St Mark of Ephesus

St Mark of Ephesus was born in 1392 in Constantinople. His parents were aristocratic and reverent people and his brother John also glorified Orthodoxy. St Mark received the name of Manuel at the time of his baptism. Manual and John received a spiritual education close to great teachers and their teachers were amazed at their wisdom.

Manual loved the monastic life and at the age of 25 years old, he became a monk and was given the name Mark at the monastery of St George Manganon. Afterwards he became a priest and he served the Church as the director of the Patriarchal school.

The Holy Synod chose the wise and virtuous priestmonk Mark as Metropolitan of Ephesus. At that time John Palaiologos the VIII (1423-1448) became the Emperor.

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After sensing the danger of Byzantium being overthrown by the Turks, the emperor hoped and awaited military assistance from the kings of the West. Emperor John came up with a plan to go to Italy with Orthodox Hierarchs and hold an Ecumenical Council with the Pope of Rome Eugenios the IV and the other Latin “Hierarchs”, so that union would be agreed upon and Orthodoxy would then be subjected to the papal heresy.

The Emperor and the Pope were in correspondence with each other for this reason. The Emperor sent letters to the Patriarchs to select and send governors and representatives to the Council with would take place in Italy. The Patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem and Antioch all selected St Mark of Ephesus as their representative.

On 27th November 1437, the Pope’s ships arrived at Constantinople to transport the Hierarchs and the Emperor to Italy. On the 8th February 1438, the Orthodox mission arrived at Venice. When the Orthodox conducted their Church services in a Church which was given to them, the local people of Venice released that the Holy Spirit is only at rest and at peace within the Orthodox Church.

Before the Synod at Ferrara, the Pope expected Patriarch Joseph II and the other Orthodox clergy to meet him and to kiss his feet. The Orthodox clergy responded by suggesting a brotherly greeting instead, frustrated the expectation of the Pope.

Other problems occurred as a result of the Pope’s expectations. Before the Council begun, the Pope asked to sit on an extremely high throne in the Church of St George. In the end, the Pope sat on the right hand side of the Church, the Orthodox Hierarchs sat on the left hand side of the Church and the Holy Bible was placed in the middle.

On the 9th April 1438 (Great Wednesday), the work of the Synod began at Ferrara and St Mark read out a memorandum and he refuted the unorthodox papal use of the unleavened bread which was introduced during the 9th century in the Latin “liturgies”. The papists used the unleavened bread (according to Jewish customs) instead of the leavened bread which was handed down by the Holy Apostles.

After Easter, St Mark refuted the papal heresy of the purgatory fire, which according to the teaching, is a place where all people go who had confessed their sins but they weren’t able to carry out their Christian duties because they died unexpectedly. The souls are cleansed through the purgatory fire according to the good deeds that are done for them by the living. Furthermore the papists created a business of the purgatory fire so the Pope and the cardinals could make money.

O the 6th October 1438, the Synod began officially and St Mark asked that all of the articles of the Eight Ecumenical Councils be read out. The articles were read out and he proved that none of the Ecumenical Councils made additions to the Creed and with an anathema he condemned every attempted addition. Furthermore, the addition of the filioque is anti-canonical. The Roman Catholic monks preached with boldness that the Orthodox Faith holds the truth but the papists tried to remove them from the Synod.

At the following meetings of the Synod, St Mark showed with great wisdom the Orthodox teaching and he theologically refuted the filioque. The papists tried to contest him showing false documents which apparently were the addition of the filioque at the 2nd Ecumenical Council.

St Mark refuted the beliefs of Cardinal Ioulian Kaisarini for the need to add the filioque to the Creed and he disproved the arguments of the papal speaker. St Mark stressed that the papal insistence of the addition of the filioque hinders the basic desire which is the restoration of the union of the Church. The addition of the filioque is evidence of the egoism of the Pope who as “a representative of Christ” can add whatever he wants to the Creed. St Mark also refuted the primacy of the Pope putting forth the Synodic nature of Orthodoxy.

The Roman Catholics refused to pay the costs of hospitality of the Orthodox delegation to make there stay all the more uncomfortable, which in turn forced the delegation to look for another location to hold the Council. Florence a prestigious town, wanted to sponsor the Council and the local administration took on its expense. On the 26th February the Synod began in Florence and St Mark continued to silence the papal heresies and he refuted the belief of the filioque as printed by John Montenigro. At the same time, the Pope decided again to cut the daily meals of the Orthodox Hierarchs and when they protested to the Emperor, he told them to relay their protest to St Mark who was a hindrance to the union. The Orthodox were then forced to sell their clothes in order to save themselves from dying of starvation. As many decided to leave the Council, others decided to obtain work tutoring wealthy Italians on the Greek Classics. In Florence, Gemistos Plethon a Orthodox lay delegate, taught the classics in Florence and the wealthy Medici family sponsored and founded the “Platonic Academy of Florence” which became the pivotal centre of learning in Italy to influence the Renaissance movement.

The Orthodox Hierarchs begged with tears to return to Constantinople as they understood that there was no chance for union. When the Pope learned of this, he sent Cardinals to the Orthodox Hierarchs and they reminded them how they ate and drank well during the last two years in Italy. They also accused the Orthodox Hierarchs of squandering Papal funds and they asked them to continue to work towards union at the Synods until the Papal teachings shone, otherwise they would never return home.

The Patriarch of Constantinople Joseph II was deceived by the Emperor and wanted union presenting the excuse that he was sick and that he couldn’t return to Constantinople. After the recent assembly, the Patriarch and his friends begged St Mark to give his consent to union. St Mark said that during the time of the iconoclast period, they begged St Theodore the Branded to communicate just once with the iconoclasts and then he could go wherever he wanted. St Theodore responded to them by saying that it was if they told him to be beheaded only once and then they would let him go anywhere.

Of course Nikaias Bissarion an Orthodox, called St Mark possessed because he didn’t want the union. St Mark responded to him saying that he is a child and he speaks like a child. The Patriarch was silent and saw that nobody was able to change St Mark’s mind.

At the next gathering of the Synod, St Mark wanted to read out the writings of St Nicholas Kavasila but the Latins obstructed him calling him a schismatic and they asked that only those who wanted union where allowed to speak. The Pope bribed the Orthodox Archpriests and they with the Emperor, decided to have a meeting to sign the union.

On the 10th June 1439, Patriarch Joseph died and excrement came out of his mouth according to the historical Siropoulos. The emperor formed a group of Latin loving archpriests with Bissarion Nikaias and Russia’s Isidore who accepted the addition of the filioque, the belief of the purgatory fire, the belief of the unleavened bread, the consecration of the Holy Gifts with the petition “this is my body” and finally the papal primacy of the Pope.

The Latin monk Ambrosios ordered the article of the false union and eighteen Orthodox Hierarchs and eleven priest signed. Those that didn’t sign were St Mark of Ephesus, Stavroupoleos Isaias, Ivirias pretended to be crazy, the brother of St Mark, John Evgenikos, Diaconos of the Great Church of Christ and George Scholarios. When Pope Eugenios was about to sign, he didn’t find the signature of St Mark saying “we have achieved nothing.”

On the 6th July 1939, the Latins and the Orthodox were to serve the Liturgy together, to read out the terms of the false union with all the papal heresies and with the “Ecumencial Patriarch” the infallible Pope, but the Orthodox refused to take Communion from them, but rather gave the “kiss” and “brotherly” embrace.

At the beginning of 1440, St Mark returned to Constantinople where the people received St Mark with great honour. The Latin loving unionist Hierarchs were received with disapproval by the Orthodox flock, and the people mocked them. The Emperor selected the unionist Mitrofanis Kizikou as the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Emperor refused to have the Acts of the Council read out, from fear of rebellion, from the clergy and laity, united as one in opposition to the Council.

St Mark left for Proussa and reached Ephesus where he was accepted by his flock with honour. After a short time he made his way to Mt Athos but with the request of the emperor, he remained at Limnos for two years. From Limnos St Mark sent letters to all the Orthodox world and he expressed the true Orthodox way.

In 1443, the Patriarchs of Alexandria Filotheos, Antioch Dorotheos II, Jerusalem Ioakeim anathematized the false union at Florence and excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople Mitrofanis at a Synod in Jerusalem. The Partiarch died and the new Patriarch became the unionist protosingellos Gregory.

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Emperor John received no help from the Kings of the West and he created a great calamity in Byzantium, because the faithful were divided into unionists and non-unionists.

St Mark as a good shepherd, always tried to bring everyone, who repented for the evil which came about in Orthodoxy, to the knowledge of the truth. He taught without ceasing, those against union to mercifully accept the repentant brethren from the papal deception.

St Mark became ill and sensing the end of his worldly life, he left a letter for George Scholariso to defend Orthodoxy from the Latin attempts to change it. St Mark reposed in 1444 in Constantinople. All the reverent Christians of Constantinople, clergy and laity flocked to venerate the body of St Mark. The Triune God glorified his faithful servant with infinite miracles and his feast is commemorated on the 19th January.

The careful study of the St Mark’s life and letters is the Orthodox dogmatic shield but also it is the consolation for every Orthodox Christian who is exposed during our times to ecumenical messages and he sees with his own eyes conceited Orthodox clerics and theologians detracting from Orthodoxy like Bissarion and Issodore and all the other Latin inclined who our Church history has listed in its printed pages.

Dismissal Hymn

By your profession of faith, O all-praised Mark The Church has found you to be a zealot for truth. You fought for the teaching of the Fathers; You cast down the darkness of boastful pride. Intercede with Christ God to grant forgiveness to those who honour you!

Kontakion

Clothed with invincible armour, O blessed one, You cast down rebellious pride, You served as the instrument of the Comforter, And shone forth as the champion of Orthodoxy. Therefore we cry to you: "Rejoice, Mark, the boast of the Orthodox!"