Ukrainian Orthodoxy Weekly Report
№10
htplus.net/orthodoxy 2014•08•17
DIPTYCH DIPLOMACY “À LA RUSSE” On August 17, 2014 the recently elected Metropolitan of Kyiv of the U k r a i n i a n O r t h o d o x C h u r c h (Moscow Patriarchate) was en‐
throned. Moscow made sure that all the 15 autocephalous Orthodox Churches were invited to the cere‐
mony: the Patriarchates of Con‐
stantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Moscow, Serbia, Roma‐
nia, Bulgaria, Georgia as well as the Churches of Cyprus, Greece, Po‐
land, Albania, the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and the Orthodox Church in America. Not everyone at‐
tended. Antioch, Cyprus and Alba‐
nia sent their regrets. At the last minute, however, the representa‐
tive of the Ecumenical Patriarchate (Constantinople) bowed out of the ceremony because the order of diptychs was violated—he was not given his position of primacy! Apparently, there are differ‐
ences between the diptychs of Constantinople and Moscow. But what are diptychs you may ask? Byzantine diplomats had elabo‐
rately carved wax writing tablets called diptychs (because they were hinged). The Orthodox Church ap‐
propriated this term as a highfalu‐
tin name for its lists of Church hier‐
archs. Ecclesiologically, all Ortho‐
dox Churches are equal, but there is a pecking order amongst the hierarchs. And the Ecumenical Pa‐
triarch or his representative must be given primacy. Figure 1. Left: Patriarch Jeremias II (Tranos) of Constantinople (c.1530‐
1595); top right: Job of Moscow, first Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia (1530s‐1609); bottom right: Metro‐
politan Michael (Rohoza) of Kyiv, Haly‐
chyna and All Rus (c.1540‐1599). Figure 2. Left: the Ulozhennaia Hramota (founding charter) regarding the establishment of the Patriarchate of Moscow (Muscovy) and its recogni‐
tion as Third Rome by Constantinople (1589); right: first synodal charter con‐
firming the establishment of the Patri‐
archate of Moscow (Muscovy) and its recognition as Third Rome (1590). The Russians, however, believe that Moscow (Muscovy) as Third Rome supersedes both Rome and Constantinople in privilege. Despite common belief, the Third Rome idea originated in Bulgaria—not Russia. Nevertheless, once trans‐
planted to Russia, the idea became central to Russia’s political think‐
ing. When Patriarch Jeremias II (Tranos) of Constantinople arrived in Moscow in 1588, he was kept under house arrest until he agreed to grant the Muscovites their own patriarchate and to recognize Mos‐
cow (Muscovy) as Third Rome. The agreement was signed in 1589 and ratified in Constantinople in 1590. When the signatures on the syn‐
odal charter were discovered to be forged, more gifts were sent to Constantinople and a second syn‐
odal charter was issued in 1593. To Third Rome’s disappointment, its patriarchate was placed fifth on the list—in the diptychs. So, at every opportunity, even 421 years later, Moscow continues to “remind” the Ecumenical Patriarch of its dis‐
pleasure with the diptychs. Meanwhile, on his way to Mos‐
cow in 1588, Patriarch Jeremias II stopped in Lviv, then part of the Polish Commonwealth. He was of‐
fered Kyiv if he transferred there the See of Constantinople. He de‐
clined because a See in Kyiv proba‐
bly meant union with Rome. After he was forced to create the Patriar‐
chate of Moscow and on his way back to Constantinople in 1589, Patriarch Jeremias II again stopped in Lviv. There he acquiesced to the Polish king’s request of electing Michael Rohoza as Metropolitan of Kyiv. Within six years, Rohoza led the See of Kyiv into union with Rome—the Union of Brest (1596). • This publication is a labour of love by Wasyl Sydorenko. All materials are public domain. When reprinting, however, please give proper credit.