The origins of Christianity in Iraq are shrouded in the mists of time, but groups of Christians were settled by the second century C.E. During the Sassanid period (241 – 632 C.E.) the 'Church of the East' and the 'Syrian Orthodox Churches' were to emerge as distinct entities. Christians contributed to the intellectual environment of Islam, particularly during the Abbassid period. At this time the dioceses of the Church of the East extended to the Gulf and Arabia and as far as China. In Central Asia, conversions were made amongst the Kerait and other Altaic tribes.

When Hulugu Khan led his forces into Iraq in the thirteenth century, Christian princesses were counted amongst the members of the Mongol royal family. The vigour of Christianity under the Il-Khanate is epitomised by the writings of Gregory Bar Hebraeus. A century later, the arrival of Tamerlane ushered in a period of terror and instability for Christianity. Many communities fled northward to the Mosul plain and the Hakkari region of Turkey where they remained until the 1920's.

The seventeenth and eighteenth centuries saw the arrival of Europeans and increased contact with the Christian communities of Iraq. Roman Catholic missionaries brought elements of the 'Church of the East' and the 'Syrian Orthodox Church' under the aegis of Rome, as Uniate churches. Today the the 'Chaldaean' church is the largest Christian denomination in Iraq. But the rich fabric of Christianity still includes adherants of the traditional Syriac churches, as well as relative newcomers including the Protestant churches.

SEMINAR DAY PROGRAMME
Morning Session: Chair: Dr. Suha Rassam

10.00 A.M. Opening Addresses
Dr. Ulrich Pagel
The Dept. for the Study of Religions, SOAS

Sir Terence Clark
British School of Archaeology in Iraq

The Rev. William Taylor
Anglican and Eastern Churches Association

10.15 a.m. Opening Paper
Prof. John Healey (University of Manchester)
The early history of the Church of the East, and its missions in the Gulf.

10.45 – 11.15 a.m. Morning Tea/Coffee

11.15 a.m.
Dr. Erica C.D. Hunter (SOAS/University of Cambridge)
Christian communities of Hira and southern Iraq.

11.45 a.m.
Assoc.Prof. Amir Harrak (University of Toronto, Canada)
The Christian archaeology of Tekrit.

12.15 p.m.
Dr. Heleen Murre Van Den Berg (University of Leiden, Netherlands)
Formulating Christian identities in the Ottoman period.

12.45 p.m.
Dr. George Kiraz (Beth Mardutho, The Syriac Institute)
The Syriac Digital Library Project.

Luncheon [The Brunei Gallery Cafeteria] 1.00 -2.00 p.m.
* Moroccan-style vegetarian lunch

Afternoon session: Chair: Dr. Erica C.D. Hunter

2.00 p.m.
Dr. Suha Rassam
'Christianity in Iraq': dimensions and dynamic.

2.15 – 3.45 p.m.
Presentations by representatives of the Syriac Churches in Iraq,
to be followed by discussion and questions from the audience.

The Rev. Khoshaba Georges
The Assyrian Church.

The Rev. Habib Al-Nawfali
The Chaldaean Church.

The Rev. Toma Daood
The Syrian Orthodox Church.

The Rev. Safa' Habash
The Syrian Catholic Church.

3.45 p.m.
Prof. Geoffrey Khan, FBA (University of Cambridge)
The Christian Neo-Aramaic Dialects of Iraq.

4.15 p.m. Closing Comments
Sir Harold Walker

4.30 p.m. Afternoon Tea

Christianity in Iraq: Application Form  (Please print out and post to the address below)

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