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Councils was also a time of the Patriarchates vying with each other for
seniority, and it is not my place this evening to enter into that debate. I simply
refer to the conception in late antiquity, as represented by the sixth century
5
mosaic map in Madaba, Jordan, depicting Jerusalem at the centre of the world.
This is reflected in the medieval English context by the Mappa Mundi of
6
Hereford, in which Jerusalem is also shown as being at the centre of the world.
But at the same time, during this period, the Patriarchate of Constantinople
was accorded the status of Primus Inter Pares – a phrase well known to Anglicans
in their own history as describing the position of the Archbishop of
Canterbury in relation to the Anglican Communion. Whatever the claims of
the different Patriarchates, it is clear from the Apostolic Age onwards, that the
model of authority within the early church was often disputed, and generally
described as “dispersed authority” throughout the different Patriarchates.
These five patriarchates, governing the churches of the known world,
were very different in their contexts and characters. They contained people of
different languages and different cultural backgrounds, often mutually
unintelligible to each other save for their common allegiance to Christ, as
expressed through the Niceno-Constaninopolitan Creed, binding on all
Christians, whatever their geographical locations. The ancient wisdom of the
XXXIV Apostolic Canon, of early origin, is telling here: “It behoves the
bishops of every nation to know the one among them who is the premier or
chief and to recognise him as their head and, to refrain from doing anything
superfluous without his advice and approval; but, instead each of them should
do only whatever is necessitated by his own parish and by the territories under
him. But let not even such a one do anything without the advice and consent
and approval of all. For thus will there be concord and God will be glorified.”
7
And I believe there is much more work to be done by theologians of our
different traditions in exploring the theme of “sacred geography”, as a Godly
thing. This is the background of dispersed authority and unity in diversity
shared by the ancient Pentarchy of the five Patriarchates, which also describes
the situation and reality for Anglicans & Orthodox in their contemporary
contexts. Neither Anglicans nor Orthodox have a centralised and centralising
authority in their global Communions and must rely on consensus and the
“bonds of affection” to hold them together, especially at times of tension and

5 Michele Piccirillo, The Mosaics of Jordan, ACOR, 1997, pp. 61-95 .
6 http://www.herefordcathedral.org/visit-us/mappa-mundi-1
7 The Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Vol XIV, Michigan 1997.

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