The Scottish bishops and archbishop Arsenius

Abstract

Some time before July 1716 bishop Archibald Campbell made the acquaintance of Arsenius, archbishop of Thebais, who was in England on a begging mission on behalf of Samuel, patriarch of Alexandria. The circumstances of this mission are described in a fragmentary manuscript preserved in the Jolly Kist at the Edinburgh episcopal theological college. According to this account Samuel was elected patriarch by the clergy of Grand Cairo, Alexandria and Damiata in 1710. The new patriarch resolved to travel to Constantinople, Moldavia and Wallachia to procure some charitable assistance for the support of his church and was about to embark at Alexandria when he was informed by letters from Constantinople that one Cosmo, formerly archbishop of Mount Sinai had by bribery been invested in the patriarchal throne by the grand visier and would shortly be arriving with commands to the Greek nation to acknowledge him.This news obliged the patriarch to return to Grand Cairo to consult with his clergy. They strenuously opposed all thoughts of submitting to the intruder and told Samuel that he ought to stand his ground and make the bashaw a sufficient offer to secure his possession against the pretences of his adversary. Cosmo arrived soon afterwards but Samuel had by this time secured the support of the bashaw and the intruder’s designs were defeated. All this was accomplished only at very great expense which had involved the patriarch in borrowing thirty thousand dollars upon high interest from what are described as infidels and foreigners. He was also obliged to sell much of the church plate and to pawn other utensils for the loan and credit of this money. It was therefore decided to send a deputation to several parts of Christendom ‘in order to procure the charity and beg the benevolence of princes and other persons disposed to assist the afflicted’. The persons appointed for this errand were Arsenius, metropolitan of Thebais and Gennadius, archimandrite of Alexandria who set sail for England with the recommendations of their patriarch and the English consuls at Grand Cairo and Tripoli. Along with their attendants they arrived in London in 1712.