Cyril Lucaris​—Man wea Tinghae Long Bible

Wanfala day long 1638, olketa fisherman long Sea Bilong Marmara klosap long Constantinople (Istanbul distaem), kapitol bilong Rul Bilong Ottoman, seke for lukim wanfala dead body hem float long wata. Taem olketa luk gud, olketa barava seke from disfala body hem bilong bishop bilong Constantinople, leader bilong Orthodox Church. Diswan nao sorre end bilong Cyril Lucaris, wanfala important man long religion insaed mek-17 century.

LUCARIS no laef longtaem for lukim goal bilong hem fulfill —transleison bilong Christian Greek Scripture long Greek languis. Narafala goal bilong Lucaris hem no kasem —hem nao for lukim Orthodox Church go bak long “simpol wei for preach.” Hu nao disfala man? Wanem nao olketa problem wea hem feisim?

Feel Nogud From Olketa No Skul Gud

Cyril Lucaris born long 1572, long Venice wea anda long rul bilong Candia (Iráklion distaem), Crete. Lucaris garem big savve, hem skul long Venice and Padua long Italy and bihaen hem travel raon long datfala kantri and samfala nara kantri. From hem feel nogud long faet bilong samfala insaed church and hem laekem samfala religion long Europe, maet hem visitim Geneva, wea long datfala taem hem anda long teaching bilong Calvin.

Taem Lucaris visitim Poland, hem lukim hao olketa bilong Orthodox, olketa priest and pipol nating, no garem gud spiritual living from olketa no skul gud. Long Alexandria and Constantinople, Lucaris sapraes for lukim hao nomata olketa pulpit —ples for readim Bible —no stap insaed olketa church!

Long 1602, Lucaris go long Alexandria, wea hem changem relative bilong hem, Bishop Meletios, for kamap bishop. Then hem start for story thru long leta witim tu-thri pipol bilong samfala religion long Europe. Long wanfala leta hia hem minim hao Orthodox Church keepim planti rong kastom. Long samfala nara leta, Lucaris strongim need for church mas aotem giaman wei for biliv and followim “simpol wei for preach” and for depend nomoa long Bible.

Lucaris hem sapraes tu hao pipol ting long spiritual paoa wea olketa Church Father garem long sem wei witim toktok bilong Jesus and olketa aposol. Lucaris raet olsem: “Mi les nao for herem hao pipol sei olketa kastom bilong man hem semsem witim Bible.” (Matthew 15: 6) Hem sei, long tingting bilong hem, wei for worshipim image hem barava nogud. Lucaris sei wei for askem help from “olketa saint” hem olsem olketa tokdaonem Mediator, Jesus. —1 Timothy 2: 5.

Sellim Position Bilong Bishop

Olketa tingting olsem, witim wei wea Lucaris tanawe from Roman Catholic Church, mekem olketa Jesuit and olketa insaed Orthodox Church wea laek join witim olketa Catholic for heitim and persecutim hem. Nomata pipol againstim hem, long 1620, olketa chusim Lucaris for kamap bishop long Constantinople. Position bilong bishop long datfala taem insaed Orthodox Church hem stap anda long Rul Bilong Ottoman. Ottoman gavman willing for aotem wanfala bishop and tekem niu wan sapos olketa kasem selen for diswan.

Olketa enemy bilong Lucaris, wea main wan nao olketa Jesuit and samfala wea garem paoa insaed Congregatio de Propaganda Fide (Kongregeson for Mekem Faith Grow), go ahed for talem laea toktok and mekem olketa plan for againstim hem. Disfala buk Kyrillos Loukaris hem sei: “For aftarem diswan olketa Jesuit iusim evrikaen wei —trik, laea toktok, oso-oso and, winim evri samting, wei for givim bribe, wea hem nao main wei for kasem saport bilong olketa [Ottoman] bigman.” Samting wea kamap, long 1622, olketa raosem Lucaris go long island bilong Rhodes, and Gregory bilong Amasya baem disfala position for 20,000 silver selen. Bat, Gregory no garem inaf selen, so Anthimus bilong Adrianople hem baem disfala position, bat bihaen hem resign. Gogo, Lucaris kasem bak disfala position bilong bishop.

Lucaris disaed strong for iusim disfala niu chance for teachim olketa bigman bilong Orthodox and member taem hem pablisim wanfala transleison bilong Bible and samfala tract bilong religion. Mekem hem savve duim diswan, Lucaris arrange for tekem kam wanfala printing machine long Constantinople thru long man wea stand for England long there. Bat, taem disfala machine arrive long June 1627, olketa enemy bilong Lucaris accusim hem and sei hem laek for iusim for saed long politik, so gogo olketa distroem. From diswan Lucaris mas iusim olketa printing machine long Geneva.

Transleison Bilong Olketa Christian Scripture

Bigfala respect bilong Lucaris for Bible and paoa bilong Bible for teachim pipol muvim Lucaris for duim samting wea bae mekem Bible savve kasem moa pipol. Hem luksavve no staka pipol bae savve minim languis wea olketa iusim long firstfala manuscript bilong Greek Bible. So first waka wea Lucaris markem nao for transleitim olketa Christian Greek Scripture go long Greek languis long taem bilong hem. Maximus Callipolites, wanfala monk wea garem savve, startim transleison long March 1629. Planti Orthodox pipol tingim disfala waka for transleitim Bible olsem samting wea krangge, nomata planti pipol no minim long datfala taem. For mekem olketa hapi, Lucaris printim tugeta languis wea olketa iusim firstaem and languis long taem bilong hem, and hem putim go samfala smol toktok. From Callipolites dae no longtaem bihaen hem finisim, Lucaris nao readim for chekim. Olketa printim datfala transleison no longtaem bihaen dae bilong Lucaris long 1638.

Nomata Lucaris trae for careful, planti bishop barava nating agree witim datfala transleison. Love wea Lucaris garem for Word bilong God hem showaot long introduction bilong datfala Bible transleison. Hem sei Bible, wea stap long languis wea pipol tok long hem, olketa “message wea heregud, wea kam for iumi from heven.” Hem givim kaonsel long pipol “for savve and minim gud evriting [bilong Bible] insaed” and hem sei no eni wei moa stap for savve abaotem “olketa samting abaotem faith . . . wea sev thru long holy Gospel from God.” —Philippians 1: 9, 10.

Lucaris tok strong long olketa wea againstim wei for studyim Bible, and tu olketa wea rejectim transleison bilong languis wea olketa iusim firstaem: “Sapos iumi tok or read and no minim, hem olsem iumi torowem toktok bilong iumi long wind.” (Markem 1 Corinthians 14: 7-9.) Long end bilong introduction, hem raet: “Taem iufala evriwan readim disfala holy Gospel from God long languis bilong iufala, trae for kasem gud samting, . . . and letem God mekem klia gogo bilong iu.” —Proverbs 4: 18.

Wanfala Confession of Faith

Bihaen hem startim datfala Bible transleison, Lucaris duim narafala samting moa. Long 1629 hem pablisim long Geneva wanfala Confession of Faith. Hem toktok bilong hemseleva wea hem hope Orthodox Church bae followim. Olsem disfala buk The Orthodox Church talem, datfala Confession “barava aotem evri mining bilong olketa Orthodox teaching abaotem wei for priest and olketa nara position, and hem barava againstim wei for mekhae long olketa image and wei for askem help from olketa saint wea olsem wei for worshipim idol.”

Datfala Confession garem 18 article. Mek-tu article bilong hem storyim hao olketa Scripture kam from God and paoa bilong olketa no stap long eni church. Hem sei: “Iumi bilivim God nao givim kam Bible . . . Iumi bilivim paoa bilong Bible hem winim paoa bilong Church. Hem barava difren samting for kasem teaching from Holy Spirit winim man.” —2 Timothy 3: 16.

Mek-eit and mek-ten article talem hao Jesus Christ nomoa Mediator, Hae Priest, and Hed bilong kongregeson. Lucaris raet olsem: “Iumi biliv hao Lord Jesus Christ bilong iumi hem sidaon long raet saed bilong Dadi bilong Hem and long there Hem prea for iumi, Hemseleva garem position olsem hae priest and mediator wea tru and fitim law.” —Matthew 23:10.

Mek-12 article talem hao church savve go difren, mekem giaman samting kamap tru samting, bat laet bilong holy spirit savve helpem church thru long waka bilong olketa faithful minister. Long mek-18 article, Lucaris talem moa hao purgatory hem wanfala samting wea man tingim long mind nomoa: “Hem klia hao story bilong Purgatory mas no kam insaed long church.”

Long appendix bilong Confession hem garem samfala kwestin and ansa. Lucaris hem mekhae firstaem hao evriwan wea faithful mas readim olketa Scripture and hem danger sapos wanfala Christian fail for readim Word bilong God. Then hem sei for stap klia long olketa buk bilong Apocryphal. —Revelation 22: 18, 19.

Mek-foa kwestin ask olsem: “Hao nao iumi mas ting long olketa image?” Lucaris sei: “Iumi kasem savve from olketa Scripture wea kam from God and wea Holy, wea talem klia, ‘Iu mas no mekem for iuseleva wanfala idol, or eniting wea stap long heven antap, or long earth andanit; iu mas no honorim olketa, iu mas no worshipim olketa; [Exodus 20: 4, 5]’ from iumi mas no worshipim samting wea God creatim, bat worshipim nomoa Creator and Man Wea Wakem heven and earth, and Hem nomoa iumi mas honorim. . . . Wei for worshipim and servem [olketa idol], hem tambu . . . insaed Holy Scripture, iumi rejectim, nogud iumi forget, and winim wei for honorim Creator and Man Wea Wakem iumi, iumi honorim olketa difren color, and piksa, and samting wea God creatim.” —Acts 17:29.

Nomata Lucaris no minim evribit olketa samting wea rong long spiritual saed long taem bilong hem,a hem duim big waka for mekem Bible nao kamap faondeson bilong teaching bilong church and for lanem pipol abaotem teaching bilong Bible.

Stretawe bihaen olketa releasem Confession, wanfala niu raoa kamap wea againstim Lucaris. Long 1633, Cyril Contari, bishop bilong Beroea (distaem Aleppo), wanfala enemy bilong Lucaris and olketa Jesuit nao saportim, trae for oso-oso long olketa Ottoman for disfala position. Bat, diswan fail taem Contari no fit for peim selen. Lucaris stap long disfala position. Long year bihaen, Athanasius bilong Thessalonica peim samting olsem 60,000 silver selen for datfala position. Olketa aotem moa Lucaris. Bat insaed wan month olketa kolem hem kam and waka moa. Long datfala taem Cyril Contari garem finis 50,000 silver selen. So olketa raosem Lucaris go long Rhodes. Bihaen six month, olketa fren bilong hem faendem wei for hem kam bak.

Bat, long 1638, olketa Jesuit and olketa fren long Orthodox accusim Lucaris and sei hem want for aotem Rul Bilong Ottoman. From diswan King givim order for killim dae Lucaris. Long July 27, 1638, olketa arrestim Lucaris and tekem hem long wanfala smol boat. Taem boat hia go long sea, olketa skwisim nek bilong hem. Olketa berem body bilong hem long saedsea, then bihaen olketa digim ap and torowem long sea. Samfala fisherman nao faendem and olketa fren bilong hem berem moa.

Leson for Iumi

Wanfala savveman sei: “Iumi mas luksavve hao wanfala main goal [bilong Lucaris] nao for givim and mekem moa big savve bilong olketa bigman long church and sheep bilong olketa, wea long mek-sixtin and start long mek-seventin century hem barava nogud tumas.” Planti samting stopem Lucaris for kasem goal bilong hem. Olketa aotem hem from position bilong hem faevfala taem. Thirti-foa year bihaen hem dae, wanfala synod long Jerusalem barava tokdaonem olketa biliv bilong hem olsem samting wea againstim church. Olketa sei Bible “hem no for eniwan nomoa readim, bat only olketa wea lukluk gud long olketa deep samting bilong spirit bihaen olketa duim gud research” —datwan minim, olketa bigman bilong church wea kasem gud education nomoa.

Iumi lukim moa, olketa bigman bilong religion wea garem paoa againstim wei for givim Word bilong God for sheep bilong olketa. Long raf wei olketa mekem kwaet voice wea talemaot samfala rong biliv bilong olketa wea no kam from Bible. Olketa nao barava enemy bilong wei for religion kamap free and truth. Sorre tumas, diskaen tingting hem stap kasem taem bilong iumi distaem. Hem mekem iumi tingim samting wea savve happen sapos olketa bigman bilong religion againstim wei wea pipol free for talem tingting and toktok bilong olketa.

[Olketa Footnote]

[Blurb long page 29]

Lucaris duim big waka for mekem Bible kamap faondeson bilong teaching bilong church and for lanem pipol abaotem teaching bilong Bible

[Box/​Piksa long page 28]

Lucaris and Codex Alexandrinus

Wanfala samting long British Library wea garem hae price nao Codex Alexandrinus, wanfala Bible manuscript bilong mek-faev century C.E. Long samting olsem 820 page bilong hem, 773 nao olketa keepim.

Taem Lucaris hem bishop long Alexandria, Egypt, hem garem staka buk. Taem hem kamap bishop long Constantinople, hem tekem Codex Alexandrinus witim hem. Long 1624 hem givim for man wea stand for British gavman long Turkey olsem present for King bilong England, James I. Thrifala year bihaen olketa givim long man wea kamap king bihaen, Charles I.

Long 1757 olketa givim disfala Royal Library bilong King long pipol bilong Britain, and disfala nambawan codex hem stap long John Ritblat Gallery insaed niufala British Library.

[Credit Line]

Gewerbehalle, Vol. 10

From The Codex Alexandrinus in Reduced Photographic Facsimile, 1909

[Piksa Credit Line long page 26]

Bib. Publ. Univ. de Genève