The Near East School of Theology, formed in 1932 by the merger of the School for Religious Workers in Beirut and the School of Religion in Athens, is built upon a history of evangelical theological education in the Near East which goes back to 1835. In that year, Rev. William Thompson, later the author of The Land and the Book, founded in Beirut the first Protestant Seminary in the area. In 1843 the Seminary moved to Abey, in the mountain not far south of Beirut, under the leadership of Dr. Cornelius Van Dyck, translator of the Bible into Arabic. It offered classes in both theology and general education.
Out of the Abey Seminary grew, in 1866, the Syrian Protestant College, now the American University of Beirut. With the founding of the College, it was decided that the seminary pursue only theological studies, while the College be responsible for general studies. The Seminary had several locations in the subsequent years and, in 1905, moved back to Beirut .
In 1912, under Principal F. E. Hoskins, Colton Hall – a gift of Mr. Milton Colton of Jenkintown, Pennsylvania – was constructed on a piece of land near the center of the city and became the home of the N.E.S.T. until 1971.
In the meantime, as early as 1839, theological education was being offered in the area which is now Turkey, under the leadership of the Rev. Cyrus Hamlin, of the American Board of Commissioners for Foreign Missions, in Bebek and later in Marzifoon, Marash and Harput. However, because of the events which befell the Armenian population in the Ottoman Empire during World War I, these seminaries were closed and consolidated in the establishment of the School of Religion in Istanbul, with the Rev. Fred Goodsell as President. After the catastrophe of Izmir in 1922, the Armenian and Greek students of the School, together with Professor Loutfi Levonian, moved to Athens. In 1925, the Istanbul branch of the school was closed and the institutions were combined in the School of Religion in Athens.
In 1930, missionaries in the Near East, seeking to strengthen theological education in the area, proposed to unite the theological institutions in Athens and Beirut. In the spring of that year, after a period of negotiations between the Syria Mission (Presbyterian) and the Near East Mission (Congregational), an agreement was reached for the two schools to merge and form the new Near East School of Theology in Beirut. The merger was consummated on November 11, 1932, with Gaius Greenslade as Principal and Loutfi Levonian as Dean.
In 1971, the School moved to its new home: a modern, well equipped building, two blocks to the south of the American University of Beirut in Ras Beirut. The credit for this considerable achievement must go above all to the late President Hovhannes Aharonian, who, from 1959 and until his retirement in 1978, presided over the destiny of the School, and had served in other capacities for many years prior to that. On the occasion of his retirement, the Reverend Aharonian was named Honorary President.
The events of recent years in Lebanon have left their mark on the whole society and on every institution in the country. The N.E.S.T. too was adversely affected, especially through the loss of teaching faculty and the reduction of the student body to a third of its pre-war size. Nevertheless, the School was able to keep its doors open all through the troubles and is now attempting to rebuild its student body and to reach out in new directions. The first sign of this renewal is perhaps the revised curriculum for all degree programs which is included in this catalog, and was implemented as of October, 1991. The new curriculum is an attempt at updating the course offerings and the requirements in the various degree programs so as to meet the changes in the situation of the churches in this region, as well as to keep in line with the ecumenical renewal in theological education worldwide.
Near East School of Theology has published Theological Review, a semi-annual journal, since 1978.[1]
Profile
The NEST is an undergraduate and graduate theological seminary of some 40 students and seven full and two part-time faculty. The seminary offers the following programs: B.A. in Christian Education; B.Th. with emphasis in pastoral studies; B.Th. in Christian Education; M.A.C.E., a graduate program for educational ministries; M.Div. for Pastoral ministry; S.T.M., a post graduate research degree; and the S.T.M. in Ministry established jointly with McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago.
The seminary is housed in a modern building with classrooms, offices, faculty and student lounges, dining facilities, sanctuary and chapel, coffee shop, dormitory rooms for 50 students, six faculty apartments and a gymnasium and theater which are under construction. The library contains 42,000 volumes in Arabic, Armenian, English, French and German.
Haigazian University is a higher education institution founded in 1955 in Beirut, Lebanon as Haigazian College. For a brief period starting 1992, the name was changed to Haigazian University College before the institution adopted the present name in 1996. It offers programs leading to Bachelor's degrees in the Arts and Sciences as well as Business Administration and Economics, in addition to Master's degrees in the Arts, Sciences and Business Administration. English is the main language of instruction, although some courses are offered in Armenian and Arabic. All degrees from Haigazian are recognized by the Lebanese government and the Association of International Colleges and Universities. It is supported by the Armenian Evangelical community, and was established primarily to meet the needs of the large Lebanese-Armenian population. However, the university is open to all students, regardless of race, nationality, or creed, and has professors and student body from all sections of Lebanese society.
The Middle East Council of Churches (MECC) was inaugurated in May 1974 at its First General Assembly in Nicosia, Cyprus, and now has its headquarters in Beirut, Lebanon. Initially it consisted of three "families" of Christian Churches in the Middle East, the Eastern Orthodox Churches, the Oriental Orthodox Churches and the Evangelical Churches, which were joined in 1990 by the Catholic Churches of the region. It is a regional council affiliated with the mainstream ecumenical movement which also gave birth to the World Council of Churches, of which the MECC is also a member.
Karekin I served as the Catholicos of the Armenian Apostolic Church between 1994 and 1999. Previously, he served as the Catholicos of Cilicia from 1983 to 1994 as Karekin II.
The Union of the Armenian Evangelical Churches in the Near East, abbreviated as UAECNE, is an autonomous body of Armenian Evangelical churches comprising 25 congregations throughout Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, Greece, Egypt, Iran, Iraq and Australia.
The Armenian Brotherhood Church started within the Armenian Evangelical Church in the 19th century.
The Armenian Evangelical Church was established on July 1, 1846, by thirty-seven men and three women in Constantinople.
The Armenian Evangelical Peter and Elizabeth Torosian School is a school in Bourj Hammoud, Lebanon. The school was established as a kindergarten in 1951, by Rev Hadidian, and began with 20 children in a 2-roomed flat. By the next year, the number of students had almost doubled, and an elementary section was added. In 1966, the school moved to a new building in Amanos-Dora, which had been provided by Mr and Mrs Torossian – hence the school's name.
The Armenian Evangelical Central High School is one of the oldest and most-well established Armenian schools in Lebanon. It was founded in 1922 in a refugee camp, on the initiative of the Reverend Yenovk Hadidian. Ten years later, it moved to its present location in Ashrafieh, eastern Beirut.
The Armenian Evangelical Secondary School of Anjar was founded by Swiss Missionaries in 1947. It has a dormitory for boys and girls.
The Armenians in Lebanon are Lebanese citizens of Armenian descent. There has been an Armenian presence in Lebanon for centuries. According to Minority Rights Group International, there are 156,000 Armenians in Lebanon, around 4% of the population. Prior to the Lebanese Civil War, the number was higher, but the community lost a portion of its population to emigration. After surviving the Armenian genocide, and initially settling in shanty towns in Lebanon, the Armenian population gradually grew and expanded until Beirut became a center of Armenian culture. The Armenians became one of Lebanon’s most prominent and productive communities.
Christianity in Lebanon has a long and continuous history. Biblical Scriptures purport that Peter and Paul evangelized the Phoenicians, whom they affiliated to the ancient Patriarchate of Antioch. Christianity spread slowly in Lebanon due to pagans who resisted conversion, but it ultimately spread throughout the country. Even after centuries of Muslim rule, it remains the dominant faith of the Mount Lebanon region and has substantial communities elsewhere.
The term Eastern Protestant Christianity encompasses a range of heterogeneous Protestant Christian denominations that developed outside of the Occident, from the latter half of the nineteenth century, and yet keep elements of Eastern Christianity, to varying degrees. Some of these denominations came into being when existing Protestant churches adopted reformational variants of Eastern and Oriental Orthodox liturgy and worship. Some others are the result of reformations of Orthodox beliefs and practices, inspired by the teachings of Western Protestant missionaries. Some Eastern Protestant Churches are in communion with similar Western Protestant Churches. However, there is no universal communion between the various Eastern Protestant churches. This is due to the diverse polities, practices, liturgies, and orientations of the denominations which fall under this category, as can be seen in Western Protestantism.
The National Evangelical Church of Beirut (NEC) is a reformed church in Beirut, member of the National Evangelical Church Union of Lebanon.
Malaysia Theological Seminary is an interdenominational Protestant seminary in the city of Seremban, Negeri Sembilan, Malaysia. Established in 1979, STM is accredited by the Association for Theological Education in South East Asia (ATESEA) and a participating school of the South East Asia Graduate School of Theology (SEAGST) from which the Master of Theology degree is awarded.
Armenag Haigazian, an Armenian theologian, educator, scientist, linguist and musician.
Riad Jarjour is a Syrian Christian clergyman who has served as General Secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches between 1994 and 2003. Born in Aleppo and grew up in the city of Homs.
The Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) is an ecumenical organisation comprising Protestant churches in the Middle East with representatives from Sudan to Iran. Established in 1974, the current president of the FMEEC is the Rev Dr Andrea Zaki.
The National Evangelical Synod of Syria and Lebanon (NESSL), also known as Synod SL, is a Reformed denomination in the Middle East. It is a federation of Arabic-speaking congregations, that trace back their origin to the evangelical revival in the 19th century. These churches adopted Reformed theology and Presbyterian church government. This Reformed revival was supported by many Reformed churches in the United States. The Ottoman authorities recognised the Protestant faith in 1848, the first congregations were founded in Beirut, Hasbaya. Later congregations were established in the major cities. The Synod was organised in 1920 with several Presbyteries. There has been a steady growth in new members in recent years.
Lebanese Protestant Christians refers to Lebanese people who are adherents of Protestantism in Lebanon.
The Armenian Prelacy of Canada, is a diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church affiliated with the Holy See of Cilicia, formed in 2002. The prelacy building is located at 3401 Oliver Asselin in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
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