State of Palestine Church Records

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For information about records for non-Christian religions in Palestine, go to the Religious Records page.

Historical Background

Palestinian Christians are Christian citizens of the State of Palestine. In the wider definition of Palestinian Christians, including the Palestinian refugees, diaspora and people with full or partial Palestinian Christian ancestry this can be applied to an estimated 500,000 people worldwide as of 2000.[1] Palestinian Christians belong to one of a number of Christian denominations, including Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, Catholicism (Eastern and Western rites), Anglicanism, Lutheranism, other branches of Protestantism and others. They number 20% of the 13 million Palestinians. 70% live outside Palestine and Israel.

In the 1922 census of Palestine there were approximately 73,000 Christian Palestinians: 46% Orthodox, 40% Catholic (20% Roman Catholic, and 20% Eastern Catholic (Uniate). The totals by denomination for all of Mandatory Palestine were: Greek Orthodox 33,369, Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite) 813, Roman Catholic 14,245, Greek Catholic (Melkite) 11,191, Syriac Catholic 323, Armenian Catholic 271, Maronite 2,382, Armenian Orthodox (Gregorian) 2,939, Coptic Church 297, Abyssinian Church 85, Church of England 4,553, Presbyterian Church 361, Protestants 826, Lutheran Church 437, Templars Community 724, others 208.

In 2009, there were an estimated 50,000 Christians in the Palestinian territories, mostly in the West Bank, with about 3,000 in the Gaza Strip. Around 50% of Palestinian Christians belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, one of the 15 churches of Eastern Orthodoxy. This community has also been known as the Arab Orthodox Christians. There are also Maronites, Melkite-Eastern Catholics, Jacobites, Chaldeans, Roman Catholics (locally known as Latins), Syriac Catholics, Orthodox Copts, Catholic Copts, Armenian Orthodox, Armenian Catholic, Quakers (Society of Friends), Methodists, Presbyterians, Anglicans (Episcopal), Lutherans, Evangelicals, Pentecostals, Nazarene, Assemblies of God, Baptists and other Protestants; in addition to small groups of Jehovah's Witnesses, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and others.^[1]

Information Recorded in the Records

Different denominations, different time periods, and practices of different record keepers will effect how much information can be found in the records. This outline will show the types of details which might be found (best case scenario):

Baptisms

In Catholic and Anglican records, children were usually baptized a few days after birth, and therefore, the baptism record proves date of birth. Other religions, such as Baptists, baptized at other points in the member's life. Baptism registers might give:

baptism date
the infant's name
parents' names
father's occupation

status of legitimacy
occasionally, names of grandparents
names of witnesses or godparents, who may be relatives

birth date and place
the family's place of residence
death information, as an added note or signified by a cross

Marriages

Marriage registers can give:

the marriage date
the names of the bride and groom
indicate whether the bride and groom were single or widowed
their ages

birth dates and places for the bride and groom
their residences
their occupations

birthplaces of the bride and groom
parents' names (after 1800)
the names of previous spouses and their death dates
names of witnesses, who might be relatives.

Burials

Burial registers may give:

the name of the deceased
the date and place of death or burial
the deceased's age
place of residence

cause of death
the names of survivors, especially a widow or widower
deceased's birth date and place
parents' names, or at least the father's name

How to Find Records

Digital Copies of Church Records in the FamilySearch Catalog

Watch for digitized copies of church records to be added to the collection of the FamilySearch Library. Some records might have viewing restrictions, and can only be viewed at a FamilySearch Center near you, and/or by members of supporting organizations. To find records:

a. Click on the records of Palestine.

b. Click on Places within Palestine and a list of towns will appear.

c. Click on your town if it appears, or the location which you believe was the parish which served your town or village.

d. Click on the "Church records" topic. Click on the blue links to specific record titles.

e. Some combination of these icons will appear at the far right of the listing for the record.

. The magnifying glass indicates that the record is indexed. Clicking on the magnifying glass will take you to the index. Clicking on the camera will take you to an online digital copy of the records.

Writing for Records

You will probably need to write to or email the national archives, the diocese, or local parish priests to find records. Use Letter Writing Guide for Genealogy for help with composing letters. Then, use an Arabic translation service.

Google Maps search results for churches in Palestine

Catholic Church Records

Orthodox Church Records

Protestant Church Records

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints Records

Online Records

1921-1939 Record of Members, 1921-1939(*) at FamilySearch Catalog - images; records of members in the former Palestine-Syrian Mission of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Online information is available to current members, for deceased members and immediate family members who are still living. Sign in to FamilySearch and then select Family Tree in the drop-down menu.

References

↑ Wikipedia contributors, "Palestinian Christians", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Christians, accessed 13 April 2020.

[1] Wikipedia contributors, "Palestinian Christians", in Wikipedia: the Free Encyclopedia, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palestinian_Christians, accessed 13 April 2020.

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