9^2 
GREEK CHURCH. 
nerally allowed that they differed from other commu¬ 
nions of the Monophyfite fedt, and particularly from 
the Jacobites, in many points of dotirine and worfhip. 
By Gibbon they are called “the pure difciples of Eu- 
tyches;” he affirms that they believe the manhood of 
Chrift to have been of a r ure incorruptible nature, and 
he imputes their converfion to Julian bifhop of Hali- 
carnafTus. But in thefe afleriions there appears to be 
*fomevvhat of incoufillcncy ; for the hypothefis of Julian 
and the, Phantafiafts was not known, at lead did not 
prevail, among the oriental Chridians till more than 
fixty years after the council of Chalcedon. On what 
authority then are we to believe that the phantafian he- 
refy was the genuine dodtrine of Eutyches ? Sir Paul 
Rycaut, whofe long refidence both at Condantinople 
and Smyrna enabled him to acquire information in re¬ 
gard to the religious fydem of the Armenians, gives 
the following datement of the dodtrinesof their'church. 
“ They allow and accept the articles of faitli accord¬ 
ing to the council of Nice, and are alfo acquainted 
with the Apodles’ creed, which they have in ufe. As 
to the Trinity, they accord with the Greeks, acknow¬ 
ledging three perfons in one divine nature, and that the 
Holy Ghod* proceeds only from the Father.” He de¬ 
nies that the Armenian church is attached to tlic Euty. 
chian or Monophyfite herefy, and produces a trandation 
of its tavananh or creed in fupport of tliat opinion. 
Du Pin would infinuate that the Armenians were re. 
conciled to the Latin church at the council of Florence; 
but if we attend to the learned and judicious Molheim, 
the fcheme of comprehenfion projected in that council 
was completely frudrated, not only in regard to the 
Greek, but all the oriental churches. In the rites and 
ceremonies of the Armenian church tliere is fo great a 
refemblance to thofe of the Greeks, that a particular 
detail would be itiperfluous. Their liturgies aifo are 
either elfentially the fame, or are at leadaferibed to the 
fame aufhors. 
The fads obferved annually in the Armenian church 
are not only more numerous, but kept with greater ri¬ 
gour and mortification than is ufnal in any Chiidian 
community. In addition to thefe, they fad on Wednef- 
day and Friday tiiroughout the year, except in the 
weeks before Eader and Afeenfion day, and in that 
which follows the fead of the Epiphany. Their I'ea- 
fons of fedivity correfpond, in general, uitli tliofe of 
other churches, but they commemorate our Lord’s na¬ 
tivity on the 6th of January, not on tlie 2jth of De¬ 
cember, celebrating in one fedival his birth, epiphany, 
and baptifm. 
V/iien the Armenians receded from the Greeks, they 
made no change jn their epifcopal form of church go¬ 
vernment : tliey only claimed the privilege of ciiooling 
their own fpiritnal rulers, but continued to follow the 
fame doftrines. The name and office of patriarch was 
continued ; but three, or, according to Rycaut, four, 
prelates (hared that dignity. Of thefe, the principal 
refides at the monadery of Ekmiazin, near Ecrivan, in 
Ferfia : his jurirdidtion extends over Armenia Major, 
and he is faid to miniber among hiS furtragans no lets 
than forty-two arclibilhops. His opulent revenues are 
confidereci only as a fund for his numerous charities ; 
for though elevated to the higlied rank of eccledadical 
pirefcrinent, he rejefts all the fpiendid infignitrof autho¬ 
rity, and in his ordinary drefs and mode of living he is 
perfeidly on a level with tlie poored monadic. 
Next in dignity to the patriarch of Ekmiazin is the 
catholic, who relides at Cis, in Cilicia. The abode of 
the lad is at Aghtainan, an ifland in the lake of Van. 
Jn the Armenian church, as in the Clreek, a monadery 
is confidered as the only proper feminary for dignified 
ecclefiadics ; for they are required to praftife abftemi- 
oufnefs in proportion as they are advanced. Hence, 
thongli their prieds are permitted fo marry once only, 
and ufiially provide themfelves with wives whofe healtli 
and youth promife long life, their patriarchs and maf- 
tabets (bifhops), like thofe of the Greek church, mud 
remain in a date of dridl celibacy. 
The monadic difeipline of tlie Armenians is extremely 
fevere. They neither eat fleih nor drink wine ; they 
frequently continue in prayer from midnight till three 
o’clock in the afternoon, during which fiine they are 
required to read the Pl'alter through, befides many fpu 
ritual exercifes. -The orders Or regulations by which 
they are governed, are thofe of St. Gregory, St. BafiL 
and Sr. Dominic. The lad was evidently introduced 
by the Romifh miffionaries, who fird gained a footing- 
in Armenia about tlie commencement of the fourteenth 
century. But the abdinence and mortification of con¬ 
ventual ecclefiadics is furpaffed by the gickniahore, or 
Jicrniits, who devote their lives entirely to contempla¬ 
tion, dwelling on the fumniits of rocks. At the be¬ 
ginning of tlie eighteenth century, the preaching of the 
Jefuit miffionaries at Pera was fo fnccefsfiil in the con- 
verfion of the Armenian citizens of confequence, th.at 
tlieir bifhops applied to the Porte to procure their hip- 
preflion, or at lead to redraiii them. Vr'lien Ejihraiiu 
the Armeniitn was telling tlie vifier of thefe encroach¬ 
ments of the catl'.olics; “ And wli.it (f.id he) are ca¬ 
tholics but infidels ? if the hog be white, red, or black, 
it is neverthelefs a hog ; we will not interfere.” 
Since the clofc of the fixteenth c-iitiiry, the Ruffian 
-cluiich, fomewhat finiilar to the Armenian, has claimed 
a jurifdiiilion independent of the fee of Condantinople. 
Neverthelefs, appeals have been fince made to that 
I'ee in cafes of extraordinary importance. I'roiii tiie 
fttccefs of the Ruflian arms in their two former wars 
with tlie Turks, fliou.ld the Oitoman power be even¬ 
tually fubdued, it feeiiis not improbable that the reli¬ 
gion of tiie Greeks may once more be triumphantly 
edablilhed on the (hores of the Boi'porus, that tlie cref. 
cent may no longer profane the domes of Chridian 
cluirches, and that the patriarch of Condantinople may 
be redored to the dignity, though not to the power and 
influence, which he enjoyed at tlie mod flouridiing pe¬ 
riods of the lower empire.—See Dallaway’s Condanti¬ 
nople, 4to. p. 371-386. 
GREEK FIRE, a fingularly dcdiinStive combiidibie 
matter, frequently nfed in the ancient artillery, and faid 
to have been the invention of the architecd Calliniciis, 
in the reign of the emperor Condantine Pogonatus. 
For iiidances of its dedruftive operation, and method 
of firing, fee the article Artillery, voI. ii. p. 232. 
GREEK ORDERS, in architecliire, are tiie Doric, 
Ionic, and Corinthian; in contradidinction to tlie two 
Latin orders, the Tiifcan and Coinpofite. See the arti¬ 
cle Architecture, vol. ii, p. 68. 
GREEK ROSE,y. in botany; the flower campion. 
See Lych.n’IS : 
Thy beauty, campion, very much may claim ; 
But of Greek rofe how didd thou gain tliy name ? Tate. 
GREEK VALE'RIAN, f. In botany. See Pole- 
mo m i V ,M . 
GREEK'ISH, adj. Belonging to the Greeks, per¬ 
taining to tliecudoin or language of the Greeks. 2 Mac. 
GREEK'LING, J. [A farcadlcal diunmitive of 
Gree/i.] An inferior Greek writer.—Which of tlie Grcek- 
/A^sdurd ever give precepts to Deinodlienes ? B. JonJon. 
GENERAL 
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