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Despite different theories about the origin of the denominations "Syria" and "Syriacs/Syrians" (Suryoye), many historians agree that the names can be derived from the name Surus. This was the name of an early Aramean king, who built the city of Antioch. Surus was one of 3 sons of Aginur who came from the east to the Mediterranean coast. There he built the city of Sur. Before his death Aginur divided his land between his sons Phenicius, who received Phoenicia, Cilicius, who received Cilicia, and Surus who received Syria. When Surus governed in Mesopotamia about 1600 B.C his kingdom was refered to as Syria.
However, the word Syria has its origin in Greek literature. This therminology was used for the first timebythe historian Herodothos (490-425 B.C). According to him Syria was the name of one of the Persianregions. Therefore he called the land which extended from Eufrat to the Mediterranean Sea, includingPhoenicia, Palestine and Cyprus, for Syria. But the original Hebrew texts of the Old Testament and Homeros the Greek (850 B.C), the term Syria was unfamiliar. Instead they used Aram and Arameans when they were talking about this areas in their texts. The terms Syria and Syriacs/Syrians (Suryoye), are first used in the translations of the Old Testament into Greek (around 3rd century B.C). In that translation called Septuginta, Syria and Syriacs are used instead of Aram and Arameans. It is obvious that Syria and Syriacs are replacements of Aram and Arameans. It is important not to mix up the Aramean/Syrians with the Arabic people living in the country of Syria.
After the arrival of the message of Christ to the gentile Arameans most of them wanted to forget their past as worshippers of different gods. The Arameans were the first ethnical group to follow Jesus and were proud to call themselves Christian. Because of this the Christian Arameans wanted to distinguish themselves from the gentile ones and accepted the name Syriacs. A parallell can here be drawn to the Persian King Cyrus, who liberated the Jews in 539 B.C, from Babylon. The Jews saw the king as a liberator. Similiary to Jesus, as a liberator of mankind. Since the Arameans called themselves Syriacs after being christianized, many others thought that the meaning of Syriac was the same as Christian. That is for example why the members of the Syrian Orthodox Church in India, call themselves Syriacs. However, Syriac is NOT a religious denomination, but an ethnical one. This is the same as the Greek Orthodox being Greeks in ethnical meaning (in the beginning of Christianity), Russian Orthodox being Russians and so on.
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