1. The Maronites: Their History
Instructor: Father Jad Kossaify (Lebanese Maronite Order)
Click HERE to get the text written in Arabic by Father Kossaify.
History Brief of the Maronite Church
Section III
Translated into English by “Jean Louis Atelier de Traduction"- Jounieh, Lebanon
(Click HERE for the original translation)
(Translation edited for clarity purposes)
That experience was followed by another totally different one that resulted from the flow of the French crusaders into the Levant (1095-1291), and which created for the Maronites the opportunity for emancipation and openness to the West. That was an opportunity for them to get out of their isolation, the one that was either imposed on them or self-imposed as a price for freedom. Effectively, they cooperated with the crusaders, thereby renewing their relationship with the Roman Church. Their Patriarch Jeremiah Alamchete visited Rome in 1215 and attended the Lateran council!
The Maronites remained faithful to their doctrine, their sole concern being to commit to their religion and to live it effectively, with pain, patience, and heroism, following the path of their master, Saint Maroun. However, the French era soon declined as the French were ultimately defeated at the end of the 13th century. Consequently, the Ayyubids and later on the Mamluks strengthened their hegemony over all parts of the Arab Levant, abusing all those who cooperated or even sympathized with the crusaders, including the Maronites.
The Mamluks (1260-1516) started their regime with two offensives launched directly against the Maronites in Jobbeh, Becharre:
- The first offensive took place in the year 1268 after the Maronites supported the French in Tripoli who tried to resist the blockade imposed by the Mamluks. When that resistance failed, the Mamluks responded with a violent punitive offensive which targeted Maronite villages in Jobbeh, Becharre.
- As for the second offensive, it took place in 1283, when the Mamluk army wanted to conquer Becharre. The Maronite youth living there transformed themselves from farmers to ready soldiers following the leadership and command of their patriarch, Daniel Hadchiti. The Mamluks massacred the inhabitants of Becharre, Ehden, Hasroun, and Hadath Jobbbeh, which incited some of the inhabitants of those villages to run away and protect themselves in the two secure grottos of Assi El Hadath and Assi Hawka, located in Kadisha Valley. Following the treason of a Maronite leader, the patriarch was captured and executed.
The Mamluk raids on Mount Lebanon lasted for about four decades and resulted in the death of thousands of people. During the last raid led by the Mamluk Sultan Nasir Ibn Kalaoun and that lasted for 17 months during the years 1305 and 1306, the number of Shiite casualties in Kesrouan, Jbeil, and other coastal regions reached 15,000. As for the survivors, the Mamluks compelled them to leave the coastal regions and run away to the cold heights and to the Bekaa Valley in order to prevent them from making any contact with the Crusaders. After the coastal regions became nearly empty of their Shiite and Maronite inhabitants, and after the Crusaders vacated the large cities, the Mamluks started a demographic settlement operation whereby they brought in Sunni Kurdish and Turkmen tribes to settle in the coastal region in order to protect the sea ports and coastal cities from the Crusaders and prevent the return of the Shiite. The result of the Mamluk offensive against the Maronites in the north regions was similar: they killed several thousands and took the Maronite Patriarch hostage, hereby pushing many Maronites to flee to the island of Cyprus where some Maronite villages still exist up to this date.
Sources:
Abbot Paul Naaman: History of the Maronite Church
The Maronites (Excerpts, pdf) by Abbot Naaman
Relevant Links:
The Maronites and Lebanon, A Brief History
Early History of the Maronites
Maronites in the United States- A History
Council of Chalcedon
The Maronites -- The Past, The Present, The Future
Maronites in LEBANON: Challenges and Possible Responses
GRADING SCALE FOR EACH SECTION OF EACH SESSION
0 ; 1 ; 2 ; 3
0 (Not Submitted);
1 (Poor: little effort; little work done; not very relevant -- Good, but Late)
2 (Good: good effort; answered questions appropriately; relevant -- Very Good, but Late)
3 (Very Good: great effort; answered questions very well; answers based both on text and on relevant (listed) outside sources,
and they demonstrate higher order thinking skills)
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GRADING
TOTAL: 100 Points
20 %: Session 1 || 20 %: Session 2
20 %: Session 3 || 20 %: Session 4
20 %: Participation [Engagement and Motivation],
Attitude, & Aspirations
(Interactions on Facebook Group + Page play a big role)
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The grades relative to the first 2 sections will be available soon.
Keep checking our closed group on Facebook for updates.
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