Gregory, by God's mercy archbishop of Constantinople, New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch.

The poemantic concern and catering for the Orthodox everywhere  is dependent necessarily on Christ's one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church, inasmuch as remaining untiringly vigilant and diligently leading Christ's logical sheep to pastures of salvation, in a grassy place and by waters of respite, which is the unadulterated and unfalsified, upright and healthy teaching of our pious faith from above, by the Apostles, by the speakers present, and by the seven Ecumenical Councils, and also the intact and unadulterated status of the divine dogmas, customs and teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church and the preservation and safeguarding thereof, for whom the good shepherd is obliged to give even his life in due course - according to the evangelical and God-spoken word^[1] - and to be watchful in every direction, in case grievous wolves come upon the fold from outside, corruptive and destructive, in the guise of sheep, profusely devouring and spiritually destroying those for whose sake Christ died, and whose blood the Lord will demand from his (the shepherd's) hands on that terrible and impartial day, should he be negligent in his spiritual obligations and not struggle with all his might to both expel those soul-corrupting wolves far away from Christ's logical fold, and to lead the fold along the straight path, and with works - along with words - support the Orthodox peoples in general, in their paternally-delivered and divinely-taught teaching of our sacred faith.

Being therefore also aware of these sacred obligations amongst ourselves, we,  strengthened by God's power, have not ceased to care, as much as we can, about the salvific conducting of Christ's logical sheep towards the salvific pastures, and have also issued a printed circular epistle, thus safeguarding well in advance the Orthodox peoples - the genuine and true children of the Orthodox Church - from the torrential, soul-destroying onslaught brought on by the Lutheran-Calvinists with their rabid opposition to piety and their various scheming to uproot  Orthodoxy, and in every manner (we have been) struggling so that by divine power we may support those who have an unfeigned piety and are sincerely and genuinely aligned with the Saviour Christ; and those who have been deceived or bribed and howsoever brought to their knees regarding the faith we shall lift up and invite back into Christ’s fold and reinstate them. As for the manic and rabid wolves, we shall stave them off and send them away to the abysses of Hades, while simultaneously restoring the in-Christ peace to all the orthodox and Christ-named peoples.

But now, once again with an excessive sorrow of our soul upon hearing of the intrigues in Syria, Egypt and Palestine, and the schemings against Orthodoxy by the followers of the fallacy of Papism, and not tolerating to observe such a soul-destroying onslaught being disseminated and extending among the Orthodox, but desiring to halt the flow of this imposture and satanic fallacy so that it will not – as it progresses with time  -  infest all of the Orthodox pleroma, we have not remained idle, so that with personal epistles of ours we might communicate to their beatitudes and most reverend Patriarchs, both of the great city of Alexandria, Hierotheos, and of the God-city of Antioch, Methodios (these our in-Christ beloved brethren and co-officiators) this intention of ours.  In this intention we have found them not only having a fervent zeal and wholeheartedly accepting thereof, but have also received their written opinion and consent, which is also in compliance with the resident Patriarch of Jerusalem, His Beatitude Athanasios, our in Christ the Lord beloved brother and co-offiator, and have acknowledged the duty…

[…]

…of raising the voice of the Church, and with this present patriarchal and conciliar encyclical of ours – like another trumpet – call out to all the Orthodox in the world and more so to those in Syria, Egypt and Palestine, and publicly decry what sort these seemingly sheep-like wolves are: these insidious and deceiving wolves, who have recently appeared from the mountain of Lebanon like other dark lucifers and have also overshadowed like a black and onerous and suffocating cloud all the parts of Syria, Egypt and Palestine, uttering blasphemous things against the evangelical truth and sophistically teaching against our orthodox faith; and thus (with the Circular) protect the truly pious from this luciferian fallacy of theirs, and the genuine children of the Eastern Church from the blasphemies of the Papacy.

For, the unquenchable rabidity of the Papacy - which contrives in every way to deceive and proselytize – has cunningly left loose and in every manner free, all those who have embraced Papism, making allowance for them to unvaryingly perform all of the customs and mysteries of their former Church, and has considered these two things alone as enough: that is, the commemoration of the Pope’s name, and the acceptance of the Pope’s infallibility and sinlessness.

[…]

It is on this alone, that allowance has been made for the catolics, not to believe, but only to recite the sacred Symbol, either properly, without the addition (of the Filioque), or irreverently, with the addition thereof,  so that they might be accommodated for the proselytising of others and for the growth of Papism in numbers.

 […]

Behold, to which Church’s leader the deluded catolics in Syria, Palestine and Egypt have religiously shown tolerance to - having abandoned the paternally-delivered and ancient things - (it is) to such a leader, from whom have originated a while back - and are also originating in succession, beyond many other things - the aforementioned ungodly resolutions which have proscribed and abolished many of the sacred dogmas, canons and formulations, and which (resolutions) have unduly and innovatively validated legislations filled with ungodly fallacy and deception.

The one who, albeit already seated upon the erstwhile sacred and august seat and worshipped by the ‘Pope-venerating’ catolics as one (alas!) equal to God and sinless, and who, cunningly content with only the commemoration of his name and the acceptance of his supposed sinlessness, has attracted them to him by allowing the recital of the sacred Symbol either with the addition (of the Filioque) or without it, as mentioned; by abolishing the necessary fasts delivered by the holy Apostles and their successors; as well as by absolving and forgiving every sin and crime whatsoever, thus luring them wretchedly into the same abyss in which both he and those Popes several years before him have sunken into.

[…]

As for those profane catolics - believing and dogmatizing extensively in whatsoever the head of those dogmas does, to whom they are blindly subordinate like puppets, they are not ashamed of saying that they are priests, and that they are similar to - and like-minded in - everything that we Orthodox are, thus luring and deceiving the simpler Orthodox with their fake external similarity alone, and recklessly leading those poor wretches, into the abysses of their heresies and over the soul-deteriorating precipices of their Papist fallacy.

But we, being Orthodox, do orthodoxically believe and possess intact all that our Lord Jesus Christ had revealed and the Apostles had delivered and the Ecumenical, holy seven Councils had validated.

[…]

Behold, we, in fulfilling our poemantic debts, are raising the voice of the Eastern Orthodox Church – our common mother and nurturer – to you, Her spiritual children, with the present Patriarchal and Conciliar Circular Epistle, and are exhorting and counseling you all, to take care and not commune in the fruitless labours of the darkness of this age, so that you may stand firmly upon the unshakeable rock of the orthodox faith, per the vow that you gave at the time of your rebirth with the bath of divine Baptism before almighty God and His attending, immaterial officiators and divine angels, as well as before people – which (vow) the Lord will be demanding from you in His Second and fearsome Coming: that you will preserve unadulterated the dogmas and the mysteries of the one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church in which you were born and baptized and increased to the measure of the fullness of the age of Christ – for fear that, instead of the true Head of the Church, our Lord Jesus Christ, Saviour and Redeemer, you have been confessing as head of the Church an earth-born man – the Pope – appearing subtly as deniers of Christ, so that, by thinking you have found an easy faith, you do not fall into the abysses of irreverence; for, whosoever deviates from the faith in Christ sinks totally in a shipwreck of infidelity and heresies.

[…]

Keep, therefore, our beloved children - in integrity, in a directness of opinion, in an unshapeable heart, in a clear conscience of the soul – your orthodox faith intact, unforged, inviolable, immovable, incorruptible, unfeigned - and as our Lord Jesus Christ had revealed to you and the divine Apostles had delivered to you and the divinely-inspired, seven Ecumenical Councils had validated, without any addition, without any removal, without any aberration or alteration, so that you may ensure your in-Christ our Lord salvation.

In addressing those who in whichever way had slipped and had recklessly fallen into God-abhorred Catolicism, and were deceived by the rabble-rousing, insidious ones, we advise them to return to their paternally-delivered piety and Orthodoxy, with remorse for the spiritual danger that they incurred upon themselves by having distanced themselves from God and the spotless and guileless faith of Jesus Christ, and, after having mourned for their forsaking of Orthodoxy, once again align themselves with the Eastern Church with an irreversible mind and an unreturning heart, so that they might find mercy on the day of judgment by the awesome Judge, our Lord.

In the Year of our Saviour 1838, during the month of September.  

Signed by:

† Gregory of Constantinople, having also the opinions of the blessed Patriarchs, both of Alexandria Hierotheos and of Antioch Methodios, in Christ the Lord God, opines.

† Athanasius of Jerusalem in Christ the Lord God co-opines.

† Dionysios of Heracleia.

† Hierotheos of Chalcedon.

† Germanos of Derkoi.

† Meletios of Thessaloniki.

† Athanasiosof Serrai.

† Ioannikios of Ioannina.

† Niceforos of Angyra.

† Daniel of Philadelphia.

† Artemios of Kustendil.

† Hieronymos of Limnos.

† Gabriel of Skopje

 

^[1] John 10:11

 

ΠΑΡΑΡΤΗΜΑ 2 Εγκύκλιος της εν Κωνσταντινουπόλει Συνόδου (1838) κατά των Λατινικών καινοτομιών (Αποσπάσματα)  ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΣ ᾽Ελέῳ Θεοῦ ᾽Αρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, Νέας Ρώμης, καί Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης. Ἡ τῶν ἁπανταχοῦ ᾽Ορθοδόξων ποιμαντική ἐπίσκεψις καί φροντίς ἐναπόκειται ἀπαραιτήτως τῇ μιᾷ τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἁγίᾳ καθολικῇ καί ἀποστολικῇ ᾽Εκκλησίᾳ εἰς τό νά ἐπαγρυπνῆ ἀόκνως καί νά διεξάγῃ ἐπιμελῶς τά λογικά τοῦ Χριστοῦ πρόβατα πρός νομάς σωτηρίους, ἐν τόπῳ χλόης καί ἐπί ὕδατος ἀναπαύσεως, ἄπερ εἰσίν ή ἄνωθεν παρά τῶν ἱερῶν ᾽Αποστόλων, τῶν ὁμιλητῶν τούτων, καί τῶν ἑπτά οἰκουμενικῶν Συνόδων ἀνόθευτος καί ἀπαραχάρακτος, ὀρθή καί ὑγιαίνουσα δι δασκαλία τῆς εὐσεβοῦς ἡμῶν πίστεως, καί τό ἀραρός καί ἀκίβδηλον τῶν θείων δογμάτων, ἐθίμων τε καί διδαγμάτων τῆς ᾽Ανατολικῆς ᾽Ορθοδόξου ᾽Εκκλησίας καί ἡ περί ταῦτα τήρησις καί ἀσφάλεια, ὑπέρ ὡν ὀφείλει ὁ ποιμήν ὁ καλός καί τήν ψυχήν αὐτοῦ ἐν καιρῷ τιθέναι, κατά τήν εὐαγγελικήν καί θεόφθεγκτον φωνήν, καί πανταχόσε προσέχειν, μήποτε ἐπέρχωνται κατά τοῦ ποιμνίου ἔξωθέν ποθεν λύκοι βαρεῖς, φθοροποιοί καί ὀλέθριοι, ἐν σχήματι προβάτων, κατασπαράττοντες ἀφειδῶς καί ἀπολλύοντες ψυχικῶς ταῦτα, ὑπέρ ὧν Χριστός ἀπέθανε, καί ὧν τό αἷμα ἐκ τῶν χειρῶν αὐτοῦ ἐκζητήσει Κύριος ἐν τῇ φοβερᾷ καί ἀδεκάστῳ ἐκείνῃ ἡμέρᾳ ἐάν αὐτός τῶν πνευματικῶν αύτοῦ χρεῶν ἀμελήσῃ, μή παντί σθένει ἀγωνιζόμενος, τούς μέν ψυχοφθόρους τούτους, λύκους ὡς πορρωτάτω τῆς λογικῆς τοῦ Χριστοῦ μάνδρας νά ἀπελάση, τό δέ ποίμνιον εἰς τήν εὐθεῖαν ὁδόν νά ὁδηγήσῃ, καί ἔργοις ἅμα καί λόγοις τούς ᾽Ορθοδόξους ἐν γένει λαούς εἰς τήν πατροπαράδοτον αὑτῶν καί θεοδίδακτον διδασκαλίαν τῆς ἱερᾶς ήμῶν πίστεως νά ὑποστηρίξῃ. Ταῦτα οὗν τά ἀπαραίτητα ἱερά χρέη συνειδότες καί ἡμεῖς ἐν ἑαυτοῖς, οὐκ ἐπαυσάμεθα, τῇ τοῦ Θεοῦ δυνάμει ῤωννύμενοι, ἀπό τό νά φροντίζωμεν, κατά τό ἐνόν, εἰς τήν σωτήριον διεξαγωγήν τῶν λογικῶν τοῦ Χριστοῦ προβάτων πρός τάς σωτηρίους νομάς, καθώς καί ἐπιστολήν ἐγκύκλιον ἐν τύποις ἐξεδώκαμεν πρό πολλοῦ, προασφαλίζοντες τούς Ὀρθοδόξους λαούς, τά γνήσια καί ἀληθῆ τέκνα τῆς ᾽Ορθοδόξου ᾽Ανατολικῆς ᾽Εκκλησίας ἀπό τήν, δίκην χειμάρρου, κινηθεῖσαν ψυχόλεθρον λύμην τῶν Λουθηρο- καλβινιστῶν, κατά πάσης τῆς εὐσεβείας λυσσώντων καί πρόῤῥιζον τήν ᾽Ορθοδοξίαν ἀνατρέψαι διαφόρως μηχανωμένων, καί ὁλοτρόπως ἀγωνιζόμενοι, ἵνα τῇ θείᾳ δυνάμει τούς μέν ἀνυπόκριτον ἔχοντας τήν εὐσέβειαν καί τούς τῷ Σωτῆρι Χριστῷ εἰλικρινῶς τε καί γνησίως συντασσομένους στηρίξωμεν, τούς δέ ἠπατημένους ἤ ἐξηγορασμένους, καί ὁπωσδήποτε περί τήν πίστιν ὀκλάσαντας ἀνορθώσωμεν καί πρός τήν τοῦ Χριστοῦ ποίμνην ἀνακαλέσωμεν καί συγκατατάξωμεν, τούς δέ μανιώδεις καί λυσσώδεις λύκους εἰς τά τοῦ ᾅδου βάραθρα ἀποσοβοῦντες ἀποπέμψωμεν, εἰρήνην ἅμα τήν ἐν Χριστῷ άντικαθιστῶντες πᾶσι τοῖς ὀρθοδόξοις καί χριστωνύμοις λαοῖς. Ἀλλ' ἤδη πάλιν μέ ὑπερβάλλουσαν τῆς ψυχῆς μας λύπην ἐνωτισθέντες τά κατά Συρίαν, Αἴγυπτον καί Παλαιστίνην ῥᾳδιουργήματα καί τά κατά τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας ἐπιβουλεύματα τῶν τῆς πλάνης τοῦ Παπισμοῦ ὀπαδῶν, καί μή ἀνεχόμενοι νά θεωρῶμεν διαδιδομένην καί ἐπί πλεῖον ἐπεκτεινομένην τήν τοιαύτην ψυχόλεθρον ἐν τοῖς ᾽Ορθοδόξοις λύμην, ἀλλ' ἐπιθυμοῦντες νά στήσωμεν καί τόν ῥοῦν τῆς ἀπάτης ταύτης καί σατανικῆς πλάνης, ἵνα μή τῷ χρόνῳ συμπροϊοῦσα πᾶν τό ὀρθόδοξον λυμήνηται πλήρωμα, οὐκ ὠκνήσαμεν ἵνα δι' ἰδιαιτέρων ἡμῶν ἐπιστολῶν διακοινώσωμεν πρός τούς μακαριωτάτους καί σεβασμιωτάτους Πατριάρχας, τόν τε τῆς μεγάλης πόλεως ᾽Αλεξανδρείας κύριον ῾Ιερόθεον καί τόν τῆς θεουπόλεως ᾽Αντιοχείας κύριον Μεθόδιον, τούς ἔν Χριστῷ ἡμῖν ἀγαπητούς ἀδελφούς καί συλλειτουργούς, ταύτην ἡμῶν τήν πρόθεσιν, εἰς ἤν καί μετά ζέοντος ζήλου διατεθει μένους εὑρόντες καί ἐκθύμως τήν πρόθεσιν ἀποδεξα μένους κατιδόντες, οὐ μόνον ἀλλά καί ἔγγραφον αὐτῶν τήν γνώμην καί συγκατάθεσιν λαβόντες, σύμφωνον οὖσαν καί τῇ τοῦ ἐν τῇ βασιλευούση ἐνδημοῦντος μακαριωτάτου καί σεβασμιωτάτου Πατριάρχου τῶν ῾Ιεροσολύμων κυρίου ᾽Αθανασίου, τοῦ έν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἀγαπητοῦ ἡμῖν ἀδελφοῦ καί συλλειτουργοῦ, ἔγνωμεν κατά χρέος… […] …ίνα ὑψώσωμεν τήν τῆς Εκκλησίας φωνήν καί διά τῆς παρούσης πατριαρχικῆς καί συνοδικῆς ἡμῶν ἐγκυκλίου ἐπιστολῆς, ὡς δι' ἄλλης εὐαγγελικῆς σάλπιγγος, διασαλπίσωμεν πρός τούς ἁπανταχοῦ γῆς ᾽Ορθοδόξους, καί μάλιστα πρός τούς κατά Συρίαν, Αἴγυπτον καί Παλαιστίνην, καί στηλ-τεύσωμεν δημοσίως, ὁποῖοί εἰσιν οἱ προβατόσχημοι οὗτοι λύκοι, οἱ δόλιοι καί ἀπατεῶνες, οἱ νεωστί ἤδη ἀπό τοῦ Λιβανίου ὄρους, ὡς ἄλλοι σκοτεινοί ἑωσφόροι αναφανέντες καί κατασκιάσαντες ὡς νέφος μέλαν τε καί ἐπαχθές καί πνιγηρόν πάντα τά μέρη τῆς Συρίας, Αἰγύπτου τε καί τῆς Παλαιστίνης, λαλοῦντες βλάσφημα κατά τῆς εὐαγγελικῆς ἀληθείας, καί διδάσκοντες σοφιστικῶς ἐναντία τῆς ὀρθοδόξου ἡμῶν πίστεως, καί οὔτω νά προφυλάξωμεν τούς ἀληθῶς εὐσεβεῖς ἀπό τῆς ἑωσφορικῆς πλάνης αὐτῶν καί τά γνήσια τέκνα τῆς ᾽Ανατολικῆς ᾽Εκκλησίας ἀπό τάς βλασφημίας τοῦ Παπισμοῦ. Καθότι ἡ ἀκόρεστος λύσσα τοῦ Παπισμοῦ, ἡ πρός ἀπάτην καί προσηλυτισμόν τά πάντα μηχανωμένη, ἀφίησιν ἀπολύτους, κατά πονηρίαν, καί πάντη ἐλευθέρους τούς ἀφ' ἑκάστης ᾽Εκκλησίας τόν Παπισμόν ἐναγκαλιζομένους, συγχωροῦσα ἵνα ἐκτελῶσιν ἀπαραλλάκτως πάντα τά τῆς προτέρας αὐτῶν ᾽Εκκλησίας ἔθιμα καί μυστήρια, εἰς μόνα τά δύο ταῦτα ἐξαρκουμένη, τό μνημονεύειν δηλαδή τοῦ ὀνόματος τοῦ Πάπα, καί τό ἀποδέχεσθαι ὅτι ὁ Πάπας ἐστίν ἀλάνθαστος καί ἀναμάρτητος […] ᾽Επί τούτῳ καί μόνῳ συγκεχώρηται τοῖς κατολίκοις οὐχί πιστεύειν, ἀλλά λέγειν μόνον τό ἱερόνΣύμβολον, εἴτε ἄνευ προσθήκης ὀρθῶς, εἴτε μετά τῆς προσθήκης δυσσερῶς, (δυσσεβώς?) ὄπως ἄν ἐγχωρῇ αὐτοῖς, εἰς προσηλυτισμόν ἄλλων καί τοῦ Παπισμοῦ πληθυσμόν. […] ᾽Ιδού οἱ κατά Συρίαν, Παλαιστίνην καί Αἴγυπτον κατόλικοι ἀποπλανηθέντες, πρός ποίας ᾽Εκκλησίας ἀρχηγόν θρησκευτικῶς προσανέχουσιν,  εμπιστευομει/στηριζομαι ἀφέντες τά πατροπαράδοτα καί ἀρχαῖα· πρός τοιοῦτον ἀρχηγόν, παρ' οὗ προῆλθον ἀπό τινος καιροῦ καί προέρχονται διαδοχικῶς, πρός τοῖς πολλοῖς ἄλλοις, καί τά ῥηθέντα ἀντίθεα ψηφίσματα, προγράφοντα καί καταργοῦντα πολλά τῶν ἱερῶν δογμάτων, κανόνων καί διατυπώσεων καί ἐπικυροῦντα καταχρηστικῶς καί καινοτόμως νομοθεσίας, ἀντιθέου πλάνης καί ἀπάτης πεπληρωμένας. ῞Οστις καί καθήμενος ἤδη ἑπί τήν πάλαι ποτέ ἱεράν καί σεβασμίαν καθέδραν, καί προσκυνούμενος παρά τῶν παποσέπτων κατολίκων ὡς ἰσόθεος φεῦ! καί ἀναμάρτητος, καί ἀρκούμενος ἐκ πονηρίας εἰς μόνον τό μνημόσυνον τοῦ ὀνόματός του καί τήν ἀποδοχήν τῆς δοκούσης ἀναμαρτησίας του, προσεφείλκυσεν αὐτούς εἰς ἑαυτόν, διά τῆς ἐπιτρέψεως τοῦ νά ἀναγινώσκωσι τό ἱερόν Σύμβολον ἤ μετά τῆς προσθήκης ἤ καί ἄνευ ταύτης, ὡς εἴρηται, διά τῆς καταλύσεως τῶν παρά τῶν ἁγίων ᾽Αποστόλων καί τῶν διαδόχων αὐτῶν παραδεδομένων ἀπαραιτήτων νηστειῶν, καί τῆς ἀφέσεως καί συγχωρήσεως, πάσης οἱαστινοσοῦν ἁμαρτίας καί κακοπραγίας, καί τοιουτοτρόπως παρέσυρεν αὐτούς ἐλεεινῶς εἰς τήν αὐτήν ἄβυσσον, εἰς ἥν καί αὐτός καί οἱ πρό αὐτοῦ ἀπό τινων χρόνων Πάπαι κατεβυθίσθησαν. […] Οἱ δέ τῶν κατολίκων αὐτῶν ἀνίεροι, φρονοῦντες καί δογματίζοντες κατ' ἔκτασιν ὅσα καί αὐτός ὁ τῶν δογμάτων αὐτῶν κορυφαῖος, πρός ὅν ὑπόκεινται τετυ φλωμένως ὡς ἀνδράποδα, οὐκ αἰσχύνονται νά λέγωσι, ὅτι εἰσίν ἱερεῖς καί ὅμοιοι καί ὁμόφρονες κατά πάντα ἡμῖν τοῖς ᾽Ορθοδόξοις, δελεάζοντες καί πλανῶντες διά τῆς ἐπιπλάστου ἐξωτερικῆς μόνης ἐξομοιώσεως αὐτῶν τούς ἁπλουστέρους τῶν Ὀρθοδόξων, καί ἐκτραχηλίζοντες τούς ἀθλίους αὐτούς εἰς τά βάραθρα τῶν αἱρέσεών των καί είς τούς ψυχοφθόρους κρημνούς τῆς παπικῆς πλάνης των. ῾Ημεῖς δέ ᾽Ορθόδοξοι ὄντες, ὀρθοδόξως πιστεύομεν καί ἀραρότως κατέχομεν ὅσα ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ᾽Ιησοῦς Χριστός ἀπεκάλυψε καί οἱ ᾽Απόστολοι παρέδωκαν καί αἱ οἰκουμενικαί ἅγιαι ἑπτά Σύνοδοι ἐκύρωσαν. […] ᾽Ιδού ἡμεῖς, ἐκπληροῦντες τά ποιμαντορικά ἡμῶν χρέη, ὑψοῦμεν, τήν φωνήν τῆς ᾽Ανατολικῆς Ὀρθοδόξου ᾽Εκκλησίας, τῆς κοινῆς ἡμῶν μητρός καί τροφοῦ, πρός ὑμᾶς τά πνευματικά αὐτῆς τέκνα, διά τῆς παρούσης πατριαρχικῆς ἡμῶν καί συνοδικῆς ἐγκυκλίου ἐπιστολῆς, καί προτρεπόμεθα καί συμβουλεύομεν ὑμᾶς ἄπαντας, ἵνα προσέχητε ἑαυτοῖς καί μή συγκοινωνῆτε τοῖς ἔργοις τοῖς ἀκάρποις τοῦ σκότους τοῦ αἰῶνος τούτου ἵνα στήκητε στερεοί ἐπί τήν ἀκράδαντον πέτραν τῆς ὀρθοδόξου πίστεως, ἐπί τήν ὁμολογίαν, ἥν ἐδώκατε ἐν τῷ καιρῷ τῆς ἀναγεννήσεως ὑμῶν τῆς διά τοῦ λουτροῦ τοῦ θείου βαπτίσματος ἐνώπιον τοῦ φοβεροῦ Θεοῦ καί τῶν ἀοράτως παρισταμένων ἐκεῖ ἀΰλων αὐτοῦ λειτουργῶν καί θείων ἀγγέλων καί ἐνώπιον ἀνθρώπων, καί τήν ὁποίαν μέλλει νά ἀπαιτήσῃ ἀφ' ὑμῶν ἐν τῇ δευτέρᾳ αὑτοῦ φρικτῇ παρουσίᾳ ὁ Κύριος· ἵνα διακρατῆτε ἀνόθευτα τά δόγματα καί τά μυστήρια τῆς μιᾶς, ἁγίας, καθολικῆς καί άποστολικῆς ᾽Εκκλησίας, εἰς τήν ὁποίαν καί ἐγεννήθητε καί ἐβαπτί-σθητε καί ηὐξήθητε καί εἰς μέτρον ἡλικίας τοῦ πληρώμα-τος τοῦ Χριστοῦ ἐφθάσατε· ἵνα μή, ἀντί τῆς ἀληθινῆς κεφαλῆς τῆς ᾽Εκκλησίας, τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν ᾽Ιησοῦ Χριστοῦ, τοῦ σωτῆρος καί λυτρωτοῦ τῶν ἡμετέρων ψυχῶν, ὁμολογοῦντες κεφαλήν τῆς ᾽Εκκλησίας ἄνθρωπον γηγενῆ, τόν Πάπαν, ἀνεπαισθήτως ἀρνησίχριστοι ἀναφανῆτε· ἵνα μή, δοκοῦντες πίστιν εὑράμενοι ἄνετον, εἰς βάραθρα ἀσεβείας καταντήσητε· ὁ γάρ ἀπό τῆς Χριστοῦ πίστεως παρεκκλί-νων, εἰς ναυάγιον ἀπιστίας καί αἱρέσεων αταβυθίζεται. […] Κατέχετε λοιπόν, τέκνα ἡμῶν ἀγαπητά, τήν ὀρθόδοξον πίστιν ἡμῶν ἐν ἀκεραιότητι, ἐν εὐθύτητι γνώμης, ἐν ἀπλάστῳ καρδίᾳ ἐν καθαρῷ ψυχῆς συνειδότι, ἀκεραίαν, ἀπαραχάρακτον, ἀπαράβατον, ἀμετάθετον, ἀδιάβλητον, ἀνυπόκριτον, καί ὡς ὁ Κύριος ἡμῶν ᾽Ιησοῦς Χριστός ἀπεκάλυψεν ἡμῖν, καί οἱ θεῖοι Ἀπόστολοι παρέδωκαν, καί αἱ θεόπνευστοι ἑπτά οἰκουμενικαί Σύνοδοι ἐπεκύρωσαν, δίχα προσθήκης, δίχα ἀφαιρέσεως, δίχα παρεκτροπῆς τινος ἤ ἀλλοιώσεως, ἵνα ἕξητε σωτηρίαν τήν ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν. Πρός δέ τούς ὅπώσποτε ἐξολισθήσαντας καί ἐκτραχηλισθέντας εἰς τόν θεοστυγῆ Κατολικισμόν καί ἐξαπατηθέντας παρά τῶν λαοπλάνων καί δολερῶν ἀποτείνοντες τόν λόγον, συμβουλεύομεν ἵνα ἐπιστρέψωσιν εἰς τήν πατροπαράδοτον αὐτῶν εὐσέβειαν καί ᾽Ορθοδοξίαν, μεταμεληθέντες δι' ὅν ἑαυτοῖς ἐπεσπάσαντο κίνδυνον ψυχικόν, ἀπομακρυνθέντες ἀπό τοῦ Θεοῦ καί τῆς ἀμώμου καί ἀδόλου πίστεως τοῦ Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ, καί κλαύσαντες ἐπί τῇ ἀπαρνήσει τῆς ᾽Ορθοδοξίας, συνταγῶσι πάλιν τῇ ᾽Ανατολικῇ ᾽Εκκλησίᾳ ἀμετατρέπτῳ λογισμῷ καί ἀνεπιστρόφῳ καρδίᾳ ἵνα εὕρωσιν ἔλεος ἐν ἡμέρᾳ κρίσεως παρά τοῦ φοβεροῦ κριτοῦ, τοῦ Κυρίου ἡμῶν, οὗ ἡ χάρις καί τό ἄπειρον ἔλεος εἴη μετά πάντων ὑμῶν. ᾽Εν ἔτει σωτηρίῳ ᾳωλη', κατά μῆνα Σεπτέμβριον. ΥΠΟΓΡΑΦΑΙ Ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Γρηγόριος, ἔχων καί τάς γνώμας τῶν μακαριωτάτων Πατριαρχῶν, τοῦ τε ᾽Αλεξανδρείας κυρίου ῾Ιεροθέου καί τοῦ Ἀντιοχείας κυρίου Μεθοδίου, ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἀποφαίνεται.  Ὁ ῾Ιεροσολύμων Ἀθανάσιος ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ συναποφαινεται.  Ὁ Ἡρακλείας Διονύσιος.  Ὁ Χαλκηδόνος Ἱερόθεος.  Ὁ Δέρκων Γερμανός.  Ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης Μελέτιος.  Ὁ Σερρῶν Ἀθανάσιος.  Ὁ Ἰωαννίων Ἰωαννίκιος.  Ὁ Ἀγκύρας Νικηφόρος.  Ὁ Φιλαδελφίας Δανιήλ.  Ὁ Κενστεντικίου Ἀρτέμιος.  Ὁ Λήμνου Ἱερώνιμος.  Ὁ Σκοπίων Γαβριήλ.

 

 

[1] John 10:11

[2] 1 Tim.6:20-21

[3] 1 Tim.1:18-19

 

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