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CHAPTER III

THE OUTLYING BRANCHES OF THE GREEK CHURCH

 

Hackett, History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus, 1901; Malan, History of the Georgian Church, 1866; Jirecek, Geschichte der Bulgaren, 1876, and Das Fürstenthum Bulgarien, 1891; Miller, The Balkans, 1898; La Macedoine, 1900; von Mach, The Bulgarian Exarchate, 1907; Mijatovich, History of Modern Servia, 1872; Comte A. de Gubernatis, La Servie et les Serbes, 1898; Silbernagl, Verfassung und gegenwärtiger Bestand sämtlicher Kirchen des Orients, 1904.

 

The independence of the Church in Greece is not without precedents. One of the most interesting is afforded by the Church of Cyprus, the history of which is exhaustively described in Mr. Hackett's learned work.^[1] That Church, which was founded by Paul and Barnabas, claimed to be independent of patriarchal interference on the ground of its apostolical origin and its ancient usage. Nevertheless, the patriarch of Antioch endeavoured to bring it into subjection to his authority; and therefore it sent an appeal to the council of Ephesus on the question (a.d. 430), which resulted in a decision in favour of the independence of Cyprus. It was decreed that, "if it be not in accordance with ancient custom for the bishop of Antioch to hold consecrations in Cyprus, as the most religious men who are in attendance at this holy council have assured us in their memorials and orally, the presidents of the holy churches which are in Cyprus shall enjoy, freed from molestation and hindrance, the right of performing for themselves the

1. A History of the Orthodox Church of Cyprus.

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