1453 – Fall of Constantinople, Muhammad 2 imposes the Orthodox Schism

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Book: 1453 – Fall of Constantinople – Muhammad 2 imposes the Orthodox Schism, Lina Murr Nehme – Aleph and Taw 267 pages.

The event that put an end to the union of the churches.

The Turkish version:

“There was good booty and plunder. Gold and silver and jewels and fine stuff were brought and stacked in the camp market. They began to sell them. They made the people of the city slaves and killed their Emperor, and the “ghazis” embraced their pretty girls.”

Turkish Chronicler (about 1453)

The Byzantine version:

“The tyrant made his entry into the City with his viziers and satraps, preceded and followed by his fire-eating slaves… Proceeding to the Great Church (Hagia Sophia), he dismounted from his horse and went inside. He marveled at the sight! When he found a Turk smashing a piece of marble pavement, he asked him why he was demolishing the floor. “For the faith”, he replied. He extended his hand and struck the Turk a blow with his sword, remarking, “You have enough treasure and captives. The City’s buildings are mine”. The Turk was dragged by the feet and cast outside half dead. He (the Sultan) summoned one of his vile priests who ascended the pulpit to call out his foul prayer.

“The son of iniquity, the forerunner of Antichrist, ascending the holy altar, offered the prayer. Alas, the calamity! Alas, the horrendous deed!… An infidel Turk, standing on the holy altar in whose foundation the relics of Apostles and Martyrs have been deposited! Shudder, O sun! Where is the Lamb of God, and where is the Son and Logos of the Father who is sacrificed therein, and eaten, and never consumed? Truly we have been reckoned as frauds! Our worship has been reckoned as nothing by the nations. Because of our sins the temple which was rebuilt in the name of the Wisdom of the Logos of God… has become the House of Muhammad!”

Doukas

Metrpolits Bessarion, speaking to the Fathers of the Council of Florence

“The enemies of the Cross of Christ laugh at us despise us; they claim we are Christians in name and that we have the same Master, but that we differ so much by our divisions and our dogmas that we consider each other as adversaries and enemies… For what reason should we be separated from these people? What excuse can we give for not uniting ourselves with them? What shall we answer to God, who will ask us why we remained separated from our brothers?… What excuse can we give to posterity, and even to our contemporaries? I do not even know if we will still have posterity after so many great, so many grave calamities, so many perils that we are throwing onto the shoulders of our descendants! Let us not accept that, Fathers here present, Excellent Fathers; let us not pronounce this sentence, let us not have such deplorable designs for ourselves and our descendants!”

Sultan Muhammad 2, speaking to his man:

“You have heard that the Christians have united against us. But fear not! Your heroism will be above their… They are indolent, sleepy, easily shocked, inactive; they like to drink much and to eat much; in misfortunes they are impatient, and in times of good fortune proud and overbearing. They are lovers of repose, and do not like to sleep without soft feather-beds; when they have no women with them they are sad and gloomy, and without plenty of good wine they are unable to keep counsel among themselves. They are unable to bear hunger, or cold, or heat, effort and menial work. They let women follow them in their campaigns, and at their dinners give them the upper places, and they want always to have warm dishes. In Short there is not good in them.
“But you, my glorious fellows, you can show a great many good qualities. You do not think much of your life or your food. You sleep little, and for that you want no beds; the earth is your dinning-table, and any board your bed; there is nothing you consider a hardship; there is nothing you think it impossible to do!

“And again, the Christians fight constantly among themselves, because everyone desires to be a king, or a prince, or the first amongst them. One says to another: “Brother, help thou me today against this Prince and tomorrow I will help you against that one!” Fear them not; there is no concord amongst them. Everyone takes care of himself only; no one thinks of the common interest. They are quarrelsome, unruly, self-willed, and disobedient. Obedience to their superiors and discipline they have none, and yet everything depends on that!”

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