The Maronite Church

History of the Maronites

On the mountains of Lebanon, in that mystical land, in those deep valleys, among those snow-capped mountains, in the nation of the Cedar Tree and the first Alphabet, in the Phoenician land, there the Maronite Church has grown like a mustard seed and become a tree, bearing much fruit and taking the world as her forest. The cedar trees which crown those Lebanese mountains are symbols of the Maronites’ tenacity, vitality, and integrity. Our history is marked by persecution and martyrdom for the sake of liberty, independence, and the preservation of the true faith as it was passed down to us by the Apostles. The monasteries in the mountainsides of Qadisha Valley, perched as eagles' nests, summarize our entire history.

The Church of Antioch

The four Holy Gospels record that Jesus was the first to evangelize the people north of Judea, Samaria, and Galilee, and it was the Apostles St. Peter, chief of the Apostles, and St. Paul (at the request of St. Barnabas) who first traveled further north to Antioch and established the patriarchal See of Antioch before continuing their missionary journeys to Rome, the capital of the empire (Gal 2, Acts 11). Therefore, the Church of Antioch, from which the Maronite Church grew, is older than the Church of Rome and has claim to the same apostolic authority. And after all, this is where the followers of Christ were "first called Christians" (Acts 11:26). This is because it was first in the ancient city of Antioch that Christianity was no longer seen as a sect of Judaism for ethnic Jews to either be a part of or not, but as a religion for all people, especially those who are "weary and burdened" by society, as it was embraced by Antiochian Romans, Greeks, and Semites without needing to first embrace the Law of Moses and be circumcised in accordance with it (St. Matthew 11:28). Rather, it was determined early in the history of the Christian community, at the Council of Jerusalem, the first council of the Church, recorded in Acts 17, that baptism replaces circumcision in this New Covenant, and it is baptism in the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit which saves (1 Peter 3:21). This means that Gentiles (non-Jews), such as those from the multicultural city of Antioch, did not need to first convert to Judaism (by being circumcised according to the Law of Moses) before they could embrace the Messiah, who came into the world not just for the Jewish people, but for all people. And since the Maronite Church grew out of Antioch, whose vernacular was Syriac, the liturgical language of the Maronite Church is thus not Latin or Greek, but Syriac. It was in Syriac that the great Syriac Church Fathers (such as St. Ephrem, St. Jacob of Sarug, St. Isaac of Nineveh, and St. Aphrahat) wrote. The Church of Antioch even prays with the oldest liturgy of the Church: the Liturgy of St. James the Less, Apostle and First Bishop of Jerusalem. The establishment of the chair of St. Peter in Antioch is remembered annually on February 22 in the Maronite liturgical calendar, and the Maronite Patriarch always takes the middle name Peter (or Boutros in Arabic) after St. Peter who was the first bishop (and thus patriarch) of the Antiochene Church.

During this time in the Church, now that Christianity was legal, many more people were practicing the Chirsitan faith, but there was also significant division among bishops on what was orthodox theology. In 451, the Fathers of the Church (the bishops and patriarchs) held a meeting called the Council of Chalcedon which was convoked by Emperor Marcian. They sought to clarify the teaching of the Church concerning the person of Jesus Christ. The Fathers of the Church proclaimed, by the guidance of the Holy Spirit, that Jesus Christ was both truly human and truly divine: true man and true God. The Maronites, as faithful apostolic Christians, strongly defended the Council of Chalcedon and dyophysite theology, which made the non-Chalcedonian miaphysite dissenters their bitter enemies. 

In 452 AD, some Maronite Christians gathered and constructed a monastery, called Beyt Maroun (the House of Maron). The conflict between the Maronites and the miaphysites (whose theological descendants exist as members of the Oriental Orthodox Churches) led to a strong persecution that resulted in the death of 350 Maronite Christians (who we remember as the 350 martyrs) and many refugees in 517 AD. The Maronites, the defenders of the true faith in the East, informed Pope Hormisdas about their martyrdom and their struggle for the preservation of the true faith among zealous persecutors. The Pope of Rome sent the Maronites a letter to strengthen them, describing the Maronite martyrs as soldiers of Jesus Christ and members of his Living Body in the East.

St. John Maron

Around 685, with the threat of Islam first under the Rashidun Caliphate and then the Ummayyad Caliphate, the Maronites sought better organization and elected a patriarch, St. John Maron, who became the first patriarch of the Maronite Church. The appointing of the patriarch was a very important event in the history of the Maronites, which led to another persecution that resulted in 500 martyrs. The monastery of Beyt Maroun was heavily damaged. Many Maronites left their lands in Syria and joined their brethren in the mountain ranges of Lebanon. On those cedar-topped mountains, the Maronite Church continued her growth.

The Mountains of Lebanon
The Maronites lived at a crossroad of different cultures and beliefs and thus, their history was marked by continuous and numerous constraints which led to numerous persecutions. In 936, the monastery of Beyt Maroun and other Maronite monasteries were completely destroyed in Syria at the hands of members of a new and foreign religion: the Muslims, who were persecuting Christians for their belief that the true God had incarnated and revealed his Trinitarian nature. The Maronites and their patriarch who originated in Syria had to make a very difficult decision to leave the rich plains of Syria and take the mountains of Lebanon as a refuge. The Syriac Maronites and Hellenic Maronites in Syria joined the Phoenician Maronites in the Lebanese mountains where they enjoyed peacefulness and security under the shadow of the cedars. Protected by the mountains of Lebanon, the Maronites and their patriarch were able to organize their Church away from persecution.

The Crusades
For 350 years, the Maronites have been isolated in the valleys and mountains of Lebanon until the beginning of the Crusades. When the Crusaders invaded the East, they were surprised to find out about the existence of the Maronite Christian community since communication between Christians in the East and Christians in the West had been severed as a result of many religious and political disputes, and due to the isolation of the Maronites in the mountains. The Pope of Rome himself was astonished that this pocket of Christians had survived among the Muslims. During the Crusades period, the Maronites succeeded in building relationships with France, especially after the visit of St. Louis IX, King of France, to Lebanon. 

The Mamluks
At the end of the Crusades and after the defeat of the Crusaders, the Maronites were attacked by the Mamluks. Between 1268 and 1283, persecution began at the hands of the Mamluks who attacked the strongholds of the Maronites, sowing destruction in Ehden, Bsharre, Hadath El-Jibbet, Meifook, and other villages. They captured the Maronite Patriarch and sent him to his death. Between 1291 and 1305, the Mamluks destroyed the area known as Kesrwan and the Maronites were forbidden to enter it. The Maronites once again had to learn how to survive amid persecution and to protect their freedom in order to maintain the presence of the true faith in the East. But in 1357, they became divided against themselves: The Maronites of Byblos and Batroun against those of Bsharre. Consequently, the Mamluks invaded Byblos and Batroun, destroying their villages, and burning their Patriarch alive in 1367. Many people escaped to the Greek Island of Cyprus, which still has a Maronite population to this day. The Maronites lost their freedom in Lebanon. Because of the many disasters that happened in the world in that period of time (13th- 16th century), especially in the Middle East, the Pope of Rome, Leo X, described the Maronite Church as a rose among thorns, an impregnable rock in the sea, unshaken by the waves and fury of the thundering tempest. Despite heavy persecution throughout the ages, Maronite Christians are renowned for their strong commitment to the precepts of the Church.

The Ottomans & Independence
In 1516, the Ottomans defeated the Mamluks. The Maronites were granted protection by France. The Maronite Church expanded in Lebanon and the Maronites mixed with other minorities. The Maronites built churches, founded religious orders, formed schools, and cultivated arid lands. The valleys and the mountains were filled with monks and hermits. Many families, some of whom had been forcibly converted to Islam, converted back to Christianity, joined the Maronite Church, and celebrated their freedom. But between 1845 and 1860, hatred was incited by the Ottomans, who worked so hard to break the Maronites’ spirit of independence. Dozens of villages, churches, and monasteries were completely destroyed. Thousands were martyred or displaced, and many immigrated to other lands. It was during this time that the Blessed Massabki Brothers were martyred in the monastery at Damascus, Syria. The persecution returned between 1914 and 1918, when the Ottomans blocked the roads to the mountains of Lebanon, causing a human disaster. Tens of thousands of people died of famine and diseases, and thousands immigrated. This was happening simultaneously as Greek, Armenian, and Assyrian Christians were also being killed at the hands of the Ottomans in their respective genocides for the same reason: they were proud Christians who refused to be be compelled to follow a false religion and abandon the Love of God, who had become incarnate. After the First World War, Lebanon was liberated from the Ottomans. France, Lebanon’s compassionate mother, entered the mountains of Lebanon and made the land a French mandate. The Maronite patriarch left for Paris. He arrived on October 25th, 1919. He requested the recognition of Lebanon as an independent country. On September 1st, 1920, General Gouraud proclaimed the State of Greater Lebanon in the presence of the Maronite patriarch. In 1943, Lebanon won its independence. Ever since, Lebanese Independence Day is celebrated on November 22nd.

Persecution & Diaspora
Peace did not last too long. Between 1975 and 1990, the people of Lebanon engaged in a terrible civil war. Tens of thousands died, and thousands emigrated. The Maronites defended their country with great courage, but in 1990, they divided into political parties against themselves and fought each other. Consequently, their enemies invaded them, bombarding their cities and villages, sending their leaders into exile, and putting others in jail. The Maronites lost their independence and hundreds of thousands left the mountains of Lebanon for other countries, such as the United States and Canada. Freedom became threatened, but God did not abandon his people. He consoled the Maronites, giving them three saints: St. Sharbel, St. Rafqa, and St. Nimatullah Hardini. In 1997, the Pope of Rome, John Paul II, visited Lebanon to give hope to the Lebanese people and particularly to the Maronites. He said, "Lebanon is more than a country, it is a message." The history of the Maronites has been intertwined with that of Lebanon. Without Maronites, Lebanon would not have existed as an entity, and without Lebanon, Catholic Christianity in the Middle East may never have survived. Lebanon remains undoubtedly the only spiritual land of the Maronites. And the Lebanese Maronites still survive to this day day, as strongly as ever. Their hospitality, thirst for freedom, love of God and neighbor, and fidelity to their patriarch are known to all people. 

Second, Maronites are Chalcedonian, meaning they were staunch supporters of the Council of Chalcedon, convened in 451 AD, which taught that Jesus is true God and true man. In this formula, Maronites found a balance and way of life that placed them forever in the communion of the universal Church, despite persecution from the non-Chalcedonians they lived around. 

Third, the Maronite Church is patriarchal and monastic in her nature. St. Maron was a hermit priest. The first Maronites were monks, priests, and laity associated with the monasteries of St. Maron in the 5th - 8th centuries. Her first patriarch, St. John Maron, was chosen from among the monks. Maronites have a cherished history known for an ascetic life of sacrifice, devotion to God, and peace, both in one’s own soul and toward one’s neighbor despite persecution.   

Fourth, the Maronite Church is known for her love and devotion to the See of Peter in Rome. This relationship has allowed Maronites to fully express the true Catholic faith held from the beginning, and at the same time be part of the balance between East and West, for St. Peter was not only the founder of the See of Rome, but also the See of Antioch. 

Fifth, the Maronite Church is tied to Lebanon, her spiritual homeland and the dwelling place of her patriarch. This is something to be admired, for Lebanon is a land of exceptional beauty and history. Situated on the east coast of the Mediterranean Sea, the Lebanon mountain range rises majestically from the sea to snow-capped mountain peaks that reach over 10,000 feet. Nestled in the mountains in the north are the famous Cedars of Lebanon, often mentioned in the Bible such as in the Psalms, the Song of Songs, and in the Book of the Prophet Isaiah. The Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem was built from the Cedars of Lebanon, as described in the First Book of Kings 5-7. The prophet Elijah attended to the widow and her son in Zarephath near Sidon in First Kings 17, and even Our Lord Jesus himself preached and healed people, like the Syrophoenician woman’s daughter, in the south of Lebanon during his public ministry. The Lord tells us, “The righteous will flourish like a palm tree, and they will grow like a cedar of Lebanon” (Psalm 92:12). Though being a Lebanese citizen or having Lebanese ancestry is not a requirement to be a Maronite Christian - on the contrary, all people are welcome to encounter Christ though the unique Maronite tradition, even St. Maron himself was not Lebanese - we can agree that Lebanon is a blessed land, and the Maronite Church is blessed to have her as a spiritual homeland on earth.