FEBRUARY 2023

GUEST COLUMN
The Suraye Declaration of Unity: Chaldeans,
Assyrians, Syriacs, & Maronites Unite
There is a tale of a oncefractured
group of
people with thirteen
different identities, thirteen
flags, thirteen different currencies,
and thirteen states.
They were all once divided,
yet they were all one people.
The British army exploited
their differences and used
their divisiveness to oppress
them. One day, the divided
group of people decided
enough was enough. They gathered in
a hot room on a summer day—July 4th,
1776, to be exact—and decided to focus
on their similarities and ignore their
differences. They made a long list of everything
they agreed on, which became
the Declaration of Independence.
With their newfound unity, the thirteen
colonies had the strength to overwhelm
the might of the British military,
which was the strongest military in the
world at that time. Eventually, the thirteen
colonies transformed into the fifty
United States. While our Middle Eastern
ancestors for the last five centuries
were busy complaining about different
identities, young nations like America
became united and powerful.
The division brought us to the
point of near extinction. Every generation
before ours focused on our differences
and ignored our similarities. On
December 16, 2022, we reached a turning
point. Four names, four flags, and
five patriarchs united under a single
identity: Suraye.
Suraye can be defined as a group
of Middle Eastern Christians linguistically
rooted in Aramaic.
Aramaic consists of two major subgroups,
Eastern Aramaic and Western
Aramaic. These subgroups split further
into different dialects. The Eastern subgroup
consists of the Chaldean (Sureth)
dialect and Assyrian (Surayt and Urmian)
dialects. There are also southern dialects
of Aramaic spoken by Mandeans,
who are followers of John the Baptist.
The differences between the dialects
lie in pronunciation and loan
words from surrounding majorities,
CHRIS SALEM
SPECIAL TO
THE CHALDEAN
NEWS
Suraye in Eastern Aramaic
looks like this:
such as Kurds, Turks, Arabs,
and Persians. Every subgroup
in the Eastern dialect uses the
word “Shlama” to greet people,
although it technically
means “peace.” In the Western
subgroups, the general
rule is to pronounce almost
every letter ‘A’ like it is the letter
‘O’. As a result, they greet
people by saying “Shlomo”
instead of “Shlama”.
For more than 500 years,
the Chaldean and Assyrian churches
were at odds with one another. One
thousand years before that, the Syriacs
were the first to splinter off. Shortly
after, the Syriacs were further divided
into Catholic and Orthodox subgroups.
For the first time in at least five centuries,
the five Patriarchs from these
groups came together and jointly declared
five “issues of common interest”
that we are one people with one history,
language, heritage, and shared identity.
They plan to use their combined
power to save and protect our identity.
The five “issues of common interest”
are: (1) Syriac spirituality; (2) the
Syriac presence in the Middle East
and pastoral challenges; (3) the Syriac
presence in the diaspora; (4) partnership
in testimony; and (5) the common
Syriac heritage. The diaspora is
any land inhabited by a group outside
their original homeland.
These five Patriarchs have made
history. The last generation that could
not set aside their differences will forever
be remembered as the last generation
that failed.
Notably missing were the Patriarchs
of the Melkite Church and the Ancient
Church of the East, both of whom are
linguistically rooted in Aramaic.
The Patriarchs emphasized the
importance of the ancient Suraye
heritage that unites us and constitutes
a rich sacred historical inheritance
stemming from their historical unity,
single Sureth language, and common
church and liturgical rites. They established
a committee to help preserve
the language at an academic level
worldwide.
The Patriarchs reaffirmed their
commitment to preserving and spreading
this heritage and emphasized the
importance of cooperation among the
churches at various levels. They also
made plans to establish a committee
to work out church and liturgical differences,
which could pave the way for
one united Church.
The statement also touches on the
ongoing challenges faced by the Syriac
community in the Middle East, particularly
the issue of migration caused by
conflicts and difficult living conditions.
The Patriarchs expressed their determination
to continue to support and care
for their spiritual children in these regions
and to work towards reducing the
negative effects of migration.
The statement also highlights the
concerns of the Patriarchs regarding
the dispersion of their flock in diaspora
countries and their determination
to continue to support and care for
them, despite the distance.
The Patriarchs further emphasized
the importance of transmitting the
Syriac heritage and culture to future
generations and stressed the role of the
churches in providing spiritual guidance
and support to the communities.
They outlined a specific plan of action
in a joint statement and called for
cooperation and collaboration among
the churches. Working together to support
the presence of our communities
in the Middle East, and working together
to preserve and spread our culture
and heritage.
Our ancient culture and heritage
are our anchors, rooted in the very
soil of our ancestors. It is a legacy
that must be cherished, protected,
In Western Aramaic,
it is written like this:
and passed on to future generations.
Through unity, our culture and heritage
will stay intact. We must work
together to preserve and spread it, to
keep the light of our faith bright.
This heritage shapes us, it is the
glue that holds our communities together
and our birthright. But without
cohesion, this heritage is at risk of fading
away, lost in history. Together, we
must work to nurture it, amplify its
message, and keep the light of our faith
shining. The Patriarchs have pointed
the way by calling for cooperation and
collaboration among the churches.
They remind us that our heritage
is a precious inheritance that must be
defended and passed on with care.
Chris Salem and his wife Ranna are cofounders
of Nineveh Rising, a non-profit
dedicated to preserving the culture of
people that live in the Nineveh Plain,
Iraq, and helping Christians worldwide
survive and thrive.
8 CHALDEAN NEWS FEBRUARY 2023