Nicolas Zernov, Derwas Chitty and others

[methodius]

In a comment on another entry seraphimsigrist mentioned Dr Zernov, and I was reminded that I had tried to "back post" my journal entry for the day I met him. But lj doesn't seem to accept posts that far back - perhaps it has a Y1K problem

Comments

Derwas Chitty

[seraphimsigrist]

I met the Zernovs at St Vladimir's...
he reminds me in memory of Professor Arseniev.
well, thanks for this on Chitty , his books
on vagantes, on carlisle, on the hermit of cat
island and so on are surely the classics of
the field of viewing ecclesiastical behavior
with raised eyebrow and yet with every
possible charity...the alternative is
sadness and horror and it seems anglicans
manage best of all the avoidance of the
terrible sadness which one might feel reporting
behavior of clerics in our own church sometimes
and so being unable to do that one best opts
for the way shem and japheth were commended for
of averting the eyes and covering as best one
can...
this has ended as an odd ramble where it began
as but a note...
of course relevant is the note in previous
post on your birthday!
yours
+Seraphim.

Chitty and episcopi vagantes

[methodius]

Derwas Chitty was typical of the marvellously eccentric sort of Anglcan clergyman one sometimes finds. That's why it was so delightful to meet him.

Concerning episcopi vaganted, I think God has his own ways of dealing with them. Much of the growth of Orthodoxy in Africa can be traced to the activities of one Rene Joseph Vilatte, an episcopus vagans who consecrated George Alexander Maguire of the African Orthodox Church in New York, which spread to Uganda and South Africa. Many of its adherents are today Orthodox. See my article on Orthodox mission in tropical Africa for details.

My theory is that the 50 years between 1920 and 1970 was the nadir of Orthodox mission. Russia was under the Bolsheviks. Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem were under Muslim governments. Eastern Europe was involved in war, and later under the communists. So God allowed episcopi vagantes to plant seeds that the Orthodox Church is now harvesting.

vagantes

[seraphimsigrist]

Yes, I think Africa is a place where

Re: vagantes

[methodius]

The only book of Chitty's that I have is "The derert a city", and the one on episcopi vagantes that is available to me is Peter Anson's Bishops at large, which I am sure is not as charitable as Chitty's, though it is informative.

I use any sources I can lay my hands on for my database of African Independent Churches, who are as wondrous and various as the episcopi vagantes, and include many of them, of course.

There are eccentrics and rogues aplenty, some lovable, and some not so lovable.