A TALK WITH THE GREEK PATRIARCH
I have just had an audience with one of the chief religious functionaries
of the oriental world. The Patriarch of Jerusalem is first in the Church
of the Holy Sepulchre, and as the head of the Greek Church in Syria,
Palestine, and Arabia, he is the pope of the East. Most of the people
of Russia belong to what was once a part of the Greek Church, and it
has other millions of members in Greece, Turkey, and Asia Minor. As a
result of immigration, there are also hundreds of Greek churches in the
United States. It is the most powerful and the richest church of all the
denominations represented in Jerusalem.
There is no king in the world who appears in such splendour upon state
occasions as the Patriarch of Jerusalem. He wears cloth of gold and his
great hat is covered with magnificent diamonds, emeralds, and rubies. The
bishops who march with him have crosses of diamonds hanging about their
necks, and their dresses are of gold and silver brocade. The mitre and
other church insignia are of solid gold and silver. In the treasury of
the Greek Church here there are jewels which would make the treasures of
many a palace seem commonplace, for the rich men and the kings of the
world have for generations been giving to this collection, thinking that
in so doing they have been buying their way into heaven.
The Greek Church has a score of monasteries and convents in the Holy City
where it can accommodate pilgrims by the thousands. Its believers come to
worship here from the borders of Siberia, from the isles of Greece, and
from the wilds of Arabia, and as I write there are thousands of Russian
pilgrims paying their devotions in the gorgeous Greek chapel of the
Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Greek Church has a faith which might be
called a cross between Roman Catholicism and Protestantism. It differs
from Catholicism chiefly in denying the spiritual supremacy of the Pope,
in not demanding the celibacy of the clergy, except the bishops, and in
authorizing all of its people to read the Scriptures. It claims to be the
original Christian church and says that the Roman Catholics broke away
from it. The dispute between the two branches of the Church arose three
or four hundred years after Christ. It was a question as to what should
be the rank of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and as the Pope would
not give in the trouble began. It continued off and on until about 1000
A.D., when the two churches broke apart, and from that time the Greek
Church has existed on its own footing.
The head of the Greek Church is the Patriarch of Constantinople, and
under him are the patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria. Since
the sixteenth century, the Russian branch has been independent of the
main body. These patriarchs are elected by the clergy and the laity. They
have limited terms of office, but the Patriarch’s power over the people
here in Jerusalem is to a large extent that of a judge as well as of a
pope.
But let me tell you about my talk with His Beatitude. It was arranged
by one of the church and the audience took place in the Patriarch’s
house, a great stone building near the Pool of Hezekiah and not far from
the Church of the Sepulchre. His Beatitude lives there with one hundred
monks, and I saw many fine-looking Greek priests as I went up the stairs
of rose-coloured marble. I passed through several rooms filled with
high-capped, black-gowned ecclesiastics, and as I waited priests and
bishops from the four quarters of Greek Catholicism passed in and out.
One of the priests, who spoke English, went with me into the audience
chamber and gave me a seat at the right of the throne. He asked me to
wait, telling me that the Patriarch would be in shortly.
Meantime, there were others who had come for an audience, and the chairs
about the long table in the centre of the room were soon filled. Most of
the men were bearded priests dressed in black gowns and high caps.
As we waited a servant brought in a silver tray containing a plate of
rose-and-white cubes of Turkish delight and several glasses of water.
Upon the tray were many silver forks, each having two fine tines as long
as my little finger. As the candy was passed each one of us took a fork
and stabbed it into a cube of the sweets, and thus conveyed it to the
mouth. It was delicious.
By and by the Patriarch entered. He talked first with some of the
priests, so I had a good chance to study him. Imagine a tall,
full-bearded, fair-faced man of middle age dressed in a long black gown
and a rimless black hat which rises eight inches over his forehead.
The gown, which is cut full, falls to his feet. His cap is draped with
black cloth which covers his shoulders, and about his neck is a long,
heavy gold chain to which hangs an ivory medallion as big as the palm of
your hand. The rim of this medallion is studded with diamonds and inside
the rim is a painting of the Madonna with the Holy Child in her arms.
I watched the Patriarch as he talked. He gestured now and then and I saw
that his hands were soft and his nails well kept. His face changed with
the subject and the man he spoke to. At times he was serious, again his
eyes sparkled with animation, and now and then he broke into a smile.
My talk with him was through the Greek priest, who spoke English. I asked
His Beatitude about the condition of the Church. He spoke of many sects
of Christians now in the Holy Land, saying that they were gradually
growing more liberal, and that they would work more in harmony than they
had in the past.
I asked about the life of the priests and whether he thought it was as
pious as that of the hermits who lived in the second and third centuries
after Christ. He replied that he doubted whether man was as good now as
then, but that the Church was doing what it could to bring him back to
the faith. He said he believed that the time would come when all mankind
would be Christian, although that time would probably be far in the
future. I was surprised to hear him speak well of the Protestants and say
that all Christian sects would eventually unite and work together as one
for the salvation of man.
His Beatitude was much interested in America and at my request gave me
the blessing which he gives to all true believers, saying that I must
transmit it to the American people, each of whom could regard it as being
made especially for him. This blessing was given to me in a golden frame.
The words are printed in Greek in letters of gold. Literally translated,
it reads:
Almighty God, the Father of Mercy and God of Prayer, bless,
purify, and strengthen these Thy disciples who now bow before
Thee.
From every wicked work withdraw them, and in every right action
give them Thy aid.
Make all things smooth to each according to his wants. Be with
those travelling upon the water and upon the land. Comfort the
poor and heal the sick.
We praise Thee, Our Father, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit,
the source of all graciousness and glory.
And now may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God
the Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit be with you.
Amen.
Then there was a little more talk about the Greek Church and a second
servant came in with another tray more elaborate than was the first
one. Upon this were wine glasses filled with a liquor the colour of the
dark moss rose. It was flavoured with peppermint and had the rich, oily
strength of age. Though scarcely more than three thimblefuls, it brought
a pleasant warmth to the whole frame five minutes after it was drunk, and
the discussion of the doctrines of the Greek Church fell on my ear like
the poetry of Moore.
This refreshment was followed a few moments later by a third servant
who brought in Turkish coffee served in little cups of fine china, each
the size of the smallest egg cup. The coffee was as thick as Vermont
molasses. It was sweet and delicious and was served without cream. After
coffee is served in Jerusalem the caller can politely terminate his
visit. We sipped the aromatic liquid and then arose to say good-bye.
This we said in American style, shaking hands with “His Blessedness” and
receiving from him a present of a Bethlehem egg. My egg lies before me as
I write. Its ground is the same red as the coloured eggs of the American
Easter, but this red is covered with etchings and on one side there is
a rude picture of Christ ascending to heaven, with the cross in the
background and with the Virgin Mary holding up her hands in adoration. On
the other side in a wreath of olive branches is the date.
There is room in Palestine for the Patriarch’s hope that some day the
Christian sects will get along better together than is now the case. The
Holy Land often boils and seethes with the quarrels of the religious
fanatics. Almost every sacred place in the country is claimed at the same
time by the Greeks, Latins, Armenians, and Copts. Some of the holiest
spots are divided up, and lines are drawn here and there indicating the
sect to which each part belongs. The various denominations are frequently
divided among themselves as to who shall control the monasteries,
convents, and other institutions belonging to them, and quarrelling even
goes on over the very spot where Christ was born and upon that where it
is supposed the Crucifixion took place.
These quarrels are sometimes serious. Knives have been drawn and people
have been killed in these religious riots. Some years ago a monk was
shot by an American pilgrim in the Church of the Nativity at Bethlehem,
and more recently a gigantic candle was sent to Jerusalem addressed to
the care of certain priests. This candle was nine feet high and two feet
thick, and as far as its outward appearance was concerned seemed to be
entirely of wax. It was shipped in from abroad, and was intended to be
lighted inside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre and to burn there while
the Easter celebrations were at their height. At that time the church
would have been filled with Greeks, Armenians, Latins, and Abyssinians.
When the candle came to Jaffa, the customs officers held it for duties,
and sent word to the priests to come and get it. When they failed to
appear it was cut open and five thousand little dynamite balls were found
inside it. Had it exploded at the time of the ceremonies ten thousand or
more people would have been in danger of losing their lives.
That candle might have been sent by a Greek who was disgruntled at the
Church, and in his desire for revenge cared not how many he killed. I am
told that some of the factions in the Greek Church have refused to go
to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre until their wrongs are righted. The
Greeks who are natives of Palestine claim that they have the sole right
to the church and church property. There have already been numerous riots
between these Greeks and the foreign monks, and at one time the people
demanded that the Patriarch of the Greek Church resign.
The fight among the Greeks is to some extent sentimental, but it is also
said to be largely one for the loaves and fishes. The Greeks are the
most powerful religious body in Palestine, and their property runs high
into the millions. Scattered over the Holy Land from Dan to Beersheba
are their monasteries, convents, and hospices, to all of which pilgrims
who travel over the country make contributions. Some of the places are
so valuable that the priests in charge are said to pay a lump sum of a
thousand dollars or more a year for the privilege of presiding at them,
expecting to recoup themselves from the gifts of the pilgrims. Here in
Jerusalem there are thirty-five Greek monasteries and other big buildings
managed by six hundred monks.
The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the greater part of which belongs to
the Greeks, brings in tens of thousands of dollars every year to the
Church. There are thousands of Russians who make pilgrimages to this
city, and each is expected to leave an offering according to his wealth
and spiritual desires.
The Greek Church also owns the shops of a bazaar near the Holy Sepulchre
and holds the titles to the most valuable of the buildings about the
Jaffa Gate and David’s Tower, including the Grand New Hotel building.
The native monks say that the Greek priests who have come in from
Constantinople, Athens, Smyrna, the Isle of Samos, and other places now
hold all the fat jobs, and that they themselves are compelled to work for
only a few dollars a month. They do the pastoral work of the villages
and act as the priests of the towns. On the other hand, the outsiders
have amassed fortunes. They pretend to be hermits and devoted to fasting
and prayer, but they are accused of living luxuriously and of keeping
establishments by no means as good as they should be.
[Illustration: Outside the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, candle sellers,
rosary pedlars, and hawkers of relics trade on the holiness of the Holy
City]
[Illustration: The Moslem who knows his Koran by heart commands the
respect of the Faithful. In many Mohammedan schools it is the sole
textbook]
[Illustration: The Palestinians never buy grain by the sack, for they
want to see just how much they are getting. The merchant shakes the full
measure, then heaps up the top with his hands. This is the Biblical “good
measure pressed down, shaken together and running over”]
Indeed, the fights among the warring Christians have sometimes been so
bad that the Mohammedan soldiers here had to use whips to keep them in
order. I have seen Moslem soldiers in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
at Easter time whipping the quarrelling Greeks, Armenians, and Copts in
order to separate them. It is not an uncommon thing for blood to pollute
the Holy Sepulchre on festal days.
Conditions are especially bad at Easter time when the thousands belonging
to the different sects go marching about singing their fanatical songs
and denouncing each other. One of their cries is: “This is the tomb of
_our_ Lord.” Another is: “Oh, Jews! Jews! your feasts are the feasts of
pigs.”
As they go the Greeks jostle the Armenians and the Abyssinians bump
against the Latins. Not long since the followers of one sect set fire to
some rich hangings that had been placed in a grotto of the church by the
followers of another sect. The fire spread, the church was filled with
smoke, and it narrowly escaped being burned.
The Greeks of Palestine claim that they have the right to all the
churches, convents, and monasteries belonging to their church in the
Holy Land. They demand that the money changers, as they call the foreign
priests, be whipped out of the temple, and that the gifts of the pilgrims
be applied to the building of hospitals, old-age homes, and schools for
their children. This movement is not confined to Jerusalem, but extends
throughout Palestine and has the approval of the best element of the
communities.
Until recent years we have had so few Greek Christians in the United
States that it is hard for us to appreciate what the Greek Church
means. It is one of the strong churches of the world. It has altogether
about one hundred and twenty million members, or one fifth of all
the Christians on earth, and more than two thirds as many as all the
Protestants. I have before me the latest statistics of religious
denominations. There are in the world two hundred million Roman
Catholics, about one hundred and sixty million Protestants, one hundred
and twenty million Greek Christians—five hundred thousand who belong to
the Church of Abyssinia—and about seven hundred thousand Armenians. The
sum total of Christians is less than six hundred million, and less than
one third of the population of the world.
On the other hand, there are three hundred and ten million who worship
Confucius, two hundred and fifteen million Hindus, two hundred and thirty
million Mohammedans, and one hundred and forty-seven million Buddhists.