THE ECCLESIASTIC. BELGRADE AND ITS THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY. As the stranger lands at Belgrade, and ascends from the banks of the Save by several flights of steps to the principal part of the city, his attention is sure to be attracted to the cathedral and the Archbishop's palace-buildings which, in contrast to those surrounding them, are remarkable for grandeur and solidity. The palace stands on the west side of the cathedral, separated from it by a broad street, the west door of the cathedral and the portal of the palace being exactly opposite; so that in the solemn procession of clergy, which always follows the Archbishop to church, the last Deacon or Acolyte has scarcely emerged from the lofty archway of the palace, ere the Archbishop is himself crossing at the entrance of the church. But close to these buildings, on the same side of the street as the Cathedral, and to the north of it, is another so lowly and unpretentious in appearance, as scarcely to gain the notice of the visitor, yet is it of almost equal importance to the Church and nation of Servia. This is the Theological Seminary, within whose walls are educated all the Clergy who receive holy orders from the Servian Episcopate. Perhaps the unobtrusiveness of the building is intentional, to save it from the shot of the Turk. Certainly it has not suffered like its neighbours, the Cathedral and the Palace; and yet the Turks have never been wanting in ill-will towards the Christian Clergy, to whose influence the restoration and preservation of the Servian nationality is so very much due. - For this reason, even the mere politician cannot fail to feel an interest in this establishment. He must regard it as one of the centres of life in the principality, a spring (fed, some will say, from the bowels of the earth; others, from the dews of heaven), whence flows a torrent turning many a wheel,-an independent source of power, not to be neglected without great error in the calculations of those who apply themselves to the problems 1 In the Greek Church processions are formed in the reverse of what we are accustomed to. VOL. XXVI. JANUARY, 1864. B of statecraft. But to the travelling ecclesiologist, how much greater is the interest! To him the Seminary of the Clergy is the school of the Prophets. He believes that the Spirit of the LORD is there, either to be listened to or neglected, and that out of that body of men must arise prophets-surely prophets, whether false or true. Moreover the Seminary is to his eyes the pottery, where are formed the vessels for the Divine Service. Hence may be sent out vessels leaky and damaged, fitted only for destruction; or vessels sound and good, and worthy of honour. Or he sees here the education of those who shall be patterns to the flocks with which they are entrusted; who by their example may lead many to their ruin, or by their example may turn many to righteousness. He sees here those who, whether conscious or unconscious of their high calling, will be hereafter the instruments of GOD and channels of grace, who, receiving from the Master the bread of life, shall distribute it to His hungering and faithful followers. : When the writer of this paper visited the Theological Seminary of Belgrade, he went there in a mind not without sorrow for the divisions of Christendom, and therefore recognizing with joy every common feature that might be a bond of union between the Anglican and Orthodox Churches; but he also went there with critical intent, seeking what differences he might find between the two Churches, and weighing the respective merits of opposite practices for, as he is confident that the Oriental Church might learn somewhat from a study of the Western Churches, so is he persuaded that English Churchmen might find something to copy even in the revived Church of the youngest member of the European family. There is nothing very novel or very striking about the Seminary, either in its arrangements or its regulations; but it is the seminary of a national Church, a living and working institution, doing some sort of work, and doing it either well or badly, and in several points it is entirely different from all colleges, theological or general, which exist in England. To begin, then-The students enter at the age of sixteen, and leave at the age of twenty, a time of life which, with our English youth, is divided between school and college. The matriculation examination is not severe. The students before their entrance are only obliged to have learnt to read, write, and sing; and, in addition to this examination, there is also a medical one, to ascertain that they are whole, and not unfitted by any deformity for ministering in the congregation. The subjects studied are as follows: : 1st Year.-Grammar of the Ecclesiastic Slavonic; Logic; |