The Greek Catholics are the largest Christian sect in Israel. They are also known as “Melkites,” a term that comes from the Syriac word for “king,” referring to their acceptance of the authority of the Byzantine kingdom at the Council of Chalcedon, which asserted the two natures of Jesus, both human and divine, in a single individual. In the wake of the Council and its decision several eastern sects broke away from the Byzantine church.
The main streams in the church were formalized during the 11th century – the Latin (Catholic) Church in the west and the Greek Orthodox Church was given hegemony in the east. In the 18th century Arab Christian communities had begun to feel alienated and discriminated against by the Greek Orthodox Church, and they joined the Catholic world.
Thus began the fascinating process of integrating communities whose hearts and culture were in the east while their religious affiliation belonged to the west. The Greek Catholic compound in Jerusalem is the residence of the patriarch (who is based in Damascus), and it also includes a hostel and a church.
The Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarchate (Church of the “Annunciation”) illustrates the Melkite integration between east and west: a Catholic church designed as an East Orthodox church. The paintings are in the Byzantine style, there is no statuary, and the names of saints are also written in Arabic – which is the language of the community.
At the end of the hall is an illuminated iconostasis, a decorated screen or panel used in Orthodox churches to separate the nave of the church, where the congregation stands, from the Sanctuary near the altar. The liturgy of the service is Byzantine, but the church is subject to the authority of the Catholic pope in Rome.
