Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
Orthodox Church of Jerusalem, Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the first Christian church (called the “mother of churches”) in Jerusalem. In 49 AD, the Apostolic Council was held in Jerusalem under the chairmanship of James the Just, who is considered the first bishop of the Church of Jerusalem. He was also the first to write the Divine Liturgy. The internal structure of the church was formed by the apostles. The apostles set out from Jerusalem to preach the word of Christ.
The Church of Jerusalem was given special authority by Bishop Alexander (213–251), who was a disciple of Clement of Alexandria and Origen. The persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire hindered the spiritual growth of the church. Origen, who had moved from Alexandria to Caesarea in Palestine to preach, was arrested and tortured (250). Bishop Alexander was also martyred (251).
After the establishment of the metropolitan system of governance in the Church, the Jerusalem episcopate was subordinated to the Metropolitan of Caesarea in Palestine. Nevertheless, the bishop of Jerusalem was accorded special respect. Disagreements between the bishop of Jerusalem and the metropolitan of Caesarea occured repeatedly. Metropolitan Acacius of Caesarea was sharply opposed by the Bishop Cyril of Jerusalem, who claimed primacy based on the apostolicity of his see. The conflict deepened further at the end of the 4th century, when Palestine was divided into three political provinces (Caesarea, Scythopolis, and Petra). The claim of the bishop of Jerusalem to the title of patriarch was reinforced. The Bishop Juvenal of Jerusalem (422–458), at the Council of Ephesus (431), demanded that Palestine, Phoenicia, and Arabia be separated from the Patriarchate of Antioch. This demand was opposed by the Patriarch John of Antioch and later by his successors, Domnus II and Maximus II. The issue could not be resolved for a long time. Only at the Council of Chalcedon (451) was it decided to grant the so-called “three Palestinian” flocks to the Bishop Juvenal of Jerusalem i.e. the dioceses of Caesarea, Scythopolis, and Petra, which at that time included about 60 bishoprics, and to declare the Bishop of Jerusalem the Patriarch this way. He would occupy the fifth place in the hierarchy after the patriarchs of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, since they were established as patriarchs much earlier (later, after the separation of the Church of Rome due to the Great Schism of 1054, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem moved to fourth place).
Thus, through the development of historical events and the efforts of the bishops of Jerusalem, the bishop of Jerusalem was given the title of patriarch in 451. In 638, Jerusalem was captured by the Caliph Umar ibn al-Khattab (634–644), but the Patriarchate of Jerusalem did not lose its rights to the holy places. Umar gave the Patriarch of Jerusalem a charter (Ashtiname) signed by himself, which strengthened the rights of the Patriarchate, although it also turned out to be a harbinger of its downfall. With the support of the Umayyad dynasty of Damascus and the Abbasid dynasty of Baghdad, a kind of peace was established in the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Special persecution of Christians began during the reign of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz (711–720). It was repeated and became even more brutal in the second half of the 10th century. Then the Church of the Resurrection was sacked and Patriarch John VII (964–966) was killed, and during the reign of Caliph al-Hakim (996–1021) the rebuilt Church of the Resurrection was set on fire and completely destroyed (1009).
Despite the long Arab domination, the Church of Jerusalem remained a pillar of Orthodoxy. This was especially evident during the Iconoclasm, when the hermit of the Mar Saba, St. John of Damascus (c. 749) and other great church writers campaigned against it with their teachings.
The Christians of Jerusalem found themselves in an even more difficult situation when Jerusalem was captured by the Seljuks (1071). Pilgrimage to the holy places was then prohibited. In 1099, the Crusaders captured Jerusalem and founded the Kingdom of Jerusalem there. In 1250, the Mamluks took control of Egypt. Later (1268), their power extended to Syria and Palestine. The expulsion of the Crusaders from Jerusalem by the Mamluks (1291) led to the restoration of the old situation, although the persecution of the Orthodox did not cease even under the new conquerors. During the reign of Circassian Mamluks (1383–1517), Georgians in Jerusalem gained strength. Their rise proved to be a salvation for the holy shrines, which the Greek monks, expelled by the Mamluks, could no longer protect from the attacks of the Armenians and Latins. At that time, the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was also supported by the Byzantine emperors, but after the fall of Constantinople (1453), their support ceased. Each successive Patriarch of Jerusalem tried to conclude a new treaty with the invaders, which was always based on the treaty concluded with Umar ibn al-Khattab.
Mamluk rule in Palestine was ended by Sultan Selim I (1512–20) and Jerusalem was brought under the authority of the Sultans of Constantinople (1517). Selim I recognized the rights of the Greeks to the Holy Places and issued a firman confirming this to Patriarch Dorotheus I. During the Ottoman rule (1517–1917), the main problem of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem was the protection of the Holy Land shrines from them. After World War I, Palestine was occupied by the British (December 1917). The so-called “Arab problem”, which, in fact, began in 1845 with the renewed Pan-Slavism. The “Arab problem” included two issues: 1. The Patriarchate of Jerusalem was to be called “Greek” (Rum Patriarkhate), as established by imperial legislation; 2. The Patriarchate was to be given to the Arabic-speaking Orthodox people.
In 1958, the Jordanian authorities issued a special law that fully protected the rights of the Patriarchate (title, status, etc.).
Currently, the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem extends to the territories of Israel, Palestine, and Jordan. The residence of the Patriarchate is located in Jerusalem. The Patriarch, elected by the Council and the Synod, is approved by the Israeli, Jordanian, and Palestinian authorities.
The full title of the Patriarch of Jerusalem: “His Divine Beatitude, Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine, Syria, Arabia, beyond the Jordan River, Cana of Galilee, and Holy Zion”.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem is under the patronage of the Archbishopric of Mount Sinai and Raithu, which is expressed in the fact that the consecration of the Archbishop of Mount Sinai is carried out by the consecration of the Patriarch of Jerusalem.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem owns 37 churches and 1 monastery in Jordan; 17 churches in Israel; 11 churches and 24 monasteries in Palestine. Of these, 22 small monasteries are located in Jerusalem (in the Old City). Liturgy is performed in Greek and Arabic.
The Patriarchate has its own pringting organizations: “Nea Zion” (in Greek, published since 1904) and “Nur al-Masikh” (Light of Christ, in Arabic); It has a publishing and a printing house, as well as a gymnasium, a women's school, an orphanage, a nursing home, a clinic “Saint Benedict”, etc.
The Patriarchate of Jerusalem actively participates in both Orthodox and ecumenical gatherings.
There is a tradition that the place where the Georgian Monastery of Jvari was built (11th century) was received as a gift from Constantine the Great by King Mirian (4th century). Vakhtang Gorgasali (5th century) expanded and decorated the small chapel built by King Mirian and built other churches, leaving 600 Georgians in the village of Malkha to protect them.
According to Procopius of Caesarea, Emperor Justinian (527–565) renovated the Iberian Monastery near the Tower of David in Jerusalem. According to researchers, this is the monastery that Peter the Iberian (5th century) founded. He also founded the so-called “Laz Monastery” near Bethlehem.
Georgians, along with Greeks, Arabs and other Christians, also worked in the ancient monasteries of Palestine: in Palavra, Mar Saba, etc. In the first half of the 11th century, Prochorus the Iberian (1066), Georgian monk, built the Monastery of the Cross, which became a religious and literary center for Georgians settled in Jerusalem and the surrounding settlements.
The Georgian monasteries of Jerusalem were in a difficult situation during the reign of the Bahri Mamluk dynasty (1250–1390), especially under Al-Malik al-Zahir Rukn al-Din Baybars al-Bunduqdari (1260–1277). Then the Monastery of the Cross was captured and converted into a mosque (1273) by Sheikh Khidr. This was facilitated by the fact that the political power of Georgia was not stable at that time. Nevertheless, Georgians were still able to change the situation: they regained the Monastery of the Cross (1305 or 1310-1311) and protected Golgotha (1308); then, with the help of George V the Brilliant (1299, 1318–1346), they also seized the key to the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. Georgians became regained strength during the reign of the Burji (Circassian) Mamluks (1382–1517). It was at this time that Georgians not only protected some Greek monasteries, but also repaired them and founded new ones. Therefore, these monasteries were referred to as Iberian monasteries. In the documents preserved in the archives of the Greek Patriarchate of Jerusalem, the following are mentioned as Iberian monasteries: St. Nicholas monastery, St. James monastery, St. George monastery (in the Jewish Quarter), St. John the Theologian monastery, St. Thekla monastery, St. Archangels monastery, St. Basil monastery, St. Marine monastery, St. Theodore monastery, St. Demetrius monastery, St. Catherine monastery, and the Monastery of the Cross. This list is somewhat supplemented by data from Georgian manuscripts, according to which the following also belonged to Georgians: Dertavi, Dertupa, Kapata, Shehani, Katamoni.
After the Mamluk Sultanate was conquered by the Ottomans (1517), Christian churches found it difficult to pay the increased taxes. Georgia, which was divided into kingdoms and principalities, received less support. Georgians were in debt, which is why in 1558 the Franciscans appropriated the Monastery of St. John the Theologian. Almost at the same time, Armenians seized the Great Monastery of James the Just, which also belonged to Georgians. In 1582, Georgians were also in danger of losing the Church of Golgotha. The Patriarch Sophronius of Jerusalem (1579–1608) managed to obtain confirmation (1605) from Sultan Ahmed II that Golgotha was the property of the Greeks. Gradually, Georgians lost all the monasteries, except for the Monastery of the Cross.
In the last quarter of the 17th century, it was the turn of the Monastery of the Cross. In 1681, the Patriarch Dositheus II of Jerusalem (1669–1707) arrived in Georgia to discuss this issue. At that time, Georgians were able to pay only part of the debt, but later they paid it in full. Nevertheless, Dositheus II, by a special synodal decree (1683), brought the Monastery of the Cross under the jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem and established supervision over it.
The close relationship between Jerusalem and Georgia was also reflected in the toponymy of Georgia. Jerusalem-topographic names spread in the areas of Mtskheta and Tbilisi: Gethsemane, Bethlehem, Tabor, Bethany. Monasteries were founded with the names of Palestinian monasteries: Palavra (Kartli, 10th century), Sabbas the Sanctified (Meskheti, 13th century), Kozifa Monastery (8th–9th century, 15th century). A number of churches were named Sioni (in Tbilisi, Bolnisi, Dmanisi, Khevi), etc. After the establishment of Soviet power in Georgia (1921), relations between the churches of Jerusalem and Georgia ceased. It was only possible to resume them in the 1980s. In 1980, Ilia II, Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, visited the Patriarchate of Jerusalem. In 1981, Patriarch Diodoros of Jerusalem arrived in Georgia, after which Ilia II visited Jerusalem twice more (2000, 2012).
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T. Meskhi
