DR. JONAS KING AND THE GREEK HIERARCHY.
1847-1869.
Impatient of longer delay, Dr. King boldly resolved upon returning
to Athens, and he arrived there on the 20th of June, 1848. He
assigns his reason for this in a letter to his Secretary: "I thought
it best," he writes, "to wait no longer, but to throw myself
suddenly into the midst of the people, and take whatever might come.
No one ever took a castle by remaining quietly outside. He may lose
his life, and he may take the castle. At any rate, here I am. I
believed it my duty to come, and to come now, and I returned with my
mind perfectly tranquil. I know that a sparrow shall not fall to the
ground without my Father, and that the very hairs of my head are all
numbered."
The newspapers were silent. The editor of the "Age," who printed the
"Orgies," gave him his hand, and welcomed him back to Greece.
Simonides tried to revive the excitement, but did not succeed.
Calling on most of the King's Ministers, as a matter of civility, he
was generally received with cordiality.
It was not thought prudent, however, to resume his preaching at
once, but his book depository was opened, and Bibles, Testaments,
and other religious books were again in demand. Within six months
after his return, he printed over five hundred thousand pages of
religious books; and the opening of the year 1849 found him
preaching publicly on the Sabbath, with a Scripture exposition
Thursday evening, and several young men much impressed by these
ministrations. The disturbed political condition of Europe at that
time, had a tendency, no doubt, to divert the public attention. One
fact deserves mention. Just as a new paper was about to be published
at Athens, with the special design of holding up Protestant missions
to popular indignation, a British fleet appeared in the offing, and
public attention was diverted from the undertaking. In August,
several students from the University attended the Sabbath and
Thursday evening services, and called at other times for
conversation, and two Greeks of hopeful piety were accustomed to
take part in reading the Scriptures and extempore prayer at a
Sabbath evening prayermeeting. The devoted missionary felt himself
called on to work while the day lasted.
It is worthy of note that Simonides, whose inflammatory writings had
led to the withdrawal of our missionary brother from Athens,
pretended about this time to have discovered certain Greek
manuscripts of Homer, Hesiod, etc., which he claimed to be more
ancient than any others, and some men of learning thought them to be
genuine; but when they were discovered to be forgeries, the people
regarded him as a deceiver and liar.
Nearly three years elapsed after Dr. King's return to Athens, and he
began to be more encouraged in his work. He speaks of a call from an
abbot of a convent, who embraced him as a brother on leaving, and
whom he regarded as indeed a brother in the Lord. But early in the
spring of 1851, indications of public uneasiness began again to
appear. The Synod represented to the Minister of Ecclesiastical
Affairs "the scandalous attacks of the American, King, on the Holy
and Orthodox Church," and demanded prompt redress according to law.
The first outbreak of the popular feeling was in Dr. King's own
house, on the 23d of March, by evil-minded persons assembled at the
usual preaching service on the Sabbath. Entering the room, he found
it crowded with more than one hundred persons. The strictest
attention was given to the sermon, but a student of theology in the
University began to put questions immediately after the benediction,
and a tumult soon arose. The audience was composed of friends and
foes, the former endeavoring to prevent a disturbance, while the
latter reviled them. Finding remonstrance unavailing, Dr. King
unfurled at the door the flag of the United States, which the absent
Consul had committed to his care, and at the sight of this the crowd
immediately withdrew.
On the 15th of May, 1851, he was called to appear before a judge to
answer to the charge of proselyting. The first ten or twelve
questions and answers were similar to those in the examination six
years before. The remainder is here reported:--
_Question_. What do you preach?
_Answer_. The Word of God; that is, the Scriptures contained in the
Old and New Testament, which are recognized by all Christian
Churches as being the Word of God. This word I hold in my hand, and
endeavor to draw the attention of those present to what it contains,
saying, "Thus saith the Lord," and pointing out to them the book,
chapter, and verse, where what I state is to be found.
_Q_. Have you any other service?
_A_. In the afternoon I have sometimes a service, which consists in
reading the Word of God, and in prayer and some remarks, the object
of which is to draw the attention of those present to what Christ
teaches.
_Q_. Do many attend this service in the afternoon?
_A_. Very few.
_Q_. Do you invite people to come to your preaching, or do they come
of their own accord?
_A_. In general they come of their own accord. If any ask me if it
is permitted to them to come, I always tell them that my house is
open, and any one who wishes is free to come. When I first commenced
this service, in the time of Capodistria, I invited his particular
friend, old Mr. Konstantas, and others.
_Q_. Our questions relate principally to the last two years.
_A_. During that time, and since the great opposition to my
preaching commenced, I have been particularly careful, in general,
to avoid inviting people.
_Q_. You are accused of having, this year and the last, expressed
things to the offense of others, and of having expressed principles,
sentiments, and opinions, which attack in general the foundations of
religion, and are otherwise injurious. Have you anything to say by
way of defense?
_A_. What religion is meant? If it be that of Mohammed, I may be
guilty.
_Q_. The religion of the Oriental Orthodox Church?
_A_. I have already said that my preaching consists in teaching what
is contained in the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament, that
is, the Word of God, which all the most distinguished early Fathers
in the Eastern Church, especially Chrysostom and Athanasius,
declared to be the only school of godliness, the fountain at which
all Christians ought to drink; and if the Eastern Church
acknowledges these sacred Scriptures as the foundations of its
religion, I cannot be guilty of the charge, for I have said nothing
against those bases. As to the superstructure, what has at various
times been built up on these foundations, I have nothing to say at
this time. That is quite another question, and one which the
accusation does not touch. But against the foundations themselves,
as already explained, I can have said nothing, because I preach that
Word, which contains them. And besides, I consider it a sin for any
one to preach anything of his own, and that it is the duty of every
one to preach only what is contained in the Word of God."
The judge then said, "The examination is ended."1
1 _Missionary Herald_, 1851, p. 268.
Dr. King, sometime before, had prepared an "Exposition of an
Apostolical Church," founded entirely on the Word of God, which was
printed in Cambridge, Massachusetts. This was extensively
distributed, and was denounced by the Greek hierarchy in
Constantinople, Smyrna, and Thessalonica. In September, the Council
of Judges in the criminal court of Athens, a sort of grand jury,
presented him for trial in that court upon the allegations, that for
two years he had "preached within his house in this place publicly,
in the exposition of the sacred Scriptures, that baptism is no other
than a simple symbol, and consequently it is indifferent whether men
are sprinkled or immersed; that those who eat a little bread, and
drink a little wine, are foolish in thinking that they will be saved
by this communion; that the most holy mother of God is not ever
virgin; that those who worship her, as also the other divine images,
are idolaters; that he does not accept the sacred Councils, and the
things ordained by them in religion, and handed down by tradition to
the orthodox Christians in later times; that the fathers and the
saints of the orthodox Oriental Church of Christ were deceivers, and
as a consequence of this, they brought in divers heresies; that holy
baptism is no other than an external sign for Christians;" etc.
There were successive appeals, as in the former case, up to the
Areopagus; but with similar results, except that the highest court
decided that the penal law did not apply to one half of the
allegations. It was hoped that the matter would end here, but a
trial was ordered for the 5th of March, 1852.
Great pains were taken, by the evil-disposed, to excite a tumult
when Dr. King was brought before the court; and the head of police,
while giving assurance of protection, advised him to go to the
court-house in a carriage. This he declined. After a prayer with his
family, he took his little son by the hand, and, in company with an
American friend, walked first to the house of Mr. Pellicas, one of
his lawyers. There he was told, that the King's attorney, in view of
the excitement among the people, desired him to wait till he could
enter the court with some hope of safety. But Dr. King did not wish
a postponement on account of the excitement, of which there would
always be more or less, and so they set out again on foot for the
court-room. It was with difficulty they pressed through the crowd,
in which the peculiar hats of many priests were to be seen on all
sides. Our missionary declares, that he felt very happy, though not
indifferent to his position, in the full belief, that the result
would be good.
The charge of reviling the dogmas of the Eastern Church, which was
now their only dependence, was not proved. So the King's attorney
had recourse to the "Exposition of an Apostolical Church," printed
in the United States, to the "Defense," printed in 1845, and to the
"Farewell Letter," printed twenty-seven years before, which formed
no part of the indictments, on the assumption that he must have
preached the sentiments they contained. But even so, his preaching
would be no more a reviling of the dogmas of the Greek Church, than
any other exposition of the doctrines held by the millions of
Protestants in Europe and America. His lawyers made an able defense,
though embarrassed by the evident bias of the President of the
court. After a trial of six hours, Dr. King was adjudged to be
guilty, and was condemned to fifteen days' imprisonment, to pay the
costs of court, and then to be banished from the Kingdom of Greece.
The court-house was soon cleared by the soldiers, but such a crowd
awaited Dr. King without, that the military officer in charge
proposed to call a carriage, and the King's attorney consented to
his returning to his own house for the night, rather than going
immediately to prison. He went out through a back door, and the
officer ordered two or three soldiers to mount the carriage before
and behind. Just as they entered the carriage, a rush was made by
the crowd, but the soldiers drove them back with their bayonets.
He had been arraigned for violating the seventeenth and eighteenth
articles of the Penal Code; yet the attorney failed to prove the
"reviling," contemplated in the seventeenth article, and the
Areopagus had decided that the eighteenth did not apply to the case.
So that Dr. King was adjudged to be deserving of imprisonment and
banishment, simply for preaching the Gospel in his own house, as
held by all evangelical Christians. Yet the government claimed to be
tolerant of all religions.
On the 9th of March, Dr. King entered the prison of Athens, where
were one hundred and twenty-five prisoners, occupying eleven small
rooms, eight of which were ten or eleven feet square, with from
eight to twelve prisoners in each, the other three being larger.
"My heart is not sorrowful," he writes on the same day, "but full of
joy. I consider this as one of the brightest days of my life. With
my whole heart I thank the Lord Jesus Christ, that I am counted
worthy to suffer shame for his name, and for the truths which he has
taught. The morning before I came to the prison, I read with great
interest, yea, I may say with tears of joy, Hebrews xi., xii., and
xiii.; and I felt constrained to render to the Most High ascriptions
of praise for mercies, rather than to seek freedom from trials. My
principal petition to God, during all these days of excitement and
triumph of the enemy, has been, that the name of the Lord may be
glorified in me, and that the cause of truth may finally prevail."
On the 10th, having appealed to the Areopagus, he was removed to the
police office, where he was treated kindly, and his friends had
liberty to call upon him freely. Three days later, becoming ill of a
fever, he was removed to his own house, where he remained, under a
guard provided for the purpose, till the decision of the Areopagus
was announced on the 25th. The sentence of the Criminal Court was
confirmed.
By the more intelligent in the community, whether native or foreign,
and by several of the ablest journals, the proceedings of the court
were strongly condemned. Twelve Greek lawyers, several of whom had
held the highest offices in Greece and were among the most
distinguished of their profession, signed their names to a letter,
declaring their entire dissent from its proceedings.1
1 See _Annual Report_ for 1852, p. 55, and _Missionary Herald_ for
1852, p. 239.
Execution of the sentence of banishment was delayed by a protest
from Dr. King, in the name of the United States Government,
indicating his intention to appeal to that government. The time had
now fully come for extending to him the protection due to
missionaries in their just rights and privileges. There can be no
doubt, that missionaries have equal claims to protection with their
fellow-citizens, in the lawful pursuit of their profession as
preachers of the Gospel.1 In 1842, Daniel Webster, being then
Secretary of State, instructed Commodore Porter, Minister Resident
at Constantinople, "to omit no occasion, where his interference in
behalf of American missionaries might become necessary or useful,
and to extend to them the proper succor and attentions of which they
might stand in need, in the same manner that he would to other
citizens of the United States, who as merchants should visit or
reside in Turkey."2 Happily Mr. Webster was again in the same high
office. Twenty-nine years before, while the Greeks were fighting for
their independence, he had eloquently pleaded their cause in the
House of Representatives of the United States, and procured their
recognition as a nation by our government. An appeal now came to him
from an American citizen of the highest respectability, suffering
oppression by that very nation which he had so befriended. There
being no diplomatic agent of the United States in Greece, the Hon.
George P. Marsh, the learned and able Minister Resident at
Constantinople, was instructed to proceed to Athens in one of the
ships of war, and inquire into the case, with one or more of the
national vessels in that neighborhood subject to his order. Having a
competent knowledge of the Greek language, Mr. Marsh entered upon
his delicate mission in August, 1852, and prosecuted it till the
arrival of his successor in the Constantinople embassy, late in
1853. During this time, Mr. Webster died, and was succeeded by
Edward Everett; and he again by Mr. Marcy, on the accession of
President Pierce. Mr. Webster's letter of instruction, dated April
29, 1852, states the case clearly, as it does also the rights of
missionaries. Mr. Everett's letter, dated February 5, 1853, gives
the opinion of President Fillmore, based on Mr. Marsh's report of
the case. "Although the forms of the law may in general have been
observed," Mr. Everett writes, "it is quite plain, that Dr. King was
not tried for any offense clearly defined by the law of Greece; that
his trial was in many respects unfairly and illegally conducted;
that the constitution and laws of Greece guarantee a full toleration
of all religious opinions; and that there is no proof that Dr. King
has exceeded the just limits of the liberty of speech implied in
such toleration." "Either the sound and safe maxims of criminal
jurisprudence," he adds, "which prevail in this country, are unknown
to the jurisprudence of Greece, or her tribunals were presided over
by persons who entertained very false notions of the judicial
character, or there are prejudices against Dr. King, which, in this
case at least, corrupted the fountains of justice. It may have been
in part produced by all three, and there is reason to suppose that
such is the case. This state of things unavoidably destroys all
confidence in the Greek courts, as far as Dr. King is concerned, and
compels the President to regard their decision in this case as
unjust and oppressive."3 He repeats the declaration of Mr. Webster,
that missionaries are entitled to all the protection, which the Law
of Nations allows to be extended to citizens who reside in foreign
countries in the pursuit of their lawful business. Mr. Marsh was to
communicate to the government of Greece the decided opinion of the
President, "that Dr. King did not have a fair trial, and that
consequently the sentence of banishment ought immediately to be
revoked."
1 See _Proceedings at the Annual Meeting of the Board_ in 1841, pp.
36-39.
2 See _Memorial Volume of the First Fifty Years of the A. B. C. F.
M._, p. 201.
3 _Congressional Documents_, No. 9, Senate, 1854, p. 6.
The piece of ground in Athens purchased by Dr. King in 1829, was at
that time little prized by Turks or Greeks. But after the capital
became permanently fixed there, the land had become a most desirable
part of the city, as it commanded an unobstructed view of many of
the finest ancient monuments and interesting localities of Athens.
For this reason it was early selected by the government as the site
of a national church. The law required the value of all land thus
taken, to be paid for before it was put to use. Years passed, and
the government neither made use of it, nor allowed the owner to
build upon it, and yet refused all compensation. This act of gross
injustice--so gross that it even subjected the government to the
suspicion of sinister aims in the prosecution of Dr. King,1--was
one of the points referred to the President of the United States,
and he declared his conviction, that compensation ought immediately
to be made by the government of Greece.
1 _Senate Documents_, p, 184.
After some delay, this was done, but I know not to what extent. Mr.
Paicos, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, objected, on purely
technical grounds, to reversing the judgment founded on the charge
of reviling the dogmas of the Greek Church; and as Dr. King very
properly refused to receive a pardon, that judgment remained in
force. It was never revived, however, and Mr. Pellicas, one of the
counsel for the defense, having become Minister of Justice, a royal
order was issued, revoking the sentence of banishment.
"Dr. King and his creed," writes Mr. Marsh to the Secretary of
State, "have served as a convenient scape-goat, to bear maledictions
intended for other teachers and other doctrines, as well as for
himself and his faith; or perhaps as an experiment, to test how far
the Greek government would sustain, or foreign powers permit, the
encroachments of an intolerant priesthood upon the guarantees of the
independence of Greece, and the solemn sanction of the constitution
and laws."
A manifest change now took place in the popular sentiment towards
the persecuted missionary. Many who had been bitterly opposed,
became cordial. The preaching service had forty or fifty hearers,
who were generally attentive. The "Exposition of an Apostolical
Church" continued to attract notice. Dr. Barth's "Ecclesiastical
History," translated by Dr. King, was extensively read; and the
American Bible Society responded to an application for a new grant
of ten thousand copies of the New Testament for the schools. Near
the close of 1854, Dr. King placed at the disposal of the Minister
of Ecclesiastical Affairs and Public Instruction for the use of
schools, a thousand copies of "Chrysostom on Reading the
Scriptures," printed with the sanction of the American Tract
Society. The Minister replied, thanking him for the books, and
sending him a copy of a circular he had addressed to the teachers
strongly recommending the reading by the pupils, not only of
Chrysostom, but of the Scriptures also. Several young men appeared
truly converted, and a class in theology was formed, made up of two
young men from Athens and four from Constantinople. These had been
in the Greek department of the Bebek Seminary, and were sent to
study with Dr. King in consequence of the death of Mr. Benjamin.
After a year and a half he still had this class. To aid them he
wrote a little work in modern Greek, combating the idea, prevalent
with many, that nothing in the Word of God can be understood, except
by those who have been enlightened by the study of the Fathers. In
January, 1857, he finished correcting the fifth volume of the
American Tract Society's publications in modern Greek. The first
volume he printed in 1853, the second and third in 1854, the fourth
in 1855. The five volumes contained more than two thousand five
hundred pages, and were in an eligible form; but they were found to
be in advance of the national taste for religious reading.
The old enmity in Greece burst forth, once more, with violence, in
forgeries and fictions of an extraordinary character. It was then
regretted by many patrons of the mission, that the veteran
missionary sustained consular relations to the United States, which
prevented him from meeting this crisis in the simple character of a
missionary; and such may have been the feeling of Dr. King himself,
but he found it difficult to change his relations while the storm
was raging. The public excitement, however, soon subsided, and he
went on with his work unmolested.
In September, 1859, Dr. King was most unexpectedly cited to appear
before the judicial authorities, to answer to charges brought
against him, two years and a half before, by a Greek named Kephalas.
After an examination of two hours, the accusation was read to him.
Its import was not clear; but it implied an apprehension, that he
was secretly endeavoring to form a Christian Church,--an exclusive
body, with members, meetings, rules, and occupations, and a religion
not recognized by the government.
After nearly a year, the Council of Judges decided not to proceed
then with the proscution, [sic] and it was never resumed. Dr. King
now printed, at private expense, five volumes of his own writings;
one in French, and four in modern Greek. Two of the volumes in
modern Greek are supposed to have been made up of forty-eight of his
sermons, and one of miscellaneous documents. Among them were his
Farewell Letter; his Defense; Speech before the Areopagus in 1846;
Exposition of an Apostolic Church; Religious Rites of an Apostolical
Church; Canons for the Interpretation of the Scriptures; Orgies of
Simonides; Answer to the Greek Synod; The Opinion of Twelve Lawyers;
Letter of the Hon. George P. Marsh to the Greek Government; etc.
In the great work of giving the Word of God to the people of Greece,
Dr. King fully acknowledges the hearty coöperation of the Episcopal
and Baptist missionaries, and of Bible agents both British and
American.
In the autumn of 1862, King Otho and his queen were constrained to
fly from Greece. In the midst of the consequent revolution, the head
of police sent a company of soldiers to protect the house of the
missionary, but Mrs. King told him they were not afraid, and the
soldiers went away. The editors of the "Age" and of the "Hope," his
most bitter persecutors in years past, now fell into deep disgrace,
and were in peril of their lives. Prince Alfred, of Protestant
England, was elected king by an almost unanimous vote. Not obtaining
him, they elected a king from Protestant Denmark. George I. arrived
in October, 1863, and was received by the people with much joy. The
form of government is a constitutional monarchy. There are neither
titles nor privileged classes among the people. The only
qualification for voting is that of a prescribed age, and all
citizens are eligible to the offices of the state, who possess the
required mental qualifications. Unfortunately for Greece, the
article of the constitution of 1843 is retained, which, while it
grants toleration, prohibits proselytism from the Established
Church, which it declares to be a crime punishable by the penal
code. It will be well for Greece, if this be dropped from the
constitution in the revision to be made in 1875. In March of the
year following, twenty-six editors of newspapers at Athens formed a
society, "to discuss subjects connected with the good of the
country," and, by a large majority, chose Dr. Kalopothakes, editor
of the "Star of the East," for their President. In May, the
venerable missionary was invited by the king to administer the
Lord's Supper in the palace; which was no more than an act of public
justice towards one of the oldest, most disinterested, and
self-sacrificing of the friends of the Greek nation.
Dr. King's health was now much impaired, and required a change; and
in July, 1864, he left Athens, with Mrs. King, and reached the
United States in August, where they remained three years. Their
return to Greece was in the autumn of 1867, and the missionary was
happy to find some of his former pupils actively engaged in labors
not very dissimilar to his own. Two were preachers of the Gospel;
Mr. Kalopothakes, from the New York Union Theological Seminary,
ordained by a Presbytery; and Mr. Constantine, from Amherst College
and Andover Seminary, and ordained by a Congregational body. A
third, Mr. Sakellarius, a printer, studied for a while in the
Baptist Seminary at Newton, and had charge of the office of the
"Star." All three had their Bible classes and Sunday-schools. Dr.
King wisely avoided interfering by a separate service of his own.
Sometime before his return, a mob, excited by the report that
"Puritanism" was taught in these schools, nearly forced its way into
the house of Dr. Kalopothakes; but an officer of the police passed
at the moment, and arrested some of the ringleaders. The Cretan
refugees were then there, and about twelve hundred of these were in
their day and Sabbath-schools.
In April, 1868, a distinguished Professor in the University arranged
for an interview between Dr. King and the President of the "Holy
Synod." This man in 1863 signed the accusation against Dr. King, in
consequence of which, after his return to Greece, he was a third
time cited before the Criminal Court, though without any result. The
interview was altogether pleasant, and was a striking illustration
of the progress of public opinion. "A considerable degree of
religious liberty has been gained," writes the missionary, "and a
foundation has been laid, on which, I trust, will one day arise a
beautiful superstructure."
Dr. King finished his course at Athens on the 22d of May, 1869, in
the seventy-seventh year of his age.
The characteristics of this remarkable man are everywhere apparent
in the preceding narrative. He was evidently designed by Providence
to be a reformer; and though he lived not to witness anything that
could be called a reformation among the Greek people, the battle he
fought through so many years with the bigotry and intolerance of the
Greek hierarchy, will be held in perpetual remembrance. A
reformation has begun, and Dr. King, more than any other Protestant,
was the instrument of Providence in bringing it about. To him is it
owing, preëminently, that the Scriptures, since the year 1831, have
been so extensively used in the schools, and that, in Greece, "the
Word of God is not bound." It is not forgotten, that others labored
with him, and not in vain; but it is mainly to the preaching of Dr.
King, during his protracted residence in Greece, in connection with
his persistent and triumphant struggle with the Greek hierarchy,
that we owe, under God, the visible decline of prejudice against
evangelical truth and religious liberty.