# The Uniate Eastern Churches

THE UNIATE EASTERN CHURCHES
THE UNIATE EASTERN CHURCHES
THE BYZANTINE RITE IN ITALY, SICILY, SYRIA AND EGYPT
BY
ADRIAN FORTESCUE, Ph.D., D.D. LATE PROFESSOR OF ECCLESIASTICAL HISTORY AT ST. EDMUND'S COLLEGE, WARE
EDITED BY
GEORGE D. SMITH, D.D.
PROFESSOR OF DOGMATIC THEOLOGY AT THE SAME COLLEGE
LONDON
BURNS OATES & WASHBOURNE LTD.
AND . AT . MANCHESTER . BIRMINGHAM . AND . GLASGOW
1923
Καὶ ἡμεῖς συναγωγοὶ ἐκ διαφόρων ἐθνῶν καὶ γλωσσῶν τὰ ἀρνία ὧν ὁ Κύριος ποιμὴν ὑπῆρξεν
Ap. Const. II, lvi, 3.
Made and Printed in Great Britain.
EDITOR'S PREFACE
Readers of the two previous volumes of this series will be aware that Dr. Adrian Fortescue intended to complete it by a third.
This volume was to have contained a full treatment of the Uniate Churches corresponding to each of the separated Churches which are treated in his two published works.
The completion of this plan was prevented by that untimely death which, coming as a shock to all who had known Dr. Fortescue, has left in the ranks of Catholic writers a gap which may never be filled.
A few days before he died Dr. Fortescue expressed to me a wish that this work on the Uniate Churches should be published. He said that I might if I chose complete it, or else publish it as it stood; but he left little doubt in my mind which course he would prefer. I am therefore placing before the public his work in its incomplete state as it left the author's hands, with the certainty that in so doing I am fulfilling his wishes. Moreover, I am persuaded, and I think that not a few readers will agree with me, that the unfinished work of Dr. Fortescue himself is preferable to any attempted completion by another hand.
The plan of his projected work is indicated in the prefatory remarks to the introductory chapter (p. xxiii). From these it will be seen that the book was to have had four parts. The first, entitled "The Byzantine Uniates," dealt with the Uniate groups corresponding to the Orthodox Eastern Church. The second and third parts were to have described the Uniate ​communities which correspond to the Lesser Eastern Churches, while the fourth would have treated of the Maronites, who have no similar counterpart.
The present volume contains, besides the chapter on the Uniate Churches in general, the principal portion of Part I. According to the author's intention, about two-thirds of the book were to have been devoted to the description of the Byzantine Uniates. What is now presented is thus about one-half of the proposed work. It includes the interesting study of the Italo-Greeks, a Uniate Church which had a particular fascination for Dr. Fortescue, since in their abbey-church at Grottaferrata received the inspiration of devoting himself to the study of things Eastern.
Much of the information in the chapter on the Melkites is the fruit of the author's personal investigation during his journeyings in the East. Incidentally it contains several instances of that satirical but not unkindly humour so characteristic of Dr. Fortescue, which even those at whom it is pointed may find difficult to resist.
The book, therefore, must be judged as a fragment. It may be found to lack that finish which it would assuredly have received at the skilful hands of the author. Some inaccuracy may have crept in, which on his revision would have been eliminated. Whatever be its defects, it cannot fail to be of great value to all who are interested in the subject. To ensure that none of the fruits of this study be lost, I have included the author's own copious bibliography for the whole work.
Dr. Fortescue would certainly have wished me to express his thanks to all those-unfortunately I have no record of their names—who have assisted him in collecting material. For even the smallest service he was always most grateful.
My own task in editing the manuscript of one who was a model of neatness and method in his work has been light. It has been rendered still more easy for ​me by Dr. Vance, Vice-President of St Edmund's College, and by Dr. Alfred Herbert, who have been truly generous with their assistance and advice. What little labour there has been I am glad to offer as a small tribute to the memory of my friend. One tribute at least he would desire of those who have read his work with interest — a prayer for the repose of his soul. Opera illorum sequuntur illos.
St Edmund's College, Feast of SS Peter and Paul, 1923.
* ↑ "The Orthodox Eastern Church" (C.T.S., 3rd edition, 1911) and "The Lesser Eastern Churches" (C.T.S., 1913).
* ↑ See p. 150, n. 4.
NIHIL OBSTAT: G. H. Joyce, S.J., Censor deputatus.
IMPRIMATUR: Edm. Can. Surmont, Vicarius generalis.
Westmonasterii, die 15$^a$ Octobris, 1923:
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTORY CHAPTER
THE BYZANTINE UNIATES
CHAPTER I
CHAPTER II
CHAPTER III
AUTHOR'S PREFACE
Several ways of arranging a book about the Uniate Churches suggest themselves, none of them absolutely the best. As far as rank or dignity go, all branches of the one Church of Christ are equal, except that those which use the Roman rite have a certain precedence. The others are absolutely level. Nor does the classification now used at Rome make for clearness, as we shall see. Perhaps the simplest way in this book will be to keep the same order as that of the preceding volumes, since there is a Uniate Church corresponding to each of the schismatical Churches.
So the first part describes the Byzantine Uniates, who correspond to the Orthodox. Part II is about the Chaldees, corresponding to the Nestorians. Part III includes all the Uniates converted from the various Monophysite sects. Lastly, Part IV is about the one Uniate Church which has no schismatical counterpart, the Maronites.
This work is in the public domain in the United States because it was published before January 1, 1929.
This work may be in the public domain in countries and areas with longer native copyright terms that apply the rule of the shorter term to foreign works.
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