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Bulletin of the Royal Institute for Inter-Faith Studies (BRIIFS)

In the twenty-first century, the Coptic Orthodox Church is reaping the benefits of an ongoing renewal process that commenced in the early decades of the twen-tieth. Drawing inspiration from its heritage, especially monasticism and mar-tyrdom, the Church has been able to revitalize its rich traditions by encouraging a strong Sunday School movement and reviving monastic practices. Due to the apparent inability of Egypt’s political actors, most notably, the Wafa Party, to represent Coptic interests, the leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, Patriarch Shenouda III, has used his position as head of the community to provide civil as well as spiritual leadership. This is no departure from tradition as the office of patriarch has long possessed a temporal dimension, especially under the Ottoman millet system. A rise in violence against Copts marred Church-state relations during the presidency of Anwar Sadat, but a new president, Hosni Mubarak, and a change in tactics by Patriarch Shenouda has led to renewed cooperation. The government has acknowledged the role of the patriarch as the representative of the Coptic community to the state. During the reign of the patriarch, the Church has experienced global expansion providing new opportunities and challenges. Through ministering to Coptic expatriates and evangelizing in new mission fields, the Coptic Orthodox Church has reclaimed its credentials as a universal Church, while retaining its Coptic identity through close connections with the desert tradition.‬

For most of the twentieth century and during the early years of the twenty-first, Christianity in the Holy Land has found its presence significantly challenged from a number of directions— by destructive conflicts, by waves of migration and by a fragmented ecclesiology. Yet, the importance of Christianity in the Holy Land is not merely local; it also influences the identity of the two-billion-strong world community of Churches that make up Christendom. In particular, the Vatican and the Catholic Church have taken strong religious and political interest in the past, present and future configuration of Christianity in Jerusalem and in surrounding states. This paper will first seek to identify the Churches that make up the Christian body in the Holy Land and to describe many of the challenges that face them. The second part will look in detail at the origins and development of the policy of the Holy See regarding the Jerusalem question and the position of Christianity in the Holy Land more generally. Significant attention will be given to the theology and diplomacy of Popes Paul VI and John Paul II, as well as the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem and its modern historical and religious nature.‬

The life and witness of the Orthodox Church in the twentieth century was marked by the collapse of the Ottoman empire and the advent of nationalism and narked by the collapse of the Ottoman empire and the advent of nationalism and ation-states in the Middle East. In order to follow and evaluate the trajector, of the Greek Orthodox Church, three main features will be examined: marty. dom, Diaspora and Orthodox renaissance movements. The Arab-sraeli conflict and the Lebanese civil war have led to serious dislocation of Christian communities and to massive Christian emigration. There is, indeed, a danger of Christian depopulation in the region; however, the Orthodox Church in the diaspora can overcome ethnic boundaries and transcend homeland nationalisms by attempting to discover the right balance between the national and the universal elements present in the Church. Orthodox renaissance movements in the Middle East declined to understand the Church as an auxiliary force for building up national identities or as a juridical body of a particular community in the struggle for state power-sharing. True liberation and Church renaissance, could, in the movement’s view, be attained only through communion, interpersonal relationship and true prayer. Despite the analogies between the developments in the Orthodox Church in Eastern and Southeastern Europe and those in Middle Eastern Orthodoxy, relentless pressures by the Arab-Israeli conflict, authoritarian regimes, the rise of political Islam and regional politics constitute tremendous restraints on a revival of Othodoxy in its cradle.‬

This article provides, in historical context, a short summary of some of the highlights in the history of those Eastern Catholic Churches that are part of Syriac Christian civilization-the Syrian Catholic Church, the Maronite Church and the Chaldean Catholic Church-and of the contributions of these three Churches to ecumenical dialogue among Orthodox, Apostolic and Catholic Churches in the Near East. Toward the end, brief mention is made of other Eastern Catholic Churches in the region.‬

Although the early history of the Maronite Church remains contested and controversial, it is much easier to trace the later evolution of Maronite history. From the seventeenth century onward, the Maronite Church has sought to reinvent itself and present its official view of its origins and development to the world. Although many scholars, both inside and outside of the Church, have disputed this official interpretation of Maronite history, it continues to form the basis for the Maronites’ own perception of their religious and communal identity. This identity has become integral to Maronites in the Middle East and in the diaspora, for whom a shared belief in a national Church forged in the Lebanese mountains defines a new generation’s search for spirituality, in the twenty-first century.‬

This article explores the history of Protestantism in the Middle East from the creation of the Protestant missions by the American, British and German evangelicals in the early nineteenth century to the indigenous Protestant churches that have resulted from that missionary work. It focuses on the initial desire by the missionaries to reform the indigenous Christian communities, the tensions that that approach created and the emphasis upon educational and medical ministry that developped as the reformation/conversion strategy failed. It seeks to clarify the causes and effects of the Protestant presence through a serie of significant questions that deal with the identity of the Protestants; the reasons behind their choice of timing and locales; the motivating factors behind their missions; their goals and their gradual adjustment to the prevailing conditions; the details of their work, with a particular focus on Lebanon/Syria, Palestine/Jordan and Persia/Iraq; and finally, the impact and present status of the Protestant presence.‬

This article offers a broad overview of the interactions between Muslims and the Christians who have lived within the Islamic world since the beginnings of Islam up to the high Middle Ages. In addition to speaking of the conditions of Christian life under Muslim rule, emphasis is placed on the intellectual and cultural exchanges between Muslims and Christians in the Arabic-speaking milieu, and on the development of the denominational identities of the several Christian churches in the world of Islam.‬

Speech by H.R.H Prince El Hassan Bin Talal Delivered During the Conference “800 ANNI” on the Occasion of 800 Years of the Visit of St. Francis to the Sultan Al-Kamil.

Prayer serves on the one hand as a method of self-expression, also a means of communication between humans, the divine realms and musical art, on the other hand, it acts as a way for conveying ideas, emotions, and facilitating communication. While we often associate “music” with musical instruments and vocals, it is crucial to acknowledge that sound itself is music, and verbal expression can also be considered the same. Religious music, found in hymns and devotional songs, often goes unnoticed in terms of its purpose, also potential spiritual and spiritual _influence. The question is If music possesses such effect, why not harness its power to serve society and humanity in general by disseminating ideas of liberation from political subjugation, oppression, material poverty, and spiritual destitution? This article sheds light on the profound influence of religious music on human consciousness, its capacity to stimulate cognition and decision-making, also its role in mobilizing individuals within religious and political contexts. The ideas of Gustavo Gutierrez, the founder of “Liberation Theology” in Latin America, and the thoughts of Ali Shariati, who drew inspiration from the Quran to advocate for the marginalized, will be explored. Relying on the intellectual groundwork laid by these thinkers, this article highlights the potential of transforming religion and faith intellectually to confront social challenges, resist oppression, and foster change by the utilization of music. Adopting an analytical theoretical framework, this article references relevant books and articles that examine the role of music in human life and its impact on the listener’s consciousness. Additionally, the theological concepts of Liberation Theology pertaining to the use of language within sacred texts for social and political liberation will be examined. The intended outcome of this article is to broaden readers’ horizons and emphasize the importance of ideas and intentions in spiritual, religious, and social development. Furthermore, it aims at underlining the significance of music as a means for achieving these objectives.

A personal memoire of an education in principial and sacred forms and the efforts to apply this education, in ways both gratifying and challenging, to the practice of architecture. Keywords: architecture/geometry/Chartres/Alhambra/Ibn Arab.‬