The Synod of Jerusalem is an
Eastern Orthodox
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.
Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or " canonical ...
synod held in 1672. It is also called the Synod of Bethlehem.
The synod was convoked
and presided over by
Patriarch Dositheus of Jerusalem. The synod produced a
confession
A confession is a statement – made by a person or by a group of persons – acknowledging some personal fact that the person (or the group) would ostensibly prefer to keep hidden. The term presumes that the speaker is providing information th ...
referred to as the ''Confession of Dositheus''.
Background: Cyril Lucaris
In 1629, a small book in Latin, attributed to
Cyril Lucaris, the
Patriarch of Constantinople, and commonly referred to as the ''Confession of Cyril Lucaris'', was published in
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
at
Geneva
, neighboring_municipalities= Carouge, Chêne-Bougeries, Cologny, Lancy, Grand-Saconnex, Pregny-Chambésy, Vernier, Veyrier
, website = https://www.geneve.ch/
Geneva ( ; french: Genève ) frp, Genèva ; german: link=no, Genf ; it, Ginevr ...
. It contained an eighteen-point summary of beliefs that conformed with Calvinist teaching. French, English and German translations appeared in the same year. A
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
version called ''Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith'' appeared in Constantinople in 1631 or 1633.
Lucaris was accused of adopting in this book
Calvinistic views and asserting that Calvinism was in fact the faith of the Eastern Church. His E. Orthodox defenders claim that the book was a forgery. Cyril himself verbally denied authorship, but did not disavow it in writing.
Cyril Lucaris died in 1638.
Lucaris' ''Confession'' was condemned by the
1638 synod of Constantinople and the 1642
synod of Jassy
The Synod of Jassy or Synod of Iași (also referred to as the Council of Jassy or the Council of Iași), was convened in Iași in Moldavia (present-day Romania) between 15 September and 27 October 1642 by the Ecumenical Patriarch Parthenius I of C ...
.
Name, date and location
The Synod of Jerusalem is also called ''Synod of Bethlehem'', because the synod took place at the
Church of the Nativity
The Church of the Nativity, or Basilica of the Nativity,; ar, كَنِيسَةُ ٱلْمَهْد; el, Βασιλική της Γεννήσεως; hy, Սուրբ Ծննդեան տաճար; la, Basilica Nativitatis is a basilica located in B ...
at
Bethlehem
Bethlehem (; ar, بيت لحم ; he, בֵּית לֶחֶם '' '') is a city in the central West Bank, Palestine, about south of Jerusalem. Its population is approximately 25,000,Amara, 1999p. 18.Brynen, 2000p. 202. and it is the capital o ...
.
It is also possible that the synod is referred to as Synod of Bethlehem because
Patriarch Dositheus of Jerusalem summoned it on the occasion of consecrating said Church of the Nativity in 1672.
The synod was summoned in March 1672
and then took place the same year.
Synod and decisions
The synod rejected the doctrine of the
Protestant Reformers, and also attempted to "articulate the dogmatic heritage of
astern
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Terms
* Abaft (preposition ...
Orthodoxy in face of the dispute between
Catholics and
Protestants". The synod "defined
astern
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Orthodox
dogma
Dogma is a belief or set of beliefs that is accepted by the members of a group without being questioned or doubted. It may be in the form of an official system of principles or doctrines of a religion, such as Roman Catholicism, Judaism, Isla ...
in areas at issue in the Western
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
".
The Synod refuted the ''Confession'' of Lucaris article by article.
The synod affirmed "the teaching role of the church and therefore of
tradition
A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays or ...
against Protestant ''
sola scriptura
, meaning by scripture alone, is a Christian theological doctrine held by most Protestant Christian denominations, in particular the Lutheran and Reformed traditions of Protestantism, that posits the Bible as the sole infallible source of aut ...
''". The synod also affirmed "the role of
love
Love encompasses a range of strong and positive emotional and mental states, from the most sublime virtue or good habit, the deepest interpersonal affection, to the simplest pleasure. An example of this range of meanings is that the love o ...
and
grace
Grace may refer to:
Places United States
* Grace, Idaho, a city
* Grace (CTA station), Chicago Transit Authority's Howard Line, Illinois
* Little Goose Creek (Kentucky), location of Grace post office
* Grace, Carroll County, Missouri, an uninco ...
, and therefore of
deeds, in
justification". The synod affirmed the seven
mysteries (
sacraments) and that those are not "merely symbolic or expressive"; moreover, the synod affirmed that the
Christ was truly present in the eucharist and taught this by using the
Greek
Greek may refer to:
Greece
Anything of, from, or related to Greece, a country in Southern Europe:
*Greeks, an ethnic group.
*Greek language, a branch of the Indo-European language family.
**Proto-Greek language, the assumed last common ancestor ...
equivalent to the
Latin
Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...
''
transubstantiatio'',''
'' ''
metousiosis
''Metousiosis'' is a Greek term () that means a change of ''ousia'' (, "essence, inner reality").
History
The declaration of the 1672 Synod of Jerusalem is quoted by J.M. Neale (''History of Eastern Church'', Parker, Oxford and London, 1858 ...
'' (μετουσίωσις).
The synod also "confirmed the
canonicity
The adjective canonical is applied in many contexts to mean "according to the canon" the standard, rule or primary source that is accepted as authoritative for the body of knowledge or literature in that context. In mathematics, "canonical example ...
of the
deutero-canonical books of the
Old Testament, rejecting the
Protestant
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
shorter,
Hebrew
Hebrew (; ; ) is a Northwest Semitic language of the Afroasiatic language family. Historically, it is one of the spoken languages of the Israelites and their longest-surviving descendants, the Jews and Samaritans. It was largely preserved ...
canon".
The synod also rejected the theses of
unconditional predestination and of
justification by faith alone.
The Synod affirmed that the
Holy Ghost
For the majority of Christian denominations, the Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is believed to be the third person of the Trinity, a Triune God manifested as God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit, each entity itself being God.Gru ...
proceeds from
God the Father alone and not
from both Father and Son.
Signing
The
acts
The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...
of the synod are signed by Dositheus, his predecessor the
ex-patriarch Nectarius, six
metropolitans and
bishops, the
Archimandrite
The title archimandrite ( gr, ἀρχιμανδρίτης, archimandritēs), used in Eastern Christianity, originally referred to a superior abbot (''hegumenos'', gr, ἡγούμενος, present participle of the verb meaning "to lead") wh ...
of the
Holy Sepulchre, Josaphat, and a great number of other archimandrites,
priests,
monks
A monk (, from el, μοναχός, ''monachos'', "single, solitary" via Latin ) is a person who practices religious asceticism by monastic living, either alone or with any number of other monks. A monk may be a person who decides to dedica ...
, and
theologians
Theology is the systematic study of the nature of the divine and, more broadly, of religious belief. It is taught as an academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itself with the unique content of analyzing the s ...
. There are sixty-eight signatures in total. The
Church of Russia
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
was represented by a monk, Timothy.
Acts of the synod
The
acts
The Acts of the Apostles ( grc-koi, Πράξεις Ἀποστόλων, ''Práxeis Apostólōn''; la, Actūs Apostolōrum) is the fifth book of the New Testament; it tells of the founding of the Christian Church and the spread of its message ...
of the synod are dated 20 March 1672; they bear the title: ''Christ guides. A shield of the Orthodox Faith, or the Apology composed by the Synod of Jerusalem under the Patriarch of Jerusalem Dositheus against the Calvinist heretics, who falsely say that the Eastern Church thinks heretically about God and Divine things as they do''.
The first part begins by quoting the text: "
There is a time to speak and a time to be silent", which text is explained and enlarged upon at length. It tells the story of the summoning of the synod, and vehemently denies that the Eastern Orthodox Church ever held the opinions attributed to Lucaris. To show this, the relations between the
Lutherans
Lutheranism is one of the largest branches of Protestantism, identifying primarily with the theology of Martin Luther, the 16th-century German monk and reformer whose efforts to reform the theology and practice of the Catholic Church launched ...
and
Jeremias II of Constantinople
Jeremias II Tranos (c. 1536 – 4 September 1595) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times between 1572 and 1595. Life
Jeremias Tranos was born in Anchialos, from an influential Greek family. The exact date of birth is not kno ...
are quoted as well as the acts of former synods (
Constantinople
la, Constantinopolis ota, قسطنطينيه
, alternate_name = Byzantion (earlier Greek name), Nova Roma ("New Rome"), Miklagard/Miklagarth (Old Norse), Tsargrad ( Slavic), Qustantiniya ( Arabic), Basileuousa ("Queen of Cities"), Megalopolis ( ...
and
Yassy). An elaborate attempt is then made to prove that Lucaris did not really write the famous ''Confession''. To do this the ''Confession'' is compared clause by clause with other statements made by him in sermons and in other works.
In chapter ii, the synod declares that in any case Lucaris showed the ''Confession'' to no one, and tries to find further reasons for doubting his authorship.
Chapter iii maintains that, even if Lucaris had written the confession attributed to him, it would not thereby become a
confession of the faith of the Eastern Orthodox Church, but would remain merely the private opinion of a
heretic.
Chapter iv defends the Eastern Orthodox Church by quoting her formularies, and contains a list of
anathemas against the perceived heresies of the ''Confession'' of Lucaris.
Chapter v again tries to defend Lucaris by quoting various deeds and sayings of his and transcribes the whole decree of the synod of Constantinople of 1639, and then that of Yassy (''Giasion'') of 1641.
Chapter vi gives the
decrees
A decree is a legal proclamation, usually issued by a head of state (such as the president of a republic or a monarch), according to certain procedures (usually established in a constitution). It has the force of law. The particular term used for ...
of this synod in the form of a "Confession of Dositheus". It has eighteen decrees (''horoi''), followed by four "questions" (''eroteseis'') with long answers. In these, all the points denied by Lucaris' ''Confession'' (relationship between the Church and the Bible, Eastern Orthodox understanding of predestination, cult of saints, sacraments, the
Real Presence
The real presence of Christ in the Eucharist is the Christian doctrine that Jesus Christ is present in the Eucharist, not merely symbolically or metaphorically, but in a true, real and substantial way.
There are a number of Christian denomin ...
, the
liturgy, liturgy being a real sacrifice, etc.) are maintained at great length and in the most uncompromising way. A short epilogue closes the acts. Then follow the date, signatures, and seals.
Aftermath
Protestant writers say that the strong hostility toward Protestantism of the synod was the product of the
Jesuits
, image = Ihs-logo.svg
, image_size = 175px
, caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits
, abbreviation = SJ
, nickname = Jesuits
, formation =
, founders = ...
, of the
French ambassador at that time,
Olivier de Nointel, and of other Catholics who were undermining the Eastern Orthodox Church.
In their correspondence with the 18th-century
Non-Juror Anglican bishops, the Eastern Patriarchs insisted on acceptance of the Synod's teaching on transubstantiation.
Importance
The 1911 ''Encyclopædia Britannica'' called the confession of the Synod of Jerusalem "the most vital statement of faith made in the Greek Church during the past thousand years."
The
1910 ''Catholic Encyclopedia'' states the decrees of the synod "have been accepted unreservedly by the whole
astern
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Terms
* Abaft (preposition ...
Orthodox Church. They were at once approved by the other patriarchs, the
Church of Russia
, native_name_lang = ru
, image = Moscow July 2011-7a.jpg
, imagewidth =
, alt =
, caption = Cathedral of Christ the Saviour in Moscow, Russia
, abbreviation = ROC
, type ...
, etc.; they are always printed in full among the
symbolic books of the
astern
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Terms
* Abaft (preposition ...
Orthodox Church, and form an official creed or declaration in the strictest sense, which every
astern
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Terms
* Abaft (preposition ...
Orthodox Christian is bound to accept."
Protestant scholar
Philip Schaff
Philip Schaff (January 1, 1819 – October 20, 1893) was a Swiss-born, German-educated Protestant theologian and ecclesiastical historian, who spent most of his adult life living and teaching in the United States.
Biography
Schaff was born ...
wrote: "This Synod is the most important in the modern history of the Eastern Church, and may be compared to the
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent ( la, Concilium Tridentinum), held between 1545 and 1563 in Trent (or Trento), now in northern Italy, was the 19th ecumenical council of the Catholic Church. Prompted by the Protestant Reformation, it has been described a ...
. Both fixed the doctrinal status of the Churches they represent, and both condemned the evangelical doctrines of
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
. Both were equally hierarchical and
intolerant, and present a strange contrast to the
first Synod held in Jerusalem, when 'the
apostles ''and
elders'',' in the presence of 'the brethren,' freely discussed and adjusted, in a spirit of love, without
anathemas, the great controversy between the
Gentile
Gentile () is a word that usually means "someone who is not a Jew". Other groups that claim Israelite heritage, notably Mormons, sometimes use the term ''gentile'' to describe outsiders. More rarely, the term is generally used as a synonym fo ...
and the
Jewish
Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...
Christians."
References
External links
''The Confession of Cyril Lucaris''(als
*
{{Biblical canon
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
1672 in Christianity
1672 in the Ottoman Empire
17th-century church councils
Christianity in Jerusalem
17th century in Jerusalem
Christianity in Bethlehem