Autocephaly - Revision history

Rhodion: /* History */ Update

2022-02-05T17:24:59Z

‎History: Update

Veshy: capitalized "Church" where appropriate, added word "local" where needed

2021-01-17T14:38:54Z

capitalized "Church" where appropriate, added word "local" where needed

Veshy: reorganized and clarified list of historical examples

2021-01-17T14:33:40Z

reorganized and clarified list of historical examples

Veshy: grammar

2021-01-17T11:48:17Z

grammar

Veshy at 11:44, January 17, 2021

2021-01-17T11:44:37Z

Veshy: rephrasing to make it less confusing

2021-01-17T11:39:37Z

rephrasing to make it less confusing

Veshy: added European map, because this part is hard to see properly on the world map

2015-02-13T08:27:39Z

added European map, because this part is hard to see properly on the world map

Oknazevad: /* Analysis */ this all, especially the second part, is pure original analysis without sources. The fact that one section's meaning was utterly reversed by placing the original text (which itself was just personal opinion) in quotes and disputing it

2014-11-07T22:50:16Z

‎Analysis: this all, especially the second part, is pure original analysis without sources. The fact that one section's meaning was utterly reversed by placing the original text (which itself was just personal opinion) in quotes and disputing it

Veshy: added map

2013-09-17T23:49:12Z

added map

Wsk: link

2012-12-23T02:11:53Z

link

@@ Line 27: / Line 27: @@
 * In 466, the [[Church of Antioch]] elevated the bishop of Mtskheta to the rank of Catholicos of Kartli, thus making the [[Church of Georgia]] autocephalous.
 * The [[Orthodox Church in America]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Russia]] in 1970 (though that action is still not formally recognized by many of the other autocephalous Churches).
 But there were also cases in which two different Churches both claimed to be the mother Church of the same daughter and both granted autocephaly to that same daughter Church, at different times:

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:World canonical territories.png|right|thumb|450px|Map of the canonical territories of autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox jurisdictions. Click image to magnify.]]
 [[Image:Europe canonical territories.png|right|thumb|150px|The European section of the above map, in closer detail. Click image to magnify.]]
-'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. Autocephaly is granted when an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province|ecclesiastical province]] from all obligations to any higher authority within the Orthodox Church, while remaining in [[full communion]] with the bishops of that province. Historically, autocephaly was obtained in a variety of ways. There are controversies regarding which historical methods of obtaining autocephaly represent a normative precedent to be followed in the future and which methods represent special exceptions.
+'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a Local Church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. Autocephaly is granted when an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province|ecclesiastical province]] from all obligations to any higher authority within the Orthodox Church, while remaining in [[full communion]] with the bishops of that province. Historically, autocephaly was obtained in a variety of ways. There are controversies regarding which historical methods of obtaining autocephaly represent a normative precedent to be followed in the future and which methods represent special exceptions.
 ==Church usage==
-Autocephaly refers to those churches which are not, in any way, dependent upon any other church, or churches, for their life and mission.  On the other hand, each and every Orthodox church, regardless of its particular status, is responsible for the faith and life of the others. Therefore any action of any church is subject to the review of the others in reference to its doctrine, morality, sacramental practices, and canonical order. This is just as each and every Orthodox Christian is responsible for each other.
+Autocephaly refers to those Churches which are not, in any way, dependent upon any other Church, or Churches, for their life and mission. On the other hand, each and every Local Orthodox Church, regardless of its particular status, is responsible for the faith and life of the others. Therefore any action of any Church is subject to the review of the others in reference to its doctrine, morality, sacramental practices, and canonical order. This is just as each and every Orthodox Christian is responsible for each other.
 == History ==
 Autocephaly is a developed practical concept in the Orthodox Church. That is, it is not part of the original organization of the Church but developed over time for practical reasons. Though many arguments are put forth regarding how autocephaly is properly obtained, the historical and canonical record shows a good deal of variation.
-In Antiquity, certain areas developed for various reasons into self-governing churches, with groups of bishops organizing themselves into synods or councils with a primate. These self-governing areas were then confirmed in their position by the others and recognized as such.
+In Antiquity, certain areas developed for various reasons into self-governing Churches, with groups of bishops organizing themselves into synods or councils with a primate. These self-governing areas were then confirmed in their position by the others and recognized as such.
 Some were simply recognized according to tradition (i.e., "small t" tradition), meaning that the bishops of certain prominent cities in the Roman Empire were recognized as primates over the surrounding regions, by virtue of the size of those cities, the importance and influence of the Christians living in them, and the tradition of honor accorded to them:
@@ Line 26: / Line 26: @@
 * In 466, the [[Church of Antioch]] elevated the bishop of Mtskheta to the rank of Catholicos of Kartli, thus making the [[Church of Georgia]] autocephalous.
-* The [[Orthodox Church in America]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Russia]] in 1970 (though that action is still not formally recognized by many of the other autocephalous churches).
+* The [[Orthodox Church in America]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Russia]] in 1970 (though that action is still not formally recognized by many of the other autocephalous Churches).
 But there were also cases in which two different Churches both claimed to be the mother Church of the same daughter and both granted autocephaly to that same daughter Church, at different times:
@@ Line 46: / Line 46: @@
 * The autocephaly of the [[Church of Georgia]] (originally granted in the 5th century by [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]]) was abolished by the Imperial Russian authorities in 1811 (after Georgia had been annexed by Tsarist Russia). The Church of Georgia later declared autocephaly again in 1917. This restoration of autocephaly was recognized by the [[Church of Russia]] in 1943 and by the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 1989.
-==New autocephalous churches==
+==New autocephalous Churches==
-Regardless of ''how'' a church becomes autocephalous, the normal and historical procedure for a ''new'' autocephalous church is to be formally recognized as autocephalous by the church of which it was originally a part. Following that, it is to be formally recognized by all of the other Orthodox Churches in the world. This does not require the blessing of any single particular bishop and certainly not an official gathering of an [[Ecumenical Council]].
+Regardless of ''how'' a Church becomes autocephalous, the normal and historical procedure for a ''new'' autocephalous Church is to be formally recognized as autocephalous by the Church of which it was originally a part (the "mother Church"). Following that, it is to be formally recognized by all of the other Orthodox Churches in the world. This does not require the blessing of any single particular bishop and certainly not an official gathering of an [[Ecumenical Council]].
 == See also ==

@@ Line 7: / Line 7: @@
 == History ==
-Autocephaly is a developed practical concept in the Church.  That is, it is not part of the original organization of the Church but developed over time for practical reasons.  Though many arguments are put forth regarding how autocephaly is properly obtained, the historical and canonical record shows a good deal of variation.  But the something that is in common is that history shows that no council or church has ever ''created'' an autocephalous church.
+Autocephaly is a developed practical concept in the Orthodox Church. That is, it is not part of the original organization of the Church but developed over time for practical reasons. Though many arguments are put forth regarding how autocephaly is properly obtained, the historical and canonical record shows a good deal of variation.
-Certain areas developed for various reasons into self-governing churches, groups of bishops into synods or councils with a primate. These self-governing areas were then confirmed in their position by the others and '''recognized''' as such. None of them were ''decreed'' into existence or created ''out of nothing'' by some special churchly power.
+In Antiquity, certain areas developed for various reasons into self-governing churches, with groups of bishops organizing themselves into synods or councils with a primate. These self-governing areas were then confirmed in their position by the others and recognized as such.
-Some were simply recognized according to tradition (i.e., "small T" tradition), by which is largely meant that those sees were recognized as primatial in their regions by virtue of the tradition of honor accorded to them:
+Some were simply recognized according to tradition (i.e., "small t" tradition), meaning that the bishops of certain prominent cities in the Roman Empire were recognized as primates over the surrounding regions, by virtue of the size of those cities, the importance and influence of the Christians living in them, and the tradition of honor accorded to them:
 * The [[Church of Rome]]
@@ Line 18: / Line 18: @@
 * The [[Church of Antioch]]
-In some cases, autocephaly was simply declared by the church in question and then eventually recognized:
+In other cases, autocephaly was granted by an [[Ecumenical Council]]:
-* The [[Church of Russia]] declared independence from the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 1448 and then in 1589 styled its primate as ''[[patriarch]]''.
+* The autocephaly of the [[Church of Cyprus]] was recognized at the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] (431).
-* The [[Church of Greece]] declared autocephaly in 1833 but was not granted a ''[[tomos]]'' for it by [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] until 1850.
+* The [[Church of Jerusalem]] was declared a [[Patriarchate]] with primacy in its area (over the claims of the bishop of Caesarea) at the [[Quinisext Council]] (the council "in Trullo", in 692), which established the canons of the [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]] .
-* The [[Church of Romania]] declared its autocephaly in 1865 with strong protests from [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]], who eventually recognized the autocephaly in 1885.
-* The [[Church of Albania]] claimed its autocephaly in 1922, which was recognized by [[Church of Constantinople|Constantinople]] in 1937.
+Sometimes, autocephaly was granted by one mother Church to a daughter Church:
-* The [[Church of Georgia]]'s autocephaly (originally granted in the fifth century by [[Church of Antioch|Antioch]]) was abolished by the Russian authorities in 1811 (after Georgia had been annexed by Tsarist Russia) and then later restored ''de facto'' in 1917.  This restoration wasn't recognized by the [[Church of Russia]] until 1943 or by the [[Church of Constantinople]] until 1989.
-Other churches became autocephalous largely from governmental declaration, eventually recognized by other portions of the Church:
+But there were also cases in which two different Churches both claimed to be the mother Church of the same daughter and both granted autocephaly to that same daughter Church, at different times:
-* The [[Church of Serbia]] was ''de facto'' autocephalous in 1832, but not recognized by the [[Church of Constantinople]] until 1879.  Some claim that Serbia's autocephaly goes back to 1219.
+* The [[Church of Poland]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 1924. This was not recognized by the [[Church of Russia]]. The Church of Russia granted a separate ''[[tomos]]'' of autocephaly to the Church of Poland in 1948.
-* The [[Church of Bulgaria]] was declared independent by the decree of the Sultan, creating a canonical mess condemned at a council in Jerusalem in 1872 (by way of condemning [[phyletism]]), eventually sorted out and reconciled by 1945.
+* The [[Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Russia]] in 1951. This was not recognized by the [[Church of Constantinople]]. The Church of Constantinople granted a separate ''[[tomos]]'' of autocephaly to the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia in 1998.
-In other cases, it was granted by an [[Ecumenical Council]]:
+In some cases, autocephaly was simply declared by the Church in question and then eventually recognized by the others:
-* The autocephaly of the [[Church of Cyprus]] was recognized at the [[Third Ecumenical Council]] (431).
+* The [[Church of Russia]] declared autocephaly from the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 1448 because the Russian Metropolitan appointed by Constantinople had accepted the Union of Florence and converted to Catholicism. In 1589, Russian autocephaly was recognized by the four Patriarchs existing at the time, and the Metropolitan of Moscow was also proclaimed a Patriarch, fifth in rank behind the others.
-* The [[Church of Jerusalem]] was declared a [[patriarchate]] with primacy in its area (over the claims of the bishop of Caesarea) at the [[Quinisext Council]] (the council "in Trullo" 692), which established the canons of the [[Sixth Ecumenical Council]] .
+* The [[Church of Greece]] declared autocephaly from the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 1833, following the Greek Revolution against Ottoman rule. The autocephaly of the Church of Greece was only recognized by Constantinople in 1850, and a ''[[tomos]]'' was granted at that time.
-In still others, it was granted by one mother church to a daughter church:
+And finally, there have been Churches that received autocephaly, then lost it (by being incorporated into other Churches), then received autocephaly again. It is a matter of controversy whether it is legitimately possible to abolish autocephaly after it has been granted, or whether "losses" of autocephaly represent abuses of power:
-* In 466, the [[Church of Antioch]] elevated the bishop of Mtskheta to the rank of Catholicos of Kartli, thus rendering the [[Church of Georgia]] autocephalous.
+* The [[Church of Bulgaria]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 927, then was re-incorporated into the Church of Constantinople in the 11th century, then declared autocephaly again in 1186 (recognized in 1235), then lost autocephaly again, then was declared autocephalous by a decree of the Ottoman Sultan in 1872. This created a canonical mess condemned at a council in Constantinople in 1872 (by way of condemning [[phyletism]]), which was eventually sorted out decades later. Bulgarian autocephaly was recognized by Constantinople for the third time in 1945.
-* The [[Orthodox Church in America]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Russia]] in 1970 (though that action is still not formally recognized by many of the other autocephalous churches).
+* The [[Church of Serbia]] received autocephaly from the [[Church of Constantinople]] in 1219, but the Ottoman Turkish authorities prevented the Serbs from electing a Patriarch between 1463 and 1557, then abolished Serbian autocephaly entirely in 1766 (incorporating the Serbian flock into the Church of Constantinople). The Church of Serbia received autocephaly again from Constantinople in 1879.
 ==New autocephalous churches==

@@ Line 42: / Line 42: @@
 ==New autocephalous churches==
-Reguardless of ''how'' a church becomes autocephalous, the normal and historical procedure for a ''new'' autocephalous church, is to be to be formally recognized as autocephalous by the church of which it was originally a part. And then be formally recognized by all of the other Orthodox Churches in the world.  This does not require the blessing of any single particular bishop and certainly not an official gathering of an [[Ecumenical Council]].
+Regardless of ''how'' a church becomes autocephalous, the normal and historical procedure for a ''new'' autocephalous church is to be formally recognized as autocephalous by the church of which it was originally a part. Following that, it is to be formally recognized by all of the other Orthodox Churches in the world. This does not require the blessing of any single particular bishop and certainly not an official gathering of an [[Ecumenical Council]].
 == See also ==

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 [[Image:World canonical territories.png|right|thumb|450px|Map of the canonical territories of autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox jurisdictions. Click image to magnify.]]
 [[Image:Europe canonical territories.png|right|thumb|150px|The European section of the above map, in closer detail. Click image to magnify.]]
-'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. Autocephaly is granted when an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province|ecclesiastical province]] from all obligations to any higher authority within the Orthodox Church, while remaining in [[full communion]] with the bishops of that province. Historically, autocephaly was obtained in a variety of ways.
+'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. Autocephaly is granted when an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province|ecclesiastical province]] from all obligations to any higher authority within the Orthodox Church, while remaining in [[full communion]] with the bishops of that province. Historically, autocephaly was obtained in a variety of ways. There are controversies regarding which historical methods of obtaining autocephaly represent a normative precedent to be followed in the future and which methods represent special exceptions.
 ==Church usage==

← Older revision		Revision as of 08:27, February 13, 2015
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	[[Image:World canonical territories.png\|right\|thumb\|450px\|Map of the canonical territories of autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox jurisdictions. Click image to magnify.]]		[[Image:World canonical territories.png\|right\|thumb\|450px\|Map of the canonical territories of autocephalous and autonomous Orthodox jurisdictions. Click image to magnify.]]
		+	[[Image:Europe canonical territories.png\|right\|thumb\|150px\|The European section of the above map, in closer detail. Click image to magnify.]]
	'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate\|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. When an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province\|ecclesiastical province]] from the authority of that bishop while the newly independent church remains in [[full communion]] with the hierarchy to which it then ceases to belong, the council or primate is granting '''autocephaly'''. Historically, however, autocephaly is not always obtained in such a manner.		'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate\|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. When an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province\|ecclesiastical province]] from the authority of that bishop while the newly independent church remains in [[full communion]] with the hierarchy to which it then ceases to belong, the council or primate is granting '''autocephaly'''. Historically, however, autocephaly is not always obtained in such a manner.

← Older revision		Revision as of 02:11, December 23, 2012
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−	'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate\|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. When an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[ecclesiastical province]] from the authority of that bishop while the newly independent church remains in [[full communion]] with the hierarchy to which it then ceases to belong, the council or primate is granting '''autocephaly'''. Historically, however, autocephaly is not always obtained in such a manner.	+	'''Autocephaly''' (literally "self-headed") is the status of a church within the [[Orthodox Church]] whose [[primate\|primatial]] bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop. When an [[ecumenical council]] or a high-ranking [[bishop]], such as a [[patriarch]] or other [[primate]], releases an [[Ecclesiastical Province\|ecclesiastical province]] from the authority of that bishop while the newly independent church remains in [[full communion]] with the hierarchy to which it then ceases to belong, the council or primate is granting '''autocephaly'''. Historically, however, autocephaly is not always obtained in such a manner.

	==Church usage==		==Church usage==