New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1854-02-08
,ho.e Of cOu.tsutinopls. Alex.


:, ,tove,r 16;2 Since tie sehsm between the Greek I
,rd attn Cbur,hes Il any attempts have been made TO
,o.orofo tho two Synods or councils were held
90 ,ba ,urnose at Lyons, Florence, Basilia aud
oter r,sces all in vain Sovereigns oft inerfered
lut ur.uccessfuIy The only result Of these various
eforts was 10 produce in the course OF the loih
century a partial submission TO the supremacy
or tbe pope OF Rome on the part Of the schisnsiic
subjects of the crowns of Austria Poland, Hun
cary Some Of the Slavic subjects of the Vene-
t;sn Reppblic also submitted. In return these ne"
convers were allowed to pers5vere in their opinion
concerning the Holy Ghost Pursaiory the COMMUNION
and the marriage Of the clergy and to MAINTAIN their
national languages in the liturgy These converts are
known under the name Of the United Greeks. AOclt
le yesr 1910 more than three millions OF them sub
ieots of the Emperor Nicholas, were forced back TO
their mother church, which event occGsoned an I'M
mense irritation at Rome. At the outset OF the Re
formation some attempts were made to unite the Greek
Church with tie Protestants With view to this, the
Patriarch Joseph Of ConstantnOpe sent Deacon TO
Wittouberg in the year 1868 and in heyears loIo-5i
two theoloeian from the University of IGbogen went
to ConstAntinople All this however was OF no avail
a. they could not agree upon fundamental questions
such rs flat of absolute authority and the right OF
indiy dual reason.
In the 7th century, or thereabouts the Eastern
Church extended over Greece the Morea, the Greek
Archipelago, Asia Minor syria, Palestine, Arabia aud
Feypt, with many communities in Mesopotamia and
Persia At that time the diocese OF Lyons, IN France
belonged TO it. as did some parts Of Eastern Italy
What the Greek Church lost by the Mahometan con
ouest was richly compensated at this time by her
extension over the regions inhabited by tie Slavic tribes
from the Balkan westward UP the Danube. To these
regions Christianity brought from Constan'noPle,
principallyby Cyril ard Methodius who were called
the Apostles Of the lavOns Iteyen reached to Mora
via Lut that country brOush; under Roman SUI
premscy Wien The Greek Church. in the course OF
lie I0th century conquered Russia. the Slsyic Ian
euace Will It's various idoms became the tongue most
extensively used in lis liturgy.
For tie Chrstan subjects of Turkey the PetTarchate
of Const6nnople is that which exercises the most gen
eral authority Instead of thaancent Parlarchate Oh
Morcow there has been substituted d eetag synod
which ts at ST. Petersburg and is composed OF Nero
poltsns ArcbbishOps Bishops and other clergy under
tie precedence Of tbe Metropolitan Of St. Petersburg
The Kingdom Of Greece has likewise organized perna-
nen Synod composed ike that Of Russia and indepsnd
eIt of the Patriarch Of COnsantinople. Two new Ia
triarclates have alsO recently been created thar OF
Carowtz for the Serbs under the Austrian monarchy
and another in Etcbemiazdin for the ArmeAanS who
are suhect to Russia
The religious spirit Of th Church is perhaps more
formal ess deyouthan that OF sincere and believing
Ron Protestantism and philln'hropc piety
which is illustrated by the Sisters of Charity for exam
PIE las counterpart among the Oriental Casnoiics
On the other hand during the primitive ages, the
Church developed itself principally through the Greek
mii d. and on the basis Of the Greek philosophy there
prevails it tendency to subtle speculation and IN
vostie6fioon In the bosom Of Greek Catholicism she
go-caloG hereses of earl times such Pclagianism
and Aransm lad their origin. The sect of IconOclass
existed in CCnsiantinOple Until the al OF the Bzant
bian Empire and still has followers in Greece and
Russia Jtdtr tie Turkish dominion the spirit Of sec
tartan disuniOn has been checked in he East In Rns
fa various have sprung up, mainly since the four
teeDh century. AS the free reading of the Bible by
the aity forms one Of the Fundamental usages OF the
Eastern Church Discussions haySN~raly taken
place Thus originated the denomination of RoskO
niks, who admit no higher rank ia the clergy than
that of parish priest the Duchobortsy who do not be-
believe in the Trinity AID reject baptism; others
agau who do lot recognise any clergy at all and have
after tie birth of the first child The most
humorous sect is that Of the Starowi rtsy, who do not
admit tie slightest change in the external forms OF
worhp in the ornaments of the churches in the man
ner of sounding the church BELLS aud in other plrcu
lars equally minute.
II cannot be said however that skeptcisn in any de-
cded form has yet penetrated into the Eastern Church
Nor has this church sought to encroach on tae
civil power to step out Of its proper sphere IN the
decision of social political questions. Relgously
its creed is not exclusive it holds that whoever Is
baptized in the name of Christ will be saved. JUS
tce requires add that stationary and leess as the
Eastern Church may be called it has never in ell its
history used lis power and thrown its influence against
civilization aud its discoveries The Greek Church
may safely boast that it would never have eXcomInu-
nicated Galleo nor protested against the theory OF
Copernicuf nor condemned vaccination, the culture
Of the potato If much may be said against it in re-
lieous point of view it is only proper to adduce here
what is so decidedly to its credit.
The external manifestations of the whole Eastern
Church cen be summed up in two principal character
istcs: an urbounded suspicion and even hatred OF AL
that is Roman or Latin, and indestruetible feeling
Of paticnality VIXEN Plus X became Pope, he issued
an encycca letter appealing to the Eastern Christians
10 unite with Rome. This offer raised tie wrath OF
tie Greeks and Slayons and the patrarehs OF Constan-
tnople, Antioch and Jerusalem violently responded
In the numerous Slavic family this Jealousy Of Roman
ian extends toward tie Poles, the Tschechs and the
Illyrians, all of whom looked on with mstrust as