Changes

'''Cyrillos Lukaris''' or '''Cyril Lucaris''' or '''Cyril Lucar''' ([[1572]]-June [[1637]]) was a [[Greece|Greek]] prelate and [[theology|theologian]] and a native of [[Crete]]. He later became the [[Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria]] as '''Cyril III''' and [[Patriarch of Constantinople]] as '''Cyril I'''. He was the first great name in the [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Orthodox]] Eastern Church since the fall of [[Constantinople]] in [[1453]], and dominated its history in the [[17th century]].

In his youth he travelled through Europe, studying at [[Venice]] and [[Padua]], and at [[Geneva]] where he came under the influence of the reformed faith as represented by [[John Calvin]]. In [[1602]] he was elected Patriarch of Alexandria, and in [[1621]] Patriarch of Constantinople.

Due to Turkish oppression combined with the proselitisation of the Orthodox faithful by Jesuite Jesuit [[missionary|missionaries]], there was a shortage of schools which taught the Orthodox faith and Greek language. Catholic schools were set up and Catholic Churhes churches were built next to Orthodox ones and ; since Orthodox priests were in short demand something had to be done. Due to good relations with the Anglicans, in 1677 Bishop Henry Compton of London built a church for the Greek Orthodox in London but in 1682 the Greek Orthodox Church in London closed. But in 1694 renewed sympathy for the Greeks drew up plans for Worcester College, Oxford (then Gloucester Hall) , to become a college for the Greeks , but these plans never came to fruition.

It is alleged that the great aim of his life was to reform the Church on [[Calvinism|Calvinistic]] lines, and to this end he sent many young Greek theologians to the universities of [[Switzerland]], the northern [[Netherlands]] and [[England]]. In [[1629]] he published his famous ''Confessio'' (Calvinistic in doctrine), but as far as possible accommodated to the language and creeds of the Orthodox Church. It appeared the same year in two Latin editions, four French, one German and one English, and in the Eastern Church started a controversy which culminated in [[1691]] in the convocation by [[Dositheos of Jerusalem|Dositheos]], [[Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem|patriarch of Jerusalem]], of a [[synod]] by which the Calvinistic doctrines were condemned.

Cyril was also particularly well disposed towards the Anglican Church, and his correspondence with the [[Archbishop of Canterbury|Archbishops of Canterbury ]] is extremely interesting. It was in his time that Mitrophanis Kritopoulos - later Kritopoulos—later to become Patriarch of Alexandria (1636-1639) was —was sent to England to study. Both Lucaris and Kritopoulos were lovers of books and manuscripts, and many of the items in the collections of books and these two Patriarchs acquired manuscripts that today ‘adorn’ adorn the Patriarchal Library.

Lucaris was several times temporarily deposed and banished at the instigation of his orthodox opponents and of the [[Jesuit]]s, who were his bitterest enemies. Finally, when the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[Sultan]] [[Murad III]] was about to set out for the Persian War, the patriarch was accused of a design to stir up the [[Cossack]]sCossacks, and to avoid trouble during his absence the sultan had him killed by the [[Janissaries]] in June 1637. His body was thrown into the sea, recovered and buried at a distance from the capital by his friends, and only brought back to Constantinople after many years.

{{succession box|before=[[Patriarch Meletius I of Alexandria|Meletius I]]|

years=[[1601]]–[[1620]]|after=[[Patriarch Gerasimius I of Alexandria|Gerasimius I]]|}}{{succession box|

title=[[List of Patriarchs of Constantinople patriarchs|Patriarch of Constantinople]]|years=[[1612]], [[1620]]–[[1623]], [[1623]]–[[1630]], [[1630]]–[[1633]], [[1633]]–[[1634]], [[1634]]–[[1635]], [[1637]]–[[1638]]|