Cyrille Loukaris

Cyrille Loukaris or Cyrille Lucaris

1572 - 1638

Patriarch of Alexandria then of Constantinople, one of the more strong personalities of the hellenism under the Othoman domination.

Biographical elements

the Church of the East threatened by Rome

Born in Crete the November 13rd 1572, Loucaris studied with Venice and Padoue, like the clerks most endowed with the Greek Church at that time, and acquired a great control of Western rationality. The patriarchate of Constantinople then sent it in the metropolis of Kiev. There, whereas the union of Poland with the vast Lithuanian State supported the offensive of the catholic Counter-Reformation, it tried to be opposed to the formation of a Church of Eastern rite plain in Rome.

Of the Protestant friendships.

Vice-chancellor of the academy of Vilna, Cyrille, to fight against the “uniatism”, valley of the contacts with the Protestants.

Patriarch of Alexandria under the name of Cyrille III (of Alexandria) of 1602 to 1620, it was then, and on several occasions, patriarch of Constantinople under the name of Cyrille I (of Constantinople) (1620-1623, 1623-1630, 1630-1633, 1633-1634, 1634-1635, 1637-1638). He works with the rebirth of the Greek culture (he establishes the first printing works in Constantinople) and with an interior reform of the orthodoxe Church in a direction evangelic. He translates the Bible into modern Greek. He reinforces the bonds of the Christian East with the Églises resulting from the Reform, sends to the king Jacques Ier of England the famous Codex Alexandrinus of the Bible, binds friendship with the chaplains of the Protestant embassies, in particular with Pasteur Antoine Leger, Genevese theologist, chaplain with the embassy of the Netherlands.

a confession of faith… calvinist

In 1629, it publishes in Latin, with Geneva, a “confession of faith” of tonality clearly calvinist, digest of his theological opinions and its anti-catholiscisme. A violent controversy bursts then in the orthodoxe world, against Cyrille Loukaris who is deposited and reinstated on several occasions in his load of patriarch. Of their dimensioned, the catholic powers seek to compromise the patriarch near the sultan. Shown political intrigues, Cyrille finally is stopped in 1638 and is drowned on the order of the Othoman authorities the June 27th 1638.

orthodoxe reaction

The “Eastern Calvinism” of Cyrille Loucaris, excessive reaction against certain tendencies traditionalists and ritualists started in the orthodoxe Church an important movement of opposition on behalf of the other orthodoxe persons in charge. In 1672, a synod of the orthodoxe Church (Synod of Jerusalem) rejected in an unambiguous way any attempt of reform of the teaching of the orthodoxe Church, whether it is in a direction protesting or catholic. The acts of this Synod integrate, in 7th chapter, the Confession of faith of the Patriarch Dosithée of Jerusalem which is an answer point by point to the " Confession of foi" of Lukaris.

This synod, and others (synod of Jassy, confession of Pierre Moghila…) managed to safeguard the originality of “orthodoxy” vis-a-vis the Réforme and to the Counter-Reformation.

Texts of Cyrille Lukaris in external Bonds

The confession of faith of Cyrille, in English translation

Related articles

  • orthodoxe Church of orthodoxe Constantinople

  • Church of oecumenical Alexandria
  • Patriarch

Partial source

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