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Maronites

Maronites (; ) are a Syriac Christian ethnoreligious group native to the Eastern Mediterranean and the Levant (particularly Lebanon) whose members belong to the Maronite Church. The largest concentration has traditionally resided near Mount Lebanon in modern Lebanon. The Maronite Church is an Eastern Catholic particular church in full communion with the pope and the rest of the Catholic Church.

Key facts

Ethnic group.group: Maronites
Ethnic group.native_name: الموارنة
Ethnic group.native_name_lang: ar
Ethnic group.flag: Flag of Lebanon (1918-1920).svg
Ethnic group.flag_caption: Flag of the Maronites
Ethnic group.total: ''''''
Ethnic group.total_ref: center|frameless|250px
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Ethnic group.regions: 1.4 million (2006)
Ethnic group.pop1: 3–4 million
Ethnic group.pop2: 1.2 million

via Wikipedia infobox

Article

21 sections

Contents

Etymology
History
Antiquity
Middle Ages
Early modern period
Population
Lebanon
Syria
Cyprus
Israel
Diaspora
Role in politics
Lebanon
Israel and Palestine
Religion
Cultural identity
See also
Notes
References
Bibliography
External links

The Maronites derive their name from Saint Maron, (350-410 AD), a monk whose teachings spread throughout the Northern Levant becoming the basis of the Maronite tradition. The spread of Christianity was very slow in the Lebanese region; in the 5th century AD in the highlands they were still pagan. St. Maron sent the apostle Abraham of Cyrrhus known as the "Apostle of Lebanon" with a mandate to convert the pagan inhabitants of Mount Lebanon to Christianity. After their conversion, the inhabitants of the region renamed the Adonis River to the Abrahamic River in honor of the Saint who preached there.