thrones, or shall try to move them from their sees, especially the most holy Pope of Old Rome, and then the Patriarch of Constantinople, and those of Alexandria, and Antioch and Jerusalem."[1]
Summary.
We have seen then, that already in the first ages some bishops had authority over others; metropolitans ruled over bishops, exarchs over metropolitans, the first three sees were those of Rome, Alexandria, Antioch. This was already an "ancient custom" at the time of the first general council. That council (Nicæa I, 325) acknowledges it and gives an honorary rank to Jerusalem. The second general council (Constantinople I, 381) wants to give the second rank to Constantinople, "because it is New Rome," but the Canon is not accepted by the Pope. The third council (Ephesus, 431) makes Cyprus autocephalous. The fourth (Chalcedon, 451) changes the honorary rank of Jerusalem into a real patriarchate and enormously extends the power of Constantinople; but its Canon is again rejected by the Pope. Meanwhile two other sees, Ephesus and Cæsarea in Cappadocia, have their careers cut short by Constantinople. The Nestorian heresy produces a schism in the extreme east of the Empire, and then a national Church in Persia. Monophysism causes permanent schismatical national Churches in Egypt and Syria, and cuts off all Armenia. Islam overruns Egypt, Syria, and Palestine, completing the fall of their three patriarchates. Constantinople is left without a rival in the East, becomes the head of all the Eastern Churches, and already is very jealous of Rome. But the Canon Law both of East and West always recognizes the five patriarchates and Cyprus.
- ↑ C.I.C. dist. 22, c. 7.
