Abstract
Tradition and Adaptation in the 1980s The Syrian Orthodox Church hetween Asia and Europe This article falls clearly into two parts which correspond to the words ,Tradition' and ,Adaptation' in the title. In Part One we survey customs surrounding marriage and virginity and the fertility of human beings and of their animals and fields. We see how the agricultural life of the villages is intertwined with their Christian theology and rituals. And we take a look at the traditional education practised in the churches and monasteries of Tur 'Abdin. There are of course many other traditions and many other customs, not least those embodied in the Syrian Orthodox liturgy. But enough has been said to show that the transition to a non-agricultural life-style in secular Europe is one that tradition alone is not equipped to cope with. Nor can a traditional Syriac education be considered sufficient to meet the demands made on the leaders of the emigrant community. To some ex tent the Syrian Orthodox have been forced to adapt already. It is this process and the direction in which it is likely to be continued that we shall be studying in Part Two of this article.
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