melchite

Thân thiện

A Melchite priest leads a service in a historic church.

Definition

Noun: 1. An Eastern Christian adhering to the Chalcedonian definition: A member of the historical Christian communities in Egypt, Syria, and the Levant who accepted the doctrinal definitions of the Council of Chalcedon (451 AD). They maintained communion with the Byzantine imperial church in Constantinople, distinguishing them from the non-Chalcedonian (Oriental Orthodox) churches in the same regions. 2. A member of specific Eastern Catholic churches: In modern usage, the term often refers to a member of the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, an Eastern Catholic church in full communion with the Bishop of Rome (the Pope), which traces its origins to the aforementioned Chalcedonian communities.

Usage Examples

• Noun (Historical):
• Noun (Modern):

Advanced Usage

• The term Melchite (from the Syriac and Arabic , meaning "imperial" or "of the king") was originally used by their opponents to denote their loyalty to the Byzantine emperor's religious policy. The community later adopted the term themselves.
• The Melkite Greek Catholic Church is the primary ecclesiastical body associated with the term today, formed after a portion of the Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch entered into communion with Rome in the 18th century.

Variants and Related Words

• Melkite: The more common modern spelling, often used interchangeably with "Melchite."
• Melchite Catholic: A more specific term for a member of the Eastern Catholic church.
• Chalcedonian: A broader theological term describing any Christian or church that accepts the Council of Chalcedon, which includes Melchites, the Eastern Orthodox, and the Roman Catholic Church.

Synonyms

• Chalcedonian (in the historical/ theological context)
• Melkite (variant spelling)
• Greek Catholic (in the specific modern context, though this is a broader category)

Notes on Different Meanings

1. Historical/Ecclesiastical Meaning: Primarily denotes a member of the Greek-speaking or Arabized Chalcedonian Orthodox communities in the Middle East under Byzantine rule.
2. Modern/Confessional Meaning: Most commonly refers to an Eastern Catholic of the Byzantine rite belonging to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church.

Học thuật

Noun

1. an Orthodox Christian or Uniate Christian belonging to the patriarchate of Alexandria or Antioch or Jerusalem
2. an eastern Christian in Egypt or Syria who adheres to the Orthodox faith as defined by the council of Chalcedon in 451 and as accepted by the Byzantine emperor

Từ đồng nghĩa

• Melkite
• Melchite