A Relation of Christians in the World, Part 4
In Asia are the Christians
1 VNderUnder the Patriarch of Ierusalem, 1 Ierusalem.who absolutely moderateth in Iudea, and over all professors of the Greek Religion throughout Syria. This Patriarch hath had 101 Bishops under him. Tyrr. histor. bells sacri, lib. 14. c. 12.St. Iames (called the Iust and the Brother of our Lord) was the first Bishop there, and now Theophanes sitteth in that See: Simon Cleophas succeeded Iames: among these Bishops Cyrillus was famous, a man greatly hated by the Arrians, and deposed by them. This Church is most ancient: The Law went out of Syon, and the Word of Isay 2. 3.God from Ierusalem. This City was Emporium, The mart of the Christian Faith, and the Mother of all Churches, as Theodoret Hist. Eccles. …b. 5. cap. 9.saith.
2 VnderUnder the Patriarch of Antioch, 2 Antioch.Who had 141 Bishops under him. Their first Bishop was St. Peter, and now Athanasius. Tyrr. histor. bel. sacr. lib. 14. pag. 247.The Disciples were first called Christians there. Ignatius the holy Martyr was Bishop of this Church, and Cyril, who was slaine for denying Numerian the Emperour, sonne of Charus, to enter his Church, because he had sacrificed to Idolls. Charus was slaine by Thunder, and Numerian by Aper.
3 The Georgians in Iberia, who have 18 3 Georgians. Chyt. de stat. Eccles. p. 22.Bishops under their Metropolitane, or Patriarch.
4 The Circassians who inhabite a Country 4 Circassians.about 500 miles long, and 200 miles broad.
5 The Mengrellians, who live as the 5 Mengrellians.Circassians doe, (by themselves) not mingled with the Mahumetans.
6 The Christians in Asia the lesse, who 6 Asia the lesseexcept, the Cilitians and Isaurians are subiect to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Merman. Theatrum conver. p. 93.These Churches of Asia the lesse St. Iohn governed, and placed Bishops in them.
7 The Christians in the Kingdomes of 7. Christians of Casan & Astracan.Cazan and Astracan, and other Countries in Asia, under the dominion of the Emperour of Muscovia, who hath under him, in Europe, and Asia, a greater extent of Land than the Roman Catholicks have in Europe. All the Asiatick Christians before named are of the Greek communion, and observe the Greek rites.
8 The Armenians, under their two 8 Armenians.chiefe Patriarchs: one of these Patriarchs liveth under the Turke, the other under the Persian. In Cardinall 'Baronius Annals, you may read of 1000 Armenian Bishops: Thaddaeus (whom they much esteeme) Annal. Tom. 12. p. 319. Relatio Hist. duae duar. legat. Colon. An. 1611. p. 5.preached the Faith to them: Now I heare the Patriarch of the greater Armenia, to be called Moses. As these Christians live in Armenia the greater and lesser, so also in many Countries and Cities of Asia, Africa, and Europe.
About the yeare 324, Gregory (whom Nicephor. li. 7. cap. 12.they call Illuminator) was Bishop of Armenia, who suffered Martyrdome under Licinius the Emperour.
In the yeare 1609, Abbas, the Persian Herb. relat.Emperour, put to death 1000 of these Christians, upon a Letter fained to bee written from their Patriarch to the Pope of Rome, acknowledging him to be Head of the Church.
9 The Iacobites, who inhabit a great part of Asia, and other places mingled 9 Iacobites.with Mahumetans and Pagans. Their Patriarch Thom à Iesu. convers. l. 7. cap. 14. Zonor, annal Tom. 3. in Heraclio Brer. p. 150.having many Bishops under him keepeth residence in Caramite, the Metropolis of Mesopotamia: wee may reade of a Patriarch of the Iacobites, in the time of Heraclius the Emperour.
10 The Chaldean and Assyrian Christians, Chaldean under the P. of Mozul.with others, under the Patriarch of Mozul, who have many of them their Services in the Syrian Tongue, being the language in which our Lord preached. These Christians inhabite, mingled with Mahumetans and Pagans, a great part of Brerwood. enquire.the Orient; for beside the Countries of Babylon, Assyria, Mesopotamia, Parthia, Media, &c. wherein many of these Christians are found. They are scattered farre and neere in the East, both Northerly in Cathaia, and Southerly in India. Trigautius Hispan. exped. apud Sinab. p. 125.reckoneth 14 Metropolitans, viz. of India, China, Cambaia, Mogor, Hilam, Nzivin, Prath, Assur, Bethgarmi, Halack, Passes, Mauzeor, xam Raziqueor, besides many Archbishops, and Bishops.
Cardinall Vitriacus in his History of the East, reporteth, these Christians with the Hist. Orient. c. 77. p. 149.Jacobites, to be more in number then the Latines and Greeks. These Christians were converted by Saint Thomas the Apostle: and in their Service-book they have this Hymne, as Trigantius reporteth. The Indians, Hisp. exped. apud Silias, lib. 1. p. 124.the Chinoises, the Persians, and other Islanders, and they that are in Syria, Armenia, Grecia, and Romania, in commemoration of S. Thomas, doe offer prayse to thy holy Name.
11 The Maronites in Mount Libanus, 11. Maronites.who have a Patriarch; and eight or nine Bishops under him.
12 The Indians of Saint Thome, so called, 12 Indians of St. Thome.because they received the Christian Faith from Saint Thomas the Apostle. These Christians inhabite many places in the East Indies, as Melia-par (where Saint Thomas was buried, and hath a goodly Temple erected to his name) Angamall (where an Archbishop resideth) Cranganor, Negapatan, Vaipecotan and others, Trigautius writeth that when the Hisp. exped. apud Sina, lib. 7. p. 125.Portugals arrived at Cochin, that the Lord Iacob ruled the Malabar Church, who stiled himselfe Metropolitan of India and China, and that Ioseph succeeded him. Iosephus Indus borne in Cranganor, in East India also writeth of a great Prelat, to Inter relat. novi. orb. p. 145.whom twelve Cardinals were subiect with two Patriarchs, and many Archbishops and Bishops.
13 The Chinoises possesse a Countrey 13. China. Imp. mund. catal. p. 159 Trigautius. Hisp. exped. apud Sinas, pag. 125. Kirk. prodro. pag. 58.little lesse then all Europe. Saint Thomas preached the Gospel first amongst them, afterwards they had a supply of Preachers from Iudea. K. Tay with Neu huanti, reigning in the yeer 782. They erected a Monument, declaring the bringing in of the Gospell into China in what Provinces Idem Pat. Eman. Dia… in Epist. 23. Aug. 1625. Pa. Francis. vid, Kirk. p. 58.it was promulgated, and how many yeeres it flourished. The Monument is graven with Syrian Letters with these words:
Adam sacerdos Presbyter & Papalis Zinostan seu regionis Sinarum: in the margent of this Monument, there are divers names engraven of them that brought the sweet Name of our Lord Iesus Christ among them, as Constantinus Saba cusio seu Aethiops, Dominus Sergius, &c. Paulus Venetus writeth of a Christian Church in De Region. Orient. lib. 2. cap. 64.the great Citie of Quinsay. I read also of Gaspara a China Bishop.
14 Cathaia is one of the largest Empires 14 Cathaia.upon the face of the whole Earth, in which there be also many Christians. They write of a Christian King of Tenduc, whose native Subiects are Christians: besides he ruleth farre and wide over many Provinces, whose inhabitants are also for the most part Christians.
To conclude, there is neither speech nor language, but his voice hath beene heard among them. The sound of the Gospell is gone out into all Lands, and the Word of God into the ends of the World.