Theological College Opens in Sydney
The Assyrian Church celebrated the opening of the Nisibis Assyrian Theological College on Sunday 28 February. NCCA General Secretary was present at the opening ceremony to pass on warm wishes and prayers on behalf of the Council.
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| Above: College Principal, His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya with NCCA General Secretary, Ms Liz Stone at the Opening of Nisibis Theological College. |
The opening celebration was attended by many of the Assyrian Church community, including Archbishop Mar Meelis Zaia AM and College Principal, Bishop of Victoria, His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya.
Nisibis Assyrian Theological College
The College was established in 2020 by the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East - Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon. It is the first of its kind in the modern western world. It will provide tertiary level education and training to both clergy and laity of the Assyrian Church, and all Christians locally and worldwide. Nisibis College is a Member Institution of the Sydney College of Divinity.
The college is named Nisibis after the famous 4th century school in in Edessa (Odessa). Nisibis was a significant spiritual centre of the early Church of the East teachings and it is referred to as the world's first university.
The College offers undergraduate and postgraduate degrees in:
- Biblical Studies
- Syriac Language
- Theology
- Christology
- Liturgy
- Patristics
- Church History
- Ethics
The Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East
The history of the Church spans many centuries and its foundations can be traced to the first decades of the Apostolic times. The Church was established by the same Apostles that established the Church in Jerusalem and was a continuation of the Holy See of Jerusalem.
"According to the Apostolic Succession of the Assyrian Church of the Eat, the Apostles who established the Church of the East and served on the See of Seleucia-Ctesiphon were: St Simon Peter (who wrote his epistle from Babylon 1 Peter 5:3), St Thomas, St Bartholomew, Mar Addai (St Thaddaeus) and Mar Mari (from the seventy disciples)." Bishop Mar Beyamin Elya said in his message at the opening of the College.
By the end of the ninth century, the Church had grown to cover eastern Asia, China, India, Japan, Tibet, Mongolia, Afghanistan and Azerbaijan.
Assyrian Church members today, can be found in America, Europe, Australia and New Zealand having fled their homelands due to persecution. Of those that remain in the Middle East, many have now become refugees.
"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
The NCCA prays for the Assyrian Church, its leaders and its community. Separated by great distances, having endured persecution and loss of homelands, they continue to preserve their unique culture and faith. We pray that God will continue to enrich the Church's clergy and laity with the establishment of Nisibis Theological College.
