Semaans of Antioch and Syria The Semaans of
Antioch and
Syria have roots that can be traced back to the early days of Christianity, to 1st century Antioch and Damascus. As
Luke the Evangelist, a native of Antioch, writes in
Acts of the Apostles, "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). Although the majority of Semaans of Syria is of
Greek-
Syrian and
Syriac (
Aramaean) origin and known to have come from the north of Syria (Antioch area), however, a very small minority of
Ghassanid Christian Arab descent (from the 3rd century) reside in the southern part (
Hauran area). Some Semaans of Antioch claim descent from
Saint Peter (
Heb: Shimeon Kefa,
Syr: Semaan
Kefa,
Grk: Symeon Kephas,
Eng: Simon Peter), the preeminent disciple of
Christ. The story is based on oral tradition that claims that Saint Peter, avoiding persecution in his homeland, left his family with the
Hellenized Jewish community of Antioch during his seven-year stay in the city before his travel to
Rome. Some others claim that they're related to
Saint Simeon Stylites, a popular
ascetic Syrian saint during the
Byzantine Empire.
Antioch’s history of continuous falls and captures by
Arabs,
Seljuk Turks,
Crusaders, and
Mamluk Turks led to many Semaans fleeing their native city to neighboring areas in Syria and Lebanon. In 1939,
Turkey annexed the
Hatay province, which includes
Antakya (
Antioch), after Syria had control over the territory since the end of
World War I. Today, the Semaans of Syria are scattered throughout, and they live in cities such as
Latakia (
Laodiceia),
Homs (
Emesa),
Aleppo, and
Damascus.
Semaans of Lebanon The Semaans of
Lebanon can be broken down into four categories: • Semaans of South Lebanon are a mix of
Galilean Christians of
Israel from the 1st century (
Marjayoun area) as well as
Greek-
Phoenician (
Canaanite) Christians of the 2nd century (
Sidon area). Many Semaan families have immigrated to Western nations and
South America. • Semaans of East Lebanon (
Bekaa Valley) are part of the
Greek-
Syrian Semaans of Antioch and Syria (1st century Antioch) who escaped religious persecution in Syria, especially during the
Ottoman Empire and the repercussions of the 18th century split of the
Melkite Greek Catholics from the
Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch. They now live in the Bekaa region (
Zahlé area),
Beirut,
Mount Lebanon, and around the world. • Semaans of
Byblos are of
Greek-
Phoenician (
Canaanite) origin of the 1st century. • Semaans of North Lebanon (
Kaftoun,
Koura) are of
Ghassanid Christian Arab heritage settling first in the southern part of Syria (3rd century) before taking refuge in the mountains of Lebanon (7-8th century).
Semaans of Israel/Palestine The Semaans of
Israel/
Palestine can be broken down geographically as follows: • Semaans of Beit Lahem (
Bethlehem) are early
Galilean Christians from the 1st century who, at one point in time, lived in the villages of
Galilee, before settling in Bethlehem in the 9th century. There are very few left in Bethlehem today, as most have emigrated, mainly to
Venezuela and
Honduras. • Simaans of
Haifa,
Akko (Acre),
Nazareth, and the rest of
Galilee are mostly Galilean Christians from the 1st century. The majority has immigrated to
Lebanon,
Australia, and the
United States. • Semaans of Urashalim (
Jerusalem) are mainly descendants of 1st century
Galilean Christians who belong to the
Syriac Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. Only a few remain as the majority has immigrated to the
United States and
Canada or moved to Jordan.
Semaans of Iraq The Semaans of
Iraq (
Mesopotamia) are mainly
Assyrians from
Mosul and
Tel Keppe, in the north of Iraq, who can trace their ancestry back to the 2nd century. Today, most Semaans of Mosul and Iraq have left, especially after the American-led
2003 invasion of Iraq and the ensuing anti-Christian backlash, to places such as
Lebanon,
Sweden, and the
United States.
Semaans of Egypt The Semaans of
Egypt are
Copts and
Greek-
Egyptian Christians from
Alexandria,
Aswan, and
Cairo. Some can trace their ancestry to 1st century Alexandria, and the establishment of Christianity there by
Saint Mark. Today, many Semaans have also immigrated to Western countries. ==Notable people==