The Encyclical Letter of St. Mark of Ephesus.doc

8/12/2019 The Encyclical Letter of St. Mark of Ephesus.doc

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The Encyclical Letter of

St. Marc of EphesusTo All Orthodox Christians on the Mainland

and in the Islands.

ROMIOSYNE
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-yj7I-g7ciuM/UvFLICMKXxI/AAAAAAAAAB8/kLNGiPcd8Rk/s1600/Mark_of_Ephesus.jpg


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OSTON!"#$

The Encyclical Letter of

St. Marc of EphesusTo All Orthodox Christians on the Mainland

and in the Islands.

ROMIOSYNE

OSTON!"#$

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The Encyclical Letter of Marc of Ephesus

JULY 1440

To All Orthodox Christians on the Mainland and in the Islands.

From Mark, Bishop of the Metropolis of EphesusRejoice in Christ!

To those who have ensnared us in an evil captivitdesirin to lead usawa into the Ba"lon of #atin rites and domascould not, of course,

completel accomplish this, seein immediatel that there was little chanceof it$ %n fact, that it was simpl impossi"le$ But havin stopped somewherein the middle"oth the and those who followed after themthe neitherremained an loner what the were, nor "ecame anthin else$ For havin&uit 'erusalem, a firm and unwaverin faithand et "ein in no conditionand not wishin to "ecome and to "e called Ba"loniansthe thus calledthemselves, as if " riht, ()reco*#atins,+ and amon the people are called(#atiniers$+

-nd so these split people, like the mthical centaurs, confess toether withthe #atins that the .ol /pirit proceeds from the /on, and has the /on asCause of .is e0istence, and et toether with us confess that .e proceedsfrom the Father$ -nd the sa toether with them that the addition to theCreed 1of the Filio&ue2 was done canonicall and with "lessin, and ettoether with us do not permit it to "e uttered 1Besides, who would turnawa from what was canonical and "lessed32$ -nd the sa toether withthem that unleavened "read is the Bod of Christ, and et toether with us

do not dare to accept it$ %s this not sufficient to reveal their spirit, and howthat it was not in a &uest for the Truthwhich, havin in their hands, the

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"etraedthat the came toether with the #atins, "ut rather from a desire

to enrich themselves and to conclude not a true, "ut false, union3

But one should e0amine in what manner the have united with them4 foreverthin that is united to somethin different is naturall united " meansof some middle point "etween them$ -nd thus the imained to unite withthem " means of some judment concernin the .ol /pirit, toether withe0pressin the opinion that .e has e0istence also from the /on$ Buteverthin else "etween them is diverent, and there is amon them neitheran middle point nor anthin in common$ 'ust as "efore, two diverentCreeds are uttered$ #ikewise, there are cele"rated two #ituries, diverent

and discordant one with the otherone with leavened "read, the other withunleavened "read$ 5iverent also are "aptismsone performed with tripleimmersion, the other with (pourin+ over the head from a"ove4 one withanointin chrism, the other completel without$ -nd all rites are ineverthin diverent and discordant one with the other, alon with thefasts, church usaes, and other, similar thins$

6hat kind of unit is this, when there is no apparent and clear sin of it3-nd in what manner have the united with them, desirin also to preservetheir ownfor in this the were unanimousand at the same time notfollowin the traditions of the Fathers3

But what is their own (wise+ opinion3 (7ever,+ the sa, (has the )reekChurch said that the .ol /pirit proceeds from the Father alone$ /he hassaid simpl that .e proceeds from the Father, thus not e0cludin theparticipation of the /on in the procession of the .ol /pirit$ Therefore

the sa"oth "efore and now we e0hi"it unit$+

-las, what a"surdit! -las, what "lindness! %f the )reek Churchhavinreceived it from Christ .imself and the .ol -postles and Fathershassaid that the /pirit proceeds from the Father, "ut has never saidfor shehas received this from no onethat the .ol /pirit proceeds from the /on,then what else does this sinif than that she affirms that the .ol /piritproceeds from the Father alone3 For if .e is not from the /on evidentl, .eis from the Father alone$

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5o ou know what is said concernin the (eneration3+8 +Beotten of theFather "efore all aes$+ 6ould anone add here (of the Father alone3+ 9et

it is precisel thus, and in no other wa, that we understand it, andif need"ewill e0press it$ For we have "een tauht that the /on is "eotten ofnone else, "ut onl of the Father$ Therefore, too, 'ohn of 5amascus sason "ehalf of the whole Church and all Christians+6e do not sa that the.ol /pirit is from the /on$+ -nd if we do not sa that the /pirit is alsofrom the /on, then it is apparent that we thus sa that the /pirit is onl fromthe Father4 therefore, a little "efore this he sas8 (6e do not call the /on:Cause,;+ and in the ne0t chapter, (The sole Cause is the Father$+

6hat more3

(7ever,+ the sa, which, until then the had spoken in secret, whilewe were the first to separate ourselves from them, or rather, to separate andcut them off from the common Bod of the Church$ 6h, ma % ask3Because the have the riht Faith or have made the addition =to the Creed>

in an ?rthodo0 fashion3 /urel whoever would "ein to talk like thatwould not "e riht in the head3 But rather "ecause the have an a"surd andimpious opinion and for no reason at all made the addition$ -nd so we haveturned awa from them, as from heretics, and have shunned them$

6hat more is necessar3

The pious canons speak thus8 (.e is a heretic and su"ject to the canons

aainst heretics who even slihtl departs from the ?rthodo0 Faith$+ %f,then, the #atins do not at all depart from the correct Faith, we have

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evidentl cut them off unjustl$ But if the have thorouhl departed =from

the Faith>and that in connection with the theolo of the .ol /pirit,"lasphem aainst 6hom is the reatest of all perilsthen it is clear thatthe are heretics, and we have cut them off as heretics$

6h do we anoint with chrism those of them who come to us3 %s it notclear that it is "ecause the are heretics3 For the seventh canon of the/econd Ecumenical Council states8-s for those heretics who "etake themselves to ?rthodo0, and to the lot ofthose "ein saved, we accept them in accordance with the su"joinedse&uence and custom8 -rians, and Macedonians, and /a""atians, and7ovatians, those callin themselves Cathari 1(@uritans+2 and -risteri

1(Best+2, and the Auartodecimans, otherwise known as Tetradites, and-pollinarians we accept when the offer li"elli 1recantations in writin2,and anathematie ever heres that does not hold the same "eliefs as theCatholic and -postolic Church of )od, and are sealed first with holchrism on their forehead and their ees, and nose, and mouth, and ears, andin sealin them we sa8


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5o ou hear how the have departed not onl in customs, "ut also indomas forein to those of ?rthodo0and what is forein to ?rthodo0

doma is, of course, heretical teachinand that, accordin to the canons,the must "e catechied and united to ?rthodo03 -nd if it is necessar tocatechie, then clearl it is necessar to anoint with chrism$ .ow have thesuddenl presented themselves to us as ?rthodo0, the who for so lon,and accordin to the judment of such reat Fathers and Teachers, have"een considered heretics3 6ho has so easil made them ?rthodo03 %t isold, if ou desire to acknowlede the truth, and our own thirst for ain$?r, to e0press it "etter8 %t did not make them ?rthodo0, "ut made ou likethem and carried ou into the camp of the heretics$

(But if,+ the sa, (we had devised some middle round "etween domas,then thanks to this we would have united with them and accomplished our"usiness super"l, without at all havin "een forced to sa anthin e0ceptwhat corresponds to custom and has "een handed down$+ This is preciselthe means " which man, from of old, have "een deceived and persuadedto follow those who have led them off to the steep precipice of impiet,"elievin that there is some sort of middle round "etween two teachinsthat can reconcile o"vious contradictionsthe have "een e0posed to peril$

%f the #atin doma is true that the .ol /pirit proceeds also from the /on,then ours is false that states that the .ol /pirit proceeds from the Fatherand this is precisel the reason for which we separated from them$ -nd ifours is true, then without a dou"t, theirs is false$ 6hat kind of middleround can there "e "etween two such judments3 There can "e none,unless it were some kind of judment suita"le to "oth the one and the other,like a "oot that fits "oth feet$ -nd will this unite us3

But, someone will sa, how shall we reard those moderate )reco*#atinswho, maintainin a middle round, openl favor some of the #atin rites anddomasfavor, "ut do not wish to accept othersand entirel disapprove

of others3 ?ne must flee from them as one flees from a snake, as from the#atins themselves, or, it ma "e, from those who are even worse than the

as from "uers and sellers of Christ$ For the, as the -postle sas,(suppose that ain is odliness+ 1 Tim$ 8G2, of whom he adds, (fleethese+ 1 Tim$ 82, for the o over to them not in order to learn, "ut for

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ain$ (6hat communion hath liht with darkness3 -nd what concord hath

Christ with Belial3 or what part hath he that "elieveth with an infidel3+ 1Cor$ 8 HIG2$

Behold how we, toether with 5amascene and all the Fathers, do not sathat the /pirit proceeds from the /on4 while the, toether with the #atins,sa that the /pirit proceeds from the /on$-nd we, toether with the divine 5ionsios, sa that the Father is the sole/ource of the supernatural 5ivinit4 while the, toether with the #atins,sa that the /on also is the /ource of the .ol /pirit, and " this clearle0cludin the /pirit from the 5ivinit$

-nd we, toether with )reor the Theoloian, distinuish the Fatherfrom the /on in .is capacit of "ein Cause4 while the, toether with the#atins, unite them into one in the capacit of "ein Cause$-nd we, toether with /t$ Ma0imos and the Romans of that time, as wellas the 6estern Fathers, (do not make the /on the Cause of the /pirit+4while the, in their Conciliar 5ecree, proclaim the /on (in )reek, :Cause,;and in #atin, :@rinciple;+ of the /pirit$

-nd we, toether with the @hilosopher and Martr 'ustin affirm, (-s the/on is from the Father, so is the /pirit from the Father+4 while the,toether with the #atins, sa that the /on proceeds from the Fatherimmediatel, and the /pirit from the Father mediatel$

-nd we, toether with 5amascene and all the Fathers, confess that it is not

known to us in what consists the difference "etween eneration andprocession4 while the, toether with Thomas and the #atins, sa that thedifference consists in this8 that eneration is immediate, and processionmediate$

-nd we affirm, in areement with the Fathers, that the will and ener ofthe uncreated and divine nature are uncreated4 while the, toether with the#atins and Thomas, sa that will is identical with nature, "ut that the divineener is created, whether it "e called divinit, or the divine and immaterial

liht, or the .ol /pirit, or somethin else of this natureand in some

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fashion, these poor creatures worship the created (divinit+ and the created

(divine liht+ and the created (.ol /pirit$+

-nd we sa that neither do the /aints receive the kindom and theunuttera"le "lessins alread prepared for them, nor are sinners alreadsent to hell, "ut "oth await their fate which will "e received in the futureae after the resurrection and judement4 while the, toether with the#atins, desire immediatel after death to receive accordin to their merits$-nd for those in an intermediate condition, who have died in repentance,the ive a puratorial fire 1which is not identical with that of hell2 so that,as the sa, havin purified their souls " it after death, the also toetherwith the rihteous will enjo the kindom4 this is contained in their

Conciliar 5ecree$

-nd we, o"ein the -postles who have prohi"ited it, shun 'ewishunleavened "read4 while the, in the same -ct of Jnion, proclaim that whatis used in the services of the #atins is the Bod of Christ$-nd we sa that the addition to the Creed arose un*canonicall and anti*canonicall and contrar to the Fathers4 while the affirm that it iscanonical and "lessedto such an e0tent are the unaware how to conform

to the Truth and to themselves!

-nd for us, the @ope is as one of the @atriarchs, and that aloneif he "e?rthodo04 while the, with reat ravit, proclaim him (Kicar of Christ,Father and Teacher of all Christians$+ Ma the "e more fortunate thantheir Father, who are also like him$ For he does not reatl prosper, havinan anti*pope who is the cause of sufficient unpleasantness4 and the are nothapp to imitate him$

-nd so, "rethren, flee from them and from communion with them, for theare false apostles, deceitful workers, transformin themselves into the-postles of Christ$ -nd no marvel, for /atan himself is transformed into ananel of liht$ Therefore, it is no reat thin if his ministers also "etransformed as the ministers of rihteousness, whose end shall "e accordinto their works 1 Cor$ 8DIG2$ -nd in another place, the same -postlesas of them8 (For the that are such serve not our #ord 'esus Christ, huttheir own "ell+4 and " ood words and fair speeches, the deceive the

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hearts of the simple$ 7evertheless, the foundation of )od stands sure,

havin this seal 1Rom$ 8L4 Tim$ 82$ -nd in another place8 (Bewareof dos, "eware of evil workers, "eware of the circumcision+ 1@hil$ D82$-nd then, in another place8 (But thouh we, or an anel from heaven,

preach an other ospel unto ou than that which we have preached untooulet him "e accursed+ 1)al$ 8L2$ /ee what has "een propheticallforetold, that (thouh an anel from heaven,+ so that no one could cite in

justification of himself an especiall hih position$ -nd the "eloved5isciple speaks thus8 (%f there come an unto ou, and "rin not thisdoctrine, receive him not intoour house, and ive him no reetin4 for he that iveth him reetin ispartaker in his evil deeds+ 1 'ohn I2$

Therefore, in so far as this is what has "een commanded ou " the .ol-postles, stand ariht, hold firml to the traditions which ou havereceived, "oth written and " word of mouth, that ou "e not deprived ofour firmness if ou are led awa " the delusions of the lawless$

Ma )od, 6ho is all*powerful, make them also to know their delusion4and havin delivered us from them as from evil tares, ma .e ather usinto .is ranaries like pure and useful wheat, in 'esus Christ our #ord, to

6hom "elons all lor, honor, and worship, with .is Father 6ho iswithout "einnin, and .is -ll*hol and )ood and #ife*ivin /pirit, nowand ever and unto the aes of aes$ -men$

+Mark, Bishop of the Metropolis of Ephesus

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The Encyclical Letter of St. Mark of Ephesus.doc