By Peter Anderson
In this icon we see the face of Christ between the Fathers of the Western and Eastern Church
In the early Christian Church, the primary organizational structure was the “diocese” – an area under the jurisdiction of a single bishop. However, certain dioceses were more important than others. The First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea in 325 gave special recognition to the Churches of Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch as having certain powers extending beyond the geographical area of their own diocese. Each of these three dioceses had apostolic roots. The Churches of Rome and Antioch were founded by St. Peter, and the Church of Alexandria was founded by St. Mark, Peter’s disciple.
At the Second Ecumenical Council at Constantinople in 381, the Council fathers recognized Constantinople as the see which is second in honor after Rome, because Constantinople was the “New Rome” and the capital of the Empire. In 451 the Fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon recognized a fifth church, Jerusalem, as having powers beyond its own diocese. In 531 Emperor Justinian used the term “patriarch” to describe the heads of the Churches of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem.
In subsequent centuries, these five Churches have sometimes in the East been referred to as the “pentarchy.” The theory: if all five patriarchs agreed, the decision must be correct. Rome did not accept this theory as it would limit the universal authority of the Pope.
The influence of both Alexandria and Antioch was weakened by schisms following the Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon. This Council affirmed the teaching that Christ had two natures (human and divine) as opposed to one nature (divine). The Council also deposed Patriarch Dioscorus of Alexandria, who did not accept the Council’s teachings, and appointed a new patriarch, Proterius, who did. The vast majority of the native Christians of northeastern Africa remained faithful to Patriarch Dioscorus, and they formed what is today the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. Patriarch Proterius became the head of what is today the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria.
The Patriarchate of Antioch was also affected by divisions caused by the Council of Chalcedon. In 512 a synod was convened in Sidon and replaced the pro-Chalcedon Patriarch Flavian II of Antioch with a new patriarch, Severus, who did not accept the Council of Chalcedon. The result was a schism. The followers of Severus became the Syriac Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch, and the followers of Flavian became the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch.
The spread of Islam decreased the number of Christians in the four ancient patriarchates of the East. The sultans of the Ottoman Empire made the Patriarch of Constantinople responsible for all Christians within the Empire. During the Ottoman rule, the Patriarch of Constantinople controlled the other three eastern patriarchates. With the passage of time, the churches of certain nations broke away from the Patriarchate of Constantinople and formed their own national churches. Four of these national churches — Russia, Romania, Serbia, and Bulgaria — have adopted the title “patriarchate,” but they are not one of the “ancient patriarchates” which continue to receive special honor.
Both Catholics and Orthodox agree that Rome is one of the “ancient patriarchates” and holds the first place in honor. Beginning in 642, Popes have sometimes used the title “Patriarch of the West.” From 1863 to 2005, this title was listed in the Vatican yearbook as one of the titles of the Pope. However, the title was deleted under Pope Benedict XVI in 2006. This raised concerns among the Orthodox that deletion of “the West” implied non-recognition of the four ancient patriarchates of the East. Now, in the Vatican yearbook for 2024, the “West” has suddenly and unexpectedly reappeared. Orthodox Christians are undoubtedly pleased.
