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Correspondence (1716–1725)

Eastern Patriarchs and the Nonjurors, ed. Williams, 1868

17. No. 17: The Eastern Patriarchs to the Nonjurors

The Orthodox Confession of the Apostolical, Catholick, and Oriental Church of Christ.

✠ The most holy and œcumenical Patriarch, the Patriarch of Constantinople the New Rome, Jeremias.
✠ The most blessed Patriarch of Antioch the City of God, Athanasius.
✠ The most blessed Patriarch of the most holy City Jerusalem, Chrysanthus.
And as many as could be got together of the most Reverend Archbishops, Metropolitans and Bishops; and the Assembly of the Christian, Eastern and Orthodox Clergy, to the most Reverend and Catholick Archbishops and Bishops of Great Britain, and their Reverend Clergy, our beloved in Christ, Brotherly Love in the Holy Ghost, and every good thing from God, and health.

We received your Reply to our Answers, drawn up in form of a Book, by which being acquainted with the good state of your health, and that zeal and piety which you bear to the Eastern and Holy Church of Christ among us, we were not a little rejoiced; embracing in the manner which became us, your religious Benevolence, your Diligence, and readiness of Disposition to a Union of the Churches: which Unity is the support of the Faithful; in which our Lord Jesus Christ and our God is well pleased; who has also given His holy Disciples and Apostles, for a distinguishing mark of their relation to Him, a mutual Affection, agreement and unanimity. To answer therefore briefly to what you have written to us: we say that, having carefully perused your second Letters, we apprehend the sense and intention of the particulars, concerning which we have nothing more to observe, nor any other reply to make to all the propositions you have now sent us, than what we formerly laid before you in the exposition of the Doctrines and sentiments of our Eastern Church, viz. that those Doctrines have been long since examined, and rightly and religiously defined and settled by the holy and Œcumenical Synods, and that it is neither lawful to add any thing to them or take any thing from them: and that those who are disposed to agree with us in the Divine Doctrines of the Orthodox Faith, must necessarily follow and submit to what has been defined and determined by the Decision of the Ancients and Fathers of the Holy and Œcumenical Synods from the time of the Apostles and their Holy Successors the Fathers of our Church to this time: We say, they must submit to them with sincerity and obedience, and without any scruple or dispute. And this is a sufficient Answer to what you have written. But for a fuller and unanswerable testimony, we here send you in a more ample form, an exposition of the Orthodox faith of our Eastern Church, as it is contain’d in the Synod call’d the Synod of Jerusalem held long since with the greatest deliberation, Anno Salutis 1672, which was printed afterwards in Greek and Latin at Paris in the year 1675, and being carried over into those parts, may possibly be to be found also among you. Now, from thence you may know and understand the certain holy and orthodox sentiments of the Eastern Church among us: to which if you will be content to agree, you shall be altogether one with us, and there shall be no difference between us. And as for matters of Custom and Ecclesiastical order, and for the form and discipline of administring the Sacraments; they will be easily settled when once a Union is effected. For, it is evident from Ecclesiastical history, that there both have been and now are different customs and regulations in different places and Churches; and yet the Unity of Faith and Doctrine is preserved the same. May God, who sees and knows the events of all things, and would that all men should be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth, grant that these things may be judged and determined according to his Divine Will, to the benefit and salvation of Souls¹.

At Constantinople Anno Salutis 1723. in the month of September.

✠ I Jeremias, by the mercy of God Archbishop of Constantinople the new Rome and Œcumenical Patriarch, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify and declare, that this is the orthodox faith of our Apostolical, Catholick and Oriental Church of Christ.

✠ I Athanasius, by the mercy of God Patriarch of the Great City of God Antioch, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify confirm and declare, that this is the Orthodox faith of our Apostolical Catholick and Oriental Church of Christ.

✠ I Chrysanthus, by the mercy of God Patriarch of the holy City Jerusalem, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify and declare, that this is the orthodox faith of our Apostolical Catholick and Oriental Church of Christ.

✠ I Callinicus of Heraclea, have subscribed with my own hand, confessing the same things as the Holy Patriarchs above, both with heart and mouth: which also I will declare unto my last breath.

✠ I Auxentius of Cyzicum, confess that this is the Doctrine of the Catholick Oriental Church.

✠ I Païsius of Nicomedia, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify and declare, that this is the Doctrine of the Catholick and Oriental Church.

✠ I Gerasimus of Nice, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify, that this is the Doctrine of the Catholick and Oriental Church.

✠ I Parthenius of Chalcedon, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify and declare, that this is the opinion of the Catholick and Oriental Church.

✠ I Ignatius of Thessalonica, have subscribed with my own hand: and do testify and declare, that this is the doctrine of the Catholick and Oriental Church.

✠ I Arsenius of Prysa, have subscribed with my own hand, testifying and declaring, that this is the Doctrine of the Catholick and Oriental Church.

✠ I Theoctistus of Philipopolis, have subscribed with my own hand, testifying and declaring, that this is the Doctrine of the Oriental and Catholick Church.

✠ I Callinicus of Varna, have subscribed with my own hand; and do testify and declare, that this is the Doctrine of the Catholick and Oriental Church.

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