NOTE: — 59 —

... of nations, into the churches of the righteous, unto the unity of the faith” (Mandakuni, Polis edition, page 120). And Saint Movsēs Khorēnats‘i, our Father of Poets, writeth concerning the Fathers found in the three spirit-assembled, ecumenical Holy Councils: “Who, filled by the intelligible divine dawn from the graces of Thy Spirit, filled the universe with the faith of Thy Trinity; who, by the wondrous powers of the Holy Spirit, dispelled the darkness of ignorance from the world and established the Church upon the foundation of the right faith; O ye priests and ministers, bless and exalt the Holy Spirit of truth” (Hymnal). Let them not, therefore, vainly and strenuously labor to establish the chief of the clergy of the Church of Rome as the successor of the Holy Apostles Petros and Pōghos in the event of an ecumenical council—taking in their own favor that strophe of the hymn: “Head of the holy faith, foundation of the Church.” For all Archbishops and Supreme Patriarchs, who are successors to Apostolic Sees, possess in themselves the rights and privileges of full spiritual authority in their own dioceses; whereas in the solemn assembly of an ecumenical council, all are of equal dignity one with another. See how the one and indivisible Head of the Holy Apostles, the Risen Jesus, sendeth them forth unto the preaching [of the Word] independent of one another: “And He said unto them, Go ye into all the world” (Mark 16:14 [15]). “As Thou hast sent Me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world... And the glory which Thou gavest Me I have given them; that they may be one, even as We are one: I in them, and Thou in Me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that Thou hast sent Me, and hast loved them, as Thou hast loved Me” (John 17:18, 22, 23). Hast thou seen the equality of honor and the uniform authority of the Holy Apostles? For this reason also the blessed and holy Apostle Petros, holding all spiritual leaders of the Church to be of equal honor, writeth generally: “The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed” (I Peter, Catholic [Epistle], 5:1). Read and see how, with beautiful and sound doctrine, the blessed Saint Sargis Shnorhali explaineth the word of the holy Apostle...