GERASSI MOS I.

K O NİDA RIS

THE OECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE IN THE

ORTHODOX CHURCH

A review article of the recently published monograph

by Metropolitan Maximos of Sardis *

The position of the Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church

is by no means a subject of interest merely to the Orthodox world. The oecu­
menical activity of the Archbishops and Patriarchs of Constantinople from
the fourth century right up until today concerns Christendom as a whole, and
this book will be welcomed by Christians of all denominations.
The history of the Oecumenical Patriarchate certainly includes some un­
fortunate episodes, yet I should like to stress the element that strikes the histo­
rian who views it as a whole. From its earliest days, the Church of Constanti­
nople figured in world history as the Church of a Christian city within the Ro­
man Empire as reformed by Constantine the Great. It was called the Church
of New Rome, the new capital of the first Christian Emperor.
It came to prominence at a time when the conversion of the Roman Em­
pire to Christianity was being completed, and when Byzantium was beginning
to develop as a Graeco-Roman and Christian Empire. This empire was at heart
both Christian and Greek; Greek not in a baldly nationalistic sense, but rather
as world-wide and oecumenical. This Christian-Greek element was nearly al­
ways predominant. Byzantine history has a broad basis, as the Church there,
which once had had quite a simple task, was then called upon to offer the world­
wide oecumenical worship of Christ on behalf of man. As far as both the Chris­
tian-Greek element and the Christianity of the Greek nation proper are con­
cerned, it may be said that the Greek Church of Constantinople possessed the
unity and spirit of primitive Christianity which had itself mastered the world­
wide Greek culture of the Roman Empire. It carried on the ancient Catholic
Church of the Greek World and the Graeco-Roman Empire of Byzantium,
and preserved more authentically than the other churches this union of oecu­
menical Christianity and the Greek World. For this reason its Orthodoxy is

* Maximos, Metropolitan of Sardis, To Οικουμενικόν Πατριαρχείου év τfj Όρθοδόξω

Έκκλησίρ (Tke Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church), a historical and cano­
nical study. Thessaloniki, Patriarchal Institute for Patristic Studies, 1972,389 pp.,with a sum­
mary in French. An English translation is currently in preparation.
Cf. my communication (in German) at the second Conference of South Eastern Euro­
pean Studies, Athens, 1970. Now at press.
332 G. I. Konidaris

not so static or restricted in form, bu is rather dynamic. This is clear from the
Encyclical of 1920, and by the modern developments in the the Greek Theology
of Athens, Thessaloniki and Chalki, and in the thought of the modern theolo­
gians of the Russian Diaspora and the Orthodox Balkan countries. The unity
of the Orthodox Churches with the Oecumenical Throne as head, and with
the other seven Patriarchates and autocephalous Churches is a remarkable
phenomenon for the divided world of today, and for Western Christianity.
Orthodoxy is firmly rooted in its liberal, democratic organization, mid-way
between two extres; the monarchic Roman-Catholic Church, and the divided
Protestant confessions.
Introduction (pp. 1-9). The author starts by giving as an example of the
unity of Orthodoxy the recent initiative of the Constantinopolitan Patriarch;
the first pan-Orthodox Conference of Rhodes in 1961. He praises this as done
in full consciousness of the responsibilities involved. The Orthodox Church,
he writes, connects freedom in expressing thoughts with authority; that is rev­
erence for truth, the Canons and for History, and for the ancient ecclesiasti­
cal and canonical establishment and order. He points out that Orthodoxy being
life is organically structured, and as such has as head and centre the Oecume­
nical Patriarchate. No other Church has exerted itself more for Orthodoxy,
fulfilling over the years what it understood to be the function of the Holy and
Great Church of Christ. The position and rights of the local Orthodox Chur­
ches are defined by the Holy Canons and the course of history, and the same
is true for Constantinople. The charge of «Eastern Papacy» is therefore ground­
less. The author examines the peculiar position of the Oecumenical Patriarchate
in relation to the autocephalous churches, and to the churches of the Diaspora.
Particularly interesting are his remarks on the internal unity of Orthodoxy, and
his investigation of the interchangeable terms, The Orthodox Church, and The
Orthodox Churches. He concludes : diversity in unity, as in the Trinity1. He goes
on to develop this in connection with the Eucharistic ecclesiological basis of
the Church of Christ: he sees fulness of Communion on Christ in the visible
Church as the local and original basis of the existence of the individual chur­
ches. He finds the origin of autocephaly in the unity in a particular place of
bishop, clergy, and laity, and not in a fixed connection between local churches
where the bishops are equal to one another. The author makes a distinction
between the ontological equality of the bishops of the local churches—each
of which fully possesses the Apostolic charismata— and the autocephaly and
hierarchy of the individual sees. He does not confuse equality of honour among

1. Cf. certain remarks of Archbishop Athenagoras of Thyateira in his periodical, July/

August 1972, page 6.
The Oecumenical Patriarhate in the Orthodox Church 333

bishops with autocephaly and the hierarchy of honour, but he considers the
Roman Papacy a distortion of ecclesiology. This is also his judgement upon a
bishop’s being employed merely as a legate of the Patriarch. While the bishops
and leaders of each of the local churches are ontologically equal in honour,
the author makes an exception: according to the ecclesiastical and canonical
order of the universal Church, which concerns the interpretation of autocepha­
ly, «the Bishops are not equal in honour». The interpretation of autocephaly (in
it widest, historical sense) belongs not in the sphere of the «ontology» of the
Church, he emphasizes, but rather in that of its historical hypostatic form, as
Father Alexander Schmemann remarks, citing the case of the dioceses of Tula
and Moscow, to show that there is indeed a primacy of honour in the histori­
cally evolved «hierarchic order of the Universal Church». The existence of such
a hierarchy, however, does not annul the ontological equality of honour of all
the bishops and their Churches, in terms of ecclesiastical theology.
We can therefore correctly use the expression : The Unity of the Churches
that are episcopally constituted and independent of each other where administra­
tion is concerned. The expression was used by Eusebius1, «concerning the com­
mon union» of the communities whose «common faith» is preserved even when
there is disagreement in secondary matters. Yet the existence of Apostolic, mis­
sionary or Mother Churches, and the political organization of the έπαρχίαι
of the Roman Empire, which were divided into metropolises with dioceses sub­
ject to them, and independent arcodioceses not controlling subject dioceses,
together with the need to preserve identity of faith in essentials in the face of
heresies and schisms, brought to light the concept of the Synod as an essential
factor in the life of the Church. From the idea of the Synod grew the order of
precedence among sees of the fifth and sixth centuries. This grew up and took
shape from the historical circumstances of the Synodical Church, which after
about 160 turned out to be a serious factor in the formation of the faith, and
of the organization of episcopal jurisdictions throughout history. The unity in
essence of the Churches as the Body of Christ is an essential concept of both
Christology and ecclesiology, and emphasizes their identity in faith, liturgy and
ethics, in usage and tradition, within the Synod framework.
Within the Synodical institution, however, the equality of the bishops is
safeguarded by the system of government by majority rule —all votes having
equal authority. This demonstrates the shared responsibility for the truth of the
Apostolic tradition, the Scriptures emerging as part of the tradition of the Church.
The Synodical system brought about the questions of the status of sees, of
jurisdiction on matters of faith, ordinations, judgements upon bishops and

1. Hist. Eccl. V, 24 ix.

334 G. I. Konidarís

ecclesiastical order in general. The administrative distinction of bishops into

Archbishoprics, Patriarchates, Provinces and the like is closely bound up with
the synodical system.
I agree with what Metropolitan Maximos says about the need to avoid
confusing the ontological equality of all churches (not just the autocepha­
lous ones) in the person of their bishop with autocephaly. Yet in connection
with the hierarchy, I prefer the use of the terms elder and younger churches,
and the idea of first, second and third as an expression of the primacy of ho­
nour—either of sees or of seniority in consecration—and of jurisdiction. This
last does not affect in the slightest the equality of the Apostolic successors1.
I should prefer to avoid the term subordinates, because the bishops, as succes­
sors of the Apostles, are basically all equal. I cannot justify the existence of
assistant bishops and titulars, since even the chorepiscopi от country-bishops
had some jurisdiction, and the successors of the Apostles must have territorial
jurisdiction. Nevertheless in Churches such as Constantinople, Alexandria and
Antioch, where the flocks were driven out of the fixed diocesan areas by force,
their existence is justified, because they have dioceses in partibus infidelium.
The primacy of Constantinople once accepted as a canonical and synodical
principle, I am in full agreement with what Metropolitan Maximos has to say
about Constantinople as the first Eastern see, in contrast to the West. If there
is one particular factor that has maintained the Oecumenical Throne it is this:
it has combined an ancient catholicity that rises above national divisions with
unity in Orthodoxy and in the primacy of honour. This has brought about fixed
episcopal jurisdictions, yet has left the equality, which is of Apostolic origin,
unaffected. This equality is the heritage received from the Apostles in parti­
cular areas, and in the synod, where it is possible for the presiding Patriarch
to be in the minority, and to be obliged to yield. In the West, however, there
arose the idea of two inheritances —one from Peter, and one from the Apos­
tles, the former clearly having priority. The primacy of honour and authori­
ty which resulted from this led to the breaking away of Protestantism, and the
emergence in the Roman Catholic world of the present struggle of the Prima­
tus Petri with the collegialitas of the Apostles (two inheritances) which leads
to an impasse. The unity, however, of the bishops of the first three centuries
was preserved more properly in the East, within the canonical order of the sees.
The work of the Metropolitan is to be seen as an attempt to link ecclesi-
ology with the ecclesiastical order evolved by history and tradition, which
serves the collective responsibilities of the bishops for the continued existence
and propagation of Christianity. The sole responsibility that concerns essen­

1. Ibid., I, 1.
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 335

tials in the Synodical system of the Church is the responsibility for the Truth
and for ecclesiastical tradition.
At the end of the introduction, Metropolitan Maximos goes into the emer­
gence and development of the local churches which formed the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Church, whose bishops, united in identity of faith and
equal to one another, acquired a «hierarchy of sees» led by First Bishops (πρω­
τόθρονοι). Thus, while the first two chapters avoid somewhat the question
of the position of the Oecumenical Patriarch in the Orthodox Church today,
they do deal with the structure of the Church, and the construction of the py­
ramid of government on the basis of which equality is preserved in the unity
and identity of the churches/bishops. This unity and identity proceeded from
the will of the founder and of the Apostles, directly from the Early Church.
The first chapter, entitled General Presuppositions, deals with three ques­
tions. The first is the position within the Eucharist of the bishop. The second is
the meaning of Catholicity (that is the fulness of the local church which entirely
possesses Christ, as expressed clearly in the Epistle of Ignatius to the Smymae-
ans, VIII [p. 28, and cf. Zezioulas, op. cit., p. 99] and hinted at in the other sour­
ces, even in I Clement in the West). The third is the position of the priesthood
in the Eucharist, subordinate in the Church according to divine will1. This leads
to the Eucharist’s becoming, both in East and West, the centre of the life of
the Church in a particular place. Beginning quite properly with the New Testa­
ment texts2, and Christ’s words that «where two or three are gathered together
in my name, there am I in the midst of them», the author shows that from the
earliest times the leader of the Christian community has been seen as the image
of Christ himself. He takes the line that what was seen as internally, liturgically
and ecclesiologically necessary was accepted by the Church right from sub-
apostolic times —a monarchic episcopal organization, with the presbyters en­
circling the bishop as the body of the Apostles encompassed Christ. This re­
calls my belief that there was no monarchic organization (p. 11) as some mo­
dern Protestants understand it by forcing the texts. The Metropolitan goes on
to examine the Eucharist as a revelation of the Church both ideally and in his­
tory, and sees the bishop as leader and head of the Eucharistic Community
which united the Church of God both temporally and spatially3. By the second
century, the term Catholic Church was also associated with Orthodoxy in the

1. Isaiah LX, 17 (Septuagint).

2.1 Cor. XIV, 40 «but everything is to be done properly, and in order».
3. On page 12, he mentions the book of a pupil of mine, Professor I. Zezioulas, Ή
ένότης τής ’Εκκλησίας εν τή Θεά} Ενχαριστίρ καί τω έπισκόπφ κατά τούς τρεις πρώτους
αΙώνας, Athens, 1965.
336 G. I. Konidaris

faith1, but without any weakening of the concept associated with the Eucharist.
Eucharistic ecclesiology and correct belief were inseparably connected (Hippo­
lytus) with the bishop as guardian of the correct faith. The unity of the Local
Churches in the One, Holy Catholic Church throughout the world is seen in
its identity to the whole Christ, to the primitive Catholic state. This is the basis
of Orthodox ecclesiology. I must point out that the basic factor in the Church
of the first three centuries—before the formation of parishes—was the succes­
sion of the προεστώς presbyter-bishop to the position belonging to every
Apostle. A similar succession is to be observed in the concélébration with the
προεστώς of presbyter-bishops assisted by deacons. The participation of all
of them in the Eucharist was of fundamental significance, as was also the for­
mation of each church as a closed liturgical circle, and the passing on of the
Apostolic way of naming the προεστώς (Justin) once there were no more Apos­
tles. They were remembered through the name; this happened with Paul, Igna­
tius, Clement and Polycarp. There then rapidly came to be an association
of the person with the name of his people, and later with that of his city (for
instance Polycarp of the Smyrnaeans, and later Alexander of Alexandria). When
necessary, the presbyters were entitled to celebrate the Eucharist alone, in the
absence of the bishop. It was celebrated by the προεστώς, which is a term for
bishop in Justin, according to H. Lietzmann2). The basic unit, therefore, of
ecclesiastical organization was the diocese, directed by one bishop, celebra­
ting the One Eucharist with the presbyters and deacons, and preserving the
one true faith and tradition. The identity of the Catholic Bishops with each
other and with the primitive Church is what makes the One, Holy, Catholic
and Apostolic Church.
In chapter two, entitled Ecclesiastical Organization, the author examines
the question of the first Church organization, its development from the pri­
mitive period, the subsequent concentration around city one and one bishop
in the one Eucharist, and goes up to the formation of parishes with presbyters
in charge in the mid-third century. Pointing out that it was frequently necessa­
ry to represent the bishop (p. 36) he concludes that «the solution of the prob­
lem was to be found by strengthening the liturgical jurisdiction of the presby­
ters». I do not agree with the word strengthening, because I Clement and Igna­
tius do not lead me to interpret the liturgical prayers of Hippolytus for the
ordaining of presbyters as granting a prerogative originally granted to them
through their ordination or appointment during the Eucharist. Reserving exam­
ination of this later, I will only say now that I should prefer the expression

1. Irenaeus P.G. VII, 1025.

2. Geschichte der Alten Kirche.
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 337

«more frequent and canonical use of the liturgical prerogative of presbyters»,

which was granted to them, and ever since has been granted to them for the
specific purpose, for the κατάστασις (Clement of Rome constantly uses this
expression as against that of χειροτονία-electium) within the Eucharist; the pre­
rogative of the principal ministers in the Eucharist, the bishops and presbyters,
the deacons acting as assistants. The author discusses the question of travelling
presbyters, and presbyters permanently appointed to parishes, whonatur ally also
undertook the celebration of the Eucharist, while during the period of con-
celebration (50-c. 250) their more usual task had been teaching. He then moves
on to the great increase in the number of the bishops towards the end of the
third century and the beginning of the fourth, and deals with the question of
chorepiscopi. I cannot examine this matter here, but I should like to point out
that they should be seen as bishops dependent on the city bishop, but receiving
less jurisdiction when it came to ordinations. Later he examines two kinds of
ecclesiastical structure; the one which has a large number of dioceses, the other
having fewer dioceses, but where the parishes were correspondingly more ex­
tensive. He goes on to deal with Metropolitan Churches, and the unity of the
local churches1 in the Eucharist, in faith, in love in Christ, and the devotion of
their members. This unity is best expressed in frequent communication and
communion, and in the Synod, the significance of which I have underlined in
a discussion of the formation of the Early Catholic Church in connection with
the three Hierarchs of the Orthodox Church— Ή διαμόρφωσις τής Καθολι­
κής Εκκλησίας μέχρι των άρχών τοΟ Ε' αίώνος, Athens, 1955, ρρ. 38-41. Me­
tropolitan Maximos refers to this book on p. 47. It is highly probable that sy­
nods of local bishops frequently met to elect and consecrate bishops for va­
cant sees (cf. pp. 48-49). Such a meeting of the local church was already a con­
tinuation along the Unes of the Apostolic Council. In this synodical develop­
ment of the Church on the basis of metropolitan cities where the bishops na­
turally assembled to consecrate new bishops and tore solve ecclesiastical ques­
tions, the order of precedence of bishops and sees was formed in the Roman
areas. The word μητροπολίτης appears in the fourth canon of the Council of
Nicaea. At the same time there grew up the particular rights of the apostolic
sees and the πρωτόθρονοι. The rights of ordaining and judging bishops deriv­
ing from the primacy among sees were the essential factors in the primacy of
honour. While they were in my opinion of historical origin (as in Rome, Ale­
xandria and Antioch) they were shaped by resolutions of the first four Oecu­
menical Councils into historical and canonical rights belonging to the Churches
of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem (Pentarchy of

1.1 Clement VI, 1, Ignatius: Magn. IV, 1 and VI, 1, Trail. Ill, 1, Philad. VIII, 1.
338 G. I. Konidaris

Patriarchs, cf. work by Konidares and Pheidas). In the West the primacy of
honour of Rome emerged as a dogmatic primacy of authority, ignoring the
significance of the Oecumenical Council. On the contrary, in the East, inas­
much as the democratic, that is synodical, basis has remained, the Oecumeni­
cal Council is still the supreme organ of dogmatic and canonical authority in
the Church, that is as an organ of the truth expressed in the Holy Scriptures
and in tradition, and by those Oecumenical Councils that have come to be accep­
ted as such by the Church. The author discusses well the position of the first
sees of the autocephalous churches (cf. the works of Konidares, Zezioulas,
Schmemann and Metropolitan Stylianos Charkianakis) in relation to the order
of sees, the τάξις προκαθεδρίας, in which the ontological equality of bishops
and sees is preserved. The hierarchy is indispensable, because «every confusion
in this leads to the distortion of ecclesiology, that is to the position of the Ro­
man Papacy, where the diocesan bishop becomes simply a legate of his Patri­
arch», of, that is to say, the «Supreme Bishop». It is properly emphasized that
such a concept is foreign to the East, but that the subordinate bishop has un­
fortunately developed in the form of assistant bishops.
In the final section of chapter two, which deals with the Council of Ni­
caea, the author examines at length the fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh canons.
Accepting the interpretation of canon six, he discusses the fact that the Bishop
of Alexandria was recognized as having direct jurisdiction over a large number
of dioceses. It is, however, unquestionable that this canon establishes the met-
ropolitical organization. Schwarz thoroughly investigated the text in question
and established that the original phrase was not έν ταϊς άλλαις έπαρχίαις
but έν ταϊς τών μητροπόλεων έπαρχίαις1. Parallel to this was the primacy
of honour which entailed the powers of those bishops that from the middle
of the fourth century were called Archbishops; those of Alexandria, Rome and
Antioch, to whom the Bishop of Constantinople was added by the third canon
of the Council of Constantinople. He was then placed parallel with and im­
mediately after Rome, and became first bishop in the East instead of Alexan­
dria. In 451 the Bishop of Jerusalem was added as the fifth, but had neverthe­
less been revered since the time of Nicaea. These were the principal exarchs,
while the others, such as Caesarea, Ephesus and Heraclea were not so honour­
ed. After Chalcedon these principal exarchs became Patriarchs. The custo­
mary exercise of authority within the synodical system was canonized by the
first four Oecumenical Councils, but the Council of Ephesus passed a reso­
lution (which became canon eight) which preserved one metropolis, that of

1. Cf. my investigation and communication about Cyprus in Πρακ. A' Κνπρ. Συνεδρίου,
and in A' Έτιετηρ. Επιστημονικών ’Ερευνών Πανεπιστημίου ’Αθηνών, Athens, 1970, ρ. 167.
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 339

Cyprus. The order of precedence among sees, compulsory in subsequent coun­

cils, formed a pyramid with the most distinguished sees at the top as points of
union for the Churches (resolution of Chalcedon ; canon twenty eight). The pri­
macy of honour associated with the exercise of power achieved canonical status,
and the Oecumenical Council1 allowed the question of the fundamental unity
of the Church in Christian truth and love to be faced on a world-wide basis.
Chapter three examines the main theme of the book, the primacy of the
Bishop of Constantinople up until the Council of Chalcedon; to be more pre­
cise the historical presuppositions, the question of the new centre of the East­
ern Churches, the scope of its jurisdiction, the primacy in action, the question
of Eastern Illyricum, and the consolidation of jurisdiction over the exarchates.
Investigating the historical acts of the Constantinopolitan bishop from 330
until the definite formation of the primacy of honour, he extols its use right
from the time of John Chrysostom and Anatolius. The matter of Eastern Illy­
ricum, and the necessary down-grading of Alexandria, as well as the recog­
nition in the councils of the primacy of honour and jurisdiction are discussed.
The working of the Resident Synod in Constantinople was an important factor
in the exercise of Constantinople’s power before 381, and during the time of
Nectarius, because East and West had turned their eyes towards Constanti­
nople —the preparatory work of Polakes is helpful here. The chapter exami­
nes how the Canons grant the Patriarch of Constantinople equality with the
Pope of Rome. This was done by the third canon of the Council of Constan­
tinople, with the stipulation, «after the Bishop of Rome, because it is New
Rome». The application, both before and after 381, of this primacy by Arch­
bishops of Constantinople such as John Chrysostom, Atticus and Anatolius
up until Chalcedon, together with the de facto effect upon the eastern exar­
chates and Illyricum are dealt with admirably by the author.
Chapter four is entitled The Council of Chalcedon and considers the fol­
lowing questions; The Council, its reason for being called, its results in terms
of canons ; discussion of the ninth and seventeenth canons, their interpretation
by Byzantine canonists, by the Imperial legislation, and by modern historians
and canonists; the question of the twenty eighth canon, its composition and
meaning; the pentarchy of Patriarchs and the political laws; the question of
Σταυροπήγια and of titles. The Metropolitan methodically analyzes and re­
futes the opinions of both Roman-Catholics and Slav Orthodox about the
dignity of the Patriarch of Constantinople, who, in spite of the vicissitudes of
history and his own Greek nationality, preserved, in my opinion, his ancient
oecumenicity,even in the teeth of Modern Greek and Slav ecclesiastical thought.

1. Anticipated by Ignatius, Eph. ΠΙ, 3.

340 G. I. Konidaris

Let us turn to the questions of the second and third canons of Constanti­
nople, and of the ninth, seventeenth and twenty eighth of Chalcedon. I should
like to add some comments to support the author’s position.
I am particularly interested in the problem of hearing appeals, a privilege
of the Patriarch of Constantinople which even today is a matter of controversy,
although it is applied in practice. It is well discussed on pp. 138 ff., where the
author deals with canons nine and seventeen of Chalcedon. Constantinople
alone, as the first see of the East, was justified, when there were clerical ap­
peals, in exercising judgement upon clergy outside its own juridisdiction, from
the Provinces or Exarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and from
the autocephalous metropolis, Cyprus1.
I agree with the author in interpreting the canons generally as dealing
with the right of receiving appeals only from the Exarchates of Pontus, Asia
and Thrace, that is to say Caesarea, Ephesus and Heraclea. This had been
fixed by a decree of Chalcedon (later canon twenty eight) and these bishops
were subordinated to the Patriarch of Constantinople as the first Metropo­
litans of Cappadocia, Pontus, Asia and Thrace. I take this line for the following
reasons:
a) The restriction of the sense of Exarch of the region to these three areas
alone reads into the formulation of the Canons a sense which was probably
not in the general formulation, which read as follows: «If a member of the
clergy has something against his own bishop, or against another, let the mat­
ter be decided at the synod of the province. If on the other hand a bishop or
member of the clergy has a dispute with the metropolitan of the province, let
him repair to the exarch of the region, or to (the incumbent of) the throne of
Constantinople, the Imperial capital, and let the matter be decided there»2.
b) The word ή (or) places all the regions of the Empire in parallel. The
word is the key to the correct understanding of the texts of the Canons, which
in fact favoured the Constantinopolitan Bishop and his Resident Synod, where
an appellant had a greater chance of finding a fair judgement. The Resident
Synod, when it met as an extraordinary synod, as a tribunal, constituted a gen­
eral Great Synod. The Great Synod, in fact, found its full application in Con­
stantinople, hearing appeals from episcopal and metropolitical courts.
c) The hearing of appeals should not be interpreted as limited merely to
the metropolises of these three regions —that is to say Caesarea, Ephesus and
Heraclea—because even canon twenty eight made no distinction between

1. G. Konidaris, Γενική Εκκλησιαστική 'Ιστορία, 1957s, p. 389.

2. Ninth Canon of Chalcedon; v. Alivizatos, p. 52, and J. P. Fonti, I, pp. 76 - Similar ex­
pression also in the seventeenth canon {ibid., p. 83).
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 341

them and the other Metropolitans of the same area, although the «order of
precedence» probably began to hold good in tradition from that point on.
However, in canon thirty, the idea that the Bishops of Egypt were unaccoun­
table «as they did not sign the letter of St. Leo of Rome», becomes a positive
statement about the Bishop of Alexandria as Archbishop of the Province1.
d) The formula of canon thirty six of the Council in Trullo of 691/2 «con­
cerning the dignity of Patriarchs» chould be mentioned :
«Reaffirming the enactments of...(Constantinople and Chalcedon)...we
declare that the see of Constantinople shall enjoy rights equal to the see of Old
Rome, and the see is to be honoured in ecclesiastical matters just as Old Rome,
as it comes second after it. Let the see of the great city of the Alexandrians be
numbered after Constantinople, and then that of the Antiocheans, and after
that the see of Jerusalem»2. Aristenos uses the terms identity-of-honour and
equality-of-honour for the Bishops of Old and New Rome. The particular
privilege of both was precisely the right to receive appeals against bishops and
metropolitans from the other regions, whereas no such thing is mentioned for
the other three Patriarchates. Under the principles of both the pentarchy of
Patriarchs and the primacy of honour, these two sees were senior. Old Rome
as capital before 330 came first, and was followed immediately by Constanti­
nople, capital in its turn and pre-eminent ever afterwards, and which hence
emerged as patron of all the Patriarchates of the East. A distinction emerges
between the two Romes, Old and New, which were on an equal footing be­
cause of their equal rights and prerogative of hearing appeals, and the other
three Patriarchates.
This distinction indicates a recognition that jurisdiction was in reality being
exercised3. In the two Romes, identical and equal in honour, can be seen es­
sentially the function of the Extraordinary Synod, which was the Great Synod
of the Regions, because the Resident Synod in Constantinople was another
way for the Church to revise the resolutions of provincial synods. The Local
Synod, although a synodical institution of a superior kind as possessing au­
thority above the regional authorities, is however related to both the Resident
and the Great Synods. The relation is in the extraordinary nature of the as­
sembly, and of the questions before it, when compared with lower organs
of government. The highest administrative organ in the Orthodox Church has
always been the Oecumenical Council.

1. Text in Ioannou, p. 95, and Alivizates, op. cit., p. 60.

2. This has been interpreted by Balsamon, Zonaras and Aristinos. Cf. also Rhalles - Pot­
ies, vol. II, pp. 173 ff., 280 ff., and 387 ff.
3. Rhalles-Potles, p. 286.
22
342 G. I. Konidaris

Constantinople’s hearing of appeals —a right which this bishop exercised

on the broad basis of the Resident Synod, and which was not confined to the
jurisdictional area of the Patriarchate— must properly be referred to the Re­
sident and not the Patriarchal Synod, if it concerns the Ancient Patriarchates,
or the Greek autocephalous Churches1. The Great Synod called in 1872 to
deal with the Bulgarian Schism was essentially extraordinary; a synod greater
than either the Patriarchal or the Resident. The Resident Synod can therefore
act as a third stage in the appeal process; a kind of House of Lords or Supreme
Court of the Church, composed of different bishops who do not judge the
case in question during the first or second judicial stages2. As far as purely
administrative matters are concerned, neither the Local nor the Great Synod
are bound by this provision which concerns judicial matters only. The Great
Synod, as an extraordinary synod, can be a judicial or administrative organ
of the Church. Given this argument, I consider the refutation of Pheidas’ opi­
nions to be well-grounded, because of the statements set out on pp. 206 ff.,
referring as far back as the Patriarchate of Anatolius (449-458) and explaining
the existence of an earlier custom: «Nothing has been done which involved
irrovatior on my part, nor have the resident Holy Bishops, meeting as is the
custom, introduced any new formula...». Expressing differently what the author
says about traditio constitutiva and traditio continuativa, I should say that the
latter is the authentic witness not only of the understanding in practice of canon
law, originating from the form either...or...of the ninth and seventeenth canons
of Chalcedon. It is also the key to the principle which there furnished the
Bishop of Constantinople with the right to hear appeals, as if he had authority
over the exarchs, since he could be called upon to decide judicial cases instead
of any other exarch, even one bearing the title of Archbishop, such as Ale­
xandria. Traditio continuativa thus rapidly becomes traditio constitutiva for
the law of the Eastern Church. I can therefore conclude that the Patriarch of
Constantinople can even today, within his Resident Synod, be of use as a
second court of appeal. Certainly as far as the Churches of the lands gained
by the Greek State this century are concerned (these churches come under the

1. The Patriarch can receive appeals from the New Patriarchates and autocephalous
Churches, provided the case concerns areas that belonged to the Byzantine Empire, or that
were adjacent to it.
2.1 have in mind the case of Decree 3615 passed by the Greek Legislature in July 1928,
and the Patriarchal and Synodical Act of the 14th of September 1928, which, because of the
time of its publication, authoritatively interpreted the Decree, even though the text was not
published in the official Government Gazette. Cf. also Professor Vavouskos’ work on the
Metropolitans of the «New Lands» —the Greek territories acquired this century— and the
rights of the Oecumenical Patriarchate.
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 343

Oecumenical Patriarchate) this right cannot be withdrawn, because of the pro­

visions of the Decree 3615/1928, when read in connection with the Patriarchal
and Synodical Act of September 19281. This fundamental privilege of the
Church of Constantinople must be considered of great value. It expresses not
merely the rule of law, but also the consciousness in the Church of the need to
avoid internal disputes.
Chapter five contains the author’s principal contribution to Theology,
because he discusses the important speculative question of the relations be­
tween canons, Canonicity, and canonical consciousness, and the extent to which
the essence of the Church and of its doctrine and life is expressed in these con­
cepts. Essence and form are discussed here on the basis of short discussions,
and he pin-points the meaning of Ecclesiastical Canonical Consciousness as
it has been preserved in the Orthodox Church; the spirit of canonical tradition
as a criterion for the developing operation of the Church and her government.
While, however, the decrees of the Oecumenical Councils relating to the faith
are unchangeable and must remain so, periodical ecclesiastical clarification is
not, I believe, excluded, given particular presuppositions. On the contrary the
canons are changeable by the competent organ of the Church. In this case we
cannot, I submit, accept the principle of secular law, where temporal legisla­
tion is omnipotent. This «competent organ» takes into account the customs
that develop through the ages, upon which the various administrative systems
are based, which manifest both ecclesiastical consciousness and conformity
to the needs of a particular period by making what administrative changes are
necessary. At the same time, however, it makes a clear distinction between the
Jus Divinum and the Jus Humanum, the former- making ineffectual or ignoring
the latter. Clearly there must be a distinction between the fundamental and
the ephemeral in the canonical life of the Church, even in reference to the first
five centuries, because otherwise ecclesiastical authority will be condemned to
stagnation. Christianity would become unable to speak to the needs of the
times. On the other hand it must be stressed that the Canons have an ecclesio-

1. A great deal of confusing information has been written about the Synodical Tome of
1928. These are the facts:— The Synodical Tome grants administrative detachment and thus
administrative independence for the Church, which is not the case with the Churches of the
«New Lands», which were joined to the Autocephalous Church of Greece. Hence the term
Church of Greece comprises two distinct elements:
a) The Autocephalous Church of Greece, established by the Synodical Tomes of 1850,1864
and 1882, stretching as far as, and including Thessaly.
b) The dioceses of the territory acquired this century, with the exception of Crete, the
Dodecanese Islands, and Mount Athos, that is to say those areas which belong to the Oecu­
menical Patriarchate.
344 G. I. Konidaris

logical basis, and there are fundamental formulations which cannot be chan­
ged, not even by the Church itself in Council. I am particularly interested in
the basis of the ecclesiastical establishment, where the clergy is distinguished
from the people as a necessary order existing by divine law, not as a contra­
diction in the Church, for both are within the single Body of Christ. The three
grades of the clergy are however necessary, as is also the acceptance of the
mystery of priesthood and the Apostolic Succession, without which there is
no Church. The synod structure, however, is also a fundamental principle
that cannot be changed by any Council in its essentials —that is the identity
and equality of honour of the bishops, quite apart from the administrative
distinctions in the order of precedence among sees. The unity in Christ being
both vertical and horizontal expresses the Church’s link with its head, with the
primitive Church, and with the living παρουσία of the Lord in the Church. St.
Ignatius of Antioch, in his Epistle to the Romans 3, advising Christians to fall
in with God’s mind, well expresses the faith of the Early Church : «For Jesus
Christ also, our inseparable life, is the mind of the Father, just as the bishops,
appointed in the furthest extremities of the world, are in the mind of Jesus
Christ»1. Notice the prelude to the principle of the Oecumenical Council as
the highest organ of the Church, and the beginning of the synodical idea, the
body of bishops, in which there is neither monarchy nor oligarchy. These prin­
ciples were preserved by the original canons and Early Church practice which
were and still are the basis of the canonical theory and ecclesiastical structure
of the Orthodox Church. The Church organization remains fundamentally
democratic and liberal, so as to safeguard the worship of absolute spirit2, of
reasonable service3, of truth4, of love, and of perfection in holiness, humility
and freedom in Christ Jesus5. Both clergy and people are called upon to safe­
guard these Early Christian fundamentals of the new life in Christ Jesus.
From the basic principles of the canonical structure and the canonical con­
sciousness of the Church, the author proceeds in chapter six to examine how
the Oecumenical Throne, thanks to its position, acted in the Life of the Church,
exercising not power but service to the autocephalous churches. This is a most
important chapter, because in my opinion6 the Archbishop of Constantinople

1.Ignatius, Eph. Ill, 3.

2.«God is a spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth». Jn. IV,
24, cf.Rom. II, 29.
3.Rom. XII, 1.
4. Jn. VIII, 32.
5.II Cor. Ill, 17, Gal. II, 4, V, 1.
6.Cf. G. I. Konidares, Ή ’Ελληνική ’Εκκλησία ώς πολιτιστική δύναμις εν τή Ίστορίμ
τής Χερσονήσου τοϋ Αίμου, Athens, 1948. By the same author, «Ή δρσις τοϋ Βουλγαρικοϋ
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 345

preserved the ancient supra-national spirit more strongly than did the national
autocephalous churches, including the Church of Greece, which was founded
in an age of nationalist movements. This characteristic of the Patriarchate can
be attributed to four factors :
a) The birth of this church in the Graeco-Roman civilization of the East­
ern Mediterranean, which was the only area where the Oecumenical Councils
of the Early Church were held.
b) The inheritance by Constantinople of the oecumenicity of early Chris­
tianity (Paul: «Neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor free...») and of the Greek
World.
c) Because of its exercising an oecumenical ecclesiastical policy through
the Oecumenical Councils.
d) Because of its seat and position near the Emperor. The universal Hel­
lenic spirit (not merely a nationalistic Greek attitude) referred to at the begin­
ning of this article was what has formed the successful element in the Patriar­
chate’s existence. This is not thanks to «Hellenism» since it is certainly not
dangerous to Turkey, but rather to the Christianity and brotherhood of the
people. But let us turn to those factors that bear witness to the mediation and
concern of the Oecumenical Patriarchate on behalf of all the Eastern Churches,
and to its missionary work in Eastern Europe. The primacy of honour of the
see became constantly, in fact, a primacy exercising jurisdiction, because the
Oecumenical Patriarchs realized they were responsible for the Patriarchates
of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and for the autocephalous Church of
Cyprus, which suffered first from heresies and later from the Arab conquests.
The facts which emerge support this, because they refer to the exercise of an
oecumenical policy.
When it came to establishing and guiding the new churches, the Oecume­
nical Patriarchate became the principal vehicle of Christianity and of the unity
of the Orthodox Church. It preserved and expanded Orthodoxy in the world,
in spite of difficult circumstances such as the transformation of the world by
the Renaissance, the Enlightenment and the nationalist and socialist revolu­
tions. This was an immense achievement of great difficulty brought about
through the years that followed the work of transmitting Christianity and civil­
ization to the Slavs. It was, thanks to Christianity, civilization and guidance
from the Greek Patriarchs and Bishops that the Slavs formed states with auto-

Σχίσματος έν τφ Πλαισίω τής Καθολικής ’Ορθοδοξίας», 'Ελληνισμός, III, 1971, and (now at
press) : «Die Privüigien der Oriental Kirche im Osmanischen Reich und die Erfüllung der drei­
fachen Aufgabe der Ökumenischer Patriarchats (völkisch-nationalen, panorthodoxen und
ökumenischen). Communication gehalten am 2 Mai 1972 in II Kongress f. Südosteuropäi­
schen Studien. Acts of the Second Balkan Congress, Athens, 1972.
346 G. I. Konidaris

cephalous churches. The Church of Constantinople emerged as the Mother

Church of all the Orthodox of the East, to the extent that under Turkish domi­
nation, «The Oecumenical Patriarch was recognized not only as a religious
leader, but also as a kind of political ethnarch —Millet Basi— of the entire
Romaic Nation —Rum Milleti— which was reckoned to comprise all the
Orthodox people» that had formerly been subjects of the Eastern Roman Em­
pire, regardless of nationality. The recognition of the «right to judge and gov­
ern» under Christian Law, with political responsibility, made the Oecumeni­
cal Patriarch responsible to the Sultan as the first Patriarch of the Orthodox
East, since Orthodox Patriarchs of the captive countries were elected and often
lived in Constantinople from 1453 onwards. The position of the Oecumenical
Patriarchate was clearly defined in the edict recognizing the election of Diony­
sius IV : «The Patriarchs of the other areas are to conduct their business through
the Patriarch of Constantinople». As representative and intermediary of the
other Patriarchates he intervened, where necessary, as witness examples from
the history of the Churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russia and
Cyprus (the date 1660 on page 296 should be corrected to 1620, as Cyril Lu­
caris was mundered in 1638)1. We can see here in practice Constantinople’s
privilege of hearing appeals. Of great significance is the fact that the Oecume­
nical Patriarch, because of the particular circumstances, also exercised admi­
nistrative power over the other Patriarches. When necessary he elected and
deposed them (cf. texts; ibid., pp. 297 ff., 300 ff., 302 ff., and 312 ff. These texts
ad to the Patriarchal writings of Delicanes’ edition). He mostly cooperated
with the other Patriarchs and the Resident Synod. This was important not
merely as a regular practice which established an habitual right, but also as
an application of the ninth and seventeenth canons of Chalcedon. It was in
fact done at the demand of the clergy of the other Patriarchates until the nine­
teenth century, when the other Orthodox Patriarchates began to flourish. A
large number of examples are provided, and show how useful is Metropolitan
Maximos’ book for the interpretation of the Holy Canons, and my view that
a historical interpretation is more correct. The Resident Synod of the fifth
century was frequently extended2 into a Great Synod with the participation
of the other Orthodox Patriarchs. Autocephaly does not abolish the right of
hearing appeals, nor the concern of the Oecumenical Throne for all the Ortho­
dox Churches, nor its particular initiative — cf. the passage on Cyprus (pp.

1. Cf. Chrysostom Papadopoulos, 'Ιστορία τής ’Εκκλησίας ’Αλεξάνδρειάς, ρ. 682.

2. Cf. for example p. 308, which concerns the recognition of the Russian Patriarchate,
which derives from the Apostolic Throne of Constantinople, as do also the other Patriarchs.
So Delikanes, Πατριαρχικά ’’Εγγραφα, vol. III, p. 20, mentioned by Maximos of Sardis, pp.
308-9.
The Oecumenical Patriarhate in the Orthodox Church 347

312) where the author writes of guardianship, care and arbitration in disputes.
Autocephaly, as I said in my paper on Cyprus, is not above the canons, which
would be absurd, but is rather subject to them. The Holy Canons and their
application in practice are as it were the legal code of the Orthodox Church,
the doctrinal unity of which is considered even in the principles of Canon Law,
which are found in the Holy Canons. For further development of this I shall
soon be publishing a study of the legal structure of the Cyprus Church. It is
to be remarked that when the Oecumenical Throne intervened, on request, in
Cyprus, it was called an «oecumenical ecclesiastical tribunal», and is spoken
of as having «canonical rights». Yet the author rightly concludes (on p. 314
there should have been a separate title) that the effective leadership of Ortho­
doxy by the Oecumenical Patriarchate never meant that the Patriarchate be­
came an Eastern Papacy, as some scholars have supposed1. The author pre­
sents texts and examples to show how the Oecumenical Patriarchs «noticed
and gave as much assistance as possible to the needs of the other Patriarchates,
without jeopardizing the rights of these churches. As it was not under any
human control, the Oecumenical Throne tried by intervening occasionally to
protect the Orthodox against attack. It was particularly called upon to help
or arbitrate, and sometimes it went as far as making economic sacrifices» (p.
316). «Although there were unfortunate circumstances, the Oecumenical Patri­
archate «succeeded in preserving in their entirety its oecumenicity. Orthodox
doctrine and traditions and the Holy Canons, as well as the various elements it
received from Early Christianity. It was regarded during those years as Mother
of the Churches, particularly by the peoples of the Balkans»2. He cites the
acknowledgement of a distinguished Russian Theologian, I. Sokoloff, who
extols the skill of the Oecumenical Throne in acting as primus inter pares without
trying to acquire power over the autocephalous churches, but nevertheless
attempting to resist Latin propaganda, to give material aid to the Holy Sepulchre,
and, during the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, to defend the Church of
Cyprus. Even the Russian Canon lawyer Troitsky, a critic of the Oecumenical
Patriarchate, was compelled to accept that even when the Patriarchs can be
seen as having erred in solving questions pertaining to other churches, their
interventions «were not canonical, but on the other hand were not uncanoni-
cal». Metropolitan Maximos counters Troitsky’s observation as follows:
«Troitsky, however, supports the strange view 'that these cases of inter­
ference by the Patriarchate of Constantinople were not canonical, and yet
were not uncanonicaT. Is this not a contradiction in terms? Does he not end
up with absurd conjectures?
1. So Souvorov, Pavlov, Troitsky, Polsky, Mendelson, Herzberg, and Diehl, among others.
2. G. I. Konidaris, Ή ’Ελληνική 'Εκκλησία..., see Maximos of Sardis, p. 317.
348 G. I. Konidaris

«In principle, ecclesiastical acts can either be canonical, and demand the
respect of the entire Orthodox Church, or uncanonical, in which case they
must be condemned. Troitsky’s attempt to connect the statements 'were not
canonical, and yet were not uncanonical’ is in my opinion alien to the lan­
guage of Canon Law. Ecclesiastical actions in this sphere are evaluated exclu­
sively by the following principle: they are called canonical to the extent that
they are based on the Canons, and uncanonical to the extent that they con­
travene them. Any canonical act can have irregularities of greater or less signi­
ficance, but the action, in terms of canonicity, can be seen only as irregular,
but not as uncanonical, or contravening the Canons».
In the third section of this chapter, the author carefully examines exam­
ples of the ecclesiastical policy of the Oecumenical Patriarchate from the nine­
teenth century until today ; the period, that is, of national revolutions and of
unilateral declarations of autocephaly — Greece 1833, Rumania 1865, Bul­
garia, 1870 Albania, 1922, 1928 and 1937; the Church of Serbia was an excep­
tion. The Metropolitan praises the consciousness of the Oecumenical Throne
of its two-fold mission in modern history; the popular-national rôle, and the
oecumenical position, and the balancing of the two. He accepts the truth of
what I declared, that the consciousness of an oecumenical mission was para­
mount in the mind of the Patriarchate. Typical was its position towards the
Greeks (1833-1850) and the Slav peoples when it came to the question of de­
claring autocephaly. It was strictly canonical, as was naturally essential. The
Metropolitan rightly acknowledges that the conflicts over autocephaly were the
result of a non-spiritual outlook prevailing since antiquity among the peoples
of the East, which in the nineteenth century became nationalistic to the point of
being Chauvinistic (cf. my theories and those of Schmemann and Alivizates, on
p. 322). Over the Bulgarian question, this outlook came to be outright racism
(p. 323). This perversion of reasonable patriotism threatened the unified life
of the Orthodox people. The relevant section of the text of the Great Synod of
1872, being based on interpretation of the Canons, is properly inserted. It is
exceedingly enlightening for the view that the local division of churches is done
on a basis of cities and territory, not on one of race, regardless of whether
these churches are independent, autonomous or semi-autonomous.
In spite of the 1872 resolution, racism, the author points out, continued
to obstruct the unity of Orthodoxy. In the next heading (pp. 330 ff.) which
concerns the Orthodox Diaspora, it is good to see him stressing the painful
fact that the «national and nationalistic theories and divisions, and the exces-1

1. For this reason I fully accept what Archbishop Athenagoras of Thyateira writes in
’Ορθόδοξος Κήρνξ, VIII, July/August 1972, pp. 11 and 12.
The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 349

sive accentuation of nationalism in the Church contributed to our proceeding

precipitately to acts that subverted proper ecclesiastical organization and gov­
ernment» in Europe, Canada, Australia, the United States of America and South
America. In the same way, Alexander Schmemann writes about «an unhealthy
ecclesiastical nationalism that is a real heresy in Orthodoxy, threatening the
work of salvation». In my opinion this has often led to theological acrobatics.
Unquestionably autocephaly is not fundamental in Church organization, but
rather the bishop in each place, in the Churches of God as envisaged by Igna­
tius and Clement of Rome. The Holy Canons, and particularly those of the
Oecumenical Councils, as an expression of the Church and of Tradition to­
gether with historical order, as defined by Canon twenty eight of Chalcedon
(a measure dealing with a specific question) and Canon 36 of the Council in
Trullo of 691/2, are behind the autocephaly of the Churches. Unfortunately
this was not a fundamental principle in the Orthodox Church. A history of
arbitrary acts in certain churches clearly demonstrates where the Church is
led by accepting as a guiding principle not Canonicity, which is based on the
Jus Divinum as Jus Sacrum, but rather autocephaly. In these churches it is
believed that the political principle should be adopted of non-intervention in
the internal affairs of others, even by longer established churches. Such eradi­
cates the principles of the Gospel which demand that government and justice
should be exercised in the spirit of love. For this reason. Metropolitan Maxi­
mos stresses, in the paragraph on the twentieth century, that as first in rank
the Oecumenical Patriarchate had the initiative in summoning pan-Orthodox
meeting and conferences. It has been called upon to resolve questions dealing
with autocephaly and the individual churches, and has so advanced the Oecu­
menical Movement that unity has arrived on a practical level, and the way has
been prepared for the theological union of the Churches. This is clearly a mat­
ter of pioneer work relating to pan-Orthodox oecumenical activity, fulfilling
an obligation which arises from the traditional, historical and canonical rôle
of the Oecumenical Throne. Unquestionably this section contains material of
the utmost importance, and, given the sort of initiative the Oecumenical Throne
has been taking, it is to be hoped that it will become the object of a new syste­
matic historico-canonical study. Such a study should show how profound and
widespread has been the exercise of Constantinople’s right of initia­
tive. Its oecumenicity has been remarkable, particularly during recent years
when it has been declining in numbers (1920-1970); years in which it fulfilled
its threefold mission, popular-national, pan-Orthodox, and oecumenical1.

1. Cf. the German communication in the Second Congress of South-Eastern European

Studies, Athens, 1970.
350 G. I. Konidarts

The final section of the work, entitled Epilegomena reverts to the theme
of the beginning of the book, and surveys it as a whole. It was the Oecume­
nical Councils which gave the impetus for the great churches1 to develop with
their primacy of honour and responsibilites for the orthodoxy of the Church
over large areas. The author deals first with the primacy exercised by Metro­
politans, then with that of Patriarchs and heads of churches, and lastly with
the universal, oecumenical primacy of Old and New Rome. The responsibilites
of the great churches entail the Primates’ exercising certain canonical juris­
diction. Metropolitan Maximos supports his case for the Oecumenical Pa­
triarch’s activity in this field by analysing the terms έξουσία and διακονία.
He understands the exercise of this power (έξουσία) by Constantinople exclu­
sively in terms of a service exercised in neighbourly cooperation between the
Orthodox Churches. He discusses subjects which are, despite appearances,
connected: the unity of the whole Church, and the primacy of honour involving
jurisdiction over large unions of churches in extensive areas. To this end, he
examines Ignatius’ fundamental expressions2, which I believe to be the pre­
lude to the idea of the Oecumenical Council — coincidence and identity of
the local churches in the one centre, Jesus Christ. He compares these ideas
with Cyprian’s teaching on the unity of the Churches throughout the world
(p. 340)3. The Churches with the Apostolic Tradition were distinct, as they
showed that they had preserved Truth within the faith. At councils, bishops
of capital cities and those with larger jurisdictions and missionary authority
were treated with distinction. In this way was formed the administrative dis­
tinction of bishops into Metropolitans, Archbishops of autocephalous arch­
dioceses, Exarchs, Primate-Archbishops and Patriarchs, as well as the primacy
of honour which led to prerogatives of consecrating and judging bishops.This
last clearly emerges from the Canons of Nicaea and Chalcedon. As far as the
authority that the Patriarchs or Exarchs had over Metropolitans is concerned4,
the two first sees of the Roman Empire, Old and New Rome, were distingui­
shed by their right of hearing appeals. There is, however, an important dif­
ference between East and West. In the West, three theories, the extension of
the jurisdiction of the Roman Empire, the plenitudo potestatis and the infalli­
bility gradually debased the council to a simple advisory body of the Bishop

1.1 see the formation of Church entities larger than the bishopric as a kind of pyramid
growing to form the full development of the ecclesiastical organization.
2. Ignatius, Ephesians III, 2, «The bishops set in the furthest regions are in the mind of
Jesus Christ».
3. For the details, v. D. Zezioulas, Ή ένότης τής ’Εκκλησίας, Athens, 1965.
4. For this, v. Palachkovsky, «La Legislation canonique d’appel dans l’Eglise», in the
Messager de l'Exarchat du Patriarche Russe, 78-79, p. 137.
 The Oecumenical Patriarchate in the Orthodox Church 351

of Rome, who was the successor of Peter. The Bishop of Constantinople, on

the other hand, was closely linked with the Synod, to form the key administra­
tive organ, putting into practice the principle of collective responsibility for
formulating the Truth, and developing Canon Law, just as the Apostles did
so in the Apostolic Synod.
This book was written with the aim of reinterpreting the primatial position
of Constantinople from the historical point of view, and in the light of the
organization of the Orthodox Churches today. I have some objections on cer­
tain points, and I shall write elsewhere on the Apostolic Succession1, and on
the responsibilities of bishops for missionary work. Other than this I must say
that the author skilfully refutes accusations of Caesaro-papist or neo-papist
tendencies made against the Oecumenical Throne. He gives a clear definition
to the West of the true position of the Archbishop of Constantinople and Oecu­
menical Patriarch.
The book objectively clarifies the exemplary position of the Oecumenical
Patriarchate as Mother of the new Orthodox Churches founded during the
nineteenth century. The autocephalous churches that were formed by the na­
tional feeling of the time are to a greater or less extent affected by this feeling.
The Oecumenical Patriarchate, on the other hand, with its older, universalist
and oecumenical tradition, succeeded in preserving more carefully, and in fully
developing its oecumenical and pan-Orthodox mission, without abandoning
its national obligations. This combination demanded dexterity, and this was
evident even during the years of its external decline (1920-1972). Compare,
however, the extracts I quote here:
«The Oecumenical Patriarch does not suppose that his prerogatives are of
divine origin. He has no claim whatever to be a 'Bishop of the whole world’.
He does not claim doctrinal infallibility, nor a direct, absolute jurisdiction
over the faithful. He is not above the Oecumenical Council, nor above all eccle­
siastical judgement. He has no secular power, nor an absolute sovereign status.
He is in a position offirst bishop, and his jurisdiction deriving from this is de­
fined by the Holy Canons and by History...».
«The Oecumenical Throne does not look upon its primacy as a way of
satisfying ambitions, and of imposing absolute rule in the Church, to the de­
triment of the other Orthodox Churches. Rather it sees it simply as a primacy
of humble service in a spirit of love, peace and of mutual respect for the con­
cerns, the glory and greatness of the Eastern Orthodox Church — 'But I am
among you as a servant’» (pp. 8 and 9).

1. For the time being, cf. G. Konidans, «Διαδοχή ’Αποστόλων» in ΘΜΕ, and in Έπιστ.
’Επετηρίδα Θεολογικής Σχολής, XV.