ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව

ඕර්තඩොක්ස්  සභාව යනු කතෝලික සභාව දක්වාම ඉතිහාසයක් ඇති, එක් එක් ප්‍රාදේශීය සභාවෙන්  සභාවට(autocephalous) වෙන් වෙන් බලයක් දරණ සභා කිහිපයක එකතුවකි. පෙරදිග  ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාවේ කතෝලික සභාවේ මෙන් එක් නායකයෙක් නොමැත.

නමුත් කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ පේට්‍රියාක් වරයාව ඔවුන් first among equals ලෙස  හදුන්වයි. අනෙක් ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව වන ඔරියන්ටල් ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව  සම්පූර්ණයෙන්ම එකිනෙකා නිදහස් ලෙස ක්‍රියා කරයි.ඔරියන්ටල්  ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව කතෝලික සභාවෙන් වෙන් වන්නේ ක්‍රිව 415 දී තිබූ කැල්සිඩොන්  මන්ත්‍රණ සභාවෙන් පසුවය.

එමනිසා ඔවුන් Non Chalcedonian/Miaphysite සභාවක්  ලෙස හදුන්වයි. ඒ ඔවුන් කැල්සිඩොන් මන්ත්‍රණ සභාව හා එහිදී වේද සත්‍යතාවන්  ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කිරීම හේතුවෙනි.පෙරදිග ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව කතෝලික සභාවෙන් වෙන් වන්නේ ක්‍රිව 1054 දීය. මෙය මහා භේදය(Great schism) ලෙස හදුන්වයි.

1). ඕතඩොක්ස් සභාවේ නිර්මාතෘ කවුද ?

ඔරියන්ටල්  ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව කැල්සිඩොන් මන්ත්‍රණ සභාව දක්වා කතෝලික සභාවේ කොටසකි,  පෙරදිග ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාව මහා සභා භේදය දක්වා කතෝලික සභාවේ කොටසකි. එමනිසා  ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාවද ජේසුස් වහන්සේ ස්තාපිත කළ, වලංගු අපෝස්තලික  අනුප්‍රාප්තිකත්වයක්(Apostalic Succession) හා වලංගු සක්‍රමේන්තු අඩංගු  සභාවක් වේ. නැතුව ප්‍රොතෙස්තන්ත්‍ර සභා මෙන් නව නිර්මාණ නොවේ. දෙවන ජුවාම්  පාවුලු පාප් තුමන්ද ඕර්තඩොක්ස් හා කතෝලික අතර සම්බන්ධය, එකම ශරීරයක පෙනහලු  දෙකක් ලෙස හැදින්විය.

2). පෙරදිග සභාව මගින් Great schism එකට පෙර රෝමයේ අධිකාරිත්වය පිලිගත්තාද? නැතිනම් සියලුම බිශොප්වරුන් සමාන අධිකාරිත්වයක් දැරුවාද?

කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ පේට්‍රියාක් ෆ්ලේවියනුස් තුමන්, ක්‍රිව. 449 :

“When I began to appeal to the throne of the Apostolic see of Peter, the prince of the Apostles, and to the whole sacred synod which is obedient to your holiness, at once a crowd of soldiers surrounded me and barred the way when I wished to take refuge at the holy altar…Therefore I beseach your holiness not to permit these things to be treated with indifference…but to rise up first on behalf of the cause of our orthodox faith, now destroyed by unlawful acts…further to issue an authoritative  instruction, so that a like faith may everywhere be perached, by the  assembly of a united synod of the fathers, both eastern and western.  Thus the laws of the fathers may prevail and all that has been done  amiss be rendered null and void: bring healing to this ghastly wound”  (Dr William Carrol, The Building of Christendom, page 114)

කැල්සිඩොන් මන්ත්‍රණ සභාව මගින් ලියෝ පාප් තුමන්ට ලිපි :

“.For if where two or three are gathered together in His name, He has said that there He is in the midst of them , must He not have been much more particularly present with 520 priests, who preferred the spread of knowledge concerning Him to their country and their ease? Of whom you were chief, as the head to the members, showing your goodwill in the person of those who represented you; while our religious Emperors presided to the furtherance of due order, inviting us to restore the doctrinal fabric of the Church, even as Zerubbabel invited Joshua to rebuild Jerusalem…..and besides all this, he [heretic Dioscorus of Alexandria] stretched forth his fury even against him who had been charged with the custody of the vine by the Saviour, we mean of course, your holiness…Accordingly, we entreat you, honour our decision by your assent, and as we have yielded to the head our agreement on things honourable, so may the head also fulfil for the children what is fitting.” (Letter XCVIII)

කැල්සිඩොන්  මන්ත්‍රණ සභාවේ 28 වන කැනොනය ලියෝ පාප් තුමන් පිළිනොගැනීම පිළිබදව කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ පේට්‍රියාක්, ඇනටූලියස් තුමන් විසින් යැවූ ලිපිය :

“As for those things which the universal Council of Chalcedon recently ordained in favor of the church of Constantinople, let Your Holiness be sure that there was no fault in me, who from my youth have always loved peace and quiet, keeping myself in humility. It was the most reverend clergy of the church of Constantinople who were eager about it, and they  were equally supported by the most reverend priests of those parts, who  agreed about it. Even so, the whole force of confirmation of the acts  was reserved for the authority of Your Blessedness. Therefore, let Your  Holiness know for certain that I did nothing to further the matter,  knowing always that I held myself bound to avoid the lusts of pride and  covetousness.” — Patriarch Anatolius of Constantinople to Pope Leo, Ep  132 (on the subject of canon 28 of Chalcedon).

කැල්සිඩොන්  මන්ත්‍රණ සභාවේ 28 වන කැනොනය පාප් තුමන් ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කිරීමේදී, කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ පේට්‍රියාක් වුන ඇනටූලියස් තුමන් එයට දක්වපු ප්‍රතිචාරය,  රෝමය අධිකාරිත්වයක් දැරුවාද නැද්ද යන්න හොදම නිදසුනකි.

3). කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයට ආරම්භයේ සිටම විශේෂ බලයක් තිබුනාද?

හොදම දෙය වන්නේ ආරම්භයේදී කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලය Patriarchal See එකක් ලෙසවත් පිළිගැනුනේ නැත. ආරම්භයේ සිට පැවතියේ රෝමය, අන්තියෝකිය හා  ඇලෙක්සැන්ඩ්‍රියාව පමණි. කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලය Patriarchal See එකක් ලෙස  පිළිගැනුනේ ක්‍රිව 381 දී පැවති පළමුවන කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපල් මන්ත්‍රණ සභාව  මගිනි. එයට හේතුව වන්නේ රෝම අධිරාජ්‍යයා රෝමයෙන් ඉවත්ව, නව රෝමය ලෙස  හැදින්වූ කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයට ආසන්න බයිසැන්තියම තම පාලන මූලස්ථානය කර  ගැනීමයි.

සාම්ප්‍රදායිකව  කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලේ පළමු බිශොප් වරයා ලෙස සැලකෙන්නේ ඇන්ඩෲ අපෝස්තුළුතුමන්‍  ය. එමෙන්ම පළමු Archbishop වන්නේ කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ ඇලෙක්සැන්ඩර් තුමන්‍ ය.  පළමු පේට්‍රියාක් වරයා වන්නේ කළින් සදහන් කළ ඇනටූලියස් තුමන් ය.තවද  කැල්සිඩොන් මන්ත්‍රණ සභාවේ 28 වන කැනොනය මගින් කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලය රෝමය සමග  අධිකාරිත්වය අතින් සමාන වීම විය යුතු බව සදහන් කළේය. නමුත් එම කැනොනය වලංගු  කැනොනයක් වීමට ලියෝ පාප් තුමන්ට අනුමැතිය ඉල්ලා යැවූ විට ඔහු එය එක හෙලා  ප්‍රතික්ෂේප කළේය. පසුව, කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ පේට්‍රියාක් වූ ඇනටූලියස් තුමන්  සමාව අයැදිමින් යැවූ ලිපිය ඉහලින් දක්වා ඇත. පසුකාලීන මෙතෝදියස් වැනි  පෙරදිග සභා පියවරුන්ද එම කැනොනය සම්පූර්ණ වැරදි හා අවලංගු බව ප්‍රකාශ.

මෙයින් පැහැදිලි වන්නේ කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලට ශුද්ධ ලියවිල්ල, ජේසුස් වහන්සේ හෝ අපෝස්තුළුරයයෙක්ගෙන් විශේෂ බලයක් නොලැබුන බවත් හුදෙක්ම තම බලය ලැබී ඇත්තේ රෝම අධිරාජ්‍යයා මගින් බවයි.රෝමය  දෙස හැරී බැලුවොත්, රෝමයට තිබූ විශේෂ බලය පෙන්වන ප්‍රධාන සිද්ධියක් වන්නෙ  පළමු වන සියවස අගභාගයේදී කොරින්ති සභාව තුළ ඇතිවූ ගැටලුවක් විසදීමට එවක  පාප් තුමන් වූ ක්ලෙමන්ට් තුමන් මැදිහත් වීමයි. විශේෂ දෙයක් වන්නේ ජොහාන්  අපෝස්තුළුතුමන් එම අවදියේදී ජීවත්ව සිටි බවට බොහෝ පිළිගනී. අපෝස්තුළුවරයෙකු  ජීවත්ව සිටි අවධියක, රෝමයේ බිශොප්වරයා රෝමයෙන් පිට ගැටලු විසදීමට මැදිහත්  වීම පුදුමයට කරුණකි.

4). පෙරදිග සභා පියවරුන් රෝමයේ අධිකාරිත්වය පිළිගත්තාද?

St. Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem A.D. 638:

Teaching us all orthodoxy and destroying all heresy and driving it away from the  God-protected halls of our holy Catholic Church. And together with these inspired syllables and characters, I accept all his (the pope’s) letters and teachings as proceeding from the mouth of Peter the Coryphaeus, and I kiss them and salute them and embrace them with all my soul … I recognize the latter as definitions of Peter and the former as  those of Mark, and besides, all the heaven-taught teachings of all the  chosen mystagogues of our Catholic Church. (Sophronius, Mansi, xi. 461)

Transverse quickly all the world from one end to the other until you come to the Apostolic See (Rome), where are the foundations of the orthodox doctrine. Make clearly known to the most holy personages of that throne the questions agitated among us. Cease not to pray and to beg them until  their apostolic and Divine wisdom shall have pronounced the victorious  judgement and destroyed from the foundation …the new heresy. (Sophronius, [quoted by Bishop Stephen of Dora to Pope Martin I at the Lateran Council], Mansi, 893)St. Maximus the Confessor A.D. 650:

How much more in the case of the clergy and Church of the Romans, which from old until now presides over all the churches which are under the sun? Having surely received this canonically, as well as from councils and the apostles, as from the princes of the latter (Peter and Paul), and being numbered in their company, she is subject to no writings or issues in synodical documents, on account of the eminence of her pontificate …..even as in all these things all are equally subject to her (the Church of Rome) according to sacerodotal law. And so when, without fear, but with all holy and becoming confidence, those ministers (the popes) are of the truly firm and immovable rock, that is of the most great and Apostolic Church of Rome. (Maximus, in J.B. Mansi, ed. Amplissima Collectio Conciliorum, vol. 10)

If the Roman See recognizes Pyrrhus to be not only a reprobate but a heretic, it is certainly plain that everyone who anathematizes those who have rejected Pyrrhus also anathematizes the See of Rome, that is, he anathematizes the Catholic Church. I need hardly add that he excommunicates himself also, if indeed he is in communion with the Roman See and the Catholic Church of God …Let him hasten before all things to  satisfy the Roman See, for if it is satisfied, all will agree in calling him pious and orthodox. For he only speaks in vain who thinks he ought to pursuade or entrap persons like myself, and does not satisfy and implore the blessed Pope of the most holy Catholic Church of the Romans, that is, the Apostolic See, which is from the incarnate of the Son of God Himself, and also all the holy synods, accodring to the holy canons and definitions has received universal and surpreme dominion, authority, and power of binding and loosing over all the holy churches of God throughout the whole world. (Maximus, Letter to Peter, in Mansi x, 692)John VI, Patriarch of Constantinople A.D. 715:

The Pope of Rome, the head of the Christian priesthood, whom in Peter, the Lord commanded to confirm his brethren. (John VI, Epist. ad Constantin.  Pap. ad. Combefis, Auctuar. Bibl. P.P. Graec.tom. ii. p. 211, seq.)St. Nicephorus, Patriarch of Constantinople A.D. 758:

Without whom (the Romans presiding in the seventh Council) a doctrine brought forward in the Church could not, even though confirmed by canonical decrees and by ecclesiastical usuage, ever obtain full approval or currency. For it is they (the Popes of Rome) who have had assigned to them the rule in sacred things, and who have received into their hands the dignity of headship among the Apostles. (Nicephorus, Niceph. Cpl. pro. s. imag. c 25 [Mai N. Bibl. pp. ii. 30]).St. Theodore the Studite of Constantinople A.D. 760:Writing to Pope Leo III:

Since to great Peter Christ our Lord gave the office of Chief Shepherd after entrusting him with the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven, to Peter or his successor must of necessity every novelty in the Catholic Church be referred. [Therefore], save us, oh most divine Head of Heads, Chief Shepherd of the Church of Heaven. (Theodore, Bk. I. Ep. 23)Writing to Pope Paschal:

Hear, O Apostolic Head, divinely-appointed Shepherd of Christ’s sheep, keybearer of the Kingdom of Heaven, Rock of the Faith upon whom the Catholic Church is built. For Peter art thou, who adornest and governest the Chair of Peter. Hither, then, from the West, imitator of Christ, arise and repel not for ever (Ps. xliii. 23). To thee spake Christ our Lord: ‘And thou being one day converted, shalt strengthen thy brethren.’ Behold the hour and the place. Help us, thou that art set by God for this. Stretch forth thy hand so far as thou canst. Thou hast strength with God, through being the first of all. (Letter of St. Theodore and four other Abbots to Pope Paschal, Bk. ii Ep. 12, Patr. Graec. 99, 1152-3)Writing to Emperor Michael:

Order that the declaration from old Rome be received, as was the custom by Tradition of our Fathers from of old and from the beginning. For this, O Emperor, is the highests of the Churches of God, in which first Peter held the Chair, to whom the Lord said: Thou art Peter …and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. (Theodore, Bk. II. Ep. 86)

I witness now before God and men, they have torn themselves away from the  Body of Christ, from the Surpreme See (Rome), in which Christ placed  the keys of the Faith, against which the gates of hell (I mean the mouth  of heretics) have not prevailed, and never will until the Consummation,  according to the promise of Him Who cannot lie. Let the blessed and  Apostolic Paschal (Pope St. Paschal I) rejoice therefore, for he has  fulfilled the work of Peter. (Theodore Bk. II. Ep. 63).

In truth we have seen that a manifest successor of the prince of the Apostles presides over the Roman Church. We truly believe that Christ has not deserted the Church here (Constantinople), for assistance from you has been our one and only aid from of old and from the beginning by the providence of God in the critical times. You are, indeed the untroubled and pure fount of orthodoxy from the beginning, you the calm harbor of the whole Church, far removed from the waves of heresy, you the God-chosen city of refuge. (Letter of St. Theodor and Four Abbots to Pope Paschal).

Let him (Patriarch Nicephorus of Constantinople) assemble a synod of those with whom he has been at variance, if it is impossible that representatives of the other Patriarchs should be present, a thing which might certainly be if the Emperor should wish the Western Patriarch (the Roman Pope) to be present, to whom is given authority over an ecumenical synod; but let him make peace and union by sending his synodical letters to the prelate of the First See. (Theodore the Studite, Patr. Graec. 99, 1420)Sts. Cyril & Methodius (c. 865):

"It is not true, as this Canon states, that the holy Fathers gave the primacy to old Rome because it was the capital of the Empire; it is from on high, from divine grace, that this primacy drew its origin. Because of the intensity of his faith Peter, the first of the Apostles, was addressed in these words by our Lord Jesus Christ himself 'Peter, lovest thou me? Feed my sheep'. That is why in hierarchical order Rome holds the pre-eminent place and is the first See. That is why the leges of old  Rome are eternally immovable, and that is the view of all the Churches"  (Methodius ---N. Brianchaninov, The Russian Church (1931), 46; cited by  Butler, Church and Infallibility, 210)

"Because of his primacy, the Pontiff of Rome is not required to attend an Ecumenical Council; but without his participation, manifested by sending some subordinates, every Ecumenical Council is as non-existent, for it is he who presides over the Council." (Ibid.)Sergius, Metropolitain of Cyprus (649 A.D.)

"O Holy Head, Christ our God hath destined thy Apostolic See to be an immovable foundation and a pillar of the Faith. For thou art, as the Divine Word truly saith, Peter, and on thee as a foundation-stone have the pillars of the Church been fixed."St. Symeon the New Theologian (949-1022):

"One should not contradict the Latins when they say that the Bishop of Rome is the first. This primacy is not harmful to the Church. Let them only prove his faithfulness to the faith of Peter and to that of the successors of Peter. If it is so, let him enjoy all the privileges of Pontiff. Let the Bishop of Rome be successor of the orthodoxy of Sylvester and Agatho, of Leo, Liberius, Martin and Gregory, then we also will call him Apostolic and the first among the other bishops; then we also will obey him, not only as Peter, but as the Savior Himself." (Symeon the New Theologian, Dialogue Against Heresies 23, PG 155:120 AC; cited in Meyendorff, The Primacy of Peter).

"Since it would be too long to enumerate in such a volume as this the bishops'  successions of all the city-churches, we shall confound all those who,  in whatever manner, whether through self-satisfaction or vainglory, or  through blindness or wicked opinion, assemble other than where it is  proper (i.e., renegade heretics), by pointing out here the succession of  the bishops of the GREATEST and most ancient (i.e., established) church  known to all, founded and organized at Rome by the two most glorious  Apostles, Peter and Paul, that church which has the Tradition and the  Faith which comes down to us after having been announced to men by the  Apostles.  For it is A MATTER OF NECESSITY that all other city-churches  agree with this church (Rome) because of its PREEMINENT AUTHORITY."   (Against the Heresies, 3, 3:2).St. Maximus the Confessor (c. 650) - (Maximus, Opuscula theologica et polemica, Migne, Patr. Graec. vol. 90)

The extremities of the earth, and everyone in every part of it who purely and rightly confess the Lord, look directly towards the Most Holy Roman Church and her confession and faith, as to a sun of unfailing light awaiting from her the brilliant radiance of the sacred dogmas of our Fathers, according to that which the inspired and holy Councils have stainlessly and piously decreed. For, from the descent of the Incarnate Word amongst us, all the churches in every part of the world have held the greatest Church alone to be their base and foundation, seeing that, according to the promise of Christ Our Savior, the gates of hell will never prevail against her, that she has the keys of the orthodox confession and right faith in Him, that she opens the true and exclusive religion to such men as approach with piety, and she shuts up and locks  every heretical mouth which speaks against the Most High.St. Maximus the Confessor (c. 650) - (Maximus, in J.B. Mansi, ed. Amplissima Collectio Conciliorum, vol. 10)

How much more in the case of the clergy and Church of the Romans, which from old until now presides over all the churches which are under the sun? Having surely received this canonically, as well as from councils and the apostles, as from the princes of the latter (Peter and Paul), and being numbered in their company, she is subject to no writings or issues in synodical documents, on account of the eminence of her pontificate .....even as in all these things all are equally subject to her (the Church of Rome) according to sacerodotal law. And so when, without fear, but with all holy and becoming confidence, those ministers (the popes) are of the truly firm and immovable rock, that is of the most great and Apostolic Church of Rome.

4). ඒකත්වය නොමැති නිසා ඇති වූ ගැටලුඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාවේ ඒකත්වය නොමැති නිසාවෙන් Great schism එකෙන් පසුව ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාවට ගැටලු රැසකට මුහුණ පෑමට සිදුවිය.

• රෝමයේ බිශොප්වරයා සමග සම්බන්ධයක් නොමැති නිසා ඔවුනට වලංගු මණ්ත්‍රණ සභාවක් පැවැත්වීමට නොහැකි විය.
• Synod  එකක් Authoritative ලෙස තීන්දු කිරීමට පේදුරු තුමන්ගේ අනුප්‍රාප්තිකයා  නොමැති හෙයින් එක් සිනොඩ් එකකට එරහිව, ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාවෙ වෙන බිශොප්වරුන්  කොටසක් තවත් සිනොඩ් පැවැත්වීම.
• කළක් මොස්කව් තුන්වෙනි රෝමය ලෙස තමන්ව හදුන්වා ගැනීම.ඇතුලු මෑතකාලයේදීද ඕර්තඩොක්ස් සභාවන් අතර පාලනය කිරීමේ අයිතීන් පිළිබදව මතභේදාත්මක සිද්ධි කිහිපයක්ම සිදුවී ඇත.

සාරාංශය

• මෙයින් පැහැදිලි වන්නේ අඩුම කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලය මුල් කාලයේදී Patriarchal See එකක් ලෙසවත් පිළිගැනුනේ නැත. කොන්ස්තන්තිනෝපලයේ බලය රදා පැවතුනේ හුදෙක්ම රෝම අධිරාජ්‍යයා මතය