Vermont watchman and State journal. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1836-1883, 1854-03-10
THE GREEK CHURCH.

pDutl puf>htu ny tic b"ipViVi w
Russia towards his Ottoman neigh
Dor. The origin Of the quarrel,
which has now terminated in an OPP
en- rupture, and has Redeemed the
waters of the Danube with human
blood, is well known to our readers
The Car claims TO be the head OF
the Greek church, and, in imitation
of the Popes of the middle ages, de-
sires TO exercise a spiritual control
and protectorate over the members
ef that church, even though they
may be beyond his civil jurisdiction
The rejection of his claims is the os
tcnsible prctext for invading the ter
rllories of the sultan. With how
much proprieiy he can assert this
proteclorate, the pages of history
will develope. Like the specious
reasons of the wolf for picking a
quarrel with the unoiIendlng lamb,
II will be seen that the claim OF a
protecloratc is but an excuse for alb
sorbing the coveted territories of his
weaker neighbor.
The Greek church, of which the
Emperor Nicholas claims to be the
head, was originally part aud par
Gel al the " Holy Mother Church. !"
When the eastern empire was in its
glory, the Christian church was unit
ed in doctrine, though divided into a
number of patriarchites or sees. In
the eighth century differences arose
between the Eastern and Western
Churches, which, in the course of
two centuries and half, terminated
M an open rupture aud separation.
These differences were at first not so
much of a dnctrinal character, as
they were the results OF mutual zeal
ousy and of the ambition OF the
Churches. There existed at that
time in each of the Churches a dccid
ed tendency to centralsm. The
Western Churches had concentrated
much of the spiritual authority in the
Patriarch Of Rome. The councils of
Constantinople in the fourth, and of
Chalcedom in the fifth century, ele-
waited the Bishop Of Constantinople
to the place of Second Patriarch OF
ChrIstendom, and it was jealousy oil
the growing pnwer nf this Patriarch
united win the differences incidental
TO diversity Of language, modes o.
thought and manners, between the
Churches OF the. Eastern and Western
empire, which led to the schism in
the Christian Church. Felix III,
Patriarch of Rome accommodated
the Bishop Of Constantinople A. d.,
fSl. A reunion took place A. d.,
$40, but was never established on a
firm basis, and il was finally dlssolv-
ed by another bull of excommunica
ton against the patriarch Of Constant
inople in the year SOP. Another IN
ion was attempted in the thirteenth
century, when the Greek Emperor,
Michael II, reconquered Constantin-
ople, and acknowledged the suprem-
acy of the Pope, and again in the
fifteenth century. Both attempts sig
nally failed, and their renewal with
any prospect of success was render
ed hopeless by the doctrinal difieren-
ces which III the meantime had
sprung up.
We will not enter into the details
Of the doctrinal controversy which re-
suited in this dissolution of the IN
ion between The Eastern and West
ern churches. The narration would
require too much OF our space, and
is not entitled to this general view Of
the Greek Church. The points of
difference between the two churches
are numerous, the most important Of
which only we will state. Like the
Catholics, the Greeks recognise two
sources of doctrine, the Bible and
tradition, attaching, however, more
importance to the latter than do their
Catholic brethren. Their traditions
comprehend not only those doctrines
which were orally delivered by the
apostles, bu, also those which were
approved by the fathers of The Greek
church, aud especially John of Da-
mascus. Some OF The sacraments 81
the two churches are identical, but
The Greeks exclude confirmation and
extreme JUNCTION. They deny that
there is any such place as purgatory,
although they pray for the dead. =
They also deny that the Holy Ghost
proceeds from the Father and Son.
Many of the forms and ceremonies
are identical, though the mode of ad
mlnistering the sacrament Of the
Lords Supper is different, and the
! Greeks reject the doctrine of the
transubslantialion Of The bread and
WINE into the actual body and blood
of Christ. The qualifications of the
ordinances of communion and bap-
tism in the two churches, essentially
vary. The Greek Church. unlike
the Latin, denies the dissolution OF
the marital ,elation. In the Greek
Church, a priest can exercise his
functions even though married, al
though be is not allowed TO marry
again should his wife die. In the
Catholic Church, celbacy is enjoined
upon the priests, and marriage is
void by the laws Of the church. Al
though the marriage Of priest after
he has taken the holy orders is pro-
hibited by the Greek Church, YET
such marriage cannot be dissolved
The Greeks do not excommunicate