|
Our Heritage - Arameans
The Arameans are mainly a branch of the Semitic People. To describe the old history of Aram there are three important documents:
The writings of the Old Testament
The Assyrian scripts
The ancient Aramean inscriptions
The biblical Aram is mentioned as an ethnical group. In the genealogical table of the sons of Noah, Aram is described as the ancestor of the Arameans. Aram is Sem's son. According to the biblical patriarchal tales the Arameans had settled down in the Upper Mesopotamia around 1800-1700 B.C. These tales also mentions their settlements in the Upper Mesopotamia - Aram Naharaim and Paddan Aram. It was in Paddan Aram Betuel and Laban lived. Both are considered Arameans. Jacob is called "a wandering Aramean", since his mother and wives also are presented as Arameans (Deuteronomy 26:5). One of the sources to motherland in "The Land of the Sons of the Orient", since it was there Jacob went to meet Laban (Genesis 29:1). The expression in the Bible hints the desert east of Palestine - the Syrian Desert.
The most important of states and kingdoms of the Arameans was Damaskus, called "Aram Dimashk" or simply "Aram". The Dynasti of Damaskus was found about 970 B.C by Reson, son of Eliada and General at Haddat-Ezer, King of Sohah.
When the state of the Seleukids fell apart 132 B.C, Edessa (present-day Urfa, Turkey) became the capital in an independent Aramean Empire - Osrhoene. But this was still under Roman, Armenian, and Parthan influence and became later a Roman colony. King Trajan had Edessa destroyed and removed king Abgar VII 188 A.D, but King Hadrian did let the domestic Aramean people recover the land. When Caracalla captured Edessa (244 B.C), Abgar XI was removed from the throne and Osrhoene became a Roman province. Abgar XI was the last king of the Arameans. The events considering king Abgar V of Oshroene and his correspondence with Jesus has a central meaning for the Syriacs (Arameans) linguisticly as well as historically and religious. Abgar IX (179-214) had accepted Christianity and aided Eddesa to become one of the most important sees of the Syriac Christians. It was also of great meaning to the overall church history.
|
|
