THE EASTERN CHURCH.
Fro TILE EDITOR OF THE SPECTATOR.1 SIR,—As the Spectator has lately more than once referred to the subject of the Eastern Church, your readers may perhaps be
interested by some reminiscences of what I saw of it during a recent visit to the Holy Laud. Your remarks as to the mutual civilities between the Anglican and Oriental communions were fully justified in the case of another clergyman and myself.
My friend brought a letter of introduction from the Archbishop of Canterbury addressed to the Patriarchs of the East generally, and when we were in Jerusalem last spring he took the opportu- nity of presenting it to Cyril II., the present incumbent of that see. We waited upon him by appointment at his residence in the great Convent of St. Constantine, near the Holy Sepulchre, when we enjoyed the advantage of having an accomplished English gentleman with us who obligingly acted as our interpreter during the interview. The higher clergy of Syria are mostly natives of Greece, and taken from the monastic orders ; their language therefore is modern Greek, easy enough for any scholar to read, but pronounced in a manner unintelligible to Western cars. We pity travellers who are left on such occasions to the tender mercies of ignorant dragomen. Our own regular in- terpreter, for instance, a Moslem, in translating the Primate's letter for the benefit of another patriarch, was found to have curtailed the sounding titles of the See of Canterbury into the compendious form "Mr. Thomas, of England," which was little calculated to strike awe into a pomp-loving Oriental, though it might remind an antiquary of the once familiar name of a popular saint. The Patriarch of Jerusalem's attendants were all dressed in the usual costume of Greek ecclesiastics, with tall black caps that are never taken off. They conducted us upstairs into a spacious recep- tion hall; furnished in a mixture of European an:1 Asiatic taste, with tables and chairs, but a cushioned divan all round, the chief ornaments being some portraits and two or three enormous oranges. The Patriarch soon made his appearance, accompanied by two other prelates, all in black cassocks and gowns, distinguished from the priests only by black veils thrown over their caps. Ile is a most venerable-looking old man, of dignified and polished manners, with a long white beard, bright, penetrating eyes, and refined and delicate features. He seated himself on the divau in the European manner, though pipes and coffee reminded us that we were in the East. The conversation naturally turned on Church matters, and the movement towards unity, which he desired to promote as far as possible, though aware that there must be delays and difficulties in dealing with such large coin- inanities as national churches.
The question about the procession of the Holy Spirit, which seems to most of us a mere strife about words, is still all-import- ant to the Eastern mind, which has changed but little since the disputatious period of the General Councils. The Patriarch, how-
ever, treated us with the greatest kindness, invited us courteously to his service on Palm Sunday, and, when we took leave, gave us his blessing with the kiss of peace, instead of allowing us to kiss his hand, according td Eastern custom towards superiors. He showed himself not at all ignorant of the state of things in England, and paid all proper respect to our Archbishop's letter, which he retained, to be copied and translated by his secretary. The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, though much altered and modernized, resembles in plan and architecture one of our ancient cathedrals, showing unmistakable traces of the work of the Crusaders. The choir, which is appropriated. to the Greek, or rather -Eastern Church, is divided, like all their churches, by a lofty and massive screen, within which we were placed, among the clergy and close to the altar, so that we had a good opportunity of 'observing the mode of worship.
The service began at six o'clock, and lasted for several hours. The principal part was taken by the Patriarch himself, who in- toned the beautiful prayers of St. Chrysostom's Liturgy, some- times standing before the altar, sometimes seated on his throne, which was in the apse behind ; meanwhile, the multitude of the people were praying without, as in the old Temple service. It was impossible for them to hear the Patriarch, even if they could have understood him, but their attention was kept up by much nasal chanting, inwhich " Kyrie eleison !" was frequently repeated; andthe Patriarch occasionally showed himself at the doors, and once went out, while the Gospel was read in three languages, Greek, Russian, and Arabic. The splendid service book was brought to us from the altar, and we could read in Greek the account of our Lord's riding into Jerusalem. After the administration of the Commu- nion, which was received only by a few of the higher clergy, and the distribution of the blessed bread, which the Patriarch as a mark of favour gave us with his own hand, a procession was formed with banners and crosses, which passed down the outer aisle of the choir, and three times encompassed the chapel of the Sepulchre, which is in the nave under a lofty dome. We walked close behind the Patriarch and, like the rest, carried a palm branch and wax taper, with which our hosts had provided us. The crowd was immense, and the polies had some difficulty in restraining the wild-looking pilgrims who kept rushing forward to kiss their Patriarch's hand. A line of soldiers was posted in front of the north transept, where the Latin service was going on. But the encroaching Romanists, not content with their proper bounds, had set up a temporary altar close to the Sepulchre, and erected an organ gallery, whence a large instrument pealed forth its loudest tones to drown the Patriarch's voice when he stopped to recite certain prayers at the door of the shrine. I do not admire the plan of dividing churches among various denominations, as at Jerusalem and Bethlehem. The native Christians of the Eastern Church, the original occupants, are disturbed in the most solemn parts of their service by the discordant droning of the Armenians or the thundering organs of the Latins. Still, open violence and quarrelling are greatly abated, and Easter passed off this year without mischief, though the Latin and Greek festivals fell on the same day, an unusual coincidence. The service ended, the Patriarch held a sort of levee, in the same apartment where we had previously seen him. We were conducted by a Greek gentle- man, who had been considerately appointed to explain the ceremonies to us, as he spoke French well, and found a large company of consular and ecclesiastical officials assembled, together with some foreign visitors. We did not attempt to engage in conversation with the Patriarch, who must have been very tired ; indeed, he seemed appropriated by two sprightly young ladies from America, whom we had before observed in the Church perched on the balustrades of the Sepulchre, and looking very much at home and greatly amused. Here we partook of tea and a spoonful of conserve, followed by a glass of water. Before we withdrew, His Blessedness, Maxcepto7r,;, again gave us his benedic- tion, desiring us to bear his salutation to our Bishops in England, and to assure them that he had at heart the same objects with themselves, namely, the mutual reconciliation and unity of all Christian people. It is impossible to describe the splendour of the ceremonial robes of the Greek clergy ; our Ritualists would show better taste in imitating them, than in borrowing the far less graceful vestments of the Romanists. The Patriarch was on Palm Sunday magnificently attired in white silk, covered with gold and silver embroidery, and with small enamelled pictures inserted in many places. He wore a jewelled crown like that of a Byzantine emperor, and carried a sort of bag at his side, and in his hand a forked staff or crutch, set with precious stones, which he bore with great dignity in the procession ; while a deacon walked before him, and occasionally turned to cease him from a thurible. There were also present a host of Greek and Russian prelates and clergy, who were hardly less gorgeous, the Greeks in flowing silks and gold, the Russians in similar dresses, embroidered with flowers of various colours. It was, on the whole, a fine pageant, well calculated to impress the Eastern imagination, which is repelled by Protestant simplicity or baldness ; but it was, after all, mainly a pageant, as neither priests nor people had much to do with the prayers, which, admir- able in themselves, seemed left to the Patriarch and his immediate companions.
It is hardly generous, however, to criticize coldly, after the great attention which every one showed to my friend and myself, though we must have looked very small in our ordinary clothes in the midst of so much splendour. I am glad, therefore, to add that we saw very little which an unprejudiced observer could call
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