theology is attributed to the fact that She regards the Fathers as saints; that is to say, as individuals with an authentic (in the Christian sense) association with uncreated (=divine) reality, and as such, reliable expressers of Her dogmatic teachings, whose validity also includes the element of being “divinely inspired”. The Christian dogma is expressed by means of the “enlightenment of the Holy Spirit” (in other words, through God Himself), and not by means of intellectual cogitations. And this is the determinant difference between philosophy and theology.

Of course, for the Church this difference does not lie in “appealing to a Holy-Spiritual enlightenment” – that is, to a “religious authority” – but to the actual existence of this transcendental element; otherwise, if in both cases we were to have ontological and soteriological systems, fashioned by human intellectual processes that merely invoked a certain contact with the divine Beyond for reasons of prestige, then in essence, there would be no objective difference between philosophy and theology³.

Fathers and philosophy

It should be noted that the Patristic opus does not end with the definition of boundaries of the Christian dogma; it also extends into a multitude of issues that involve the examination of human nature - and especially the soul - as well as Man’s relationship with himself, his fellow-man, the world and God – in other words, it deals with the healing of the consequences of Man’s Fall, for each individual, for mankind, and for Creation overall. The Patristic opus also continues its ceaseless dialogue with Philosophy and Science as they appear in every era. In this context, it makes sense to examine Patristic essays from the philosophical aspect also, inasmuch as they comprise one of the most fruitful chapters of worldwide thought. Unfortunately, the science of Philosophy’s History is ignorant of their contribution, although in recent times, with the endeavours of Greek researchers such as K.D.Georgoulis, Vasilios Tatakis, Bishop John Zizioulas of Pergamon, Christos Yannaras, fr. Nicholas Loudovikos e.a., their contribution is now being brought to light.

«An orthodox mind will stand at the point where all roads meet. He will carefully examine each road and, from his uniquely advantageous position, he will observe the conditions, the dangers, the uses and finally, the destination of each road. He will examine each road from the Patristic point of view, given that his personal convictions will come into a real, not hypothetical, contact with the culture around him» (Ivan Kiriyevski, Orthodox Russian author; quoted from the book by fr. Seraphim Rose "Orthodoxy and the religion of the future).

The Fathers of the ancient Church possess in their arsenal the entirety of Hellenic philosophy; after all, they too are philosophers. The only difference is that they are not concerned with “interpreting the world” or describing the laws of nature and their functions (alas, for our contemporary, materialistic sciences), but instead, they focus on theosis (deification), which they consider an imperative prerequisite for a complete knowledge of the world – in other words, our association with the world. (Of course, to modern science this seems meaningless, because it is a conquering, not a loving science. How can you love that which you seek to conquer? Our entire civilization – the western kind, which has now been imposed worldwide – is a conquering kind. Even the major navigators-“explorers” were followed by invading conquistadors, while the exploration of space is commonly referred to as “the conquest of outer space”).

It should be noted that Basil the Great’s “Hexaemeron” for example, as well as Saint Gregory of Nyssa’s “On the making of Man”, which is the continuation of the “Hexaemeron”, also summarize the scientific knowledge of their time. Saint Gregory specifically uses references to physiology, medicine, psychology, and also makes mention of dreams etc. And yet they all interpret in the most rational manner, rejecting astrology and any other irrational forms of religiosity.

Let us keep in mind that prior to its illicit Medieval distortion Christianity represented logic and progress, whereas idolatry represented irrationalism. Immediately upon its founding, the Church had openly opposed the superstition of the roman world, regarding it to be something irrational: astrology, star-worship, angel-worship, sorcery, divination, submission to fate…

Are the Fathers infallible?

We need to mention here that the Fathers of the Church, albeit saints, are not considered infallible. However, it is in them that the words of the Lord are realized: “blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (John 6:45), therefore their opinion is far more valid than any “scientist” theologian’s (mine, for example) who is not pure in heart. A valid interpreter of this kind (a saint) can quite easily be a humble and illiterate person (man or woman or even child), if their heart is pure enough. The “grand mystery of piety” (1 Tim.3:16) becomes palpable through catharsis of the heart, and not through logic. The heart is not the place of sentiments; it is where the Holy Spirit comes to reside (if the heart is pure), or the evil spirit (God forbid!) if the heart is filled with passions (Gal 4:6, Luke 22:3).

Even though I may not possess a perfect knowledge of Patristic literature and what is more, I am by no means a saint (so that I can speak validly about the saints), I do venture to say the following: There have been certain Fathers who, within the sum of their important writings, have also supported certain teachings that according to Orthodox theology were wrong. The most characteristic example is saint Augustine, however there are other examples also, such as the Syrian Fathers Aphrates and Isaac, who had maintained that Hell is only temporary (this is because they had perceived it as a punishment by God and they were confident that the God of Love would not punish eternally), and others. Thus, it is advisable to read the holy Fathers within the context of the overall teaching of the Church and to not absolutize the viewpoints of one or two of them. We accept something as valid, when it is supported by the sum of the saints of the Church, even if one or two Fathers happen to have another viewpoint. [For an analysis of this problem, see the book by fr. Seraphim Rose (whom I dare to call an American contemporary Father of the Church), “The soul after death – Posthumous experiences in the light of Orthodox teaching”, Myriobiblos Publications]
 

Some of the Fathers

We could briefly list here a number of Fathers of the Church who come to mind:

Apostolic Fathers (1^st century) : Clement of Rome, Ignatius the God-bearer, Polycarp of Smyrna.

Apologetes (2^nd century) : Saint Justin the philosopher and martyr, Athenagoras the Athenian philosopher, Kodratus Bishop of Athens, Theophilos of Antioch e.a..

Pursuant Fathers: 2^nd century: Irenaeus of Lyon, 3^rd century: Dionysios or Rome, Dionysios of Alexandria, Cyprian of Carthage e.a., 4^th century: Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, Gregory of Nyssa, Ambrose of Milan, Martin of Tours, 4^th-5^th centuries: John the Chrysostom, the blessed Augustine, Cyril of Alexandria; 6^th century: Dionysus the Areopagite, Leontius the Byzantine; 7^th century: Maximus the Confessor, Isaac of Syria, 8^th century: John of Damascus, Boniface of Germany; 9^th century: Theodore the Studite, Photios the Great… 15^th century: Gregory Palamas, 16^th century: Mark of Ephesus, e.a…..

Particular groups of Fathers

A particular group of Fathers of the Church is one that pertains to those who did not leave any written works behind them, but had contributed towards the formulation of Orthodox theology, through their participation in local Synods, and especially in Ecumenical ones; such were the major saints of the 1^st Ecumenical Synod, Spyridon and Nicholas. The Fathers of Ecumenical Synods are generally honoured “en masse” as saints, given that it was NOT on the basis of political interests and imperial directions that they formulated the terms and the teachings of the Synods, but through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit.

Then there are the Neptic Fathers (that is, the teachers of “nepsis” – the Orthodox “science of ascetic living” – although all the Fathers are also neptic): Makarius the Egyptian (4^th century, Cassian the Roman, Benedict of Noursia, Diadochus of Fotiki, John of Sinai (author of the ‘Ladder’, 6^th century), Simeon the New Theologian (10^th – 11^th centuries), Gregory of Sinai, Niketas Stethatos (11^th century, Nicholas Kavasilas, Nicephoros the Recluse, etc… (refer to the monumental works “Philokalia of the sacred Neptics”, which the holy Fathers Makarius Notaras and Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain had composed during the Turkish occupation and the Russian Father Paisius Velitkovsky had translated into Russian).

Another particular group of Fathers of the Church are the Hymnography Fathers: for example, saints Romanos the Melodist (the Salutations to the Theotokos e.a. and especially numerous other kontakia), Ephraim the Syrian (in Syrian), Andrew of Crete (the “Major Canon”), John of Damascus (the canon for the night of Easter e.a.), Kosmas the Melodist (the Canon for Christmas e.a.), Joseph the Hymnographer (innumerable canons), Theophanes and Theodore the Branded (they are called thus, because their foreheads were branded with a red-hot iron during the Iconomachy period), Theodore the Studite, Cassiane the Hymnographer (the “troparion of Cassiane” – glorification hymn chanted on Tuesday of Easter Week, also a section of the canon of Good Friday, e.a.) and many others. A contemporary hymnographer-Father was the blessed elder Gerasimos of the Holy Mountain, from the Minor Scete of Saint Anne).

There are also the Fathers of the Desert, who are hermits and monks. Some of them we have already mentioned. Let us note a few more. It should be noted that most of them were simple monks, without any ecclesiastic “rank” – not even priests. Furthermore, many of them did not leave any written texts; however, their verbal teachings as well as their way of life (which was quite possibly even more important than their words) have been recorded by other Fathers in collective works such as the “Lausaikon” by saint Palladius of Helenoupolis, the “Leimonarion” by saint John Moschou, the “Patristic Maxims”, etc…

Older Fathers: Anthony the Great ( the «professor of the desert»), Pachum the Great, Sisoe the Great, Poemen the Great, Arsenius the Great, Pafnut the Great, Nilus, Daniel of the Scete, Pitirum, Zosimas, John the Persian, Ammonius, John Kolovos, Theodore of Ferme, Abraham the Iberian, Moses the Ethiopian «of the robbers» (=a former robber), Sarmatas, Pambo, Biare, Onupher the Egyptian, Pior, Apfy, Mark the Athenian, Theodosios, Head of the Coenobium, and many others.

Recent Fathers:

Russian: Serge of Radonez, Seraphim of Sarov («find peace, and thousands of people will find peace alongside you»), Agapetos the Healer, Alexander of Svir, Cyril of the White Lake, Nicodemus of Lake Koza, John “of many feats”, Job of Potsaev, Nilus of Sorsky, the Elders of Optina (Anatolios, Joseph, Ambrose, Moses, Varsanuf, Nectarios, e.a.), Seraphim of Viritsa and many others (for these, see works such as the “Paterikon of the Caves of Kiev”, “The Thebais of the North” e.a.)

Holy Mountain: Siluan and fr.Tichon (Russians), Paisios, Anthimos of Saint Anna, Porphyry the “Hut-burner”, Joseph the Hesychast or Spilaiotes (the cave-dweller), Ephraim of Katounakia e.a.

Drama (Nth.Greece): George Karslides

Crete: Evmenios and Parthenios Koudouma (from Heraclion), Joachimaki Koudouma (from Roupes, Mylopotamos), Gennadios of Rethymnon, Evmenios of Roustika and many others

Romania: Cleopas Elie, Arsenios Bokas, Paisios Olaru, John of Hozeva, Enoch the Simple (Holy Mountain) etc…

Mothers of the Church

Icon from here

Aside from the Fathers, there are also the holy Mothers of the Church, who belong mainly to the last mentioned group, i.e. of the teachers who did not write anything themselves but whose way of life and words were recorded and handed down to us by others. Among the hundreds of major women-teachers of Orthodoxy were the following:

• The holy, great martyr Saint Ekaterina who, despite having been imprisoned for her faith, brought 150 idolatrous philosophers to Christianity, as well as 500 soldiers along with their commander (all of them were executed and are saints of our Church).

• Saint Makrina, grandmother of Saint Basil the Great and Saint Gregory of Nyssa,

• Her grand-daughter, also Makrina the Saint, the “theologian, teacher and philosopher” (according to Saint Gregory of Nyssa), who had convinced her mother saint Emmelia, to give equal rights to her maids and servants and to eventually give them their freedom.

• Saint Maria the Egyptian. A rich young woman who lived her life as a prostitute, for the pleasure and not for the money. On a pilgrimage trip to Jerusalem, she seduced the men who were travelling on the same ship. But when she arrived there, an invisible force obstructed her from going near the Precious Cross to worship. Crushed with the realization of her sins, she immediately departed for the depths of the desert taking only some bread with her and she remained there, until she was revealed in a divine vision to saint Zosimas, who found her in the desert, brought Holy Communion to her on his next visit to the desert, and a year later, he returned to find her lifeless body in the desert (still intact) and with the help of a lion, dug a grave and buried her there.

• Saint Melane, who, together with her husband, distributed her fortune in order to free captives, and ended up being the spiritual mother to the monastic sisterhood that the first Saint Melane – her grandmother - had founded in Jerusalem

• Saint Irene “Chrysovalantou”, who was seen to hover above the ground whenever she was in prayer and cypress trees would also lower their branches whenever she passed by them.

• Saint Matrona of Chiopolis, who lived on the island of Chios in the 15^th century and performed innumerable miracles, both while alive as well as after her repose

• The equally important ascetic saints, Syncletiki, Anastasia the former patrician (she lived inside a cave that only Saint Daniel of the Scete knew, in the 6^th century), Theoktiste of Lesvos island, Sarrah and Theodora, Genevieve of Paris, Ursula of Germany, Gulinduch the Persian (Maria when baptized)

• The great saints of philanthropy, Filothei the Athenian (1589) and Elizabeth the Grand Duchess of Russia (1918), who spent all their fortune to build hospitals and philanthropic institutions and finally gave their very life-blood (the former was put to death by Turks and the latter by Communists)

• The saints of Russia Dorothea and Anna of Kasin, Paraskeve of Pinega, Athanasia Logacheva, the “fools for Christ” saints Pelagia Ivanovna, Xeni of Petroupolis, and many others

• Contemporary saints, the holy Mothers Methodia of Kimolos island (1908), Pelagia of Kimolos island, Sophia the “Holy Mother’s ascetic” (1974, Kastoria), Tarso, the “fool for Christ” (Keratea, Attica 1989), Gabriela Papayanni (1993) and many more…

Notes

1 The ‘ranks’ of Christian priesthood are three: Deacon, Presbyter and Bishop. Albeit most of the Fathers of the Church bore the rank of Bishop, there have been Fathers with only the rank of Deacon (e.g. Ephraim the Syrian –he wrote in Syrian- and of Presbyter (e.g. John of Damascus) or even ordinary monks.

2 The definition is by professor G.Zografides, “Byzantine Philosophy” and “Hellenic Philosophy”. For more detail see “Patrologia A” by Stylianos Papadopoulos - Introduction – 2^nd and 3^rd centuries, Athens 1977, Introduction.

3 As above mentioned work by Styl. Papadopoulos, Introduction.

Translation by A.N.

 

The Romeoi (Rum) of the Levant: Identity and a Concise Historical Overview

الجمعية الثقافية الرومية Romaian Cultural Society

يشرفني أن أرسلَ إليكم هذه الصورة، أعلاه، والمقالة التي كتبها الدكتور يوانيس نيوناكيس المسؤؤل عن قسم العلاقات مع الروم خارج اليونان في حزب النصر NIKH اليوناني، معتمداً في هذه المقالة على المعلومات التي حصل عليها من مختلف المقالات والفيديوهات التي أصدرتها جمعيتنا خلال السنوات المنصرمة. المقالة هامة جداً، وقد كُتبت باليونانية والإنكليزية، وتوزع داخل اليونان وخارجه.

حزب النصر اليوناني، يؤمن، كما الجمعية الثقافية الرومية، بأممية الروم العابرة للقوميات والدول، ويسعى لمزيدٍ من التضامن والتكامل بين الروم في جميع البلدان.

نشكر الدكتور نيوناكيس وحزب النصر على إهتمامهم بقضايا الروم في بلدان المشرق، ونأمل مزيداً من التعاون يؤدي الى نهضةٍ روميةٍ حقيقية وعميقة تحافظ على وجودنا في وجه التحديات الكثيرة التي نتعرض إليها.

المسيح قام!

 

 

The Romeoi (Rum) of the Levant: Identity and a Concise Historical Overview 

 

Ioannis K. Neonakis
Head of the Romeosyne Policy Department, NIKI 

Democratic Patriotic Popular Movement NIKI 

Acknowledgements

First and foremost, we wish to express our heartfelt gratitude to the members of the Romaian Cultural Society, based in Beirut, and in particular to its President, Professor Negib Elias Geahchan, as well as to Mr Nicolas Saba and Mr Gabriel Andrea, for their invaluable assistance.

Introduction

In modern European terminology, the term Levant denotes the geographical area of the Eastern Mediterranean, and more specifically its eastern shores, that is, the region comprising chiefly Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, and Jordan. The term derives from the French word levant (“east,” “the place where the sun rises”).
The name Romeoi / Romaioi (Rum) is not merely a historical designation, but a declaration of identity and continuity. It derives from Rome, initially the city in Italy, and thereafter from New Rome, Constantinople, which was founded in 330 AD by Saint Constantine the Great and served as the capital of the Roman Empire, that is, of our homeland Romanía (wrongly and deceitfully termed “Byzantium”).
Greek cities in the region of the Levant are already attested from the seventh century BC onward. Phoenicians (Canaanites) and Arameans, in continual contact and intermixture with the Greek world (populations from Cyprus, the islands of the Aegean, and Asia Minor), gradually formed a unified cultural body. During the age of Alexander the Great and the subsequent Seleucid period, Hellenization was profound and complete, with the Greek language becoming the common tongue of daily life, administration, and education, especially in the western provinces (present-day Lebanon, Palestine, and Western Syria).

Seleucus I Nicator, Alexander’s general, founded Antioch the Great, whose first settlers were chiefly Athenians and Macedonians. Antioch would become a cradle of Greek civilization, and later of Christianity, while the whole region would for hundreds of years constitute a central pillar of Romanía. To this day, Antioch remains the seat of the Orthodox Romeic Patriarchate, bearing witness to an unbroken ecclesiastical and historical continuity.
Nearly all the major cities of the Levant bore Greek names already from antiquity. Some have survived to this day, others were partially Arabized, while some were replaced by Arabic names: Ptolemais (Akko / Acre), Tyre, Sarepta (Sarafand), Sidon (Saida), Porphyreon (Jiyeh), Berytus (Beirut), Byblos (Jbeil), Botrys (Batroun), Tripolis (Tripoli), Arcadia (Arqa), Antaradus (Tartus), Aradus (Arwad), Heliopolis (Baalbek), Seleuceia (al-Suqaylabiyah), Paneas (Banias), Caesarea, and others.
When the Levant was incorporated into the Roman Empire, its inhabitants became Roman citizens, yet without losing their linguistic and cultural substratum. Greek remained the living language both of the people and of the state. This is clearly reflected in the New Testament, which was written there in the Greek language.

Christianization

Before 313 AD, Christianity remained chiefly an urban reality, embraced by a relatively small part of the population (10–20%). Yet with the appearance of Saint Constantine the Great and the historic turning point he brought about, a new era began for Romanía. The transfer of the capital to New Rome / Constantinople was not a mere administrative act, but a profound rupture that redefined the course of the Empire. This city emerged as the center of Orthodoxy, and from that point onward Romanía was no longer simply an empire, but a Christian polity, in which the faith largely shaped the identity, society, and very mode of existence of the Romeoi. From the fourth century onward, the population of the Levant, like that of the entire Empire, became almost wholly Christian.

Christian Schisms

Antioch, a metropolis of Romanía with a population that reached 500,000, was a center of theology and intellectual life, but at the same time also a field of multiple tensions. Within this environment arose major heresies, which were not merely doctrinal disagreements, but ruptures that deeply affected the unity of the Romeic body:
• 325: Arianism
• 430: Nestorianism (Church of the East)
• 451: Monophysitism / Miaphysitism (Syriacs – Syriac Orthodox Church; Copts – Coptic Church)
• 685: Monothelitism (Maronites – Maronite Church)
After the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon (451), the Levant was divided not only theologically, but also culturally and linguistically. In the western regions, the majority remained within the Romeic tradition—Orthodox and Greek-speaking. Yet in the east, communities developed that moved away doctrinally (Monophysitism, Syriacs or Jacobites – Syriac Orthodox Church), while also preserving their Aramaic linguistic identity.
The Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon was in truth a deep rupture that split the Levant. From that point onward, two distinct worlds took shape: in the west, the Romeic, Chalcedonian, and Orthodox world; in the east, another sphere, marked by an ethnic and linguistic character, expressed through the Syriac Monophysite tradition.
Two centuries later, the Sixth Ecumenical Council (685) brought about yet another division, this time within the western regions of the Levant, where a local ecclesiastical reality arose in the mountains of Lebanon that would eventually culminate in the Maronite Patriarchate.
Thus, the region that had once constituted a single Romeic and ecclesiastical body was fragmented. These schisms shaped new identities and established boundaries between the Romeic world and the seceded communities, with consequences that reach down to the present day.

The great emperors of Romanía—from Constantine and the Theodosians to Justinian, Maurice, and Heraclius—not only organized an immensely powerful state, but fashioned an entire world. In the Levant they gave form to a distinctly Christian polity: they restored and elevated cities (Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Damascus, as well as the so-called “forgotten cities” of Apamea), they built monastic centers that became great spiritual hearths (Saint Sabbas, Saint Catherine, Our Lady of Saidnaya), and they raised churches that expressed the faith as a public and collective reality [the Church of the Nativity, the Church of the Resurrection, the Church of Saint John the Baptist in Damascus (now the Umayyad Mosque), and others]. These were not isolated works, but a conscious transformation of space: the entire region was integrated into a unified Romeic and Orthodox civilization, in which city, church, and monastery together formed a single way of life.
Beirut was not merely a city of the Levant, but one of the most important intellectual and institutional centers of Romanía. Its School of Law, equal in stature to that of Constantinople, shaped Roman law and contributed decisively to the formation of Justinian’s Code.
At the same time, the Levant emerged as a womb of sanctity and theology. From it came forth great figures of our Church, such as Saint John Chrysostom, Saint Romanos the Melodist, Saint John of Damascus, Saint Sabbas, Saint Barbara, Saint Thekla, Saint Cosmas the Melodist, Bishop of Maiuma, Saint Isaac the Syrian, and many others—saints who left their seal upon the faith, theology, and worship of the Church.
Here it becomes abundantly clear that the Levant was not a mere periphery, but a living core of our homeland, producing law, discourse, and sanctity—in other words, civilization in its fullness.

Islam in the Levant

In the seventh century, the Levant underwent a radical rupture: the Arab Islamic invasion. This new power, emerging from the Arabian Peninsula, appeared precisely at the borders of Romanía and soon conquered the provinces of the Levant.
Islam did not arise in a vacuum, but within an environment already marked by various Christian and Jewish currents. It was influenced, among other things, by movements denying the divinity of Christ, such as Arianism, as well as by Judaeo-Christian communities such as the Nazarenes, who regarded Christ as one sent by God, but not as God.
The arrival of the Muslims was not received uniformly: the Monophysites, already estranged from Romanía, often viewed them favorably, whereas the Orthodox perceived them as a new heresy, as Saint John of Damascus characteristically formulates it in his writings. Thus, the Islamic conquest was not merely a political change, but a profound alteration of the religious and cultural map of the Levant.
The Treatment of Christians by the Muslims – The Status of the Dhimmi
Dhimmi were the non-Muslims who were permitted to live under Muslim rule, but in a condition of inferiority. The status of the dhimmi did not constitute civic equality, but rather an institutionalized form of tolerated subordination. Non-Muslim populations, and especially the Romeoi, were allowed to retain their faith, but only on condition that they would not display it publicly and would not challenge the supremacy of Islam.

The dhimmi had:
• the right to perform religious services, provided they did not disturb Muslims,
• the right to own property and work, with the exception of professions reserved exclusively for Muslims (politics, the judiciary, teaching),
• the obligation to pay the jizya (poll tax) in exchange for protection, along with a prohibition on participating in military action against Muslims,
• a prohibition on displaying religious symbols (crosses, icons), on wearing distinctively Christian dress, and on publicly exhibiting places of worship,
• a prohibition on audible prayer outside churches,
• a prohibition on bell-ringing,
• a prohibition on building or repairing churches without Muslim permission,
• a prohibition on the “proselytizing” of Muslims (that is, evangelization),
• a prohibition on marrying a Muslim woman,
• a prohibition on inheriting from Muslims,
• and, in certain historical periods, an obligation to wear distinguishing Christian clothing, a ban on riding horses and camels, and an obligation to walk to the left of a Muslim in public spaces.
The so-called “protected” communities possessed rights only within predetermined limits, and their position always depended on the will of the authorities and on historical circumstances. Thus, the system’s “tolerance” was not equality, but a regulated and revocable concession.

What Happened after the Arab-Muslim Occupation of the Levant?

• 630–640: Arab Islamic invasion of the Levant.
• 640–1920: A succession of invasions and manifold alienation through foreign cultural influences:
o Intense Arabization and Islamization (Umayyads, Abbasids, Fatimids, Mamluks): the Greek language was replaced by Arabic; the dhimmi system was enforced.
o Crusades: Latinization.
o Ottomans (after 1516): the Millet system.
After the Arab conquest of the seventh century, the Levant entered a long period of transformations and successive impositions, which deeply altered its original Romeic identity.
Gradually, Arabization and Islamization prevailed: Greek, which had been the language of civilization and faith, gave way to Arabic, and the Romeoi were reduced to the status of dhimmi. This was not merely political domination, but a profound cultural mutation.
Subsequently, the Crusades brought about a new external intervention with strongly Latin characteristics, seeking to redefine the region in Western terms foreign to the Romeic tradition.
Finally, under Ottoman rule, an administrative system was consolidated which did recognize the Romeoi as a religious community, but definitively incorporated them into a framework of subordination and separation (Rum milleti).
During the Ottoman occupation, the condition of the Romeoi of the Levant improved in part:
• they re-established contact with the other Romeoi of Asia Minor and the Balkans,
• they were integrated into the millet system under the guarantee of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, and
• they were allowed to repair or erect new churches, maintain certain schools, and so forth.

The Major Consequences of Long Muslim Rule (13 Centuries)

The age-long occupation of the Levant led to a deep and gradual alteration of identity.
Arabization distanced the Romeoi from their natural body. Their living bond with Constantinople weakened, the Greek language receded from daily life and was largely confined to worship, while even personal names were gradually replaced by Arabic ones, marking a deeper cultural displacement.
At the same time, Islamization was extensive. Through the social and institutional pressures of the dhimmi system, many were driven en masse to change their faith, especially in urban centers. Churches were converted into mosques, public Christian presence was curtailed, and education was weakened, since Christians generally had no schools of their own.

Western Intervention and the Russian Role

During the Ottoman period, the Levant became a field of rivalry among foreign powers. The state alliances of Ottomans and Franks gave the Papal Church a privileged position, and it undertook systematic penetration through its notorious instrument, the Propaganda Fide (Sacra Congregatio de Propaganda Fide). This was a mechanism of Rome for the worldwide expansion of Papism, coordinating missionaries, schools, printing presses, and every possible means.
Thus, the Holy Places were placed under French “protection” (for roughly one hundred years); the Maronites became Catholic (1580); and, tragically, fractures appeared even within the Romeic body itself, as happened in the schism of 1724. At that point the Romeic body was divided between those who remained Orthodox Romeoi and the Unionists (Melkite Catholics, also called Uniates, from Unia, “Union”), who entered into communion with Rome.
From the beginning of the nineteenth century onward, a strong Protestant factor was also added, with missions from Prussia, England, and America seeking to reshape the identity of the local populations, through agencies such as the Church Missionary Society (London) and the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions (New England).
In addition, nationalism was imported from the West as a tool for weakening and fragmenting the Ottoman Empire (many Romeoi adopted Arab or Syrian nationalism).
Within this framework, Russia also appeared many times as a counterweight. From the seventeenth century onward, it developed relations with the Patriarchates and intervened in pursuit of the protection of the Orthodox. Although its policy did not avoid mistakes—indeed, serious ones—Russia, through its wars with the Ottoman Empire, its diplomatic activity, and its broader involvement, contributed to ending French protection over the Holy Places, to the relaxation of the restrictions of the dhimmi system, and in large measure supported the reconstruction of the ecclesiastical and educational life of the Romeoi of the Levant.
Thus, the region was transformed into a field of conflict between West and East, with the Romeoi standing at the center of this geopolitical and spiritual confrontation.
Today, after the schism of 1724, the Romeoi are divided into two religious communities: the Orthodox and the Catholics (Papists). Correspondingly, there are two Orthodox Patriarchates (Antioch and Jerusalem) and one Catholic Patriarchate, whose jurisdiction covers the territories of the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
After all this, it is a great historical wonder that the hundreds of thousands of Orthodox Romeoi of the Levant endured and continue to this day proudly and luminously to declare and defend their identity. We all owe them much, and above all our undivided respect and support.
We shall, however, return to the Romeoi of the Levant.

See also

The Pious Genos of the Romeoi 

Book: My Sun Shall Not Fade – A Journey in the Romaian Legacy 

New Massacre of Romeoi in Damascus

Greek Orthodox (Romeoi/Rum) continue to be murdered in Syria! NIKI denounces the killing of two Romeoi in the Valley of the Christians and demands justice and protection for the Romeoi.  

When the Romeoi (Rum) are persecuted, does Greece merely “follow the situation”?

Greek MEP Aims to Break EU Silence Regarding Christian Persecution in Syria

Post-Liberalism: The West in Search of Romeosyne

THE ORTHODOX ROOTS OF THE WEST: A FACTOR FOR PAN-EUROPEAN UNITY

“The targeting of Christian liberty stems from a desire to erase distinct identities”—Christodoulos Molyvas, Greek NIKI Party

From Ancient Hellenic to Romeiko Civilization