St.Peter Apostles
The spiritual care of the Church of Antioch was vested in the Bishop of Antioch from the earliest years of Christianity. The first among the Bishops of Antioch was St. Peter who is believed to have established a church at Antioch in AD 33. Given the antiquity of the bishopric of Antioch and the importance of the Church in the city of Antioch which was a commercially significant city in the eastern parts of the Roman Empire, the Synod of Nicaea (AD 325) recognized the bishopric as a Patriarchate along with the bishoprics of Rome, Alexandria, and Jerusalem, bestowing authority for the Church in Antioch and All of the East on the Patriarch. (The Synod of Constantinople in AD 381 recognized the See of Constantinople also as a Patriarchate).
Even though the Synod of Nicaea was convened by the Roman Emperor Constantine, the authority of the ecumenical synod was also accepted by the Church in the Persian Empire which was politically isolated from the Churches in the Roman Empire. Until AD 498, this Church accepted the spiritual authority of the Patriarch of Antioch. The Christological controversies that followed the Council of Chalcedon in AD 451resulted in a long struggle for the Patriarchate between those who accepted and those who rejected the Council. In AD 518, Patriarch Mor Severius was exiled from the city of Antioch and took refuge in Alexandria.
On account of many historical upheavals and consequent hardships which the church had to undergo, the Patriarchate was transferred to different monasteries in Mesopotamia for centuries. In the 13th century it was transferred in the Monastery of Mor Hananyo (Deir al-Za`faran), near Mardin, Turkey, where it remained until 1933. Due to adverse political situation, it was transferred to Homs, Syria and in 1959 was transferred again to Damascus, Syria.
The Malankara Syrian Orthodox Church’s faith and liturgy are similar to those observed by the Universal Syrian Orthodox church such as the belief in Trinity, Jesus Christ’s incarnation as the saviour, Holy Cross, the Church, Holy Bible, the Divinity of the traditions, the creed of Nicea, the observations of the sacramental rites, intercession of St.Mary and Saints, rites after death, prayers for the dead, daily prayers, lent, fasting, celebrating holy Qurbana on Sunday and other sacred days, church consecration, the three stages of priesthood which has the Apostolic succession that comes from St. Peter through the Holy Throne of Antioch preserving the canonic laying on the hands, baptism, the Holy Cross, the three Holy Synods and the Relics of Holy fathers etc..
The Syrian Orthodox church accepts only three Ecumenical Synods namely Nicea (A.D.325), Constantinople (A.D. 381) and Ephesus (A. D. 431) as the universal Synods. The Church meticulously observe all faith declaration of the Nicean Creed. The western church at a later stage appended a statement to this creed attributing the Holy Ghost to be originating from Son also, (Filioque) which we do not accept. The Church was totally merged with the divine element and became one (Monophysite).
The church believes that Jesus Christ is one Person out of two natures namely human and divine. He is perfect man and perfect God. But Western Church had wrongly construed us Monophysites. This was an unfortunate error that creeped into the Werstern Church History. But this anomally was removed as a result of the deliberations at Vienna under the auspices of Pro-Orienete’.
