In 1629, in Geneva, there appeared in Latin, under the name of Cyril Loukaris, who was then the Patriarch of Constantinople, the so-called "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith," which was then translated and published into English, French and German in 1631, and finally translated into Greek in 1633. This text allegedly by the Patriarch of Constantinople was meant to be a response to Roman Catholics and contained Calvinist doctrines. The Synod of Constantinople in 1638 anathematized both this confession and Patriarch Cyril, but the Synod of Jerusalem in 1672, which dealt specifically with Cyril's case, completely justified him, testifying that the Synod of Constantinople cursed Cyril not because it considered him the author of the Confession, but because Cyril did not write a refutation of this work attributed to him.
Western researchers continued to insist on Cyril's Calvinism, referring not only to this Confession, but also to his extensive correspondence with Protestant scholars (especially to the letters of 1618-1620 to the Dutchman David le-Leu de Wilhem). The correspondence of Cyril Loukaris, in which he supposedly confirmed his authorship of the "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith", and a comparison of the autograph of the "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith" with his letters left no doubt that the true author was Cyril Loukaris himself. However, both before and after the Confession appeared, Cyril Loukaris not only condemned but also contradicted Protestant doctrines and appears fully Orthodox, leading many to wonder about the true origins of the Confession. From the beginning it was suspicious that the text didn't appear in the Greek language until four years after it was published in Latin and after it was translated into three Western other languages. The title of the Confession itself appears suspicious as if it was made by someone foreign to Orthodoxy. The Confession also closely resembled other Calvinist Confessions which were in circulation at the time. The fact that Cyril Loukaris never advocated for a single Protestant doctrine outside the alleged Confession led many to believe that the Confession of Cyril Loukaris was most likely a forgery, designed to make the Roman Catholics and/or Protestants believe the Orthodox Church had accepted the teachings of Calvin, which is why it appeared first in languages of the West before it appeared in Greek.
Thus, right up until the end of the 20th century, the overwhelming majority of Greek and Russian scholars (I. I. Malyshevsky[1], Archimandrite Arseny (Bryantsev)[2], V. Ya. Malakhov[3], George Michaelides[4], N. D. Talberg[5]) denied the authenticity of the "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith". Arseny (Bryantsev) pointed to 50 letters from Cyril to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and Patriarch Philaret of Moscow, stored in the main archive of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and testifying to Cyril's commitment to Orthodoxy, as well as to his charter of 1622, in which he speaks of Protestantism as a blasphemous doctrine. The consequence of these and other studies with overwhelming proof that Cyril Loukaris never wavered from Orthodoxy was the canonization of Cyril Loukaris in 2009 by the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
The official canonization of Cyril Loukaris took place by decision of the Holy Synod of the Alexandrian Patriarchate on October 6, 2009, and his memory is celebrated on June 27.
On February 11, 2022, he was canonized by decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Notes:
1. Малышевский И. И. Александрийский патриарх Мелетий Пигас и его участие в делах Русской Церкви. — К., 1872. — T. 1. — С. 569—571.
2. Арсений (Брянцев), архим. Патриарх Кирилл Лукарис и его заслуги для Православной Церкви. — Симферополь, 1881. — С. 204—206.
3. Малахов В. Я. Пресуществление Святых Даров в таинстве Евхаристии Архивная копия от 19 августа 2022.
4. Michaelides G. P. "The Greek Orthodox Position on the Confession of Cyril Lucaris." Church History. 1943. Vol. 12 (2). Pp. 118—129.
5. Тальберг Н. Д. Соборы, ограждавшие православие от латинян и протестантов Архивная копия от 21 января 2023.
Western researchers continued to insist on Cyril's Calvinism, referring not only to this Confession, but also to his extensive correspondence with Protestant scholars (especially to the letters of 1618-1620 to the Dutchman David le-Leu de Wilhem). The correspondence of Cyril Loukaris, in which he supposedly confirmed his authorship of the "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith", and a comparison of the autograph of the "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith" with his letters left no doubt that the true author was Cyril Loukaris himself. However, both before and after the Confession appeared, Cyril Loukaris not only condemned but also contradicted Protestant doctrines and appears fully Orthodox, leading many to wonder about the true origins of the Confession. From the beginning it was suspicious that the text didn't appear in the Greek language until four years after it was published in Latin and after it was translated into three Western other languages. The title of the Confession itself appears suspicious as if it was made by someone foreign to Orthodoxy. The Confession also closely resembled other Calvinist Confessions which were in circulation at the time. The fact that Cyril Loukaris never advocated for a single Protestant doctrine outside the alleged Confession led many to believe that the Confession of Cyril Loukaris was most likely a forgery, designed to make the Roman Catholics and/or Protestants believe the Orthodox Church had accepted the teachings of Calvin, which is why it appeared first in languages of the West before it appeared in Greek.
Thus, right up until the end of the 20th century, the overwhelming majority of Greek and Russian scholars (I. I. Malyshevsky[1], Archimandrite Arseny (Bryantsev)[2], V. Ya. Malakhov[3], George Michaelides[4], N. D. Talberg[5]) denied the authenticity of the "Eastern Confession of the Christian Faith". Arseny (Bryantsev) pointed to 50 letters from Cyril to Tsar Mikhail Fedorovich and Patriarch Philaret of Moscow, stored in the main archive of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and testifying to Cyril's commitment to Orthodoxy, as well as to his charter of 1622, in which he speaks of Protestantism as a blasphemous doctrine. The consequence of these and other studies with overwhelming proof that Cyril Loukaris never wavered from Orthodoxy was the canonization of Cyril Loukaris in 2009 by the Patriarchate of Alexandria.
The official canonization of Cyril Loukaris took place by decision of the Holy Synod of the Alexandrian Patriarchate on October 6, 2009, and his memory is celebrated on June 27.
On February 11, 2022, he was canonized by decision of the Holy Synod of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
Notes:
1. Малышевский И. И. Александрийский патриарх Мелетий Пигас и его участие в делах Русской Церкви. — К., 1872. — T. 1. — С. 569—571.
2. Арсений (Брянцев), архим. Патриарх Кирилл Лукарис и его заслуги для Православной Церкви. — Симферополь, 1881. — С. 204—206.
3. Малахов В. Я. Пресуществление Святых Даров в таинстве Евхаристии Архивная копия от 19 августа 2022.
4. Michaelides G. P. "The Greek Orthodox Position on the Confession of Cyril Lucaris." Church History. 1943. Vol. 12 (2). Pp. 118—129.
5. Тальберг Н. Д. Соборы, ограждавшие православие от латинян и протестантов Архивная копия от 21 января 2023.
