 Distribution of Maronite Catholic Christians in Lebanon | |
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Lebanese Maronite Christians (Arabic:المسيحية المارونية في لبنان;Classical Syriac:ܡܫܝܚܝ̈ܐ ܡܪ̈ܘܢܝܐ ܕܠܒܢܢ) refers toLebanese people who are members of theMaronite Church inLebanon, the largestChristian body in the country.[1] The Lebanese Maronite population is concentrated mainly inMount Lebanon and EastBeirut.[2] They are believed to constitute about 42% of the total population of Lebanon.[1]
TheMaronites and theDruze founded modernLebanon in the early eighteenth century through the ruling and social system known as the "Maronite–Druze dualism."[dubious –discuss][3] The1860 Druze–Maronite conflict led to the establishment ofMount Lebanon Mutasarrifate, an autonomous entity within theOttoman Empire dominated by Maronites and protected by European powers. In the aftermath of theFirst World War, the Maronites successfully campaigned forGreater Lebanon carved out from Mount Lebanon and neighboring areas. Under theFrench Mandate, and until the end of theSecond World War, the Maronites gained substantial influence. Post-independence, they dominated Lebanese politics until the1975–1990 civil war, which ended their supremacy. While theTaif Accords weakened Maronite influence, it endures alongside other dominant Lebanese communities, such as theShiites andSunnis.[2]
Lebanon's constitution was intended to guarantee political representation for each of the nation's religious groups.[4] Under the terms of an unwritten agreement known as theNational Pact between the various political and religious leaders of Lebanon, thepresident of the country must be a Maronite.[5]
The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Lebanese people is a blend of both indigenous Phoenician elements and the foreign cultures that have come to rule the land and its people over the course of thousands of years. In a 2013 interview the lead investigator of theNational Geographic Society'sGenographic Project,Pierre Zalloua, pointed out that genetic variation preceded religious variation and divisions: "Lebanon already had well-differentiated communities with their own genetic peculiarities, but not significant differences, and religions came as layers of paint on top. There is no distinct pattern that shows that one community carries significantly morePhoenician than another."[7]
The Maronite population in Lebanon has a rich history. Its foundation can be traced back to early followers ofMaron, who migrated from the region ofAntioch to Mount Lebanon. Historically, Lebanese Maronites resided in remote mountain villages and were led by influential noble families.[2]
The followers ofJesus Christ first became known as "Christians" in the ancient Greek city ofAntioch (Acts 11:26), and the city became a center for Christianity– especially after thedestruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. According to Catholic tradition, the first Bishop wasSaint Peter before his travels to Rome. The third Bishop was theApostolic FatherIgnatius of Antioch. Antioch became one of the five originalPatriarchates (thePentarchy) afterConstantine recognized Christianity.
The Maronite Christianity derived its name and religious identity from SaintMaron whose followers migrated to the area ofMount Lebanon (present dayRepublic of Lebanon) from their previous location of residence around the area ofAntioch (an ancient Greek city within present dayHatay Province, Turkey), establishing the nucleus of theMaronite Church.[8]
More specifically, Maron, a fourth-centurymonk and the contemporary and friend ofSt. John Chrysostom, left Antioch for theOrontes River to lead anascetic life, following the traditions ofAnthony the Great of the Desert andPachomius. Many of his followers also lived a monastic lifestyle. Following the death of Maron in 410, his disciples built a monastery in his memory and formed the nucleus of the Maronite Church.
The Maronites held fast to the beliefs of theCouncil of Chalcedon in 451. When theMonophysites of Antioch slew 350 monks, the Maronites sought refuge in the mountains of Lebanon. Correspondence concerning the event brought the Maronites papal and orthodox recognition, which was solidified byPope Hormisdas (514–523) on February 10, 518. A monastery was built around the shrine of St. Maro (Marun) after theCouncil of Chalcedon.[9]
The martyrdom of the Patriarch of Antioch in the first decade of the seventh century, either at the hands of Persian soldiers or local Jews,[10] left the Maronites without a leader, a situation which continued because of the final and most devastatingByzantine–Sassanid War of 602–628. In the aftermath of the war, the EmperorHeraclius propagated a new Christological doctrine in an attempt to unify the various Christian churches of the east, who were divided over accepting theCouncil of Chalcedon. This doctrine,monothelitism, was meant as a compromise between supporters of Chalcedon, such as the Maronites, and opponents, such as theJacobites. To win back the Monophysites,Monoenergism was first advocated byPatriarchSergius I of Constantinople.Pope Honorius I (625–638) of Rome naively called for an end to dispute and interpreted Sergius' view as true since Christ exhibited only one will insofar as His sinless human will never disagreed with His divine will.
Instead, the Patriarch of Constantinople's doctrine and subsequentMonothelitism caused greater controversy and was declared a heresy at theSixth Ecumenical Council in 680-681. Contemporary Greek, Latin and Arab sources indicate that the Maronites accepted monothelitism, rejected the sixth council, and continued to maintain a belief in the largely discredited monothelite doctrine for centuries, only moving away from monothelitism in the time of the crusades in order to avoid being branded heretics by the crusaders.[11] The modern Maronite Church, however, rejects the assertion that the Maronites were ever monothelites separated from the rest of the universal Church. The question remains a cause of significant offence to this day.[12]
In 687, the EmperorJustinian II agreed to evacuate many thousand Maronites from Lebanon and settle them elsewhere. The chaos and utter depression which followed led the Maronites to elect their first Patriarch,John Maroun, that year. This, however, was seen as a usurpation by the then undivided Orthodox Catholic church. Thus, at a time when Islam was rising on the borders of theByzantine Empire and a united front was necessary to keep out Islamic infiltration, the Maronites were focused on a struggle to retain their independence against imperial power. This situation was mirrored in other Christian communities in the Byzantine Empire and helped facilitate the Muslim conquest of most of EasternChristendom by the end of the century.
The relationship between theDruze andChristians has been characterized byharmony and peacefulcoexistence,[13][14][15][16] with amicable relations between the two groups prevailing throughout history, with the exception of some periods, including1860 Mount Lebanon civil war.[17][18] The Maronite Catholics and the Druze founded modern Lebanon in the early Eighteenth Century, through a governing and social system known as the "Maronite-Druze dualism" in theMount Lebanon Mutasarrifate.[6]
The Maronites belong to the Maronite Syriac Church of Antioch inHatay Province, Turkey) is anEastern CatholicSyriac Church that had affirmed its communion withRome since 1180, although the official view of the Church is that it had never accepted either theMonophysitic views held by their Syriac neighbours, which were condemned in theCouncil of Chalcedon, or the failed compromise doctrine ofMonothelitism (the latter claim being found in contemporary sources).[19] The Maronite Patriarch is traditionally seated inBkerke, north of Beirut.
Lebanese Maronite Christians are concentrated in the north of Beirut, northern part ofMount Lebanon Governorate, southern part ofNorth Governorate, parts ofBeqaa Governorate andSouth Governorate.[20]
Note that the following percentages are estimates only. However, in a country that had last census in 1932, it is difficult to have correct population estimates.
The last Census in Lebanon in 1932 put the numbers of Maronites at 29%.[21] A study done by theCentral Intelligence Agency (CIA) in 1985 put the numbers of Maronites at 16% of the population.[21]
In 2012, Maronites constituted 31% ofLebanon's population, according to estimates.[22] The Maronite Church's website claims 1,062,000 members were in Lebanon in 1994 which would have made them around 31% of Lebanon's population.[23] Maronite Catholics are the largest Christian group, followed by Greek Orthodox.[24]
In 2014, according to electoral data,[25] Maronites made up 19.97% of registered voters aged 21 and above.In 2022,[26] based on the registered voters aged 21+ for the elections, Druze represented 19.94% of the global Lebanese population.The overall proportions remained very stable between 2014 and 2022, with only slight decrease in this group.
| Year | |
|---|---|
| Maronites | |
| 2014[27] | 19.97% |
| 2022[26] | 19.94% |
| Year | Maronites | |
|---|---|---|
| 2014[27] | 701 920 | |
| 2022[26] | 797 174 | |
| Growth | +95 254 | |
| % growth |  11.95% | |
Note that the following percentages are estimates only. As the last Lebanese census was conducted in 1932, it is difficult to have precise population estimates.
| Governorates of Lebanon | 2014[27] | 2022[26] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate | 212 997 | 32.88% | 236 908 | 33.28% |
| North Governorate | 170 514 | 30.34% | 186 987 | 29.34% |
| Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate | 128 802 | 75.7% | 139 804 | 76.37% |
| South Governorate | 47 869 | 12.14% | 55 768 | 12.02% |
| Beqaa Governorate | 38 321 | 12.74% | 45 040 | 13.1% |
| Akkar Governorate | 29 537 | 11.47% | 33 271 | 11.01% |
| Beirut Governorate | 28 534 | 6.11% | 40 275 | 7.62% |
| Nabatieh Governorate | 23 355 | 5.52% | 31 440 | 6.39% |
| Baalbek-Hermel Governorate | 21 991 | 7.53% | 27 671 | 8.32% |
| Total Lebanese Maronite population | 701 920 | 19.97% | 797 174 | 19.93% |
| Governorates of Lebanon | 2014[28] | 2022[29] | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pop. | % | Pop. | % | |
| Mount Lebanon Governorate | 212 997 | 30.34% | 236 908 | 29.72% |
| North Governorate | 170 514 | 24.29% | 186 987 | 23.46% |
| Keserwan-Jbeil Governorate | 128 802 | 18.35% | 139 804 | 17.54% |
| South Governorate | 47 869 | 6.82% | 55 768 | 7% |
| Beqaa Governorate | 38 321 | 5.46% | 45 040 | 5.65% |
| Akkar Governorate | 29 537 | 4.21% | 33 271 | 4.17% |
| Beirut Governorate | 28 534 | 4.07% | 40 275 | 5.05% |
| Nabatieh Governorate | 23 355 | 3.33% | 31 440 | 3.94% |
| Baalbek-Hermel Governorate | 21 991 | 3.13% | 27 671 | 3.47% |
| Total Lebanese Maronite population | 701 920 | 100% | 797 174 | 100% |
| Year | Maronite Population | Total Lebanese Population | Percentage |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1861 | 208,180 | 487,600 | 42.7% |
| 1921 | 199,181 | 609,069 | 32.7% |
| 1932 | 226,378 | 785,543 | 28.8% |
| 1956 | 423,708 | 1,407,858 | 30.1% |
| 1975 | 586,500 | 2,550,000 | 23% |
| 1988 | 999,672 | 4,044,784 | 24.7% |
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the Maronites and the Druze, who founded Lebanon in the early eighteenth century.
the Maronites and the Druze, who founded Lebanon in the early eighteenth century.
the Druze had been able to live in harmony with the Christian
.. Europeans who visited the area during this period related that the Druze "love the Christians more than the other believers," and that they "hate the Turks, the Muslims and the Arabs [Bedouin] with an intense hatred.
..the Druzes and Christians lived together in the most perfect harmony and good-will..
the Druzes and the Christians in the Shuf Mountains in the past lived in complete harmony..
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1 TheLebanese people has the most religious diversity of all peoples in theMiddle East, comprising 18 recognized religious sects recognized by theConstitution of Lebanon. 2 Under the terms of theConstitution of Lebanon, the Druze community is designated as a part of the Lebanese Muslim community. | |||||||
