THE Critical History OF THE RELIGIONS AND CUSTOMS OF THE EASTERN NATIONS Written in French by the Learned Father SIMON And now done into English by A. LOVELL A. M. LONDON Printed by J. Heptinstall for Henry Faithorne and John Kersey at the Rose in St. Paul's Church-Yard MDCLXXXV THE TRANSLATOUR TO THE READER IF at anytime a Book of this nature hath been usefull it seems now to be necessary when most men think themselves obliged to make a bustle for proselyting others to their Opinions and yet are not certain wherein they differ one from another or how far they agree together Difference will still be difference though to use a word well known at this time it may be trimm'd under a disguise of Conformity And therefore to prevent the mistakes and disappointments that those who labour about so good a Work as the Vniting of Christians under one and the same Belief may meet with from Prejudice Interest or Artifice perhaps not one thing may be more effectual than the true stating of the Faith and Opinions of others who if they be ingenuous will never be complemented out of their Perswasions nor look upon them as Friends who would impose upon them for friendship sake what is inconsistent with their Principles It were to be wished indeed that all men were of one mind if Providence which governs the World thought it convenient it should be so but since it hath been foretold that Offences must come it were to be desired at least that all knew the minds one of another that so they might rightly understand how to rectifie mistakes or confirm the truth amongst men In order to that usefull discovery probably none of those many who have laboriously sifted the truth by their Criticks deserve the Title of Candid and Impartial Judges better than Father Simon the Learned Authour of this Treatise who through the whole Book has employed his great Talent with so much Integrity and Disengagedness that one may say of him Amicus Papa Amici Graeci Amici Latini sed magis Amica Veritas And therefore when this Book came recommended from beyond Sea and that I perused it I thought that I could hardly in my low Station doe better service to the publick than to render it into English especially seeing the whole design of it is to clear matter of fact from mistakes and aspersions and the Belief and Practice of the Eastern Christians from the Erroneous Notions that at this distance may be given us of them by the Travellers and Writers of all sorts And though the Authour discourses largely of Transubstantiation as being the belief of the Greek Church the Reader will easily perceive that he never meant to enter into the merits of the cause and to dispute the truth of the Doctrine which peradventure may seem in the Author's Opinion very difficult to be attempted by Humane Reason but barely to assert and relate matter of fact which it is fit all should know Nor indeed could he have used in my weak Judgment a meaner Argument either for or against that Doctrine than the belief of an ignorant and opprest People seeing Protestants that weigh things are not startled or moved by the same belief which they know to be maintained and professed in the Church of Rome a Church far more conspicuous both for Freedom Wealth and Learning than that of the forlorn Greeks The truth is the Learned Authour of a Discourse lately published against Transubstantiation manages the Controversie much better and reasons more closely to the point when amongst his other Arguments he assigns the time that that Doctrine came to be established in the Church to be when Image-Worship was enjoyned by the second Council of Nice which to me is as strong an Argument as any that Father Simon has produc'd to prove that the Greeks who own that Council and are very Superstitious in Image-Worship have ever since entertained that belief seeing no attempt was ever used before the Reformation to convince them of the contrary Since then the onely design of this Book is to relate matter of Fact and to clear the truth from mistakes I Question not but that it will be so well taken that even those Ingenious Persons who have asserted in Print some things which they will find here contradicted may not dislike what I have done who am very carefull not to offend in any thing against the publick in setting it forth in English and since they or their Friends want not Learning to defend the truth they cannot be suspected to want Modesty and Sincerity if convinc'd to acknowledge a mistake A. LOVELL A Table of the Chapters of this Book and of the Pieces subjoyned to it CHap. I. Of the Belief and Customs of the Modern Greeks Page 1. Chap. II. Of Transubstantiation Whether it be acknowledged by the Greeks who are commonly called Schismaticks p. 33. Chap. III. Of the Adoration of the Sacrament of the Eucharist Whether it be in use amongst the Greeks p. 57. Chap. IV. Of the Belief of the Melchites p. 61. Chap. V. Of the Belief and Customs of the Georgians or Iberians and of those of Colchis or Mengrelia p. 64. Chap. VI. A Supplement concerning the Belief and Customs of the Georgians and Mengrelians p. 70. Chap. VII Of the Belief and Customs of the Nestorians p. 74. Chap. VIII Of the Indians or Christians of St. Thomas p. 87. Chap. IX Of the Customs and Ceremonies of the Jacobites p. 106. Chap. X. Of the Belief and Customs of the Cophties p. 110. Chap. XI Of the Belief and Customs of the Abyssins or Ethiopians p. 118. Chap. XII Of the Belief and Customs of the Armenians p. 123. Chap. XIII Of the Belief and Customs of the Maronites p. 131. Chap. XIV A Supplement to what has been said concerning the Maronites p. 144. Chap. XV. Of the Religion and Customs of the Mahometans p. 148. A List of the Churches depending on the Patriarchate of Constantinople Composed by Nilus Doxopatrius and related by Leo Allatius Lib. 1. de Cons Eccl. Occid Orien c. 24. p. 165 Another List of the Churches depending on the Patriarchate of Constantinople Published by Mr. Smith in his Discourse of the Present State of the Greek Church p. 171. The Testimony of Gennadius concerning Transubstantiation taken out of a manuscript Book of Meletius Syrigus against the Confession of Faith Published under the name of Cyrillus Lucaris Patriarch of Constantinople p. 174. An Extract from a Manuscript Book whereof the Title is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. p. 176. An Extract of M. Claude's Copy of a Manuscript Letter attributed to Meletius Archbishop of Ephesus and pretended to have been written to some Divines of Leyden p. 183. A List of the Churches depending on the Patriarch of Armenia residing at Egmiathin which was dictated by Uscan Bishop of Uscavanch Proctor General to the Patriarch p. 184. THE Critical History OF THE Belief and Customs OF THE EASTERN NATIONS CHAP. I. Of the
Belief and Customs of the Modern Greeks SEEING all the Sects that are at present in the Eastern Countries have sprung from the Greeks and that excepting some particular Points for which they have separated from them they agree in the rest of their Belief and Ceremonies it is necessary that we treat first of the Religion of the Greeks before we come to those others that depend upon it The Greek Church subject to the Patriarch of Constantinople was not always of that vast extent to which it attained after that it pleased the Eastern Emperours to lessen other Patriarchates for greatening that of Constantinople which they could the more easily do because their Power as to things of that Nature hath been far greater than that of the Emperours of the VVest and that for erecting of new Bishopricks or granting new Rights and Jurisdictions they stood but very little on the consent of Patriarchs whereas in the Western Church the Popes by Degrees have become Supreme in these Affairs and Princes must now have their recourse to them There are several Lists of Churches which are subject to that of Constantinople but because they are ancient and do not sufficiently inform us of the Extent to which that Church pretends we shall produce two that are later one made by a Greek not much known called Nilus Doxapatrius (1) See the Lists that are at the End of the Book A. and related by Leo Allatius And the other mentioned in the Letter of Mr. Smith (2) In the same Place B. concerning the Present State of the Greek Church which he assures us he had from some Greeks of Constantinople Both these Lists are in Greek and Latin subjoined to the end of this Treatise Let it now suffice us to observe here that most of the Greek Metropolitans still retain certain Dignities or Titles of Honour which distinguish them one from another so that when the Patriarch of Constantinople writes to the Archbishops nay and to some Bishops he never fails to give them their Titles even in the miserable State to which they are at present reduced The Greeks in all times have been nice in distinguishing themselves by Titles of Honour and by lofty and magnificent Names which by many is attributed to an Oriental vanity whilst they who are more sparing in Censure will attribute it to their Politeness and Civility Though the Church of Constantinople hath lost the great Splendour which it enjoyed under Christian Emperours yet the Churchmen still take to themselves Titles of Honour and Pompous Names of which they are proud Nor are the Monks and Religious free from that Ambition And that 's the reason why Modern Greek VVriters attribute commonly to themselves such kinds of Titles and prefix them to their Books as for instance Doctour of the Great Church and the like which do not always excuse them from the ignorance wherein they are plunged But let us now speak of their Belief Since the Greek Church hath been reduced to the sad State wherein we see it at present the Latins have imposed many things upon them without cause and the Emissaries have often called them Hereticks without any ground But at length some Learned Men at Rome under Pope Urban VIII perceived the ignorance of the Latin Divines that condemned for Heresie what ever they had not learnt in their Schools This hath been already observed by an Authour who published his Travels to Mount Libanus with some pretty large Remarks wherein he explains the Theology of the Eastern Churches That Authour alledges that the Latins often accuse the Greeks of Innovation without any reason and that if Theology were traced to its source it would be found that the Greeks have stuck closer to Antiquity than the Latins have done We have of late some learned VVorks on that Subject which seem to have been composed by an Authour that hath solidly refuted what the ablest Protestants of France alledged in that matter However I think the Authour of the Notes upon Gabriel of Philadelphia hath come nearest the Truth by keeping a mean betwixt both Parties and distinguishing the new Greeks who have read the Books of the Latins or have studied in their Schools from those who have had no Commerce with them he confesses that the former agree more with the Latins than the other at least as to the manner of Expression The Authour of the Remarks on the Voyage to Mount Libanus hath gone farther for the affirms that the Modern Greeks do for most part but Copy the Books of the Latins not following in all things the Sentiments of their Forefathers and besides that their minds being raised but little above Popular traditions they take no pains to search for Divinity in its Original Nay he adds that the VVorks of Gabriel Archbishop of Philadelphia though he be in the Number of those who are not reunited to the Latin Church are no more but a medly of the Theology of the Greeks and Latins which is chiefly to be understood of the method and expressions P. Morin was also of that opinion when in his VVorks of Penance and Ordinations he speaks of the Archbishop of Philadelphia If we follow that Principle which is very well grounded in these two Authours we shall more easily discover what the Belief of the Greeks is and it will be no hard matter to reconcile the different Opinions of those who have written on that Subject I could not in my Judgment make the Belief of the Modern Greeks more apparent than by inserting the Catalogue which Caucus Archbishop of Corfou hath made of the Errours which he imputes to them and by adding at the same time some necessary Reflexions for distinguishing what is true from what is false in that matter which hath been variously treated by different Authours (1) Caucus in Hist de Graec. recentiorum Haeresibus Caucus a Noble Venetian and Archbishop of Corfou in the Book that he wrote concerning the Errours of the New Greeks dedicated to Pope Gregory XIII observes the following Errours I. They re-baptise all the Latins that embrace their Communion II. They delay the Baptism of Children untill the third fourth fifth sixth tenth and eighteenth Year of their Age. III. Of the seven Sacraments of the Roman Church they admit not Confirmation nor Extreme Unction IV. They deny Purgatory though they pray for the Dead V. They acknowledge not absolutely the Primacy of the Pope VI. They deny that the Church of Rome is the true Catholick Church and that she is Mistress of all other Churches They even prefer their own Church before the Latin Church and on Holy Thursday excommunicate the Pope and all the Latin Bishops as Hereticks and Schismaticks VII They deny that the Holy Ghost proceeds from the Father and the Son VIII They refuse to adore the Holy Sacrament in the Mass of Latin Priests who consecrate in unleavened bread according to the ancient Custome of the Roman Church confirmed by the Council of
Person because of one Filiation so they of the East acknowledge one Virtue or Power because of one Filiation In the third place he reconciles the Opinion of the Nestorians who assign but one Will and one Operation in Christ with that of the Latins who acknowledge two VVills and two Operations in him For compassing that he insists upon the same Principle of one Filiation which making but one Jesus Christ the Nestorians say with relation thereunto that there is but one VVill and one Operation in him because he is really one and not two This nevertheless hinders them not from acknowledging two VVills and two Operations with relation to the two Natures as the Latins doe but they do not express themselves after their manner because these two Natures making but one Compositum which is Jesus Christ they also say that he hath but one VVill and one Operation which excludes not the two VVills and Operations that the Latins attribute to Christ because the Nestorians own him to be perfect Man But seeing these two Natures are united together and that the one VVill is never separated from the other they make both together but one and the same thing and in that Sense they assert this Unity of VVill in which manner Christ also speaks when he saith I am not come to doe my own Will but the Will of him that sent me Then he concludes with these words Are there two contrary Wills in Jesus Christ Not at all but without any repugnance made by the Will of his Humanity he wills that which the Will of his Divinity wills to which it is submitted not by constraint and therefore he saith to his Father not my Will be done but thine In this manner the Nestorians justified to Paul V. the Belief of their Churches and that Justification or Reconciliation was not the VVork of one Man but of the ablest Men of the Nation whom the Patriarch Elias consulted The truth is there is flattery in the Articles which relate to the Sovereign Power of the Pope and the Christians of the Levant are not so submitted to the Court of Rome as the Nestorians in these Acts do testifie but that is pardonable in poor VVretches that solicite the Protection of that Court because there was no other means of approaching it without giving the Pope that Supreme Power and Jurisdiction over all the Churches in the VVorld As to the other Propositions which are peculiar to the Nestorians it will be found that Modern Nestorianism is but an imaginary Heresie and that the Diversity of Sentiments consists only in Ambiguities inasmuch as the Nestorians take the word Person in another acceptation than the Latins do However seeing Councils had condemned the Heresie of Nestorius it was it seems necessary that Nestorianism should appear at Rome to be a real Heresie since it had been condemned in the Church by a General Council That Course Stroza hath taken in the Collection he hath made of these Acts for he heaps together all that hath been said by the Fathers and Councils against the Opinion of Nestorius Nevertheless that he may not altogether thwart the Patriarch of the Nestorians who affirmed that all the difference that was betwixt the Church of Rome and his own in relation to their Belief consisted onely in Ambiguities he frankly confesses that it is probable enough that the Errour of the Modern Nestorians is more in the Understanding than Will that is to say that they are not Hereticks as not being obstinate but onely ignorant of true Theology which makes them erroneous as if it were an Errour not to know the Terms which have not been in use but in some latter Ages amongst the Divines of the West I do not think it needfull to produce in this Place all that Stroza alledges for condemning the Propositions of the Nestorians because he says nothing but what may be found in the Acts of Councils I shall onely observe that from the same Acts some might infer that Nestorianism is onely a Heresie in Name and that if Nestorius and St. Cyrill had understood one another they might have reconciled their Opinions and thereby hindered a great Scandal in the Church But the Greeks have been always great Disputants and therefore we find that most of the first Heresies had their Original amongst them and that most commonly their Disputes were onely metaphysical and about Ambiguities from which afterwards according to their Custome they drew Consequences and at length came to reproaches whereby matters became irreconcileable whereas if the parties had modestly explained their thoughts there had not been for most part the least appearance of Heresie in them It seems to them that Nestorius hath always acknowledged two Natures in Christ which united together made but one Compositum and that he called a Person in Greek 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whence the Chaldeans have taken their Parsopa Now it is certain the Term 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Ancient Greek Fathers signifies that which we call Person and Hypostasis For as to the two Persons which Nestorius assigned to be in Christ it was onely to explain that there were really two Natures in him and that both remained entire without Mixture or Confusion In effect besides those two Metaphysical Persons which were not distinguished in Nature he admitted another real visible Person in the manner as it is defined by the Ancient Fathers Nay it will appear that the Sentiment of Nestorius if we bar the Consequences that St. Cyrill draws from it is less perplexed with Difficulties because it is more simple and always regards Jesus Christ in himself and as Son whereas the other Opinion most frequently considers him onely by parts that is to say sometime as God and sometime as Man Nor was the Opinion of Theodore of Mopsuestia the Master of Nestorius condemned in the Beginning and it was never thought on untill the Nestorians made use of his Authority It is nevertheless certain That this Theodore from whom Nestorius had learnt the Opinion acknowledged two Natures and one Person in Jesus Christ as appears by his words mentioned in the fifth General Council And if he denied that the Virgin was the Mother of God it was onely to refute the Heresie of Apollinarius and in that Sense onely that the Virgin could not conceive the Divinity though otherways he whom she brought forth was very God Let us now proceed to the other Articles of the Belief of the Nestorians Seeing the Sect of the Nestorians hath been rent from the Greek Church it hath the same Opinions as she hath except that which is peculiar to it and which was the Cause of the Separation It may be however the Nestorians are greater Libertines as to some Points of Morality and Discipline than the Greeks are and without doubt it is in that Sense that we ought to understand (1) Brerew of Lang and Religions Chap. 19. what Brerewood relates concerning Confession which he denies to be
which is of Precept from that which is onely of Council so there are to be found amongst them Devout People that obey Councils as punctually as Commands as for instance to goe to Prayers at Nine in the Morning which is not of obligation to prostrate themselves there twice at least or eight times at most In fine the Mahometans besides their Belief and Morality have also their Ceremonies which they strictly enough observe To distinguish them from the Jews who are obliged to goe to Prayers but three times a day Mahomet obliges his Followers to pray five times a day as a Mark of greater Sanctity They have a great many Traditions about the manner of praying which would be tedious to relate They have some Prayers that are necessary upon Divine obligation and others onely or Counsel and Decency There are some Conditions which being neglected render the Prayer invalid For instance in the Noon and Afternoon Prayers which are of Divine obligation they must reade them with a low Voice but in that which is said in the Morning and at Night before they go to bed it is to be read aloud if there be an Imam that is to say a Priest present But if one pray alone it is a Matter indifferent Moreover the Men ought at first to lift up their Hands to the Tip of their Ears and the Women onely to their Jaws When one standeth having the Right Hand upon the Left if he be a Man he ought to place his Hands below his Navel and if she be a Woman she is to put them upon her Bosom To pray with Order they must accompany the Imam with a low voice and imitate all he doeth I should be too tedious if I would reckon up the particular Postures they have in praying especially when they prostrate themselves and touch the ground with their Forehead and Nose that is better understood by seeing them when they themselves a are at Prayers Their Modesty at Prayers is so much the greater that they are obliged to observe a great many things if they expect to be heard for their Prayers are esteemed ineffectual if they talk or laugh in time of Prayer so as they may be heard it is the same if they weep too loud by reason of any Misfortune that hath befallen them or for other Causes unless it be because mention hath been made of Paradise or Hell for then the Prayer is nevertheless good There are also a great many other Cases which render then Prayers null as to scratch three times in one Place to pass before the Imam during a Prostration to advance or goe the space of two ranks to turn their Face from the Kiblé to begin a Prayer when they hear the Imam begin another to commit any mistake in reading to salute any one voluntarily for if it happen by inadvertency the fault is expiated by making a Prostration which is the usual Penance in that case They are moreover prohibited to pray to God in a habit wherein they commonly work at home and in which they would not pay a visit to Persons of Quality Nor can they pray to God before the fire though they are not hindred from doing it by a Candle or Lamp But we should never make an end if we mentioned exactly all that they are prohibited to do during the time of Prayer Let us now say somewhat of their Washings Amongst the Mahometans it is of Divine Obligation to wash the Mouth the Face and then the whole Body and the Tradition of Mahomet enjoyns that this Ablution be made with intention of doing so that for better cleansing the Body Water is to be poured three times upon it beginning from the right Shoulder to the left then upon the Head and afterwards upon all the parts of the Body If one break wind during the Abdest or Ablution all that hath been done is good for nothing for then the Ablution is null They reckon amongst the Commands of God the washing of the Face once and the Arms up to the Elbow to wash the fourth part of the Head and the Feet once and the tradition of Mahomet ordains the Hands to be washed three times the Teeth to be cleansed with a certain kind of Wood and the Mouth after that to be washed three times and the Nose as often without interruption after one hath once begun then the Ears are to be washed with the rest of the Water that was used for the Head They are always to begin their washings by the right side and when they wash their Hands or Feet they are obliged to begin with the Fingers and Toes There are many things also that render these Ablutions null but we have insisted but too long upon these Ceremonies What I have hitherto said of the Religion of the Mahometans is extracted out of a Book of Mahometan Divinity written by one of their Doctours who lived in the last age That Doctour professes to follow the Doctrine most generally received at Constantinople and the most approved by good Men. This is worth the observing because the Mahometans are divided into a great many Sects not to speak of the Persians who differ much from the Turks And that we may have some knowledge of these Sects I shall relate what that Mahometan Divine hath judiciously said of them and which deserves to be taken notice of He affirms that the matters which concern their Religion are indeed written in their sacred Books but that there are part of them which are obscure and hard to be understood and that none but the Learned can dive into them which has been the will of God to the end that the Learned should busie themselves in the study of these Books and teach his mind to others Seeing these Books are obscure the Interpreters happen many times to mistake but their Errours are not Sins and it is even the will of God that they who have not applied themselves to study should follow the judgement of Doctours without examining too scrupulously whether or not they tell the truth because it is their part to submit and if they be deceived they are not therefore guilty of Sin Those who came after Mahomet though they have written many things for the Confirmation and Explication of the Law yet they could not write all besides that there was no great Necessity for it in those times when there were not so many Novelties and so many Cases of Conscience as have happened since But after that the number of Believers encreased they began to be divided in opinions and it was Necessary that some should apply themselves to the study of the Law that they might digest into writing the Precepts which they drew out of Divine Books And that gave occasion to the different Sects of Doctours for every one explained the Law according to their Capacities and Talents and gave their Interpretations to the People So that in a short time the People were divided into Factions some followed