58 - PAUL RYCAUT: THE PRESENT STATE OF THE GREEK AND ARMENIAN CHURCHES. LONDON, 1679

PAUL RYCAUT: THE PRESENT STATE OF THE GREEK AND ARMENIAN CHURCHES. LONDON, 1679 First edition, in 8vo, contemporary full leather trimmed, rebaked, text clean and bright, complete [28], 452p., [2], overall in very good condition. Rycaut was the British Consul in Smyrna for 11 years. Unlike many writers who relied on hearsay, Rycaut had direct, daily contact with the people he described. This book is considered one of the most sympathetic and accurate Western accounts of Eastern Christianity from the 17th century. He provides a detailed breakdown of the Orthodox liturgy, the power of the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the miracle of the Holy Fire in Jerusalem (of which he was quite skeptical). He describes the Armenian community as the great merchants of the world. He was impressed by their religious tenacity. Rycaut’s goal was partly political. He wanted to foster a closer relationship between the Church of England and the Eastern Churches, hoping to find common ground against both Roman Catholic influence and Ottoman pressure.A very detailed presentation of the Greek world in mid 17th century.