Mr. President, Emil Constantinescu,
Your Eminence,
Your Excellencies,
Mr. Professor, Ștefan Cătălin Popa,
Dear participants,
Distinguished guests,
I am deeply honored to address you on behalf of the Romanian Academy with a few words of welcome. My congratulations and feelings of satisfaction—which are shared by my colleagues of the Romanian Academy—are not merely formal. I will now present three pieces of evidence that demonstrate the connections between Romanian culture and Syrian and Arab Christianity, on the one hand, and explain, on the other, why we are truly delighted that these scholarly events are taking place in Romania’s capital.
The first piece of evidence is the early Christian Basilica of the Syrian type at Mangalia, or Callatis, on the Black Sea coast. Archaeological excavations at this basilica complex began in 1915, and although they have not been completed, they have revealed three distinct structures: the basilica itself, the episcopal palace, and an “atrium.” The complex of ecclesiastical buildings extends to the edge of the cliff, but this part cannot be uncovered because it is covered by a modern palace. In short, this is the seat of the city’s diocese, which was built by a Syrian architect.
This place of worship was in use during the 5th and 6th centuries and stands as evidence of the influence that Syrian Christianity exerted in ancient Dobruja. Missionary ties with the population of Pontic Dacia were maintained by communities of colonists, soldiers, and merchants. However, their origins can be traced back to the 4th century, when the Syrian bishop Audius and his disciples were exiled by Emperor Constantine the Great to Scythia Minor. These Syrian monks founded monastic communities there, and some of the Scythian monks—such as Dionysius Exiguus and Saint John Cassian—after receiving their spiritual training, Dionysius in Syria (Mabbug Monastery/Hierapolis), and Cassian in Egypt, became cultural bridges between the East and the West, incorporating elements of Eastern mysticism into Western theology. The Syrian Martyrology, a 4th-century document (written around 370–380), also echoes their presence in ancient Dobruja; it contains the earliest references to Christian saints and martyrs in Scythia Minor, including the names of martyrs from Danube fortresses such as Noviodunum (Isaccea)—Zoticos, Attalos, Kamasis, and Philippos.
The second piece of evidence is the collection of manuscripts and printed works in Syriac or Arabic found in the libraries of the Romanian Academy in Bucharest and Cluj-Napoca, which reflect the scholarly interests of some remarkable 19th-century Romanian Orientalists. One of them is Timotei Cipariu, a founding member of the Romanian Academic Society (April 22, 1866) and vice president of that society from 1867 to 1872. His collection of manuscripts and rare books at the Romanian Academy Library, Cluj-Napoca Branch, includes 187 manuscripts and nearly 1,000 printed works—fundamental texts of Arab-Turkish-Persian culture. The manuscripts comprise 142 volumes in Arabic and 45 in Persian and Turkish or bilingual works. This exceptional Romanian scholar knew 12 languages, including Hebrew, Turkish, and Arabic, and was a member of the German Oriental Society, which had been founded in 1845.
Among the most valuable items in Timotei Cipariu’s collection that you can see at the exhibition organized to coincide with these two world conferences in Bucharest are an illustrated copy of the *Shahnameh* (Book of Kings), the Persian epic written by Ferdowsi (940–1019/1025) in the early 11th century, an undated copy of Nah al-Balagha (The Path of Eloquent Speech), a fragment from the collection of letters, moral writings, maxims, and political speeches attributed to Caliph ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (c. 594–661), and an Arabic manuscript from 1720 of the religious poem by Imam al-Busiri (1221–1294), Qasida al-Burda.
The highlight of our exhibition is manuscript no. 403 from the Oriental Collection of the Romanian Academy Library, consisting of six pages from the Gospel according to Matthew, written in Syriac and belonging to Nestorian Christians.
Finally, the third piece of evidence is the Maronite church in Dimieni, a town located 12 km north of Bucharest. The Maronite Church was founded around the hermit Maron at the end of the 4th century and began its activities in Antioch, in northern Syria. After the Muslim invasion, the Maronite Christians moved to northern Lebanon, where they remain to this day. Over the past two hundred years, there has been a large-scale emigration from this community, so that approximately 10 million Maronites now live in various countries—more than the number living in Lebanon, where they make up 35% of the population. The Maronite church in Dimieni was consecrated in September 2013 by Cardinal Bechara Boutros Rai. It is the first Maronite place of worship in Romania and in Central and Eastern Europe where Maronite, Chaldean, and Assyrian Christians from Lebanon, Syria, and Iraq gather for liturgical celebrations. Over 800 Eastern Christians who speak Arabic and Syriac attended the church’s consecration. Their numbers have since tripled and continue to grow.
Distinguished participants in these two international scientific conferences, on behalf of the Romanian Academy—which is a co-organizer of these academic events—I welcome you and invite you to consider at least one of the three empirical pieces of evidence regarding the connection between Romanian culture and Syrian and Arab Christianity, for in this way, we are confident that the scholarly discussions you will have in the coming days will be fruitful and will remain open. May it be so!
Thank you very much for your attention!
