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Abwoon D'Bashmaya - The Lords Prayer in Aramaic - YouTube Shlom Lech Maryam-Ave Maria in syriac/aramaic ماجدة الرومي - YouTube Sometimes we need to remind ourselves that Jesus, His Blessed Mother and the Apostles were born and lived in the Holy Land. The common parlance of their days was Syriac-Aramaic. Hebrew was the liturgical language of the Temple. I recently attended a Hafli - a Lebanese feast, much like a wedding but without the bride and groom. The organizing committee brought in a band that played Middle Eastern (contemporary) songs and the highlight of the evening was a belly...

Vatican City, Jun 19, 2009 / 10:49 am (CNA).- On Friday morning, Pope Benedict XVI received the Patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church at the Vatican. The meeting served as an opportunity for the Holy Father to emphasize the unity of the Roman and Syriac traditions. His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III Younan was elected as the new Catholic patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians just this past January by the Syriac Church's synod in Rome. "Divine Providence," Pope Benedict remarked, "has made us ministers of Christ and shepherds of His one flock. ... The Church led by the patriarch follows...

NICOSIA (Reuters Life!) – Authorities in northern Cyprus believe they have found an ancient version of the Bible written in Syriac, a dialect of the native language of Jesus. The manuscript was found in a police raid on suspected antiquity smugglers. Turkish Cypriot police testified in a court hearing they believe the manuscript could be about 2,000 years old. The manuscript carries excerpts of the Bible written in gold lettering on vellum and loosely strung together, photos provided to Reuters showed. One page carries a drawing of a tree, and another eight lines of Syriac script. Experts were however divided...

Vatican City, Jan 15, 2009 / 11:48 am (CNA).- The Holy Father has called a Synod of bishops from the Syriac Catholic Church to take place in Rome January 17 – 23 in order to elect a new Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians and of All the East. The position of the supreme head of the Syriac Catholic Church has been vacant since the resignation of Patriarch Ignace Pierre VIII Abdel-Ahad was accepted in February 2008.  The Patriarch had held the position since 2001. In a statement from the Holy See, Pope Benedict explained that the Synod “will begin...

"Such was his intention when, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, "Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary your wife into your home. For it is through the holy Spirit that this child has been conceived in her. She will bear a son and you are to name him Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins." (Matthew 1:20-21). WEEK OF REVELATION TO JOSEPHSUNDAYReflections  Ephesians 3:1-13  Paul’s Ministry to the GentilesBrothers and Sisters:This is the reason that I Paul am a prisoner for Christ Jesus for...

This article first appeared in the Viewpoint column of the Christian Research Journal, volume 25, number 1 (2002). For further information or to subscribe to the Christian Research Journal go to: http://www.equip.orgSince September 11, scores of commentaries have been written about terrorism and Islam, many from Christian leaders. It is remarkable how writers unfamiliar with the Arabic language have ventured comments, if not judgments, relating to the term Allah. It is as if anything to do with Allah must be demonized in order for us to feel righteous and justified.In a news clip on KFUO-AM Radio in St. Louis, shortly...

Jerusalem, Apr. 13, 2006 (CNA) - The 13 patriarchs and heads of Christian Churches in Jerusalem launched in their joint Easter message a powerful appeal for reconciliation between Israel and Palestine and called on the international community not to boycott the Palestinian people by stopping aid, reported AsiaNews. The Christian churches in the Holy Land—Orthodox, Armenian, Latin Catholic, Copt, Syriac, Anglican and Lutheran—will celebrate Easter on April 16 or 23. Their leaders call on their faithful to see the proximity in dates as a sign of the need for greater solidarity and shared witness of the resurrection of Jesus. “It...

Interview With Professor of Chaldean Liturgy VATICAN CITY, JAN. 22, 2006 (Zenit.org).- The Chaldean Church, whose patriarch resides in Baghdad, Iraq, takes pride in its ancient liturgy which uses the same language Jesus used. In November, the Chaldean liturgy underwent a reform following a special synod in Rome. To assess the extent of the reform, ZENIT interviewed Monsignor Petrus Yousif, professor of Syro-Chaldean patrology and Chaldean liturgy at the Pontifical Oriental Institute and the Catholic Institute of Paris. He is also the parish priest of France's Chaldean community. In this interview, Monsignor Yousif, consultor of the Special Liturgy Commission for...

Assyrians Return to Turkey Anatolian Agency (Diyarbakir - Mardin) 14 Turkish Assyrian families that had immigrated to Switzerland and Germany from the Elebegendi Village of Midyat, Mardin 20 years ago are coming back. The villagers are building villas with swimming pools and a sports centre with tennis courts and will also build high quality infrastructure to the village. The villas ranging between 140 to 250 m2 in size , whose foundations have already been layed, will cost between £60-100,000 each. Yusuf Begtas, General Secretary of the Turabdin Metropolitan, has stated that the villas will be made from Midyat stine and...