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النشر الإلكتروني

A History of the Church of Russia. By A. N. MOURAVIEFF.
Translated by the Rev. R. W. BLACKMORE, Chaplain in
Cronstadt to the Russia Company.
Oxford: J. H. Parker;
Rivingtons, London.

Our insular position, the cold and heartless system of religion which prevailed in the last century, the most deplorable ignorance of the true principles of the church, the secular spirit of most of the laity and many of the clergy, and, above all, the self-complacency with which such a state of things was regarded, caused us to confine our sympathies, for the most part, to ourselves, and to care little about other branches of the Holy Catholic Church.

Happily that season of apathy and indifference has now passed away, and our branch of the Church is putting forth those symptoms of life which, during the last century, she was not imagined to possess, by sending forth to her colonies Bishops and Curates, by the more energetic and more canonically directed labours of the clergy at home, and by the cultivation of friendly relations with other branches of the Catholic body.

This last-mentioned proof of renewed life (which though dormant for a time, can never become extinct in any true branch of the Church), is remarkably observable in the christian intercourse which the British Church has recently cultivated and established with the American and Scotch branches of the body of Christ; and the blessed effects of that christian intercourse with these sister churches have already been felt and appreciated by many of us.

It is, however, to the benefits which might arise by the cultivation of Christian intercourse with the most ancient, -the Eastern branch of the Church Catholic, -to which it will be the more immediate object of these pages to direct the attention of Anglican Churchmen; and perhaps no work of modern date could be better selected for that purpose than that which stands at the head of this article.

It is, perhaps, impossible to compute the spiritual benefits which, by God's blessing, might accrue to both parties, by the diligent cultivation of such christian intercourse.

The benefits which might accrue to the Eastern Church by coming in contact with a portion of the Catholic body which has been restored to the purity of the early Church, might be seen in leading them to purify themselves from those superstitions and innovations which, in the course of ages, have crept in amongst them; and the benefits which might accrue to ourselves might be seen in the infusion into our church system of a larger portion of that apostolic life and energy, which that most ancient branch of the Church continues to possess, and in assisting, perhaps, more than anything else, in rendering the Anglican Church in practice, what she is already in theory and constitution.

In the preface of the Rev. R. W. Blackmore, the translator of the work now under review, will be found some very important remarks, well worthy of the most careful attention. From this preface we now proceed to make a few extracts.

After some observations upon the mutual ignorance of each other, which has long prevailed, both in the Oriental and British Churches, the translator thus proceeds :

"Derived from the same high source, the Greek Patriarchates and the British Churches have, indeed, for centuries, ceased to hold intercourse with each other; but yet our Christian communion has never been formally broken off, by any open act of either party. It is only by long custom and mutual prejudice that it is assumed to have become impossible, neither party sufficiently considering that all the Churches of the world were not necessarily implicated in the temporary quarrels and reconciliations of the Archbishops of Rome and Constantinople.

"We certainly both profess to derive our faith from the same pure sources, the same canon of Scripture, primitive tradition, and the practice of apostolic times; they asserting that they have never swerved from these venerable guides, we, that we have returned to them, or sought at least to return, by a reformation, i. e. by repentance, and amendment in those points in which we found ourselves to have sinned against their authority.

"At the same time it must be confessed, that we do in fact now differ from one another (in our outward form of religion, and in popular opinions at least), in some important particulars; and it is much to be wished, that by a better knowledge of each other's divinity, history, and practice, we may gradually elicit the truth, so as mutually to correct each other's faults and deficiencies, and thus in due time attain to the greatest of the privileges of the apostolic age, 'unrestricted communion.'

"But under present circumstances, very many sources of prejudice conspire to give the members of both communions the most erroneous ideas of each other; the easterns supposing that they are justified by our language and habits in confounding us with Lutherans and Calvinists, and other 'non-espicopalians,' while the English, with at least equal injustice, confound them, as I before said, with the Papists.

"To remove, as far as it is possible, this ignorance, and thus promote the restoration of that inter-communion which is so much to be desired between two great branches of the Catholic Church, which is a duty prescribed by our Lord himself, the great Head of the Church, for which both churches continually pray, and which would prove a tower of strength to either party, against their common adversaries, must surely be an object well worthy the attention of every reflecting and well-disposed member of our Church."Pp. vi. vii.

After giving his reasons for concluding that the Russian branch of the Oriental Church may justly claim to be considered as the most eminent and powerful portion of the whole Orthodox Communion of the Eastern or Greek rite, Mr. Blackmore proceeds to make the following observations on the present condition of the Russian Church, which will be found highly interesting and instructive to ourselves.

"There has lately arisen in Russia, a great disposition to cultivate and develop the energies and resources of the Church, as well as of the State; the beneficial consequences of which may be traced in the improved tone of feeling among the Clergy; in the recent augmentation of the number of Bishoprics, corresponding with the increasing numbers and spiritual wants of the population; in the multiplication, as well as in the ameliorated state of the schools for secular and religious learning; in the better training of candidates for Holy Orders; and in the care taken to place only men of good morals, and suitable education, in the cure of souls.

"The same is also apparent in the growing efficiency and marked success of their missions in Siberia, and the Aleoutine Islands, in which last a new diocese has lately been founded, and the pious and zealous missionary Veniamineff, who has so long laboured among the natives, has been appointed their first bishop; also in the great and increasing number of converts to the national Church, which is stated, on good authority, to be upwards of 20,000 persons a year, principally drawn from those who have formerly been dissenters.

"A striking example of success in this pious work, is also to be found in the reconciliation of 1,600,000 Uniates to the Russian Church."-P. viii.

We now proceed to introduce our readers to the work itself, which it is our purpose to review.

It would appear from the history that Christianity did not generally prevail in Russia until the 10th century. The following remarkable event is assigned by the author to A. D. 965 :

"The widowed princess Olga, who governed Russia during the minority of her son Sviatoslaff, undertook a voyage to Constantinople, for no other end than to obtain a knowledge of the true God; and there she received baptism at the hands of the Patriarch Polyeuctes, the Emperor Constantine Porphyrogenitus himself, who admired her wisdom, being her godfather."-P. 9.

Although this pious princess did not succeed in bringing her son to the Christian faith, yet her influence over him was sufficient to restrain him from acts of cruelty and violence towards the Christians.

"Although in spite of all her entreaties, the fierce and warlike Prince Sviatoslaff persisted in refusing to humble his proud heart under the meek yoke of Christ, he the had still so much affection for his mother, as not only not to persecute such as agreed with her in religion, but even to allow them freely to make open profession of their faith, under the protection of that princess."P. 10.

In the time, however, of Vladimir, grandson of this pious princess, Christianity was generally embraced by the Russians. The interesting narrative of this most important event cannot be better stated than in the words of the historian himself.

"A certain philosopher, a monk, named Constantine, after having exposed the insufficiency of other religions, eloquently set before the prince those judgments of God which are in all the world, the redemption of the human race by the blood of Christ, and the retribution of the life to come; his discourse powerfully affected the heathen monarch, who was burdened with the heavy sins of a tumultuous youth; and this was particularly the case, when the monk pointed out to him on an ikon, which represented the last judgment, the different lot of the just and of the wicked. Good to these on the right hand, but woe to them on the left,' exclaimed Vladimir, deeply affected; but sensual nature still struggled in him against heavenly truth. Having dismissed the missionary, or ambassador, with presents, he still hesitated to decide, 'and wished first to examine further concerning the faith, in concert with the elders of his council, that all Russia might have a share in his conversion.

"The council of the prince decided to send chosen men to make their observations on each religion, on the spot where it was professed; and this public agreement explains, in some degree, the sudden and general acceptance of Christianity, which shortly after followed in Russia. It is probable that not only the chiefs, but the common people also, were expecting and ready for the change

NO. XXV. N. S.

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"The Greek Emperors did not fail to profit by this favourable opportunity; and the Patriarch himself, in person, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, in the Church of St. Sophia, with the utmost possible magnificence, before the astonished ambassadors of Vladimir.

"The sublimity and splendour of the service forcibly struck them; but we may not ascribe to the mere external expression that softening of the heart of these heathens, on which depended the conversion of a whole nation. From the very earliest times of the church, extraordinary signs of God's power have constantly gone hand in hand with that apparent weakness of man, by which the Gospel was preached; and so also the Byzantine Chronicle relates of the Russian Ambassadors, - That during the Divine Liturgy, at the time of carrying the Holy Gifts in procession to the throne or altar, and singing the cherubic hymn, the eyes of their spirits were opened, and they saw as in an ecstacy, glittering youths, who joined in singing the Hymn of the Thrice Holy. Being thus fully persuaded of the truth of the orthodox faith, they returned to their own country already Christians in heart; and without saying a word before the prince in favour of other religions, they declared thus concerning the Greek :When we stood in the temple we did not know where we were, for there is nothing else like it upon earth: there in truth God has his dwelling with men ; and we can never forget the beauty we saw there. No one who has once tasted sweets, will afterwards take that which is bitter; nor can we now any longer abide in heathenism.'

"Then the Boyars said to Vladimir, 'If the religion of the Greeks had not been good, your grandmother Olga, who was the wisest of women, would not have embraced it.' The weight of the name of Olga decided her grandson, and he said no more in answer, than these words, 'Where shall we be baptized?' Pp. 11-13.

"

Vladimir's marriage to Anna, a Greek princess, and his previous baptism at Cherson, where he went to meet her, are next recorded by the historian. After this follows a most interesting scene.

"After his return to Kieff, the great prince caused his twelve sons to be baptized, and proceeded to destroy the monuments of heathenism. He ordered Peroun to be thrown into the Dnieper. The people at first followed their idol, as it was borne down the stream, but were soon quieted when they saw that the statue had no power to help itself. And now Vladimir being surrounded and supported by believers in his own domestic circle, and encouraged by seeing that his boyars and suite were prepared and ready to embrace the faith, made a proclamation to the people, that whoever, on the morrow, should not repair to the river, whether rich or poor, he should hold him for his enemy.'

"At the call of their respected lord, all the multitude of the citizens in troops, with their wives and children, flocked to the Dnieper; and without any manner of opposition received holy baptism, as a nation, from the Greek bishops and priests.

"Nestor draws a touching picture of this baptism of a whole people at once. Some stood in the water up to their necks, others up to their breasts, holding their young children to their arms; the priests read the prayers from the shore, naming at once whole companies by the same name. He who was the means of thus bringing them to salvation, filled with a transport of joy at the affecting sight, cried out to the Lord, offering and commending into his hands himself and his people; O great God! who hast made heaven and earth, look down upon these thy new people. Grant them, O Lord, to know thee, the true God, as thou hast been made known to Christian lands, and confirm in them a true and unfailing faith; and assist me, O Lord, against my enemy that opposes me, that, trusting in thee, and in thy power, I may overcome all his wiles.' "-Pp. 14, 15.

As it is necessary in a review of this kind to condense as much as possible, we will endeavour to do so, by directing our readers to the following subjects, which we propose to illustrate by quotations from the work before us. 1. Effectual resistance of the Russian Church to Papal usurpation and anti-Ecclesiastical schism. 2. Translations of, and free access to the Holy Scriptures. 3. Education. 4. Attempted union of Russian and British Churches, under Peter the Great. 5. The Holy Governing Synod. 6. The Population tables.

1. Effectual resistance of the Russian Church to Papal usurpation, and Anti-Ecclesiastical schism.

(a) To Papal usurpation.

"The ambitious pope, Gregory the Seventh, offered military support to Isyaslaff, and stipulated that in return he should make his submission to the Roman See; and this was the first attempt of the western pontiffs upon Russia. But Isyaslaff having regained his throne without foreign assistance, disappointed the schemes of Gregory, and being confirmed in the faith of his fathers by Theodosius, the zealous and orthodox hegumen of Pechersky, persevered in it to the end of his troubled life." Pp. 27, 28.

"And now that the attempts made to convert Russia by force of arms had proved fruitless, the pope, Innocent IV., began to employ other means.

"Seeing the distressed condition of the Eastern Church, the patriarchs of Constantinople living as exiles at Nice, and Russia having been now already ten years without a metropolitan, the Roman pontiff sent to David of Galich the present of a regal crown, together with a proposition for the union of the Churches, and a crusade against the Mongols. The papal legates visited also the court of Alexander, and addressed him with flattering speeches; but the saint of Neva refused, decidedly, either to receive their letters, or to listen to their solicitations."-Pp. 46.

"The idea of a general crusade against the Turks, together with the hope of uniting our country with Rome, through the instrumentality of Sophia, who had been bred up in the doctines of the council of Florence, induced Paul to deliver over to Russia this last relic of the ancient glories of Byzantium; and John gladly received this her last pledge in the person of Sophia.

"But the hopes of Rome were disappointed; the princess had no sooner crossed the frontier, and came within our own territory, than she shewed herself a zealous follower of the orthodox confession; and when Anthony, the papal legate who accompanied her, wished to make his public entry into Moscow, with the cross borne before him, after the Latin fashion, and John hesitated, from respect to his quality of ambassador, the metropolitan, Philip, stood up in defence of the supremacy of the Church of this country.

""Whoever,' said he to John, 'praises and honours a foreign faith, that man degrades his own. If the legate enters with his cross at one gate of the city, I shall go out of it by the other.' "-Pp. 84, 85.

(3) Effectual resistance of the Russian Church to Anti-Ecclesiastical schism.

"But at the same time, with this improvement in learning, there shewed itself also in our country, a mischief which had come in secretly and had taken root. Travellers and foreigners had brought into Russia the anti-ecclesiastical doctrine of Luther and Calvin, which by its contempt of established rites and ceremonies, and discipline, by its principle of the right of private judgment in the mysteries of religion, favoured greatly irreverence, and individualism or

self-will.

"The orthodox Eastern Church feared not the influence of the Western Church, for she had been used openly to contend with her on the borders of Poland; and the violences of the Unia had embittered the hearts of all Russians so much against Rome, that there was no danger from that quarter. But we

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