Synod of Jerusalem (1672)

On March 16, 1672, a council of bishops gathered in Jerusalem to answer a growing crisis: a Calvinistic reading of Christian teaching that had been promoted years earlier through the writings associated with Cyril Lucaris. The city, sacred with memory and meaning, became a fitting place for clarity. Under political pressure and spiritual confusion across the Eastern churches, the Synod sought not novelty, but steadiness—guarding ordinary believers from doctrines that would distort the character of God and weaken the call to faithful living.

The result was a public act of rare unity. Though the confession was issued in the name of Patriarch Dositheos Notaras, sixty-eight bishops added their signatures. That many shepherds standing together—when division would have been easier—was itself a kind of courage, a testimony that truth is worth the cost, and that Christ’s flock must not be abandoned to competing voices.

Patriarch Dositheos Notaras

Dositheos served in an era when theological disputes were not mere academic quarrels. Printed confessions, foreign patrons, and rival influences pressed in, and pastors bore the weight of protecting congregations with limited freedom. Dositheos answered not with bitterness, but with a clear confession meant to strengthen faith and promote holiness.

His leadership reflects the steady bravery of a watchman: not seeking conflict, yet refusing to trade away the gospel for a quieter life. Scripture charges such care to overseers: “Keep watch over yourselves and the whole flock… Be shepherds of the church of God” (Acts 20:28).

Confession of Faith (1672)

The confession upheld the authority of God’s Word as it had been received and taught in the church, resisting private reinventions that sever Scripture from faithful interpretation. It affirmed salvation by grace that truly transforms, refusing both self-righteousness and empty profession. As Scripture says, “For by grace you have been saved through faith… not by works… For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works” (Ephesians 2:8–10).

It also rejected fatalistic predestination that would make obedience seem unnecessary or God’s invitations insincere. Instead, it spoke plainly about the mysteries of worship, calling believers to reverence, repentance, and lived devotion. In doing so, the Synod modeled shepherding for the sake of souls: truth defended, consciences protected, and Christians encouraged to persevere in faith working through love.