A Gospel book at the St Peterbsurg Theological Academy.
A Gospel book at the Theological Academy in St Petersburg, Russia. It was the boast of Protestant churches on the European Continent, and of the Church of England, that they were guided by apostolic Scripture rather than by an accumulated tradition of uncertain origin or the diktats of the Pope. Bury, however, was keenly aware that more and more Western theologians were now doubting the Scriptures too, and he dared hope that partnership with the Russian Church might give the English Church a chance to recover her Biblical authenticity. The fact that the two countries were allies in the Great War lent warmth to the discussions, but in 1918 Emperor Nicholas II was assassinated, atheists took over the government of Russia, and the opportunity slipped by.
Part 1 of 2
ONE of my great reasons for looking to the Orthodox Church of Russia to give us our first opportunity, in seeking to promote the larger unity of Christendom, is, as I had occasion to say at a large public meeting in London last year, that, like ourselves, they wish to have the New Testament sense of the presence of Christ. I cannot use any other phrase to express my meaning. It is to me the whole spirit of their worship, not only at the Holy Communion, where one would expect it, but at all the other services as well. Litanies form a very important part of their worship, and as one hears that softly repeated “Lord, have mercy” (Gospodi pomilui) again and again from the choir, it is as if they were all conscious of speaking straight to their Lord with the feeling that He is there Himself to grant their prayer.* No other refrain that I have ever heard has the same appealing note of real and moving faith.
This “New Testament sense of the presence of Christ,” as I have called it, is no doubt promoted by the extraordinary veneration given to the Gospels, both in their external and internal form.
* See The Litany of Supplication for the text and a setting by Alexander Arkhangelsky (1846-1924), from his All-Night Vigil.
Précis
In 1915, Church of England bishop Herbert Bury visited Russia and fell in love with the Russian Church’s worship. He was especially struck by the veneration shown towards Scripture, and back in England urged fellow Anglicans to think what might be possible for Christian reunion if the Russians took the lead. (50 / 60 words)
Part Two
Metropolitan Macarius II of Moscow.
Mikhail Andreyevich Nevsky (1825-1926) was elected Metropolitan Macarius II of Moscow in 1912, retiring five years later with his reputation high, especially in Siberia where his missionary work in the late 1860s had won him much affection: it was Macarius who translated the Bible into the Kazakh language. He was elected a member honoris causa of the St Petersburg Theological Academy in 1913.
There is an intense feeling of close personal attention as the deacon carries them through the Royal Gates.* A beautifully bound copy — in ordinary churches the best they have — rests upon the altar, in its very centre, with a silken covering, and when the priest comes to celebrate he first kisses it, and then, lifting it up and setting it upon end, and laying the corporal where it has rested, with the chalice and paten upon it, proceeds to the Liturgy. The consecration takes place on that part of the altar where the Gospels have lain before, and where they will again be laid when the service is over. Then there is nothing in the ordinary services to compare with the reading of the Holy Gospel to the people, nor is any special or private ministration complete without reading some portion of these, the most important parts of the sacred Scriptures.
It is easy to see, therefore, how it comes about that the Russian sense of the living Christ is essentially that which is realized by His Apostles and described in the New Testament. If Russia gives, as we pray she may, a lead to Christendom in the direction of unity, she will have a wonderfully uplifting and apostolic contribution to offer to the common stock of our Christian heritage.
* The Royal Doors are two swinging gates at the centre of a large screen which separates the sanctuary (where the altar stands) from the rest of a Russian Orthodox church.
Précis
Bury painted an enthusiastic picture of the honoured place held by the Gospel book in Russian church services, stressing that it was not mere ritual, but matched by the affection of the people. Indeed, he felt that this almost tangible affection was something that the Russians could teach the English, and that could even bring Christendom back together. (58 / 60 words)
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