The Pope - Considered in His Relations With the Church, Temporal Sovereignties, Separated Churches, and the Cause of Civilization #232912

The passages quoted in support of the Spiritual supre macy of the Holy See, from the ritual books of the Greek and the russo-greek Churches, are themselves a treasure of incalculable price. They are by no means generally known in this country, however familiar they may now be to our more learned controvertists. When Count de Maistre wrote, no reference had yet been made to these remarkable books. Cumbrous from their form and weight, written in Sclavonic, a language which, although very rich and very beautiful, is as strange as Sanscrit to our eyes and ears, printed in repulsive characters, buried in the churches, and handled only by men totally unknoivn to the world, it is easily understood why this mine has not been hitherto explored. Every facility for exploring it was enjoyed by the distinguished author, during his resi dence in Russia as ambassador from the court of Turin.