Anglicanism and Orthodoxy ? Early Ecumenism: Archim. Tikhon

[Archimandrit Nilos]

http://anglicanhistory.org/grafton/haskell1967.pdf
Anglicanism and Orthodoxy: The "Episcopalian Bishop" Grafton and Archimandrit Tikhon (Belavin), later Patriarch of Moscow (+1925). Very interesting are the observations of Archimandrit Tikhon about Anglicanism.
This sectarian movement of Anglicanism is trough and trough a Protestant denomination.

[Barbara]

You mean, "through and through" ??!

Maybe there is something to the word you selected, by design or happenstance !
that's how I feel, anyway, on the topic.

Good, thank you very much, I will look through this.

You know there were a lot of ongoing contacts between Anglicans and Russian Orthodox in the mid-1800s,
with even strong proponents of merging together the two. These were rebuffed by Church officials in Moscow and
Sergeiv Posad in no uncertain terms.

But the Anglicans naively thought that the Russian Orthodox Synod would be receptive to their idea !

I don't know if any of this is covered at the link ; if so, I apologize.

I will check it. Thank you for always finding "trough"-provoking material for our intellectual and spiritual
contemplation, Archimandrite Nil !

[Barbara]

Unbelievable ! I only read Part I, but am so unpleasantly surprised at the mental approach of the anglicans / episcopalians.
I always could feel it was bad, but not THAT bad !
This Grafton was a rare commodity, reviled by most of the others in his sect. But even so, his attitudes were so anti-Orthodox.

I wonder how Archimandrite Tikhon really felt about him ?
The article is from an anglican point of view, of course.

I also wonder WHY Archimandrite Tikhon - today is his very day, April 7 ! -
would be so friendly with such divergent types. Was he afraid of complete isolation in America otherwise ?? He seemed TOO
accommodating to such a different group. For what did they really have in common with Russian Orthodox ? Not much, it seems.

Does anyone know about his particular side of the equation, why he reached out to these episcopalians ? Or at least responded
to the invitation of Grafton to serve at the elevation of anglican official. I won't say : Bishop, for I don't recognize them as having clerical orders.

Now after that diatribe, let me say that I discovered just this very evening that a Schema-Elder Alexei from
Zosima Hermitage [I am still trying to find the exact location of that Hermitage, by the way. Does anyone know ?
It's south of Moscow, but not clear how far or in which direction] was the very one who drew the lot which caused
the election of Patriarch Tikhon ! Who of course, issued Ukaz 362 for the establishment of a Higher Church Authority Abroad as the
foundation for the formerly independent, glorious Rocor.

[Archimandrit Nilos]

Thank you for your interesting contribution. Indeed, this was early Ecumenism. The Episcopalian (Protestant) Bishop Grafton the most important person of this ecumenistic circle. In the follow Link with the name "The Fond du Lac-Circus" we find also Archim. Tikhon (Belavin, later Patrirarch de Moscou, +1925) and other Orthodox clerics together with Anglicans, Episcopalians, all Protetsants, Polnish Catholics and Old Catholics of each shading. The Link (from an ecumenistic side)is giving more interesting informations about the circumstances of this "Circus".
http://thegoodheart.blogspot.ch/2011/08 ... ircus.html