not the mere smattering of letters one so often finds, and they learn Latin — an almost unique phenomenon in their Church. Many of the old-fashioned priests at first did not like students of their rite to know Latin, thinking this to be the beginning of latinization. But it does no one any harm to know another language, and you cannot go far in Catholic theology without Latin. From St Anne, of which Germanos of Laodicea was a warm friend, his Congregation of missioners has been formed exclusively. It is the proud boast of the college that every one of their students has kept celibacy. So from St Anne at Jerusalem, year by year, young priests, trained in all a priest should know, with a formation of sound piety, go out to serve the Melkite Church. St Anne is, more than any other institution, the source from which all good for Melkites may be expected.[1]
The Salvatorian monks have their house of studies at St Saviour, and they send a few students to St Anne and the Greek College at Rome. The monks of Shuwair have theirs at Beirut, whence the students frequent the courses of philosophy and theology at the Jesuit University of St Joseph. The Alepins have rather rudimentary studies in their monasteries. The old seminary of 'Ain-Trāz, after many vicissitudes, was closed finally in 1899. It is now only a country house of the Patriarch.
Except at St Anne, in these colleges what is best taught is Arabic grammar, language, style, and literature. To the Moslem these, with fine writing, form pretty well the sum total of human knowledge; they are still almost the only things that can be acquired thoroughly in the country, at least among natives. The students of Melkite colleges learn a little, a very little, Greek and some French. As textbooks of theology they have Gury's "Moral Theology" and Perrone's "Dogmatic Theology" translated into Arabic. A good number of Melkite students attend the admirable University of St Joseph, conducted by the Jesuits at Beirut. Here a complete course of European education in general and Catholic theology is given. Here, too, the students have the advantage of learning Latin, and so being able to read the usual Catholic theological literature. The Jesuits have students of all Uniate Churches, who hear the same lectures, and then have each their own liturgical practices.[2]
- ↑ The history of the college is told at length by Cyril Charon in the Echos d'Orient, xii (1909), pp. 234-241, 298-308.
- ↑ In their big church every Sunday morning various liturgies, Byzantine, Maronite, perhaps Armenian, Coptic, and Syrian, may be seen celebrated in various chapels, attended by groups of students.
