The Pluralism Project at Harvard University

Michael S. Allen

Harvard Divinity School
The Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syriac, and Indian Churches in America

"Oriental," or "non-Chalcedonian," Orthodoxy is one of the most ancient and yet least well-known communions within Christianity. The Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, Syriac, and Indian churches trace their heritage from the first centuries of the Christian era and continue to number millions of believers in their home countries; nonetheless, they are virtually unknown to many Americans, for whom Christianity means essentially Catholicism, Protestantism, and Eastern Orthodoxy. Although the Oriental Orthodox Churches remain a minority in the United States, they have grown remarkably over the past four decades. The Coptic Church, for example, had no parishes before 1969; today it has over 180,000 members. Parishes of all six churches can now be found throughout America, and not simply in the major hubs of immigration.

The goal of this project is to bring about a greater awareness of the presence of these churches in the United States. My research consists of two parts. First, I have provided an introduction to the six churches, including sections on history, language and culture, iconography, music, and the establishment and growth of the churches in America. The web-based version of this introduction is accompanied by photographs, icons, and links to samples of music. Second, I have profiled five Oriental Orthodox churches from the greater Atlanta area, based on fieldwork conducted in summer 2004.

Dr. Diana Eck is the faculty sponsor for this research.

An Introduction to the Oriental Orthodox Churches

Center Profiles

Armenian Church of Atlanta (2006)

Kidist Mariam Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahido Church (2004)

Medhanealem Eritrean Orthodox Church (2004)

St. Mary Coptic Orthodox Church (2004)

St. Mary's Syrian Orthodox Church (2006)