OTHER BRANCHES OF THE GREEK CHURCH.

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admit Christians of other denominations into their religious assemblies, they have been suspected of committing in them various abominations; this, however, ought not to be believed without the strongest demonstrative proof. They have suffered much persecution; and various means have been used to bring them back into the bosom of the church, but in vain ; and arguments, promises, threatenings, dragoonings, the authority of synods and councils, seconded by racks and gibbets-in a word, all the methods that artifice or barbarity could suggest, have been practised; but these, instead of lessening, have increased their numbers, and, instead of closing, have widened the breach. Some wealthy merchants and great lords are attached to this sect; and it is widely diffused among the peasants. It ought to be added, that the members of this sect consider the worship of images as gross idolatry; and, perhaps, this practice, real or supposed, in the Russian church, was one reason of their separating from it.

SEC. III.-OTHER BRANCHES OF THE GREEK CHURCH.

Besides the Greek Church Proper, of which the Russian Church may be considered an Independent branch, there are several other branches of the same church, which are scattered over a great extent of country in the East, embracing an unknown, but large number of members. Those which we shall briefly notice are, the Georgian and Mingrelian Greek Churches, the Nestorians, Christians of St. Thomas, Jacobites, Copts, Abyssinians, and Armenians. It may be remarked, however, of these several communions, that they are in a miserable state of ignorance, superstition, and wretchedness. The Holy Scriptures are but little known among them; but the British and Foreign Bible Society has, within a few years, directed considerable attention to their necessities; and has circulated nearly two hundred thousand copies of the Bible, for their use, in their several languages.

The

Sec. 1.-Georgian and Mingrelian Churches. Georgia and Mingrelia are two countries of Asia. The former of which lies between the Black and Caspian seas; and the latter between Circassia on the north, and Guriel on the south. Situation of Georgia and former was the ancient Iberia, the latter in part the ancient Mingrelia. Colchis. The inhabitants of both these countries are sunk in poverty, ignorance, and semi-barbarism. Yet an interest attaches to

them on account of their religion, which was once more flourishing than at present. They are a branch of the Greek Church. These two people are said to profess the same faith, with this difference, however, that the Mingrelians, residing in the mountains and woods, are more vicious and depraved in morals than the Georgians.

Each of these nations has a pontiff at its head, whom they call Catholicos, or the Catholic-who is obliged to pay a certain tribute to

Pontiffs.

the Patriarch of Constantinople-but is, in every other respect, Their independent of any foreign jurisdiction. They have bishops and priests, who are not only ignorant, but exceedingly dissolute and corrupt. Some of their bishops are able neither to read nor write, and in order to discharge their duty learn to say mass by heart; which, how

ever, they are never inclined to do without being very well paid for their trouble.

The priests are allowed not only to marry, according to the custom of the Greek Church, before ordination, but also to enter into second marTheir Priests. riages at the expense only of a dispensation from the bishop, which amounts to about a pistole. In short, they may marry a third or fourth time upon paying double fees for every new indulgence. The patriarch, likewise, never ordains a bishop without being first paid the sum of five hundred crowns.

When any person is very much indisposed amongst them, he sends for a priest, who attends him rather in the capacity of a physician, than as a father-confessor; for he never mentions one word of confession to his patient. Turning over the leaves of a particular book, which he carries about him for that purpose, with an extraordinary display of fictitious gravity and circumspection, he pretends to find therein the real cause of the distemper, which he usually ascribes to the high displeasure of some of their images; for it is a received notion amongst them, that their images are capable of gratifying their resentments on those who have offended them. The cause of the disorder being thus decidedly ascertained, the priestly physician enjoins his patient to make atonement for his sins by some acceptable oblation to the incensed image, that is to say, some valuable present in money or effects, which he always takes care to apply to his own private advantage.

Baptismal Ceremonies.

In regard to their baptismal ceremonies,-as soon as an infant is born, the papas, or priest, makes the sign of the cross on his forehead, and eight days afterwards anoints him with the Myrone-that is, their consecrated oil; but he never baptizes him till two years after; and the following form is observed:-The child is brought to the church, and presented to the papas, who immediately asks his name, and lights a little wax-taper; after which he reads a long lesson, and repeats several prayers suitable to the occasion. After that, the godfather undresses the infant, and plunges him naked into a kind of font or bathing-vessel, full of lukewarm water, mixed with walnut-oil, and washes his body all over, the papas taking no share in this part of the ceremony, nor pronouncing a single syllable during the whole of the time. After this general ablution, however, he advances towards the watervessel, and gives the Myrone to the godfather, to anoint the infant. The godfather accordingly anoints his forehead, nose, eyes, ears, breast, navel, knees, soles of the feet, heels, hams, loins, shoulders, and the crown of his head. After this ceremony is over, he plunges him again into the font, or water-vessel, and offers him a bit of blessed bread to eat, and a small portion of sacred wine to drink. If the child swallows them, it is looked upon as a happy omen. In conclusion, the godfather returns the infant to its mother, saying three times, "You delivered him into my hands a Jew, and I return him to you a Christian."

We shall now proceed to the nuptial ceremonies of the Georgians, which are, in fact, nothing more than a mere contract, by way of bargain

Nuptial

and sale. The parents bring their daughters to market, and Ceremonies, agree with the purchasers for a particular sum, which is greater or smaller, according to the value of the living commodities.

:

As

A female who has never been married commands a much higher price than a widow, and a virgin in her bloom more than an antiquated maid. soon as the purchase-money is raised and ready, the father of the bridegroom gives an entertainment, at which the son attends with his cash in hand, and deposits it on the table before he offers to sit down at the same time, the relations of the bride provide an equivalent, which is generally as near the value of his money as possible, consisting of all manner of necessary household goods, cattle, clothes, slaves, &c. This custom appears to be very ancient; and after the entertainment is over, the bride repairs to the bridegroom's house, attended by her relations, friends, and acquaintance. The procession is enlivened by a concert of instrumental music; the contractors going before, to inform the family that the newly-married couple will arrive soon at home. These messengers, on their first arrival, are presented with bread, wine, and meat; without offering to enter the house, however, they take the flagon of wine, and pour it lavishly round about it. This libation is consecrated by their hearty wishes for the health, prosperity, and peace of the newly-married couple. After this they return to the bride, and conduct her home to her husband's apartment, in which the other relations and friends are all assembled. In the middle of the room a carpet is spread upon the floor; and a pitcher of wine, with a kettle-full of dough, called Gom, with which they make their bread, are set upon it. Soon after her entrance, the bride kicks down the pitcher, and scatters the paste with both her hands all over the room. We are at a loss to determine the mystical design of this practice, unless it be emblematical of the plenty and fruitfulness of the marriage state. The ceremony is attended with the usual pastimes and demonstrations of joy which are customary on such public occasions.

The essential part of the nuptial mystery, however, is not solemnized here, but in a private apartment, for fear the sorcerers should cast a spell upon the newly-married couple. The bridegroom and his bride stand with their godfather before a priest, who reads over the marriage words by the light of a wax-taper; and two garlands of flowers, either natural or artificial, are set close to each other on an adjoining table, with tufts of various colours; a tavaiole, that is, a veil; a glass of wine, a piece of bread, and a needle and thread. The godfather now throws a veil over the bridegroom's head, and, whilst the priest is reading the ceremony, sews the garments of the bride and bridegroom together. This godfather likewise puts crowns upon their heads, changing them three or four times, successively, according to the tenor of the prayers repeated on the occasion. After this, he takes the glass and the pieces of bread into his hands, and gives the bridegroom one bit, and the bride another this he repeats three times, and eats what is left himself. He now gives them the glass three times a-piece, and then drinks the remainder, which concludes the ceremony.

The veil made use of on this occasion, is the emblem or image of the nuptial bed; and the thread, with which the bridegroom and bride are sewed together, the symbol of the conjugal knot; but as the Georgians and Mingrelians are addicted to divorce and to discard their wives, and as they are frequently guilty of fornication and polygamy, the fragility of the thread is looked upon as a lively representation of the precarious and

uncertain duration of this happy union. The bread and wine denote their community, or having things in common together. The godfather eats and drinks the remains, to intimate that he has contracted a kind of relationship with them, and that he ought to be an impartial judge, or to be the arbitrator, in any controversies that may afterwards arise between them.

The mourning of the Mingrelians, according to the accounts of several travellers, is like that of persons in the very depth of despair, and consists not only in weeping, or rather howling, in honour of their Ceremonies. dead, but also in shaving their beards and eyebrows.

Funeral

Moreover, when a wife loses her husband, or some other near relation, she rends her clothes, strips herself naked to the waist, tears her hair, scarifies her body, and scratches her face all over. The men likewise behave nearly in the same manner, and are more or less violent, as necessity, inclination, or the circumstances of their mourning prompt them. This continues forty days, with a gradual diminution of their sorrow, as that term draws near to its expiration.

On the ten first days, the relations and intimate friends and acquaintance meet constantly to weep over the deceased. Their cries and howlings, their transports of sorrow, and their silence and serenity of mind, alternately succeed each other. On the last day they inter the corpse, on which occasion the catholicos puts upon the breasts of those who die in the faith a letter or petition, in which he humbly beseeches St. Peter to open the gate of heaven for them, and to admit of their entrance. This ceremony is sometimes performed even before they put them in their shrouds. On the fortieth day of their mourning, the Georgians have a funeral entertainment for the relations, friends, and acquaintance of the deceased, at which the men sit at one table, and the women at another. The bishop now reads a mass for the dead, and takes, for his fee or gratuity, everything that was allotted to the service of the deceased.

Rise.

Sec. 2.-Nestorian Churches.

There are several sects of Christians in the Levant, who are known and distinguished by the name of Chaldeans or Syrians: but the most considerable part of them are those who pass under the denomination of Nestorians, and in reality revere Nestorius, who was Patriarch of Constantinople in the beginning of the fifth century, by invoking him in their prayers.

The occasion of the fatal controversy in which Nestorius involved the church, was furnished by Anastasius, who was honoured with his friendship.

This presbyter, in a public discourse, delivered in 424, declaimed warmly against the title of Mother of God, which was then frequently attributed to the Virgin Mary in the controversy with the Arians, giving it as his opinion, that the Holy Virgin was rather to be called Mother of Christ, since the Deity can neither be born nor die, and, of consequence, the Son of man alone could derive his birth from an earthly parent. Nestorius applauded these sentiments, and explained and defended them in several discourses.

In opposition to him, Eutyches, an abbot at Constantinople, declared

that these natures were so united in Christ, as to form but one nature, that of the Incarnate word. It was an age when men were fast losing sight of the Gospel, and contending about modes and forms; and these opposite opinions threw the whole Eastern world into bitter contention, and gave rise to that great division which continues to this day among the miserable remnant of the Eastern churches. The followers of the former are called Nestorians; the latter, Monophysites.

The Nestorians early became the chief propagators of the Gospel in the East. They enjoyed the patronage of the Persian monarch Pherazes, by whom their opponents were expelled from his kingdom, and their patriarch. was established at Seleucia. They established a school at Nisibis under Barsumas, a disciple of Nestorius, from whence proceeded, in the fifth and sixth centuries, a band of missionaries, who spread abroad their tenets, through Egypt, Syria, Arabia, India, Tartary, and China. In the twelfth century, they won over to their faith the prince of Tartary, who was baptized John; and because he exercised the office of presbyter, was, with his successors, called Prester John. They made converts, also, of the Christians on the coast of Malabar, who, it is supposed, received the Christian faith from the Syrian Mar Thomas, in the fourth or fifth century. They formed, at one time, an immense body, but dwindled away before the Saracen power, and the exasperated heathen priests and jealous Chinese emperors. They acknowledged but one patriarch until 1551, who resided first at Bagdad, and afterwards at Mousul. But at this period, the Papists succeeded in dividing them, and a new patriarch was consecrated by Pope Julius III., and established over the adherents to the pope, in the city of Ormus. The great patriarch at Mousul, called Elias, has continued, however, to be acknowledged to this day, by the greater part of the Nestorians, who are scattered over Asia.

Throughout this long period, they have maintained considerable purity of doctrine and worship, and kept free from the ridiculous ceremonies of the Greek and Latin churches. Of their present number and religious character we know but little. Probably they are very ignorant, debased, and corrupt.*

Dress of

We shall now proceed to such religious customs among the Nestorians, as may be more properly thought an essential part of this history. Before the sixth century, the patriarch of the Nestorians was dignitheir Clergy. fied and distinguished by the title of Catholic, which he has retained ever since. His clergy, as well as those of the Greeks in Constantinople, consist of married and monastic priests. The latter, in Syria and Mesopotamia, are dressed in black, with a capuche, or hood, which covers the crown of their head like a calot, and hangs down upon the shoulders like a veil. Over this they wear a turban, the cap and the linen cloth of which are of a deep blue. The patriarch and the bishops are not distinguished from the priests by any particular dress, but by their pastoral staff and a cross, which they carry in their hands, and hold out for the devotees to kiss. The head of the former is made either like a crutch, or a crosier. The vestments of their married priests are all black likewise, or at least dark grey; but instead of wearing a capuche upon their heads, they have a round cap with a large button upon the top of

Marsh's Ecc. History.