Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1880-09-09


From the New York Times.
Although reference is frequently made
in the city newspapers to the Greek chap,
ell and the services held there, few per.
sons know in what quarter Of the town il
is, and not very many have a very clear
idea OF the character or history of the
Greek church. In its widest sense it em-
braces all those Christians following the
Greek and Greco.SlavOnic rite; who re-
ceive the first seven general councils, but
reject the authority OF the Roman pontiG,
and the later councils of the Western
church. 1t calls itself the Holy Orthodox
Catholic and Apostolic church, and in
cudas three distinct branches-the church
within the Ottoman empire, directly sub
iect to the patriarch Of Constantinople;
the church in the kingdom of Greece,
the Russo-Greek church in the Russian
empire. The proper history of this church
as a distinct body dates from the Greek
schism, Or, rather, from the beginning Of
the efforts Of the church of Constantinople
to establish for itself separate jurisdic-
ton and Independent headship in the
in the eastern division of the empire. The
ecclesiastical pre-cminence of ConStan.
tirOple naturally succeeded the political
prominence to which it rose as the seat Of
the imperial residence and the center Of
the imperial government. Byzantlum
was originally but a simple Episcopal see,
subject to the metropolitan of Heroclea;
but the rank of the see was elevated
with the fortunes of the city. Before the
close of the fourth century, Constantinople
was declared to be the new Rome. The
governing body in the church OF Greece is,
as in Russia, the sO-called holy synod, con-
sisting of five members, ordinarily arch
bishops or bishops. This synod is the su.
preme ecclesiastical tribunal and indie.
pendent, in name at least, in all spiritual
things. But as its members are all APP
pointed by the crown, and hold office only
one year, it is naturally an instrument Of
tate. Two officials of the crown have,
moreover, a right to assist, without power
to vote at all its deliberations. The synod
elects bishops, though the crown reserves
the right Of confirming and granting inves.
tlture, and has the power to regulate the
limits OF the diocese, with all such gem
eral arrangements. The last remnant Of
subsection Of ConstantinOple was removed
by Il formal recognition OF independence
in 1868, and now the bishops no longer
seek conservation from the bishops Of that
see. The Russo-Greek church numbers,
it is said, about $4,000. 600 and the church
OF Greece about 100000 members. The
United Greek church includes those Chris
tans who, while they follow the Greek
rite, observe the ordinary dicipine ofthe
Greek church, and make use OF the Greek
liturgy, are yet united with the church
Of Rome, admitting the double procession
of the Spirit, and the supremacy Of the
pope, and accepting all the doctrinal de-
cisions subsequent to the Greek schism
which have force as matters Of faith in
the Roman church. The United Greeks
are found mainlyin Southern Italy, where
they are computed at S0,000 in the Aus.
trian dominiOns (about 4,000,000) in Po-
land (some 260,000) and in Russia, where
the number is uncertain, having declined
greatly Of recent years. The custom Of
the United Greek church concerning celib-
acy is, with the consent of the pope, the
same rs among the other Greeks,