EASTERN CHURCHES. 



271 



had then been for several years a teacher at 

 the Seminary of Chalka, and in 1861 had been 

 appointed Metropolitan of Shumla ; but as the 

 Bulgarians, even at that time, were unwilling 

 to recognize the bishops appointed by the 

 Patriarch, he had not entered upon the ad- 

 ministration of his diocese. In 1867 he was 

 elected Metropolitan of Widdin, and fully sup- 

 ported the movement for the establishment of 

 the National Bulgarian Church. After being 

 elected Exarch, Anthimos at once made strenu- 

 ous efforts to bring about an understanding with 

 the Patriarch. The latter replied that he would 

 give a respite of forty days, after the lapse of 

 which the Exarch must return to the orthodox 

 Church, and during wbich he must abstain 

 from exercising any episcopal function, under 

 penalty of the censures of the Church. The 

 Exarch, indeed, abstained for a time from all 

 ecclesiastical functions, although the Passover 

 of the Greek Church took place within this 

 period. But, in the latter part of May, he yield- 

 ed to the pressure brought upon him by the 

 leaders of the national Bulgarian party, and 

 solemnly released the three excommunicated 

 Bulgarian bishops from the excommunication. 

 This induced the Patriarch to convoke a meet- 

 ing of his synod and of prominent laymen, 

 which declared the negotiations with the Bul- 

 garians to be at an end, and Anthimos to have 

 incurred the canonical censures. On the other 

 side, the Exarch, on May 24th, left out in the 

 liturgy the prescribed mention of the Patri- 

 arch, and substituted for it the words "the 

 orthodox episcopate," which immediately 

 called forth the reading of a pastoral letter by 

 the Patriarch, excommunicating Anthimos, and 

 pronouncing the great anathema against the 

 three Bulgarian bishops. Notwithstanding 

 these measures, the Bulgarian Church consoli- 

 dated itself more and more. The Exarch soon 

 consecrated a new bishop, and at Wodina, in 

 Macedonia, the Bulgarians expelled the Greek 

 bishop, and declared that, in accordance with 

 Art. X. of the firman establishing the Bulga- 

 rian Exarchate (by which article it is provided 

 that two-thirds of the inhabitants of a diocese 

 have the power of demanding the connection 

 of the diocese with the exarchate), they would 

 join the Bulgarian Church. On September 

 10th, the " Great Synod " of the Church met in 

 Constantinople. All the patriarchs and twen- 

 ty-five archbishops and bishops were present. 

 The Synod soon declared "phyletism," that is, 

 the distinction of races and nationalities within 

 the Church of God, as contrary to the doctrine 

 of the Gospel and of the Fathers, and excluded 

 six Bulgarian bishops, and all connected with 

 the exarchate, from the Church. All the 

 bishops signed the decree except the Patriarch 

 of Jerusalem, who left the Synod before its 

 close, and was, therefore, insulted by the Greek 

 population of Smyrna, in Asia Minor, who, 

 received him with shouts of " Traitor ! " " Mus- 

 covite! " etc. The following is a liberal trans- 

 lation of the decree of excommunication, which 



will forever remain an important document in 

 the annals of the Greek Church : 



Decree of the Holy and Grand Council, assembled 

 at Constantinople in the month of December, in the 

 year of grace 1872. The Apostle Paul has com- 

 manded us to take heed to ourselves and to all the 

 flock over which the Holy Ghost hath made us over- 

 seers, to govern the Church of God, which He hath 

 purchased with His own blood; and has at the same 

 time predicted that grievous wolves shall enter 

 among us, not sparing the flock, and that of our own 

 selves shall men arise speaking perverse things to 

 draw away disciples after them ; and he has warned 

 us to beware of such. We have learned with aston- 

 ishment and pain that such men have lately appeared 

 among the Bulgarian people within the jurisdiction 

 of the Holy (Ecumenical Throne. They have dared 

 to introduce into the Church the idea of phyletism, 

 or the National Church ? which is of the temporal life, 

 and have established, in contempt of the sacred" can- 

 on, an unauthorized and unprecedented Church As- 

 sembly, based upon the principle of the difference 

 of races. Being inspired in accordance with our 

 duty, by zeal for God and the wish to protect the 

 pious Bulgarian people against the spread of the 

 evilj we have met in the name of our Saviour Jesus 

 Christ. Having first besought from the depths of 

 our hearts the grace of the Father of light, and con- 

 sulted the Gospel of Christ, in which all treasures 

 of wisdom are hidden, and having examined the 

 principles of phyletism with reference to ^ the pre- 

 cepts of the Gospel and the temporal constitution of 

 the Church of God, we have found it not only for- 

 eign, but in enmity to them, and have perceived that 

 the unlawful acts committed, by the aforesaid phyle- 

 tismal assembly, as they were severally recited to us, 

 are one and all condemned. 



Therefore, in view of the sacred canons, whose 

 rulings are hereby confirmed in their whole compass ; 

 in view of the teachings of the apostles, through 

 whom the Holy Ghost has spoken ; in view of the 

 decrees of the seven (Ecumenical Councils, and of 

 all the local councils ; in view of the definitions of 

 the Fathers of the Church, we ordain as follows : 

 ARTICLE I. "We censure, condemn, and declare con- 

 trary to the teachings of the Gospel and the sacred 

 canons of the holy Fathers, the doctrine of phyle- 

 tism, or of the difference of races and national di- 

 versity in the bosom of the Church of Christ. ART. 

 II. "We declare the adherents of phyletism, who 

 have had the boldness to set up an unlawful, unpre- 

 cedented Church assembly upon such a principle, to 

 be foreign and absolutely schismatic, to the only 

 holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. There are*, 

 and remain, therefore, schismatic and foreign to the 

 orthodox Church, the following lawless men who 

 have, of their own free-will, separated themselves 

 from it, namely : Hilarion, ex-Bishop of Makariopo- 

 15s : Panaretes, ex-Metropolitan of Philippopolis ; 

 Hilarion, ex-Bishop of Sosha ; Anthimos, ex-Met- 

 ropolitan of Widdin; Dorotheos, ex-Metropolitan of 

 Sophia; Partheonios, ex-Metropolitan of Nyssava; 

 Gennadios, ex-Metropolitan of Melissa, before de- 

 posed and excommunicated; together with. all who 

 have been ordained by them to be archbishops, 

 priests, and deacons ; all persons, spiritual and 

 worldly, who are in communion with them ; all who 

 act in cooperation with them ; and all who accept as 

 lawful and canonical their unholy blessings and cere- 

 monies of worship. While we pronounce this syn- 

 odal decision, we pray to the God of mercy, our 

 Lord Jesus Christ, the head and founder of our faith, 

 that He will preserve His holy Church from all dan- 

 gerous new doctines, and that He will keep it pure, 

 spotless, and fast on the foundations of the apostles 

 and the prophets. We pray Him to grant the grace 

 of repentance to those who have separated themselves 

 from her, and have founded their unauthorized 

 Church assembly upon the principles of phyletism, 



