276 THE LESSER EASTERN CHURCHES
natives. Meanwhile the Hellenized Alexandrines prayed in their language — Greek. Both tongues went on side by side, and nobody seems to have thought the language of prayers of any importance, till the Monophysite schism in the 5th century. Then, when gradually two communities had been formed, there came a natural parting of the ways. The Monophysites were from the beginning the national party; so they used the national language, till it became their criterion. The Greek Melkites used Greek. Down to the 12th century they kept the old Alexandrine liturgy of St. Mark in Greek, though through their attachment to Constantinople they gradually introduced into it Byzantine elements.[1] Then occurred an outrageous example of Byzantine arrogance. By this time the Œcumenical Patriarch was making himself a very bad imitation of the Pope. He arrogated jurisdiction over the other Orthodox Patriarchs,[2] and carried his aggression so far that he made them abandon their own enormously more ancient and venerable rites for his modern liturgy. Mark II was Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria from about 1195 to 1200. He came from Constantinople[3] and was used to the Byzantine rite. Instigated by Theodore Balsamon, a Greek who was afterwards made Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, he abolished the ancient Egyptian rite. Since his time the Orthodox in Egypt use the foreign and comparatively modern liturgy of Constantinople.[4] The old Greek liturgy of St. Mark is not now used by anyone.
Under the Arabs their language spread throughout Egypt, and Coptic gradually died out. Already in the 9th century Severus of Al-Ushmunain says that he writes his history of the Patriarchs
1 For instance, the (
Greek characters), a Great Entrance, and so on.
- ↑ 1
- ↑ His see is the most modern of all Patriarchates, and is not apostolic. From every point of view the Patriarch of Constantinople should be the least of the Patriarchs. His one title to honour is the shamelessly Erastian principle that the Emperor once reigned in his city. The same basis would make Berlin a Patriarchate.
- ↑ Another abuse. Constantinople for centuries foisted its clerks on the old thrones of Antioch and Alexandria. Generally these Greek Patriarchs stayed at Constantinople, not even troubling to visit their sees.
- ↑ All the Orthodox now use the Byzantine rite, as a witness of their long servitude under the upstart Byzantine Patriarch. Note that on the other hand the Pope has never tried to force his Roman rite on Catholics of other Patriarchates.
