teach heresy in their schools. Lastly, they are much inclined to find the "Assyrian Church"[1] not guilty of Nestorianism. Dr. W. A. Wigram, of this mission, distinguishes himself in this direction, and has written a book to defend the "Assyrians" from heresy.[2] To this the retort is obvious. The attitude of the Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, if in his heart he really approves of the Anglican mission,[3] is only one more case of the usual Orthodox inconsistency. His religion does not allow him to look upon Mâr Shim‘un as anything but the heretical leader of a heretical sect; his co-religionists of Russia are at this very moment attacking the problem in the only possible way (according to Orthodox principles), by making converts from Nestorian to Orthodoxy. And in any case the Patriarch of Antioch can no more make co-operation with a heretical sect lawful than can anyone else. That the Anglicans do not print heretical matter for the Nestorians is, so far, good; it would be still worse if they did. But this is not enough to justify all they do. Once you admit that the Nestorian Church (or "Assyrian" Church) is a heretical sect (and how can anyone who acknowledges the Council of Ephesus do otherwise?), it is wrong to co-operate with it in sacris at all. It has no rights as a religious body; its Patriarch and bishops have no lawful jurisdiction, no claim to anyone's loyalty or obedience. Each member should come out of his sect into the Catholic Church[4] at once. To encourage them to stay where they are, in the hope that some day the whole body may be converted, is to do evil that good may come of it—the very thing of which they so often and so falsely accuse us. Once more, what would these High Churchmen say to other Anglicans who co-operated thus with Congregation-
- ↑ I have commented on this odd name, now nearly always used by the Anglican missionaries, at p. 7.
- ↑ The Doctrinal Position of the Assyrian Church (S.P.C.K., 1908).
- ↑ The Anglican recommendation comes from Gerasimos of Antioch (afterwards of Jerusalem, † 1897). I do not know how far the present Arab Patriarch, Gregory VII, approves of what his Greek predecessor did.
- ↑ "Catholic Church," of course, in some Anglican sense. We do not expect Anglicans to act on our theory; but one may surely expect them to act on their own.
and other heretics are printed in Brightman's edition of the Liturgy (Eastern Liturgies, 278–279).
