Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1856-05-30
NJ / S G L. Ii 4 y Y
RELIGIOUS PARTIES IN RUSSIA.

RELIGIOUS PARTIES IN RUSSIA
What is the Russian church? II l.
the Roman Catholic church, reduced TO d
state Of pr,rihction. These words, en-
boiyiur u profound truth, wcrc pronounced
hy Father Lac1rIairc from the pulpit oI
Notrc Dame. \ dr,crtcr from the Roman
church, and an imitlt1r of that Of Constan,
tinoplc, the Russian church appears, f1r the
last thrcc cenuri,. especially, to have bad
no other object but that oG gradually ',i.liuc
the principle or M, which existed at first in
il, bosom, ia order TO become the dull and
torpid thing which Il Is at the prrsrnt'day
We mcrt with tie first traces Of Chris,
tianity in Russia in the year sj7. At that
period the byzantine patriarch Isna,iu'
who lived in perfect harmony with the Pom.
tG of Rome, sent mis,ionari, 10 Russia in
order 10 labor fori.s conversion Ahunirrl
year, later, the Archiuchcs' Olga was hap.
TIED in Con,,antinopl' and in oNo, Wadi.
mir introduced he Gr,yk faith into Russia.
The latter. weary Of biz heather belief had
the various religious sy.tnms Of thr world
the jewish. M,hammcnian, Roman Catho-
lie and Grcck-cIV7uudcl IN his presence,
that h, might choos, between them. 4,
first sthcwas not lisucliucd towards lslamism
f,ciua,.l ~ tlr hours of tho Turkish Para
dis, bat, IN hi, opinion, circumcision was
most shocking practice, and the prohihi.
tion 0l The Use of vino a rri,aii1n 10 which
neither be nor his people could submit.
Wine" BE- remarked, "i' the delight OF
the Rus.ian, and vs. cannot DO without Il, "
Judaism De- rejected, because the jews, he
aid, bad no country. Catholicism pleased
ham np moro than the othrrs and hr accord.
iurly finally decided in favor or ,hc Greek
Church. H. now assembled hi, Boyars,
and a-kcl them Tor thrirorinion AMI advice,
whcrcuIrn they mad, him tle following
az, reply " Every man looks upon h's
own r.liron ay the hs,,, but, in order TO
know with certainty which O.; is wi'rst to
s.lcc, men should D., sent out into the yari.
ous countries, that they may c1uyin,rth them.
sslys, hy tha.: own o'ssra'i1u, which ma
,i5n wor,'iw Co.! in a mannrrmns: worthy
ortha Creator" mi, r1uuvlwas followed
by him m, cx,. rnal ,plcnl0ror %, Grc.l
..r,ir. lad an imprsin. eject upon the am.
h,..,l,-. and ,,..y CAV, so l..t.rinr an ar.
conn, gritur1n t.rir rsturn. tho wlalimir
and nj, .uht,,,. decided to become convert.
Z, the Greek hi,h. Since ,ha, time a larc'
majority Of thc population Of Russia has
alnr,rI hi, systcm.
/, mus, not, however, b, Imagined that
even a. mi, period the Russian church fl.
l,wrl nmclv the BYZANTINE. II still ~.
maincl a l5n. tim, hithral 20 the iifrcuc,
which Il had raii ever slnc, il, origin, u
the Il,ly $50. 4, kent up a clos, CORES.
r,plrncs with Rome. asked hcr advice, and
although .rrin-iu. hicrarrhically from Con.
.,an,inopl,, appeared ,,drsirc ioiraw from
the scat orS,. Pgi,r purity of dogma. a,
well a, rulers Of canouical discipline aul
belief. But the Tartar, "a, length invaded
Russia. Bowed beneath tie ,rycrc,t ya,,.l.
ace. the Russians lost an moral strength,
and N, d,y,lnpmrnt OF their national char.
ar,rr was nippcl in the bud. Under thc.r
circumstance it would have been singular
u ,b,v had lc-n able TO withstand the De.
,rrioratin- influence Of the .chi,matic pom.
rr. who wer, sent 10 them from CONSTANT.
r,,l, Politically and socially slaves. they
ham, s,,l.,cr,lo.ia,ti,nlly. They couiel
r,,,n,;rm ri,,Ilv IN the fifteenth cen.
.,..,' pn..i, .,r,,,,.l from Rome desired
-. - 90, ,,,,. from Constitutional in
a,,,.. ,r,rJ..r desired 4 r,tr,,rcb Of il.
.,., 49,, .,onII h, ,,,ional and iplc,cp.
,,a, T,i. r,onir,l tho consent and inter.
ycr,i,r If tho byzantine ratri,r,h-which
ws. occomrli,boI m the following manner
ut,is rr,ch viz. 1872 the patrlarchaI
So o, Con.,,ptinop, wa, coptcnicl for Nv
rrc.ump,uou. rivals. Jeremy. H.. a prclat,
arlrh;ar. or,h,,I,yv ipclinipr sometime.
- ,,,o hcrc.v If proiiu. and sometime, ia
h,,of luther frat oecupicl it, IIe wa.
orcr,hrown bv Ms,ropban,,. who in hi.
,n,n yi,,l,l III, nl,cc :, paehomius. then
- TL,,,.n,ns +, Simoni.. bishops. The
roi,n Of the lattcr was short. Jeremy H.,