A Literary History of Ecclesiastical Writers

neither is it constructed and adorned for theatrical display; not swollen with boxes of relics original: "Reliquiarum thecis." This refers to the ornate containers used to hold physical remains of saints, a practice the author is criticizing as excessive. scraped together from everywhere, nor glowing with the immense brilliance of crystal lamps; it is not proud of images of the Saints, polished with every art and expense—which Epiphanius Epiphanius of Salamis (c. 310–403 AD) was a Church Father who famously tore down a curtain depicting a saint, arguing it was contrary to Christian teaching. once clearly affirmed could not be retained in the Church of Christ against the authority of the Scriptures and our Religion. Every duty of your Liturgy, the solemn formulas of Prayer, and the Rites and Ceremonies used in sacred things—few in number, grave in their institution, and useful in their observation—testify that your public worship is truly primitive, universal Catholic; used here in its original sense of "universal" or "orthodox," referring to the shared traditions of the early church before later divisions, pious, and worthy of God. In you, we admire and proclaim likewise the ancient government received from the Apostles themselves: the Orders of Bishops, Priests, and Deacons succeeding one another in turn. You restrain the power granted to you by the Lord within its proper limits; you render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s in full, and to God the things that are God’s. In your house, if anywhere else, the sacred majesty of Kings is preserved inviolate, and enjoys its privileges with no one envying and no one tearing them away. With you, the ancient Canons The "Canons" are the historical laws and regulations of the Church. hold their honor, the better part of which you have transcribed into your own Synodical Code; to these, as much as modern times will allow, you conform yourself entirely, and you earnestly desire that the vigor of the original discipline be restored to its wholeness. To be brief: in you we behold the simplicity of the age of Cyprian St. Cyprian (c. 210–258 AD), a Bishop of Carthage known for his focus on church unity and discipline during times of Roman persecution. renewed, the zeal and purity of the age of Constantine, and the dignity and good order original: εὐταξίαν (eutaxian) of the age of Theodosius—would that I could also add, their good fortune. May the ancient faith, virtue, and simplicity flourish in you more and more; may your Laity be blameless in their character, firm and brave in their faith; may your Priests be clothed with justice and adorned with learning; and may the British Clergy be, as they have been until now, the wonder of the world for all time. May you find the most serene King, and all those placed in high positions, to be favorable toward you, so that you may be protected by the defense of those for whose safety you pour out prayers to God daily, and so that all your people may lead a quiet and tranquil life, with all piety and gravity. So vows, wishes, and prays from the heart,

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