A Christian village in Israel is teaching Aramaic in an effort to revive the ancient language that Jesus spoke - centuries after it all but disappeared from the Middle East. Maronite children from ...

TAYBEH, West Bank - From Jordan to the streets of Jerusalem's Old City and a refugee camp in the West Bank, final preparations are being made for Pope Francis' historic visit to the Holy Land. A group ...

MAALOULA, Syria — Church bells echoed across the rocky slopes of this ancient Syrian town on a cold Sunday morning. But few families remained. Maaloula is one of the world's few places where residents ...

Marian Shanees had never seen the letters of her native language of Aramaic. Now, a new program in Maaloula, one of the few places where Aramaic is still spoken, will change that. "This is the first ...

"Ah-bwoon da-bwash-maya. Net-ka-dahsh schmahh." The group of five haltingly recited the ancient words. The rough English translation: "Our Father, which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name." Saying ...

MAALOULA Ilyana Barqil wears skinny jeans, boots and a fur-lined jacket, handy for keeping out the cold in the Qalamoun mountains north of Damascus. She likes TV quiz shows and American films and ...