their own Prophet are not enough to control their passions and to make them live in peace, he would have to refer the matter to the invincible Ottoman Police. Eventually the Minister of Religions, our inimitable friend Abdurrahman, last November, sent a note to Joachim, telling him his duty and the Canons of the Orthodox Church, and exhorting him to be a good Patriarch; but so far the Porte is for him and he still reigns. However, the opposition is by no means dead, and we may hear any day that he has gone the weary way to Chalki once more, and that a new bishop rules over the Great Church.[1]
Besides the synod and mixed council the Œcumenical Patriarch has a court or curia of officers, whose titles and functions in most cases come down from the days of the old Empire. They are: the Great Economist (μέγας ὀικόνομος), a deacon who administers the finances, presents candidates for ordination, and governs the patriarchate when the see is vacant; the Great Sakellarios, who looks after the monasteries; the Great Sacristan (μέγας σκευοφύλαξ); the Chancellor (χαρτοφύλαξ); the Sakellion (σακελλίων), who is responsible for convents; the Protonotary (πρωτονοτάριος) Byzantine Greek has a number of Latin and hybrid words), who is the Patriarch's secretary; the Warden of the Robes καστρήνσιος); the Rephendarios (ῥεφενδάριος), who is sent on embassies; the Great Logothete, who keeps the seal; the Hypomnematographos, who writes down protocols of synods and counts votes; the Protekdikos, who is judge of smaller cases; the Hieromnemon, who keeps the liturgical books; the Hypogonaton, who helps vest the Patriarch and holds the paten at Holy Communion; the Hypomimneskon, who receives petitions; and the Didaskalos, who explains the
- ↑ The details of all this account will be found in the Greek newspapers of the last eight years. See also Tournebize: L'Église grecque-orthodoxe, i. pp. 57–61. E. d'Or. iv. pp. 307–309, 368–373; v. pp. 243–244; vi. pp. 275–277; vii. 91–99 (the answers to Joachim III's Encyclical), 305–306, 362–366; viii. pp. 51–53, 179–181. The ex-Patriarch, Anthimos VII, has written a letter full of reproaches to Joachim III; but the popular candidate for the succession seems to be Joachim of Ephesus. The language they use about each other is incredible. This Joachim is pleasantly described in the Patriarch's organ as an animal who should carry parcels and an eater of hay.
