The
Syriac Orthodox Church, also known as
West Syriac Church or
West Syrian Church, officially known as the
Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and All the East, and informally as the
Jacobite Church, is an Oriental Orthodox church that branched from the Church of Antioch. The bishop of Antioch, known as the patriarch, heads the church and possesses apostolic succession through Saint Peter, according to sacred tradition. The church upholds Miaphysite doctrine in Christology, and employs the Liturgy of Saint James, associated with James the Just. Classical Syriac is the official and liturgical language of the church.