Semaan (Syriac Aramaic: ܫܡܥܘܢ Šemʿōn ; Arabic: سمعان, Semʻān) (also spelled Sem'an, Semán, Simaan, Sim'an, Samaan, Sam'an, Sima'an) is a Christian surname mainly found in the Levant area of the Middle East. It is derived from the Semitic root word/verb sema or shema, which means “to hear”; thus, the meaning of Semaan becomes “the one who hears or listens” in both Syriac Aramaic and Arabic. Its equivalent in Hebrew is שִׁמְעוֹן (Shimon or Shim'on), which also has the same meaning. The Greektransliteration is Σιμων (Simon) or Συμεών (Symeon), and, when Latinized, it becomes Simon or Simeon.
The Semaans of Antioch and Syria have roots that can be traced back to the early days of Christianity, to 1st century Antioch and Damascus. As Luke the Evangelist, a native of Antioch, writes in Acts of the Apostles, "the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). Although the majority of Semaans of Syria is of Greek-Syrian and Syriac (Aramaean) origin and known to have come from the north of Syria (Antioch area), however, a very small minority of Ghassanid Christian Arab descent (from the 3rd century) reside in the southern part (Hauran area).[1]
Some Semaans of Antioch claim descent from Saint Peter (Heb: Shimeon Kefa, Syr: Semaan Kefa, Grk: Symeon Kephas, Eng: Simon Peter), the preeminent disciple of Christ. The story is based on oral tradition that claims that Saint Peter, avoiding persecution in his homeland, left his family with the HellenizedJewish community of Antioch during his seven-year stay in the city before his travel to Rome.[2] Some others claim that they're related to Saint Simeon Stylites, a popular ascetic Syrian saint during the Byzantine empire.[3]
d) Semaans of North Lebanon (Kaftoun, Koura) are of Ghassanid Christian Arab heritage settling first in the southern part of Syria (3rd century)[7] before taking refuge in the mountains of Lebanon (7-8th century).
Semaans of Israel/Palestine
The Semaans of Israel/Palestine can be broken down geographically as follows:
a) Semaans of Beit Lahem (Bethlehem) are early Galilean Christians from the 1st century who, at one point in time, lived in the villages of Galilee, before settling in Bethlehem in the 9th century. There are very few left in Bethlehem today, as most have emigrated, mainly to Venezuela and Honduras.[8]
c) Semaans of Urashalim (Jerusalem) are mainly descendants of 1st century Galilean Christians who belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. Only a few remain as the majority has immigrated to the United States and Canada or moved to Jordan.
Simaans of Jordan
The Simaans of Jordan are mainly of Ghassanid Christian Arab descent from Yemen who settled in Jordan and southern Syria in the 3rd century. Some Jerusalemite Semaans of Galilean ancestry escaped the violence following the establishment of Israel in 1948 by relocating to Jordan.
The Semaans of Iran (Persia) are mainly Chaldeans from northern Mesopotamia who traveled east and settled in Iran in two waves; the first one was during the 5th century to escape the Greco-Roman persecution of non-Chalcedonian Assyro-Chaldean Christians, and the second one was during the 16th century to escape the Turkish persecution of Christian minorities during the Ottoman Empire. However, today, there are only very few left.[12]
Semaans of Egypt
The Semaans of Egypt are Copts and Greek-Egyptian Christians from Alexandria, Aswan, and Cairo. Some can trace their ancestry to 1st century Alexandria, and the establishment of Christianity there by Saint Mark. Today, many Semaans have also immigrated to Western countries.[13]
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