Epistle of Ecumenical Patriarch Germanos V

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Created on Friday, 16 March 2012 14:27

Most Holy Overseers and Representatives of the Holy Mountain; children of Our Modesty, grace unto Your Holinesses, and peace from God.

From the various letters received from your holy place, as well as from Your Holinesses' official report by which with sorrow was made known unto the Church concerning a newly-appeared, novel and pretentious teaching disseminated by Russian monastics regarding the name of “Jesus”, as being that very same Jesus and God Himself, which name in a manner of speaking, is hypostatically identified with Him. Inasmuch as this novel and unwarranted teaching which is derived from delusion and misunderstanding, due to ignorance, results in blasphemous unorthodoxy and heresy, as co-identifying and confusing those things which cannot be confused, and thus, leads to pantheism, Our Modesty, along with the Most-Holy Metropolitans, and most-honoured beloved brethren and concelebrants in the Holy Spirit, who were greatly troubled by the appearance, and moreover by the constant and daily distribution of this impious and soul-corrupting teaching in your chaste place (The Holy Mountain), perceived cause to act, and we immediately once more began to give serious attention to this matter, which had been judged by Our ever-memorable predecessor, Joachim, and by the resolution of the Holy Synod, which had met for this purpose. And, moreover, for a more complete knowledge of the details of this delusion, we entrusted a study and examination of the source and the foundation of this same teaching to the committee of the Professors of Our Theological School in Halki, after which, having received from them their analytical explanation, relative to this matter, which explanation we have attached a copy to this letter, at a Synodal meeting, we then unanimously condemned and denounced in the Holy Spirit, as blasphemous and heretical, the above-mentioned novel teaching concerning the name “Jesus” as being supposedly that self-same Jesus and God, whose very essence is contained in His name. Wherefore, by way of this Patriarchal Epistle, we make known to Your Holinesses concerning the Synodal condemnation and judgement of this delusion and direct you to proclaim the decision of the Church to those in the Holy Monastery of St. Panteleimon, and to those in Vatopedi's Skete of St. Andrew, as well as to all of those deluded monks to be found therein, and that you require in Our Name, and in the name of the Church, that they will all completely loathe this blasphemous delusion, and that they from henceforth completely avoid the varied and alien teachings, and faithfully remain only in that which has been received and dogmas, and in the traditional teaching of the Church, for which and by which (Church) there is no novelty. “If any one of you teacheth other than that which ye have received; let him be anathema”. If they manifest after this second ecclesiastical admonition that some have remained in this unorthodox belief and resolution, and continue to hold to this incoherent teaching; that the name “Jesus” is of itself that very God, we then say that they should be considered as heretics and rebels against Ecclesiastical discipline, and that the measures indicated by the Holy Canons must be taken, and that in no way should it be allowed that such (heretics) remain, and by their pestilence corrupt your chaste place. We pray that the Lord God enlighten all unto the path of piety and virtue……

April 5, 1913

Your fervent intercessor in Christ

Germanos of Constantinople

(pg. 146 of the 1913 edition of Ecclesiastical Truth)

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Γερμανὸς ἐλέῳ Θεοῦ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Νέας Ρώμης καὶ Οἰκουμενικός Πατριάρχης.

Ὁσιώτατοι ἐπιστάται καὶ ἀντιπρόσωποι τῆς Κοινότητος τοῦ Ἁγίου Ὄρους, τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀγαπητά τῆς ἡμῶν Μετριότητος, χάρις εἴη τῇ ἡμῶν ὁσιότητι καὶ εἰρήνη παρὰ Θεοῦ.

Ἐκ τῶν ληφθέντων ἐκ τοῦ ἁγιωνύμου ὑμῶν τόπου διαφόρων γραμμάτων, καθώς καὶ ἐκ τῆς ἐπισήμου ἐκθέσεως τῆς ὁσιότητος ὑμῶν, μετὰ λύπης ἐγένοντο τῇ Ἐκκλησίᾳ γνωστά τά κατὰ τὴν ἀπό τινος ἀναφανεῖσαν καὶ διαδεδομένην αὐτόθι, μεταξὺ τῶν Ρώσσων ἰδίᾳ μοναστῶν, καινοφανῆ καὶ κενόφωνον διδασκαλίαν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος «Ἰησοῦς», ὡς ὄντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ καὶ ἀχωρίστως καί, οἷον εἰπεῖν, ὑποστατικῶς συνταυτιζομένου μετ’ αὐτοῦ. Ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἡ ἐκ πλάνης καὶ παρεξηγήσεως ἀμαθείας προελθοῦσα καινοφανὴ καὶ ἀσύστατος αὕτη διδαχή ἀποτελεῖ βλάσφημον κακοδοξίαν καὶ αἵρεσιν, ὡς συνταυτίζουσα καὶ συγχέουσα τὰ ἀσύγχυτα καὶ τοῦτ’ αὐτὸν εἰς τὸν πανθεϊσμὸν ἄγουσα, ἡ Μετριότης ἡμῶν μετὰ τῶν περὶ ἡμᾶς Ἱερωτάτων Μητροπολιτῶν καὶ ὑπερτίμων, τῶν ἐν Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι ἀγαπητῶν ἡμῖν ἀδελφῶν καὶ συλλειτουργῶν, τὰ μέγιστα ταραχθέντες ἐκ τῆς ἐμφανίσεως, οὐ μὴν δ’ ἀλλὰ καὶ ἐπιμόνου ὁσημέραι διαδόσεως τῆς δυσσεβοῦς καὶ ψυχοφθόρου ταύτης διδασκαλίας ἐν τῷ εὐαγεῖ τόπῳ ὑμῶν, ἔγνωμεν θέμα καὶ αὖθις τὸ πρᾶγμα σπουδαίας ποιήσασθαι προσοχῆς καὶ ἐκ νέου, μετὰ τὴν γενομένην ἤδη ὑπὸ τοῦ ἀειμνήστου προκατόχου ἡμῶν Παναγιωτάτου Πατριάρχου Κυρίου Ἰωακείμ, ἀπὸ γνώμης καὶ τῆς Ἱερᾶς Συνόδου, κατάκρισιν, διασκέψασθαι περὶ αὐτοῦ. Καὶ δή, πρὸς γνῶσιν πληρεστέραν τῶν καθ’ ἕκαστα τῆς πλάνης ταύτης, ἀναθέντες τὴν μελέτην καὶ ἐξέτασιν τῆς προελεύσεως καὶ τῆς βάσεως αὐτῆς εἰς τὸν σύλλογον τῶν καθηγητῶν τῆς καθ’ ἡμᾶς Θεολογικῆς ἐν Χάλκῃ Σχολῆς, προέβημε μετὰ τὴν ὑπβολὴν ὑπ’ αὐτῶν σχετικῆς ἀναλυτικῆς ἐκθέσεως, ἧς ἀντίγραφον ἐπισυνάπτεται ὦδε, εἰς διάσκεψιν συνοδικῶς, καθ’ ἣν ὁμοθύμως τὴν εἰρημένην καινοφανῆ διδασκαλίαν περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος «Ἰησοῦς», ὡς ὄντος δῆθεν αὐτοῦ τοῦ Ἰησοῦ καὶ Θεοῦ, οὐσιωδῶς ἐμπεριεχομένου ἐν τῷ ὀνόματι αὐτοῦ, κατεδικάσαμεν καὶ ἀπεκηρύξαμεν ἐν Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι, ὡς βλάσφημον καὶ αἱρετικήν. Ὅθεν τὴν συνοδικὴν ταύτην τῆς πλάνης καταδίκης καὶ κατάκρισιν ἀνακοινούμενοι διὰ τῆς παρούσης Πατριαρχικῆς ἡμῶν ἐπιστολῆς τῇ ὁσιότητι ὑμῶν, ἐντελλόμεθα ὅπως τὴν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας ἀπόφασιν ἐξαγγείλητε τοὶς τὲ ἐν τῇ Ἱερᾷ Μονῇ τοῦ Ἁγίου Παντελεήμονος καὶ τῇ Ἱερᾷ Βατοπεδινῇ Σκήτῃ τοῦ Ἁγίου Ἀνδρέου, ὡς καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς ποτὲ αὐτόθι παραπλανηθεῖσι μοναχοῖς, ἀπαιτήσητε δὲ ἐξ ὀνόματος ἡμῶν καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ἵνα οἱ πάντες ἀποπτύοντες ὁλοτελῶς τὴν βλάσφημον πλάνην ἀπεχωσι τοὐντεῦθεν μετὰ προσοχῆς ἀπὸ διδαχῶν ποικίλων καὶ ξένων καὶ ἐμμένωσι πιστῶς εἰς μόνα τὰ παραδεδεγμένα καὶ δόγματα καὶ τὴν παραδεδομένην διδασκαλίαν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας, ὑπὲρ ἣν καὶ παρ’ ἣν οὐδενὶ ἔξεστι καινοφωνεῖν. «Εἰ τις γὰρ ὑμᾶς εὐαγγελίζεται παρ’ ὅ παρελάβατε, ἀνάθεμα ἔστω». Ἐπιδηλοῦντες δὲ ὅτι, ἐὰν καὶ μετὰ τὴν δευτέραν ταύτην ἐκκλησιαστικὴν νουθεσίαν εὑρεθῇ τις ἐμμένων ἐν τῇ κακοδόξῳ γνώμῃ καὶ προαιρέσῃ αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐξακολουθήσῃ ἐχόμενος τῆς ἀσυστάτου περὶ τοῦ ὀνόματος «Ἰησοῦς» ὡς, ὡς ὄντος αὐτοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ, διδασκαλία, περὶ τῶν τοιούτων, ὡς αἱρετικῶν καὶ στασιαστῶν κατὰ τῆς ἐκκλησιαστικῆς πειθαρχίας, ληφθήσονται τα ὑπὸ τῶν Ἱερῶν Κανόνων ὁριζόμενα μέτρα καὶ οὐδαμῶς ἀνεκτὸν ἔσται ἵνα παραμείνωσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι καὶ διὰ τῆς λύμης αὐτῶν διαφθείρωσι τὸν εὐαγῆ τόπον ὑμῶν, εὐχόμεθα, ὅπως Κύριος ὁ Θεὸς φωτίσῃ πάντας εἰς τὴν ὁδὸν τῆς εὐσεβείας καὶ τῆς ἀρετῆς οὗ ἡ χάρις

,απιγ’ Ἀπριλίου ε’

Ὁ Κωνσταντινουπόλεως Γερμανὸς ἐν Χριστῷ διάπυρος εὐχέτης.

(σελ. 146, τόμος τοῦ ἔτους 1913 τῆς "Εκκλησιαστικῆς Αληθείας").