A History of Protestant missions in the near East

4o
History
of Protestant Missions in the Near East
are only 10,000 native members, in addition to 40,000 immigrants,
especially from Greece and the islands of the ^Egean
Sea. The Patriarchate of Antioch has about 250,000 Syrians,
most of whom speak Arabic. In the Patriarchate of Jerusalem,
there are at most 50,000 to 51,000 (the greater part of whom also
speak Arabic), the largest congregations being in Jerusalem,
Jaffa and Nazareth (5,000 each), Bethlehem (3,800), Beit
Jala (4,000), Beit Sahur (1,150), Lydda, Gaza and Kamleh
(about 1,000 each).
The creed of the Orthodox Greek Church is based on the
seven Ecumenical Councils ;
it teaches baptismal regeneration,
the conferring of
the Holy Spirit by the anointing with holy
oil, transubstantiation, etc. Prominent in the religious life of
the people are the veneration (not the worship, KpooKuvr)fft