by France and then by Russia. The latter at last aivancei claim to the protectorate of all the Christians in the Turkish empire, and this being resisted, she in 1853 crossed the Danube. and threatened Constantinople. France and England have espoused the cause of Turkey, and are fighting her batties the Crimea But they have also secured the independence of the oriental Churches; and it is not without reason the hope s cherished that they will wake up at length from their long and death-ike sumber. The sacred Scriptures are introduced and read, in spite of the prohibition which the Greek Church, in imitation of the Church of Rome, has for ages placed on their perusal and Protestant missionaries now find their way with little difficulty amongst the ignorant masses both of the Greek and Turkish population.

We must notice, in conclusion, the sects and Churches which have spring from the mother-church of Constantinople, as wel as some of the peculiarities of her creed and practice.

The Russian Church is, of course, the greatest of the cummunions which trace their genealogy to the great eastern patriarch. The history of the Russian Church, however, we reserve for a separate article.

The Church of Georgia, once under the patriarch of Constantinople, has fallen into the hands of Russia. It was formerly a branch of the Armenian Church, from which it wparated in the fith century to join the orthodox Church of the East.

Its religion still preserves proofs of its original purity. Its independent spirit has always shown itself in the aversion of the Georgians to foreign dominion. They chose rather to compound with the anthorities of Constantinople by the payment of a heavy tribute, than to suffer their patriarch's interference with the order of their own spiritual affairs.

In 1801 the extension of the Russian empire included them within her dominions, after being governed for fifteen hundred years by a bishop of their own, under the formal superintendence of Constantinople. The Georgian worship is now regulated by the archbishop of Tis, with the sanction of the holy synod of St. Petersburgh. They delay the baptism of their children til their eighth year; but in most other respects adhere strictly to the oriental ritual.

The Montenegrine Church is another branch following the

main doctrines of the Greek ritual, though more cautious against the introduction of Romish errors. They differ from it in rejecting some of its outward observances. They show an equally implacable hatred to the idolatrous features of Romanism, and to the overtures of the pope. They forbid the worship of images, crucifixes, and pictures.

The Montenegrine Christians are governed by a bishop, consecrated at St. Petersburgh; but by custom he must always be chosen from the family of Petrovitch.

Of the numerous sects that have sprung from the Greek Church the Nestorians are the most ancient. The term Chaldæans, which was formerly applied to them, is now only used with reference to those who have embraced the Romish doctrines; these are chiefly to be found in the neighbourhood of the Tigris. Though they bear the name of Nestorius, they profess to derive their tenets from the apostle James. About the beginning of the fifth century the zeal of Nestorius led him to support the followers of Apollinaris, staunch opposers of the Arian heresy. In his eagerness to show that the Virgin ought not to be addressed as the mother of God, he carried the distinction so far as to imply two persons as well as two natures in our Lord; that is, a divine person taking up his abode in a human body, one in appearance but two in reality, united in one form, though this inference was denied by Nestorius. A general

council was summoned at Ephesus in 431 to settle this controversy. It was presided over by Cyril, bishop of Alexandria, who, in his haste, condemned Nestorius before the arrival of the other bishops.

Before the year 498 the numerous followers of Nestorius established for themselves a separate patriarchate under the title of archbishop of Seleucia and Ctesiphon his residence was afterwards changed to Bagdad, and then to Mosul. In most respects their worship agrees with that of the ancient Greek Church, though in a more simple form. They reject the worship of saints and pictures. The Nestorians of Malabar, who style themselves the Christians of St. Thomas, rather than St. James, have three sacraments instead of seven. The patriarchs observe celibacy, and abstain entirely from meat. Those intended for the office are brought up from childhood without tasting animal food. The dignity is hereditary, and descends

from uncle to nephew, or, in default of a nephew, to the younger brothers.

The number of the Nestorians is estimated at about one hundred and forty thousand.

The most recent computations give the number of those Christians who are comprehended in the communion of the Greek Church as 50,000,000 in Russia; 12,000,000 in Turkey; Greece, including the Montenegrins, S00,000; the Austrian dominions, 2,800,000; the patriarchate of Alexandria, 5,000; Antioch, 150,000; and Jerusalem, 15,000: in all about 65,500,000.

In doctrine the Greek Church differs but little from the Church of Rome. It receives tradition as a joint rule of faith with Holy Scripture. But, while the pope may authorize new traditions, those of the Greeks are stationary; they include the writings of the Greek fathers to the time of John Damasciensis, early in the eighth century, and the decisions of the first seven general councils, recognising as such the two councils of Nice, three councils of Constantinople, and those of Ephesus and Chalcedon. The Greek Church admits the seven sacraments of Rome; but, with regard to baptism, it teaches that the chrism, or unction with oil, is necessary to complete the sacrament, and it makes use of the chrism likewise as an extreme unction when death approaches, and to anoint the sick that they may recover, and receive remission of sins. Baptism is performed by the immersion of the infant three times. The Lord's supper is administered to the laity in both kinds. The doctrine of transubstantiation, which may be traced in Chrysostom's treatise on the priesthood, became soon after an accredited dogma of the Eastern Church. The Greek Church rejects the doctrine of purgatory and that of works of supererogation; nor does it assign infallibility to its head, the patriarch, or address him as the vicar of Christ. It differs from the Church of Rome in rejecting image-worship, though paintings are allowed, and receive a superstitious homage; and, above all, in the absence of that intolerant and ambitious spirit which denounces all other Christian sects as heretics, and enforces submission to her authority by the sword. Besides the ancient creeds, the doctrines of the Greek Church are to be sought in her liturgies and confessions. Of the former there are four, sed in various places, and substantially agreeing with each other.

has several confessions and many catechisms, particularly in

the Russian Church. A confession of faith was presented to Mahomet the Second, after the fall of Constantinople, which secured to the Greek Church some degree of toleration. The confession of Cyril Lucar followed in 1621. This was answered by the orthodox confession of 1643, which was approved by the four patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and Antioch, and still continues to be one of the standards of the Eastern Churches.

Picart's Religious Ceremonies; Father Simons's Travels to Mount Libanus; Ricaut's History of the Greek and Armenian Churches; Dr. King's Travels in the East; M. Aimon's authentic Memorials of the Greek Religion; Mouriavieff's History of the Church in Russia; Count Krazinski's Sketch of the Religious History of the Sclavonian Nations; Dean Waddington's Sketch of the Greek Church; Neal's History of the Holy Eastern Church; and Bowen's Visit to Mount Athos,— are among the chief authorities consulted in the foregoing article.

GNOSTICS (yyywow, to possess knowledge). Simon Magus

is the generally reputed founder of the Gnostics; but, in truth, Gnosticism was nothing else than the philosophical system of the times, leavened with a slight infusion of Judaism, and a still slighter portion of Christianity. It arose, at least it exhibited itself, in its early days at Alexandria, from whence it spread through eastern Christendom. Alexandria was at that time the great seat of philosophy. It contained a vast number of Jews; and, being the great emporium of trade, it was of course much frequented by the early Christians. Justin Martyr relates that Simon Magus was a native of Samaria; but Dr. Burton thinks it probable that he studied at Alexandria, and that he there learned the doctrine of the Gnostics. (Lectures on Ecclesiastical History). The name of Gnosticism was probably not yet given to any particular sect, but in the progress of opinions it always happens that the thing exists, and floats about vaguely and undefined, before it assumes a distinctive name. Amongst the intellectual idlers of a thriving city, the Platonic philosophy had superseded the coarse and vulgar forms of the

o'd Egyptian superstition. The Alexandrian Jews were infected with it, for their language was Greek, and many of them had an extensive squaintance with heathen literature, and they were a rich and numerous class, exercising, no doubt, considerable quence upon public opinion. On the other hand, the Platomists studied the Jewish scriptures, and saw in them traces of pare and sullime theology. The Jews, who wished to remove the profudios against their peculiar creed, endeavoured, in an evil bour, to show that it harmonized with many of the speculatons of Fata Ther even asserted that Plato had borrowed from the writings of Moses—a statement which was implicitly believed by many of the fathers, and which has been defended with immense erudition by divines of the seventeenth century. We refer the reader especially to Gale's "Court of the Gentiles." Thus a compromise was attempted between the creeds of Moses and of Fata. There was a third element of error in the Persian or Magian doctrines; for Alexandria, open to the teaching of Greece on one side, was equally exposed to the fantastic theories of Orientalism on the other. And thus from these three sources -the philosophy of Plata, the religion of Moses, and the Magian superstitions—a new system was created; this was Gnosticism. As Christianity spread, it applied itself to explain the mysteries of the Christian faith; but in its origin it was not a Christian sect; it did not arise within the Christian Church, but it very soon infected the pure stream of gospel truth, and for a long time, in many places, obscured its real character.

If Eusebius may be credited, Simon Magus visited Rome immediately after he had been rebuked by Saint Peter in Samaria (Acts x 10% and there spread his pestilent errors. Justin Martyr, who was himself a Samaritan, of the same country with the impostor, places his visit in the reign of Claudius, and speaks at some length of his successes there. He says too that his doctrine had spread over the whole of Samaria, where he was looked upon as a god; he adds that he was received at Rome with divine honours, and had a statue erected to him with the inscription in Latin, Simoni deo sancto. Justin's accuracy has been questioned, and with apparent plausibility, as he could not res? Latin; but the same inscription is quoted by Latin fathers, namely, by Tertullian and Augustine. It is also noticed by the Greek writers, Irenæus, Theodoret, and Cyril of Jerusalem