Meltha Magazine Online

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Meltha 2000, No 10 pages 32-35

PART IV. SEMINARS

RESTORATION OF CHRISTIANITY IN THE MIDDLE EAST

AS A MEANS TO SOLUTION OF ASSYRIAN QUESTION

(It was presented to the international conference “Assyrian Culture Yesterday, Today

and Tomorrow”, Stockholm, October 24-31, 1998)

At first sight the theme of my speech, I am afraid, might not seem much in line with the program of the current venue. I should, above all, like to touch upon Assyrian national culture just to give my opinion about its future prospects in terms of the social and political status which our beloved nation will have in quest of keeping it as one ethos or nation.

As a matter of fact, national culture is a vital instrument in national safeguard as it is one of the few integral parts to define national characteristics for lack of many other features like statehood, dense living, common language, religion, etc.

It is known that culture as such should embrace both material and soul elements. The material culture in a big way has lost its significance for the people dispersed so wide in the world now. Soul life is a lot more important in terms of a standpoint on world as an array of principles, views and beliefs. At the same time, human behavior is generally defined not only by spiritual culture but also by the material culture of the environment, or in other words behavior of a small nation is defined by ethic psychological and social characteristics of a society where this nation is supposed to be. I should like to mention one more point that is able to influence the national culture. It is a modem idea now to replace the principle of political self-identity with cultural autonomy. This principle of cultural autonomy was first formulated by Karl Renner and Otto Bower, Marxist addicts from Austria in the early 20th century .They reduced the national issue to its cultural aspect focusing mainly on preservation of language, development of national schools and national craftsmanship, and others. V. I. Lenin criticized this theory and called it "refined nationalism".

It should be noted that in terms of modern civilization, global information network and general integration, the principle of cultural autonomy acquires somewhat a declaring or even demagogic character for such autonomy offers no future for a nation dispersed so wide in the world. The brilliant confirmation of this opinion is the Jewish autonomy on the Far East of Russia.

In my opinion, the spiritual culture of a single ethos, Assyrian in question, should be viewed as a more profound world outlook independent of fast behavioral mentality with largely subconscious in- born quality whereas the material culture is virtually conscious and works out behavior. We largely have encountered this in the past ten years when immigration has gained its momentum. For example, Assyrians in Moscow have discovered different principles of behavior generally found in Russia, Armenia, Republic of Georgia, Arab world, Iran and others. Even in the Soviet Union the behavior of Assyrians from Armenia and Georgia was very different let alone Assyrians from Russia.

The last but not the least, now I mean the possibility of having the Assyrian national culture so drastically changed that even its existence can well be put to a threat in years to come. More analysts and futurologists are tending to think that the current crises in Russian Federation and in southeastern Asia have a complex character. It is clear now that ecological, social, economic, technological and informational processes will inevitably bring about a global system crisis due to limitations of the modern industrial society. The most developed countries are most vulnerable at that. I mean to say that those who will have no money to get a seat to 'Titanic' will probably be saved. As a result, the power system will be in crisis, and the state will lose control everywhere. As first sign of it, many new countries will spring up in the world. According to' former chairman to CIA National Council Graham Fuller this number might be 2 or 3 times higher than now. Due to such a .global crisis our planet will have a different look. For example, it will bring about a quick fall in population, environmental destruction, national culture deficit and growth of cosmopolitan congregation. Adversely, this global system crisis might as well bring about further escalation of extremity both in terms of expansion of transnational corporations and organized criminal groups. The evil forces definitely will come to power in very many different ways. So we only can hope probably against hope that the evil itself will show us at last to resist it with kindness just as it once was proclaimed by famous Russian writer Leo Tolstoi.

Anyway, a tragic event or a negative trend may produce some positive moments as well. These moments, in turn, may show us the ways to curb some adverse consequences in hand. I think in this connection we might turn to Abdoulla' s conception, the grandfather to the late Jordan king Houssein. He thought that God had Jews dispersed in the Western world to teach them to European culture and then bring it to the Middle East, which needed some good renovation. In a way, this is true for Assyrians as well. Yet I think that we should, by all means, have considerable resources of faith, culture and traditions in order to proclaim us as a nation again. I am sure that our people have it all like many thousand years before. This time, I should like to give you two passages from Leo Oppenheim' s famous book " Ancient Mesopotamia".

"In Assyria people obviously had a very powerful national spirit which often helped them to go on in times of defeat and invasion. It is hard to say who kept up political and cultural traditions as well as the Assyrian language in times of political power deficit. If only this question was answered, I think we would be able to understand how Assyria was in power so long".

Next, ",the fact that the exhausted power was many times restored in the history reveals ideological or religious roots, and if that is the case, I think we should look for an institution that could go on in times of trouble. This way we find it in god Ashur's sacred place."

Besides, I have one more passage to show you the role of culture and civilization in Assyrian national mentality. This is A. T.Olmstead who wrote, "In their day the Assyrians were the shepherd-dogs of civilization.

The great majority of their wars were wars of civilization, either to bring within the range of cultural influences savage tribes or to hold back these savage tribes from destroying the thin line of civilization in the Fertile Crescent." The Middle East, primarily Mesopotamia, has always been the hearth of civilization and if so it has always been in the focus of the outer world. Any power in the West or in the East as well as in the North and in the South would come down to the Middle East in the long run trying to take control over main roads leading out to every corner of the world, taken in consideration the famous soul influence that the Middle East had over the whole world. Among others were Alexander of Macedonia, Ancient Rome, Byzantium, crusaders, Mongols, Turks, Napoleon, plus two world wars which caused repartition of the lands in the Middle East. The current world conflicts also are due to this advantage of the Middle East region. So the Assyrian issue must be viewed alongside the global problems of the entire Middle East. Besides, the ideology of the Assyrian issue might be based on the aura of the whole region in question rather than on the values of the West. Therefore, the emergence of Assyrian democratic or liberal political parties will hardly add to the emotional and spiritual rise of the nation on its way to find its own significance and new national targets.

Needless to remind you that Christianity still holds the key to safeguard of the Assyrian national culture. This trace can be found in the original monotheism of Assyrians, which was instilled in them from 8th century BC largely due to Old Testament which was in turn based on the Assyrian Book "On world creation" and Nineveh version of "Gilgamesh Book". All along polytheism was being transformed into monotheism through limitations on Assyrian gods, Ashur in Assyria and Marduk in Babylonia. A fast time in Nineveh holds good proof to Assyrian monotheism. Actually it was the Aramaic population of Mesopotamia who was found open to Christian ideas at the time. Preserving the language, culture and national traditions the Assyrian people side by side with ethnically related tribes managed to survive the fall of the Assyrian Empire due to Our Savior, and since then it has been its confessional adherence alone that still defines them in the world. However, the first split of the Assyrian Church that happened in 4th century AD was largely due to its participation in the conflicts among the Middle East countries. The Church unfortunately has known many more splits until recently. As a result, we had Nestorians, Jacobites, Maronites, Chaldeans and others, although they all came out from one and the same Holy Apostles Church of the East. But one must admit that despite the loss of some authority on the part of its clergy, the Christian Church still remains a spiritual ground for Assyrian national self-identity. In view of the perspectives of the Assyrian national movement one should bear it in mind anyway. The movement can be progressive only if it will make Christianity the base of its ideology. Numerous confessional and tribal differences are in the way of the national integration. No confessional or tribal self-identity will be. ,j recognized for the entire nation based on one ethos. Only such a movement like Christians of the East is able to embrace all confessional or tribal representatives. And only this congregation will be able to give ) a steady ground for a real revival of the Assyrian culture within its historical hearth.

The role of Christianity and Christian to nations in the Middle East has one more important political factor. Today the Middle East region being the hearth of all three major religions is racked with war conflicts between the two of them, Islamic and Judaism. A third force is needed badly here to keep balance and maintain peace and cooperation in this triangle of three religions. History has shown that in absence of one major religion the other two . are likely to clash. For example, the exodus of Jews in 7th to 9th centuries due to persecution from Khalifs and Byzantian emperors built a split between Islam and , Christianity, and as a result, crusaders came to invade in the 11th century .Later , the First World War caused Christian masses to flee while Jews were brought back to face the Arab confrontation in the land. Creation of a Christian state in the Middle East will inevitably help to keep the situation under steady control, so that both parties will have to bear it in mind after all.

Dr. S. G. Osipov

The Former "Assyrian convent road" where St. Mark Church is located

The gate to the ancient chapel of the St. Mark Church (7th century AD)

The St. Mark Church of Syriac Orthodoxy in Jerusale