Syriacs from religious mission to ethnic expansionism: Divides and construction of ethnicity in the shadow of politics

Abstract

This article explores the identity transformation of the Syriacs, who possess a tradition of religious mission, toward a form of ethnic expansionism. The subject is limited to the Syriac Kadims. The aim of the article is to reveal the factors that led the Syriacs, who initially took religious mission and religious origin as their basis, to exhibit a tendency towards ethnicity construction and whether this tendency was compatible with socio-political goals that extend into the past. For this purpose, a descriptive and interpretative approach focusing on the historical background was preferred. While considering the historical background, some critical periods were taken into consideration. The first is the period from the foundation of the Church to the 4th century. The second is the period of christological discussions that emerged in the 4th century and whose effects continued for a long time. In addition, the Islamic conquests, the Abbasid, Seljuk and Ottoman periods were also taken into consideration. Finally, the Protestantization movement in the 19th century and its effects were included. In this context, the article concluded that Syriac Kadims turned to ethnic construction and began to emphasize ethnic commonality instead of religious origin. Two main reasons have been identified that were effective in this: The first is Assyrianism. The second is the ecumenical activities in the Christian world. In addition, it has been seen that the ethnic orientation in question is compatible with the goal of establishing socio-political and religious unity that Rome had tried to achieve in the past.