Part 1: Holy Great Martyr Arethas and Those With Him
St. Grigentios (Gregory) of Omirits The next saint to be discussed here came to the area of south Arabia directly on the heels of the persecution of Dunaan and the restoration of Christianity under King St. Elesbaan. However, by background he was a Westerner, a native of Milan, Italy. His name was Gregentios, or Gregory, now venerated as St. Gregory of Omiritis (ie, the Himyarite).1
It is recorded about St. Gregory that he was holy and worked miracles even from his youth. His future course of episcopal service in south Arabia was miraculously foretold to him while he was still a deacon in Milan (or Mediolanum as it was then called). A clairvoyant elder dwelling in some mountains nearby appeared to him in a vision and instructed him to proceed to Rome, where he was to pray in the church dedicated to Sts. Boniface and Aglaida. He was further told to proceed onward to Alexandria and from there to Najran in Arabia. St. Gregory received further Heavenly confirmation of his calling when Sts. Peter and Paul appeared to him in another vision and placed the omophorion of the bishop’s office on him.
St. Gregory dutifully did as instructed. He experienced further visions of the Apostles Peter and Paul while in Rome. He made his way to Alexandria. There he continued to serve as a deacon. In the meantime, the churches of Najran in Arabia had been restored and were in need of episcopal leadership. As the patriarch of Alexandria was praying for divine enlightenment about who to appoint to this important role, the Apostle St. Mark appeared to him in a vision. St. Mark instructed the patriarch to appoint Gregory, then still a deacon, to be Bishop of Najran. Later, during the service of ordination, St. Gregory shone with Uncreated Light and gave off a fragrance of myrrh.
As Bishop of Najran, St. Gregory set about energetically revitalizing the Christian community there. Further, he converted many pagans and Jews. Through the miracles accomplished by his prayers, he vanquished a Jewish rabbi in a public debate; the rabbi and all those of his party then willingly accepted Christian baptism. After thirty years of episcopal service, during which he converted a multitude of pagans and Jews to Christ, he reposed in peace in the year 552. His feast day is December 19/January 1.
St. Isaac of Nineveh (the Syrian)
St. Isaac of Nineveh (the Syrian) St. Isaac of Nineveh is one of the most beloved and revered spiritual writers in the Church’s history. His Ascetical Homilies have been translated into numerous languages and reverently appreciated for centuries—a treasure trove of spiritual riches that have inspired and edified a multitude of readers the world over. Even down to our day, holy men of recent times like St. Paisios of Mt. Athos (†1994) have been effusive in their praise of St. Isaac. He is a teacher par excellence of prayer and compunction and the interior spiritual life.
It is unnecessary here to delve into a lengthy analysis of St. Isaac’s life and writings since abundant literature on these subjects already exists and is widely available. In this context it is germane to consider briefly that there are two broad traditions regarding the outline and geographical location of his life and activities, one of which situates him solidly in the Arabian Peninsula.
One version of St. Isaac’s life locates him in the 6th century and places him more or less entirely within Mesopotamia, around Nineveh (near modern Mosul, Iraq) and Khuzestan in present-day southwestern Iran. However, other traditions place him in the 7th century and give Qatar, on the Arabian Peninsula’s northeastern coast, as his place of birth. Specifically, his birthplace is referred to as Beth Qatraye, a region of northeastern Arabia roughly corresponding to present day Qatar and Bahrain. (The region to the south of Beth Qatraye was known as Beth Mazunaye). A Christian presence had existed in that part of Arabia from at least the 4th century. A brief précis of his life, as preserved in the Syriac accounts, should suffice here: St. Isaac would have been born in the early 7th century. He was drawn to monasticism from his youth (monasteries are known to have flourished in abundance in that area of Arabia at that time), and while still a young man he won local renown as a spiritual teacher. In the year 676 the Catholicos George, who was in Beth Qatraye for a synod at Dayrin, took St. Isaac with him back to Mesopotamia and had him ordained Bishop of Nineveh. Finding the burdens of the bishop’s office intolerable, after only five months St. Isaac resigned his episcopate and took up the life of a solitary hermit on Mt. Mathout in the Beth Huzaye region north of the Arabian Peninsula. Blindness forced him into retirement at the monastery of Rabban Shabur near Shustar in Khuzestan where he reposed.
If, indeed, the tradition placing St. Isaac in eastern Arabia is correct, then that connects one of the Orthodox Church’s most celebrated and beloved saints to the Arabian Peninsula. There is presently a Greek Orthodox church in Qatar’s capital city, Doha, that has St. Isaac as one of its heavenly patrons. St. Isaac of Nineveh is commemorated on January 28/February 10.
St. Abd al-Masih
St. Abd al-Masih, abbot of Mt. Sinai. Icon from Uncut Mountain Supply The principal events of St. Abd al-Masih’s life, including his service as abbot and the eventual martyrdom that resulted in his recognition as a saint, took place outside the Arabian Peninsula. However, he was originally from southern Arabia, so his inclusion here is warranted.
He was born Qays ibn Rabi’ ibn Yazid al-Ghassani in Najran, sometime around the 9th century. (This fact would indicate that the forced relocation of Najran’s Christians under Caliph Umar in the 7th century did not completely eliminate a Christian presence there). As evidenced by the name al-Ghassani, he was a descendant of the Ghassanid tribe of Christian Arabs which had ruled a kingdom in northern Arabia and the Levant until the 7th century. As a young man, Qays set out from Najran on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem. While en route he fell in with certain Muslims who were out raiding, with the end result that he joined in their depredations and adopted their religion. He joined their raids and assisted them in waging jihad. After many years of this life, he was in Syria one day when he overheard a priest reading from the Gospel. Moved to tears, and remorseful over his betrayal of his Christian faith, he renounced Islam and was received back into the Church. He placed his weapons before the altar, and he sold all his goods and distributed the money to the poor. Indeed, so profound was the depth of his repentance that he entered monastic life in the Lavra of St. Sabbas in Palestine. He took the monastic name Abd al-Masih, or Servant of the Messiah. After years of exemplary life there, he entered the monastic community at Mt. Sinai where he was made steward and, eventually, abbot, in which capacity he labored for seven years.
During this time, he had announced himself to the local Muslims in the very middle of their mosque in the city of Ramla as an apostate from their religion and had even told them exactly where he could be found. Apostasy from Islam, then as now, was punishable by death. But as his time for martyrdom had not yet come, he was miraculously rendered invisible to the party of Muslims that had come into the church to kill him. But some years later, again in the city of Ramla, he was recognized by one of his old raiding companions. A mob formed around him and he was bound and brought before the local governor, who urged him under grave threats to return to Islam. St. Abd al-Masih bravely and steadfastly refused to abandon Christ, and received the crown of martyrdom by beheading. His body was burned and cast down a deep well, but when local Christians later recovered it for veneration, they found that his skull was of a bright white color and his relics had been undamaged by the flames. Thus was his sanctity gloriously affirmed following his martyric death.
Present Situation and Conclusion
Greek Church of St. Isaac and St. George, Doha, Qatar
The present situation for the Orthodox Church in the Arabian Peninsula would appear to be bleak. Religious freedom in Saudi Arabia, which covers the vast majority of the peninsula, is all but nonexistent, ranking at or near the bottom of all nations for religious freedom. Officially, it remains illegal to openly practice any faith other than Islam. Converts from Islam face potential execution. The situation in the other nations of the peninsula, while better, is hardly ideal. In almost all the nations of the peninsula, sharia, the corpus of historic Islamic legal regulations, forms the basis of national law. Wherever Islam holds sway, no non-Muslim group is ever truly safe. It would therefore seem like the Arabian Peninsula is and will likely remain barren soil for the growth of Orthodoxy. However, there are some signs of hope; and, of course, it is useful to remember that what seems impossible to men is easy for God, through Whom nothing is impossible. Therefore, it would be both foolish and a sign of faithlessness to despair of the situation.
A Christian presence of any sort is greatly in the minority throughout the Arabian Peninsula. Orthodoxy therefore finds itself a minority within the minority. There are, however, some Orthodox communities to be found, and we can pray that their numbers might multiply over time. There is, for example, the Greek Orthodox Church of St. Isaac and St. George (mentioned above) in Doha, Qatar. It dates its founding to 2004.
Since the UAE, from the perspective of religious freedom, is probably the most liberal part of the Arabian Peninsula, it is perhaps not surprising that a few Orthodox parishes call it home. There is a Greek Orthodox Archbishopric UAE-Abu Dhabi, with its cathedral, dedicated to St. Elias, located in the Al Mussafah area of Abu Dhabi. The St.Elias Cathedral was inaugurated in 2018 and accommodates about 1,300 worshippers. There is in addition an Orthodox church in Abu Dhabi dedicated to St. Nicholas as well as one in Dubai dedicated to the Annunciation. The initial organization of parishes in Dubai and Abu Dhabi goes back to 1980. Fr. Stephanos Neaimeh, a native of Beirut, Lebanon, has served parishioners in Abu Dhabi since 1989.
St. Philip the Apostle Russian Orthodox Church, Sharjah, UAE
Of special interest is the Russian Orthodox St. Philip the Apostle Church in Sharjah, UAE. This was the first Russian Orthodox church to be built in the Arabian Peninsula. It opened in 2011 and has the distinction of being the largest church in the country. It is surmounted by magnificent gold crosses, making it unique in Arabia (where displaying crosses publicly has long been taboo) and serving as a bold Christian witness in the region.
Even in Saudi Arabia, seemingly the least favorable place of all for Orthodoxy to survive, there is a small presence of foreign nationals who are Orthodox Christians. Encouragingly, reports in recent years suggest that the nation’s dreaded religious police, the Mutaween, have stopped enforcing the official ban on Christian services.
In the final analysis, it will be through the courage, hardiness, and dedication of the Orthodox faithful on the Arabian Peninsula that Orthodoxy will survive and grow in that area. Above all, the prayers of the—rather numerous—Orthodox saints of the region will be most needed, as their Heavenly help, with God’s good providence, can accomplish what in human terms might seem overwhelmingly daunting. May it be blessed, and may God grant the increase, through the prayers of the saints of Arabia!
