The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-09-01
An Old Controversy Revived.

An Old Controversy Revived.
The conference recently held at Bonn
under the presidency Of DR.. DoLLINGEls be-
tween representatives Of several branches
of the Eastern Church. the Old Catholics,
and tile Episcopal Churches Of England
and the United States, will II Is thought,
have some influence in promoting inter-
communion or reunion between these
bodies. Such II result, however, would bo
at variance with historical prccedents, and
must not be too confidently anticipated.
Ever since the establishment of the Chris
tian religion the great mass of its follow
ers, while agreeing on the cardinal prnci-
Piles of the faith, have quarrelled and split
into churches and sects OH what, when
closely analyzed, must often appear trivial
questions; and there seems little probabili-
ty that this propensity will cease in our
time.
The Arian, the HISTORIAN, and other
heresies began in the early ages of the
Church in the twelfth century the East
ern and Western churches parted compa-
ny: from the former were subsequently
detached the Armenian and other Oriental
branches, and from the latter the follow
crs OF LUTHER, CALVIN, ZUINGLIus, aud
other Protestant reformers, who in turn
were soon divided into innumerable op-
posing sects In our own day again We
see the Old Catholics renouncing Papal
authority. and Iatinized Poles returning
20 the Orthodox Greek Church of their
ancestors The Anglican church Is rent
with agitation on such points as the
position of "a clergyman in the perform
ance OF divine service, and a diminutive
schism has already occurred in the Protest.
ant Episcopal Church of this country. lA.s
long rs human thought is free, differences
of opinion on religious ms well as on social
or political questions are sure to arise, and
the philanthropist who seeks to introduce
universal creed will only be beguiled by
q dclusiou.
The main object of the conference Mt
Bonn seems 10 have 1vcn TO reconcile the
do: iinal differences between Eastern and
Latin or Western Christians This is a
subject TINT ha., been uitavSva with more
or less Of argumentative skill and theolo-
gical learning at various times within the
last thousand years, aud always with very
unsatisfactory results. The Eastern Church
originally separated from that Of the West
on the ground that the latter had iuterpo-
lated into the Nicene Creed. which, ever
since the Council of Nicpa. in the fourth
century had been the confession Of faith
Of the universal church. the words EUloqic
implying that the Holy Ghost proceeds
not from the Father alone, but from the
Father and the son. This Interpolation,
! known as the Double Procession, originated
in the spanish church, from the logical
development OF the Athanasian doctrine
against the Arian NiIgoths, and was
gradually adopted in all branches of the
Western Church, notwithstanding the ir-
regularity of the method of its introduc-
ton was acknowledged. Each of the
| two statements" II has been observed the
! Single Procession and the Double Process
SION, "expresses truth which the other
overlooks or omits !" and il is reasonable
to suppose that earnest men, anxious to
express in unambiguous language the dog
mas Of the Christian faith might have
been able to satisfy the scruples Of Orien-
tails and Latins. They could undoubtedly
have succeeded in this object had not
insurmountahlc obstacles interviewed.
The first and most important of these
is the fact that the EUioqlic was not the
true cause of disscnsion between the
churches OF the East and the West. 1t was
at best, perhaps the preteXt for quarrel
Both churches had IN reality been strug-
| Cling for supremacy for centuries before
they separated As the Eastern Empire
wancd in importance aud power before
the advance Of the MOslems into Asia
Minor and Greece the Western Church
gained in adhercnts and strength The
Eastern Church was conservative, slug.
gish, and stationary, as beftted its oriental
origin; the Western vigorous, proselytz
ing, and aggrnndlzing. The former re.
scented the latter's claim 10 supremacy
aud on the comparatively Insignificant dis
pute about the FiHOqite and certain other
minor points of doctrine, severed relation,
with her. That separation has never sine,
been reconcied. In the thirteenth century
at the Council Of Lyons, an unsuccessful Mt
tempt was made TO heal the differences
between the churches. Nearly two cen
turtles later, when the Byzantine Empire
reduced almost TO its capital city, Constau
tinople. was lettering to its fall, its las
Emperor but one, JOHN PALRoLoGUs IL.
went with body Of Greek theologians L
the Council of Florence, ostensbly to hell
reunite the churches, but in reality t.
obtain aid in men and munitions of wa
against his Moslon enemies. In that coun
Gil the FilioTte question was debated TO
weeks-and il Is curious 10 see almos
the same arguments reproduced at tn
Bonn Conference-and at last the Greek
reluctantly agreed to reunito will
the Western Church, and acknowl
edge the supremacy of the Pope Blu
almost Immediately after returning T.
Constantinople, nearly all of them re
canted their opinions, and reunion seemed
ms fnr from accomplishment as ever. o.
Whtsunday, 1853, afow years later, Constan
tinople was captured lay the Mussulmans
an event regarded in the West US "a Diyln