Lanterna Rally

Author: Henry Christmas

Publisher: Theclassics.Us

Published: 2013-09

Total Pages: 46

ISBN-13: 9781230432090

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1854 edition. Excerpt: ... CHAPTER VIII. THE CHRISTIANS IN TURKEY. At a moment like this, it is of the utmost importance that Turkey and her sovereign should be clearly understood; so much artifice on the one part, so much prejudice on another, render it an imperative duty to lay before the reader a clear and impartial statement of facts. First, then, in regard to religious toleration, let us see how the matter stands. When the Ottoman empire was first established, the Greek Church alone existed there, --for the schism between Rome and Constantinople had already taken place many years; and when Constantinople was taken, the Mohammedans showed themselves merciful to the Christians in general, but being exasperated against the Romanists, they would have killed the legate of the pope, had he not escaped their fury by a stratagem; and the Greek communion, with its head, the patriarch of Constantinople, was alone recognised. The patriarch was considered as the representative of the civil, as well as religious rights of the Christians in Turkey. At first he was the head of the whole Greek Church, which communion was subdivided into four patriarchates, -- Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem; and, indeed, at that time all the Christians in the Turkish empire were under the rule of the patriarch of Constantinople; but by degrees this was altered, and the government permitted different ecclesiastical arrangements. At present, every one of the different Christian sects in Constantinople is under the control of a head, by whom the whole number is represented, and who can exercise, in particular cases, both civil and criminal jurisdiction. They keep registers of births, and can pronounce a divorce between man and wife, but they cannot decide in cases of litigation.