You Heard It Here First

[Jocose]

https://orthodoxtimes.com/ecumenical-pa ... er-church/

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew sent a message in every direction on the occasion of the feast of Saint Nicholas, Archbishop of Myra, on Wednesday, December 6, 2023.

The Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the Divine Liturgy in the basilica of St. Nicholas, where the tomb of the Saint was located, in Myra (Demre), Lycia. The Ecumenical Patriarch presided over the service along with Metropolitans Emmanuel of Chalcedon, Apostolos of Derkoi, Arkalochori, Andreas of Kastelli and Viannos and Job of Pisidia, and Bishop Ambrosios of Evdokiada. The local Shepherd, Metropolitan Chrysostomos of Myra, presided over the Orthros (matins).

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew said that “what we consider as the East, which is the magnificent work of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul, Andrew the First-Called, John the Theologian, is actually the historical way and place of education in the time of the Church.

The East is not just the birthplace of great saints but also the cradle of the Church in its present form. Our theology and ecclesiology originated in these sacred lands, within the canonical jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate. It was here that the Ecumenical Synods convened, shaping the ecclesiastical conscience rooted in the ministry of the Lord, transcending national or other distinctions. The wisdom of the Holy Fathers established the pentarchy and its hierarchical order, defining boundaries, principles, and values with profound insight, considering the history and sanctity of each region.

Hence, from Asia Minor, we proclaim in every direction that the genuine and only Mother Church is the Great Church of Constantinople. It exclusively bears the legacy of Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross for all humanity, giving birth to numerous Churches from Bulgaria to Ukraine. This declaration isn’t a modern invention in ecclesiology but an experiential truth and legacy inherited from the Fathers of the Ecumenical and Local Synods.

It is not just a theoretical assertion but a continuous, blessed act of the Church that bestows upon Constantinople the privilege of the Crucifixion’s sacrifice, the path of sacrifice, and the position as the Head of all Churches. It consistently bears the crown of thorns symbolizing the Despotic Passion.

As the humble successors, by the grace of God, to these traditions, we vow to safeguard this sacred trust. We refuse to relinquish the sacred duty and responsibility entrusted to us.

We do not relinquish the mantle of the Mother of the Great Church, a role passed down to us in blood, and we are committed to passing it on unscathed and unaltered. For 32 years, and into the future, we embrace this task joyously, in service to the Most Holy Theotokos.

We do not step down from the Cross to which the Church of Constantinople has devoted itself. We remain dedicated to our calling, honoring our history and the wisdom of the Fathers.

We’ve learned how to lead all peoples, races, and languages to the Resurrection through the Cross. We are willing to endure crucifixion and unite with Christ until the end of time, for the world’s sake. Thus, we stand firm, all of us, in reverent awe before the judgment seat of God!”

Then, speaking in Turkish, the Ecumenical Patriarch referred to the ongoing wars in the Middle East and Ukraine, noting that they deeply affect all humanity.

“Today, we came here, to the Church of St. Nicholas, to pray for peace once again. We prayed for the wars to end as soon as possible, but also for the suffering in both regions of Ukraine and the Middle East. Mothers should no longer cry, children should not be afraid, young people should not die early. We hope that lasting peace will prevail as soon as possible to our neighboring countries, with which we share the same sea, the Mediterranean.”

[Del]

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew speaks again the original great humble-brag that St. Paul wrote to the Corinthians.

13 But we will not boast beyond measure but will keep to the limits[a] God has apportioned us, namely, to reach even to you. 14 For we are not overreaching ourselves, as though we did not reach you; we indeed first came to you with the gospel of Christ. 15 We are not boasting beyond measure, in other people’s labors; yet our hope is that, as your faith increases, our influence among you may be greatly enlarged, within our proper limits, 16 so that we may preach the gospel even beyond you, not boasting of work already done in another’s sphere. 17 “Whoever boasts, should boast in the Lord.”[b*] 18 For it is not the one who recommends himself who is approved,[c] but the one whom the Lord recommends.


Footnotes

a.) 10:13 Will keep to the limits: the notion of proper limits is expressed here by two terms with overlapping meanings, metron and kanōn, which are played off against several expressions denoting overreaching or expansion beyond a legitimate sphere.
b.) 10:17 Boast in the Lord: there is a legitimate boasting, in contrast to the immoderate boasting to which 2 Cor 10:13, 15 allude. God’s work through Paul in the community is the object of his boast (2 Cor 10:13–16; 2 Cor 1:12–14) and constitutes his recommendation (2 Cor 3:1–3). Cf. notes on 2 Cor 1:12–14 and 1 Cor 1:29–31.
c.) 10:18 Approved: to be approved is to come successfully through the process of testing for authenticity (cf. 2 Cor 13:3–7 and the note on 2 Cor 8:2). Whom the Lord recommends: self-commendation is a premature and unwarranted anticipation of the final judgment, which the Lord alone will pass (cf. 1 Cor 4:3–5). Paul alludes to this judgment throughout 2 Cor 10–13, frequently in final or transitional positions; cf. 2 Cor 11:15; 12:19a; 13:3–7.

The writings of Peter, Paul, Luke, and John make up most of our New Testament Scriptures. And most of these writings were either written from or addressed to the early churches established by the Apostles in Greece and Asia Minor. It is the profound duty of the Apostolic Church to preserve the teachings of the Apostles -- both preached and written -- adding nothing and taking nothing away.

[mcommini]

I think the problem here is less about the preservation of Apostolic teaching and more along the lines that Patriarch Bartholomew might be signaling he wants some of that sweet, sweet doctrinal development Newton spoke of to come his way and bless him with a little bit of supreme universal jurisdiction.

[Wosbald]

+JMJ+

… sweet, sweet doctrinal development Newton spoke of …

Newton, you say?

Sir Isaac? Juice? Fig?

[mcommini]

+JMJ+

… sweet, sweet doctrinal development Newton spoke of …

Newton, you say?

Sir Isaac? Juice? Fig?

"The Tractarian Anglican who, with two little words, caused all the modern problems with your Church" seemed a bit wordy, sorry.

[mcommini]

+JMJ+

… sweet, sweet doctrinal development Newton spoke of …

Newton, you say?

Sir Isaac? Juice? Fig?

"The Tractarian Anglican who, with two little words, caused all the modern problems with your Church" seemed a bit wordy, sorry.

And of course, I just caught the "Newton" when I meant "Newman". Caused by autocorrect, but missed when you so helpfully pointed it out.

[Del]

+JMJ+

… sweet, sweet doctrinal development Newton spoke of …

Newton, you say?

Sir Isaac? Juice? Fig?

"The Tractarian Anglican who, with two little words, caused all the modern problems with your Church" seemed a bit wordy, sorry.

I confess great ignorance and profound curiosity.

Please indulge an old fool.... Who are we talking about and what did he say?

[mcommini]

It's a bit of Orthodox inside baseball at the moment, though it has spilled over into worlds politics these days. For about a decade there have been disturbing rumblings coming from hierarchs of the Synod of Constantinople intimating that they are starting to see themselves in a far more papal role than has ever been conceived in the 2000 years of Church history. There have been papers by the now current Archbishop of the Greek Orthodox Church in America (not actually under the Orthodox Church of Greece but under the Church of Constantinople) coining strange new phrases such as primus sine paribus in relation to the role of Constantinople. There have been intrusions by the same Archbishop on the territory of not just another bishop but another bishop of a different local Church in a different country (Greece to be exact) to perform a baptism that not a single Orthodox Christian in that country wanted (a destination baptism for the child of an American gay couple- I'm guessing a wealthy American gay couple).

There has been the utter failure of the "Holy Pan-Orthodox Synod" where one of the ancient Pentarchy did not attend, the largest Patriarchate in terms of worldwide members did not attend, nothing was actually discussed but rubber stamped beforehand (which is why a few other churches didn't attend- they didn't agree with the positions the council were putting forth while being told that this is the position the council is putting forth), did absolutely nothing of substance, and Patriarch Bartholomew I had the gall to say the decisions coming from the council were unanimous when they quite clearly are not.

And then there's Ukraine. Let's not touch that one- no matter who is technically right in that little peeing match there are a lot of very faithful and sincere Orthodox Christians very emotionally tied to both positions that I think it is best to remain silent. Would that the Patriarch had the same wisdom.

There have been new papers coming from the Synod taking the historical and traditional practices of Orthodox ecclesiology and reinterpeting them in a light that flies in the face of all evidence in a manner that, if you will forgive the example, resembles that of Roman Catholic apologists saying that the dispute between St Polycarp and Pope St Stephen over the date of Pascha proves papal infallibility and jurisdiction when in fact it shows quite the opposite to anyone who doesn't already have Vatican I on the brain.

Then there's the text of the encyclical Jocose posted in the OP. It can, charitably, be interpreted as a standard paternalistic letter of the ranking Patriarch of the Orthodox Church with the standard Greek tendency to hyperbole and effusive praise that gives the papal apologist such glee when they see it directed toward the Roman pope from pre-schism Greek fathers, not realizing that we tend to address letters like that to any old bishop. But in context, given the above paragraph about these new papers, reading a line like "Hence, from Asia Minor, we proclaim in every direction that the genuine and only Mother Church is the Great Church of Constantinople. It exclusively bears the legacy of Jesus’s sacrifice on the Cross for all humanity, giving birth to numerous Churches from Bulgaria to Ukraine. This declaration isn’t a modern invention in ecclesiology but an experiential truth and legacy inherited from the Fathers of the Ecumenical and Local Synods," well it certainly seems like Constantinople is proclaiming a new ecclesiology indeed.

To translate to your context, Del- the Synod of Constantinople is the German Synod, Patriarch Bartholomew is Pope Francis, and we currently have a dark Hildebrand sitting in America, hungrily eyeing the Throne.

[Del]

I understand.

Francis has been a bit of a mess for the Latin Church. We should not be surprised that Orthodox Christians (and American Evangelicals, etc.) have messes of their own.

But mostly I was just curious about Newton and the Two Words. That reference went over my head.

[mcommini]

Oh, well, first I meant Newman. I'm mainly typing from my tablet these days and constantly fighting autocorrect! Cardinal John Henry. Oh, apparently a Saint for you these days, as of 2019.

The two little words being "Doctrinal Development". From my perspective as an Orthodox Christian these contribute to certain unfortunate declarations of your communion at Vatican I and dear Lord what a field day did they have with them at Vatican II and since.