October 22nd, 2015

The Mother Church, Constantinople

The Mother Church, Constantinople.
by Hagiographos Elias Damianakis
Archon Maestor of the Holy Mother and Great Church of Christ

A great swath of modern day Orthodoxy can be placed into two camps; those rising from the yoke of 400 years of Ottoman oppression and those from the matyrific horrors of atheistic communism. Both awaken from a slumber, neither really free of its captors. We are however the "Church of Resurrection". In our struggles to recapture our spiritual truth many of our families also struggle to maintain an ethnic identity: language, art, culture. Not only in the Diaspora but more so within those traditionally Orthodox countries. All these vital aspects of our life seem to be under attack; a new onslaught, the New World Order. Western ideas, revolution and protestations began, on a new scale to infiltrate the eastern mindset early in the 19th century and has only seen massive escalation with the 21st century internet and introduction of mass social media. With the ideas of independence and self determination; 1776, 1821 and 1917, Orthodoxy went from one subjugation of the Ottomans to the other subjugations of communism and secularism. The 21st century finds Orthodoxy rising like the phoenix only to realize in many cases they have been infected by an Icarian syndrome and now (metaphorically) struggle to make landfall. And it seems the one clarion voice of Orthodoxy is, once again: The Mother Church.

The Mother Church, Constantinople.
by Hagiographos Elias Damianakis
Archon Maestor of the Holy Mother and Great Church of Christ

A great swath of modern day Orthodoxy can be placed into two camps; those rising from the yoke of 400 years of Ottoman oppression and those from the matyrific horrors of atheistic communism. Both awaken from a slumber, neither really free of its captors. We are however the "Church of Resurrection". In our struggles to recapture our spiritual truth many of our families also struggle to maintain an ethnic identity: language, art, culture. Not only in the Diaspora but more so within those traditionally Orthodox countries. All these vital aspects of our life seem to be under attack; a new onslaught, the New World Order. Western ideas, revolution and protestations began, on a new scale to infiltrate the eastern mindset early in the 19th century and has only seen massive escalation with the 21st century internet and introduction of mass social media. With the ideas of independence and self determination; 1776, 1821 and 1917, Orthodoxy went from one subjugation of the Ottomans to the other subjugations of communism and secularism. The 21st century finds Orthodoxy rising like the phoenix only to realize in many cases they have been infected by an Icarian syndrome and now (metaphorically) struggle to make landfall. And it seems the one clarion voice of Orthodoxy is, once again: The Mother Church.
The term "Mother Church" has been thrown around a lot lately and unfortunately in many circumstances it is being used in a derogatory manner. Origins of this derogatory sentiment finds authorship in a deluded 'Third Rome' syndrome and percolate amongst the subsidiaries of this ideology. Undignified intimations are an attempt to alter one's own ranked status by diminishing the genuine significance of the term "Mother Church" in the context of 'self-determination' as nation, as a people, or shoddier, as a Church, laying in wake, allusion of a sinister aspiration.
In various social media forums individuals apparently nurture personal agendas through bigoted propaganda in an effort to ensure an 'ego' presence in the modern world. This ideological cancer began in the 19th century with the augmentation of nationalism coinciding with the collapse of the Ottoman Empire moreover the development of the Marxist ideas of Russia. Each particular cultural identity developing under tremendous social upheaval. Modern history speaks for itself.
As for some psuedo-leaders whether political or hierarchal who decry the 'cause' of autonomy and defend the current anomalous "nationalism" which finds itself as the golden rule in Orthodoxy; a true bastardization of traditional Orthodox ecclesiology, to minimize the breadth of Orthodoxy to personal identity whether nationalism, culturalism or relativism is detrimental to the faith both in its mission and its expression.
I affirm the term "Mother Church" to mean the Patriarchal Throne of Constantinople. Historically speaking even before the title 'Ecumenical' was conferred upon the Holy See by the Great Council of Chalcedon in the 5th century, Constantinople was, the Mother Church. No one can deny the importance of this throne as the axis of Christianity. Specifically the prestige of Byzantium: Constantinople, the New Rome. The Imperial city. The epicenter of Christianity (both metaphorically and factually) for the first Millennium. It remains undoubtedly the Mother Church of Orthodoxy with very little to compare.
On the day of Pentecost Grace was imparted upon the Holy Orthodox Church and the Apostles went out and founded various churches: Iakovos the Brother of our Lord founded Jerusalem, Mark founding Alexandria, Peter founding Rome, Andrew the First-Called founding Byzantium (later named Constantinople) and Saint Paul founding Antioch and so on. The term "Mother Church" is aptly conferred to Constantinople not only due to its importance as "The" capital city and center of economic, political and social importance for well over a millennium. Moreover its role as the spiritual center and the source of Orthodox theology, culture and its concrete influence over all the known oikouménē, “inhabited world” a fact no other patriarchate can claim cannot be overstated.
Jerusalem, the city where Christ lived out His ministry, was crucified and resurrected, ascended into heaven and where the Holy Spirit descended on Pentecost. However "the church" of Jerusalem was not established until its first bishop was assigned; founded by Saint James, the Brother of our Lord. Jerusalem continued to be a bishopric until 451, when at the Council of Chalcedon (a suburb of Constantinople) granted Jerusalem independence from the metropolitan of Antioch and from any other higher-ranking bishop. Jerusalem was granted what is now known as autocephaly, in the council's seventh session whose "Decree on the Jurisdiction of Jerusalem and Antioch" contains: "the bishop of Jerusalem, or rather the most holy Church which is under him, shall have under his own power the three Palestines"... This led to Jerusalem becoming a patriarchate, one of the five patriarchates known as the pentarchy, when the title of "patriarch" was created in 531 by Justinian.
Jerusalem's importance as a religious center is rooted in the 4th century when Saint Helena (mother to Roman Emperor Constantine for whom Constantinople takes its name) established shrines, basilicas and created the Christian center we now know as Jerusalem. In fact this Orthodox centered Christian leadership only lasted for a few decades until the Persians took over the city. This conquered/re-conquered cycle would unfortunately became Jerusalem's fate. A city to be battled for, over the centuries. Through the ages the Church has had glimmers if spiritual jewels its relative influence over the Orthodox world, culture or artistic influence was more or less limited to its geographic location as the center of Christian Pilgrimage. I do not minimize the importance of the development of St James' Liturgy though one could argue the Liturgies of Basil and Chrysostom have far broader consequences and equate to scarcely single measure of the importance of any particular Throne's influence overall.
The Church of Rome also has a famed and illustrious history, though beyond the martyred Christian blood spilled upon its soil, its relevance as an Christian center lay in the fact it was the first Rome which had begun its decline. Rome as a city beyond the importance of the throne of Peter offered very little in terms incubating new Christian culture. Its power, glory and influenced had obviously transferred along with the imperial see to the New Rome, Constantinople. Not until the 9th century did the influence once again shine through and this was mostly in the development of western church and quickly led to the great schism. So its importance as a Mother Church to Orthodox is practically nonexistent. (This is not intended to dismiss the profound immeasurable influence in thought, theology and growth Rome had on Christianity however in context of this theme "Mother Church" personify the very characteristics which define us as Eastern Rum Orthodox)
The Church of Alexandria founded by St Mark, truly has a remarkable historical and spiritual significance being the birthplace of monastic idea and the home to a plethora of holy men and women but also having the dubious distinction of being the first to fall under the Islamic conquest very early in its history. Being ruled by the 7th century Reshidu Caliphate the first after the death of the Prophet Mohamed.
Even in the great church of Antioch founded by the Apostle Paul where men were first called "Christian" and the first gentile community sprouted, its overall consequence of influence is localized. Beyond the obvious blessings which all churches can attest i.e. being the birthplace of many luminous fathers (Chrysostom, Ignatios...) the city and inevitably the church itself, due to its very geographic position to Jerusalem has become the splintered and alliances have caused many localized churched beyond the Holy Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch there exist the Melkite, Marionite, Levant, Syriac Orthodox Church. The church of this city is more known for its many schisms beginning with the Chalcedonian Split in the 5th century, the Monophisite controversy and by the 6th century began conquests by the Zoroastrian Persians, Arabs and Seljuk Turks in the 11th century. A subjugation which still haunts the local churches.
Constantinople is the "The Mother Church" of Orthodoxy, particularly of all the Slavonic lands; the missionaries Cyril and Methodios were sent by Constantinople. The history of the Rus: Kiev, Moscow and consequentially all the eastern European (Bulgaria, Romania, Czech & Slovakia...) Linguistically and Genealogically examined most of the Orthodox Churches owe their lineage, heritage and culture to Constantinople. Beyond this simplistic logical genealogical understanding of 'mother'; Constantinople retains her Motherhood to all of Orthodoxy as the spiritual and administrative center of Orthodoxy; rights and privileges conferred by the most Holy Ecumenical Councils.
“But grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18).
In a final evaluation "Constantinople is the Mother Church of Orthodoxy". Not simply since Emperor Constantine founded the New Roman Capitol and legalized the practice of Christianity, but one could say Christendom was birthed here in this city; "The City". Constantinople, is the very womb of Christianity. The spring of Christian: fine art, music and poetry; architecture, engineering and, commerce; educational scholarship, philanthropy and health care; doctrine via Ecumenical Councils, the incomparable liturgical development "Byzantine" (Rum) Rite and the nurturing of monasticism (Mount Athos, Cappadocia...); missionary, pastoral and governmental influences and the list goes and on. No other city compares in its capacity to originate such a vast list of creative human achievement and/or breathtaking Christian endeavors. Particularly when we examine and equate the vast influence of the Throne of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople on Christianity, none other draw a distinction; Glory be to God.
“The mark of the immature man is that he wants to die nobly for a cause,
while the mark of the mature man is that is wants to live humbly for one.”
Wilhelm Stekel