This same Orthodox Church of Antioch exists today upholding the same Faith it received from the Apostles. But through centuries of struggle and invasion by armies from both the East and West, some of its heritage has been obscured. Much has been lost both by those whose families have been part of this tradition for centuries, as well as to the vast majority of people in the West for whom the Middle East has become synonymous with Islam.

"Antioch: A Centre for Antiochian Orthodox Christian Studies and Research" has been established to facilitate the rediscovery of this heritage through:

• Translating manuscripts written in the three main languages of the Antiochian Orthodox tradition, i.e. Aramaic (Syriac), Greek and Arabic
• Cataloguing these manuscripts in a fully searchable database open to all
• Publishing its findings both in print and online
• Supporting scholars in the field
• Organising conferences

"Antioch" is based in Oxford, U.K. because of its unparalleled collection of Antiochian manuscripts, both in original and microfilm form. It began through supporting the work of the Lebanese Orthodox Monk Elia who to date (January 2009) has catalogued thousands of manuscripts that he has located. These are already revealing forgotten Saints lives, aspects of early iconography and the development of Christian worship which impact upon our own understanding and practice of the Faith. They also affect our understanding of history with some of the manuscripts leading to discoveries of medieval sites and remains.

New perspectives on Christian-Muslim relations are offered by many of the documents.

To develop this work further, your support is needed. Please consider becoming a "Friend of Antioch" and making a regular financial contribution. All Friends will receive regular updates on the work of the Centre as well as the opportunity to participate in the events it will organise. If you are unable to make a regular commitment please consider a one off gift.