Chaldea corresponds to the geographical territory situated within the south-eastern marshlands and coastal plains of southern Babylonia along the Euphrates and Tigris rivers. From the beginning of the second millennium BCE, an influx of semi-nomadic clans infiltrated southern Babylonia in waves. The Chaldeans controlled much of southern Babylonia's trade routes due to the territory's adjacency to the Persian Gulf. In antiquity, the Chaldeans were also the driving force behind the advancement of Babylonian astronomy and science. Chaldean philosophers sophisticated the already established observations and devised complex theories to describe the cosmological phenomena. According to the table of nations, the Biblical Chaldeans were descended from Arpachshad, grandson of Noah. During the advent of Christendom, the earliest manifestation of the Chaldeans is attested in the first century CE manuscripts entitled 'The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles.' The text constitutes the earliest principles concerning Christian ethics, rituals, church organisation, and baptism. Early Syriac narratives for instance that of the 'Doctrines of Addai' also indicate the Chaldeans neither embraced the Holy Gospels nor the newly founded religion 'Christianity.' Converts to Christendom were encouraged not to associate with the Chaldeans. The term 'Chaldean' was stigmatised by the early Church fathers and employed in a derogatory connotation. In c. 800 CE, Abbasid Caliph al-Ma'mun came into contact with the Chaldeans in the ancient city of Harran. The caliph observed that the Chaldeans practised a form of astrolatry and were not recognised as a “dhimmi.” The term "dhimmi” refers to non-Muslim citizens of an Islamic state. The word literally means "protected person." Followers of monotheistic religions enjoyed some level of privileges under Islamic law. The Caliph commanded the Chaldeans to either embrace one of the religions mentioned in the Koran or face death. A local tribal sheikh encouraged the Chaldeans to identify as Sabeans. The Chaldeans thus renounced their identity and embraced the Sabean nomenclature. Early Islamic and Judaic scholarly narratives corroborate this historical event. During the early Middle Ages, East Syriac Christians inhabited the northern territory of Cyprus. This community adhered to the Church of the East and were also denominationally known as Nestorians. The Roman Catholic Church viewed the Nestorians as heretics and exhausted every effort in converting them to Catholicism. In 1445 CE, the Council of Florence presided by Pope Eugene IV succeeded in welcoming the community into Catholicism. Furthermore, the Papacy constructed a distinct confessional body and bestowed upon them the unmeaning title of 'Chaldeans.' Why Chaldean? The sacred liturgies practised by this community was conducted in the East Syriac dialect which the Papacy romanticised and synonymously regarded as Chaldaic- with reference to the Biblical Book of Daniel. According to Medieval scholars, the Ethiopian (Abyssinian) faction denominationally identified its community as 'Chaldean' indicating that the term was neither exclusive to the East Syriac Christian converts, nor was it employed to designate an ethno-political identity. Six centuries since it was renounced, the Chaldean identity was thus revived by the Roman Catholic Church. In 1552 CE, a power struggle broke out within the Church of the East which provoked distrust amongst various monks toward their anointed Patriarch. Yohanan Sulaqa, a schismatic monk failed in legitimising his candidacy to topple the Patriarchate thus journeyed to Rome and presented his confession of faith before Pope Julius III. The Papacy consecrated Sulaqa 'Patriarch of the Eastern Assyrians' presiding over the Catholic 'Church of Mosul in Assyria.' A rival Patriarchate was now formed. In efforts of reinforcing the union, the Papacy came to denominate the Catholic portion 'Chaldeans' in conformity with the precedent converts in Cyprus a century earlier. In c. 1844 CE, the so-called Chaldean Patriarch was encouraged by the Holy See to journey to Constantinople in order of attaining a Ottoman mandate recognising the Chaldean Catholics as a distinct community to that of the Nestorians. The modern usage of the Chaldean identity is challenged by conflicting historical narratives. Presently, the Sabeans of the south-eastern marshlands and coastal plains of southern Iraq identify as 'Mandaean.' The term is derived from the ancient Babylonian 'Mandētu' meaning 'the knowledgeable.' The Mandaean Book of the Zodiacs bears rich testimony to various astrological and ancient Chaldean doctrines.

• published: 22 Aug 2016
• views: 80988