Eastern Christianity(12/97)

          The Christian Church naturally was started in the Middle East. As it spread across the then known world, each nation and nationality added to the traditions and rituals of the Christian services. Two heritages dominate Christian worship today: the Eastern and the Western. Western Christianity had as its focus the societies of western and northern Europe, most notably Rome. Eastern Christianity has as its early focus the "eastern capitol of the Roman Empire," that is Constantinople (or as it had been called Byzantium).    

          For the first few centuries of Christian worship there were five great apostolic churches. These churches were located in the most important, or powerful, or religiously significant cities of the ancient world: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. It is from the Roman church that most European and American churches draw their traditions and rituals. The four eastern churches drew their inspiration from the stylings and teachings of Constantinople. The Eastern Christians are most often called "Greek" because of the Greek empires in the eastern Mediterranean, but a more accurate term would be Byzantine Christians since their style of worship was patterned after the church at Byzantium.

          Because of the many twists of history, the Eastern Christian churches today belong to many groups and categories (Greek Orthodox, Melkite, Coptic, Antiocian, Ethiopian Coptic, Russian Orthodox, Ruthenian, Ukrainian, a host of others). Some of these churches are self-governing, some of these churches are members of larger bodies, some consider themselves to be a part of the Catholic Church and others consider themselves to be of the Orthodox faith.

Eastern Catholic Churches are groups of Christians whose traditions are based on the style of Constantinople but are in union with the church of Rome. The Eastern Catholic is a member of the Catholic Church, under the authority of the Vatican and the Pope, but worshipping within a different organizational structure.

Messmer

          In the Eastern Church we may distinguish five principal rites or liturgies, and there fore as many distinct Churches or denominations.

          First the great Greek Church which follows the original Greek or Byzantine liturgy formed at Constantinople in the Fourth and Fifth centuries. This liturgy or rite is used in the Greek language by the Schismatics of the patriarchate of Constantinople in Europe and Asia Minor, in Greece, Epirus, Macedonia and Cyprus (about six millions); in the Arabic language by the Schismatics of the Patriarchates of Syria (Antioch), Palestine (Jerusalem) and Egypt (Alexandria), in all about 400,000 in the old Slavonian language of the SS. Cyrill and Methodius, by the Russian (70 millions,) Servian (4millions) and Bulgarian (4millions) Schismatics; in the old Roumanian language by the Schismatic Roumanians in Roumania, Hungary, Buckovina and Dalmatia (6 millions).

          The Greek or Byzantine rite is also followed by the Catholic Ruthenians, Servians, Bulgarians, Roumanians and the Syrian Melchites (about six millions).

          Secondary, the Syrian liturgy or rite of the Apostle St. James of Jerusalem in the Syrian language is observed by about 800,000 Schismatics in Syria, Palestine and Egypt. It is also followed by the Catholic Maronites (about 300,00) and the converted Jacobites (35,000)

          Thirdly, the Armenian rite and language is used exclusively by the people of the Armenian race in Asiatic Turkey, Persia, Russia, an the colonies in Hungary, Glacial and the Ukraine (about 2 ½ millions); also by the Catholic Armenians who count only about 100,00 souls.

          The Coptic rite is followed by the Schismatical Monophysites in "Egypt (about 600,000) and the Catholic Copts in Egypt and Abyssinia (about 20,000). The liturgical language is the old Coptic, a mixture of old Egyptian and Greek.

          Fifth, the Chaldean rite in the old Chaldean language is observed by the heretical was well as Schismatical Nestorians in Persia (about 140,000) and the Catholic "Chaldean Christians" of Persia (about 70,000) and India and the Malabar Islands (about 250,000).

          The unfortunate Eastern Schism or the breaking away of the Eastern Church from the Pope, the successor of St. Peter and Vicar of Christ on earth, started under the Greek patriarch Photius of Constantinople in 879, and was consummated by his distant successor Cerularious, also patriarch of Constantinople, in 1054. It was caused by the pride and ambition of these Eastern patriarchs an by the jealousy of the Emperor of Byzantum or Constantinople.

          Since that time the Popes of Rome have never ceased in their efforts to bring those separated Churches back to the unity of the Catholic Church. A reunion was attempted at the ecumenical councils of Lyon in France (1274) and of Florence in Italy (1439). But in vain. Pius IX in 1869 extended a general invitation to the Schismatic bishops of the East urging them to come to the ecumenical Council of the Vatican held in 1869 and 1870. But they refused. When Leo XIII, who wrote several apostolic letters on this reunion, invited some of these Eastern bishops to a discussion at Rome, he received a most insulting answer from the Patriarch of Constantinople. And now Benedict XV, amidst all the trials of a European war, has established a special Roman Congregation for the Oriental churches and a special pontifical Institute at Rome for Oriental Ecclesiastical studies open to Catholics and also to Schismatic Oriental students, priests and layman. Lately, he has devised a plan of establishing Catholic seminaries among those Oriental Schismatics to raise a native priesthood among them, all in order to bring those millions of lost sheep back to the one fold of Jesus Christ, Holy Mother Church.

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