Confession of Faith

work by Lucaris

Also known as: “Confession of Orthodox Faith”

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June 24, 2026

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The Confession of Faith was a work by Cyril Lucaris, the patriarch of Constantinople. Published in Geneva in 1629, it outlined his theological views, which were largely aligned with Calvinism.1

Key aspects of the Confession include:
* Professing core Calvinist doctrines such as predestination and justification by faith alone.1
* Accepting only two sacraments, contrasting with the Eastern Orthodox Church's teaching of seven.1
* Rejecting icons and the infallibility of the church.1

Lucaris's Confession generated significant controversy within the Orthodox Church, leading to its repudiation by a church council in 1672. This council reformulated Orthodox teachings to distinguish them from both Protestantism and Roman Catholicism. The Confession also faced condemnation from six successive Orthodox councils.12

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Cyril Lucaris
…of Alexandria, who discovered the Confession of Faith, which had been written by Lucaris in Latin and published in Geneva in 1629. In its 18 articles Lucaris professed virtually all the major doctrines of Calvinism; predestination, justification by faith alone, acceptance of only two sacraments (instead of seven, as taught…
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…of Alexandria, who discovered the Confession of Faith, which had been written by Lucaris in Latin and published in Geneva in 1629. In its 18 articles Lucaris professed virtually all the major doctrines of Calvinism; predestination, justification by faith alone, acceptance of only two sacraments (instead of seven, as taught…
Read More

Eastern Orthodoxy
Relations with the West
…publication in Geneva of a Confession of Faith (1629), which was, to the great amazement of all contemporaries, purely Calvinistic (i.e., it contained Reformed Protestant views). The episode ended in tragedy. Cyril was strangled by Turkish soldiers at the instigation of the pro-French and pro-Austrian party. Six successive Orthodox councils…
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…publication in Geneva of a Confession of Faith (1629), which was, to the great amazement of all contemporaries, purely Calvinistic (i.e., it contained Reformed Protestant views). The episode ended in tragedy. Cyril was strangled by Turkish soldiers at the instigation of the pro-French and pro-Austrian party. Six successive Orthodox councils…
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Synod of Jerusalem
…in order to reject the Confession of Orthodox Faith (1629), by Cyril Lucaris, which professed most of the major Calvinist doctrines. The synod rejected unconditional predestination (the doctrine that God has eternally chosen those whom he intends to save) and justification by faith alone, while it affirmed the essentially Roman…
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…in order to reject the Confession of Orthodox Faith (1629), by Cyril Lucaris, which professed most of the major Calvinist doctrines. The synod rejected unconditional predestination (the doctrine that God has eternally chosen those whom he intends to save) and justification by faith alone, while it affirmed the essentially Roman…
Read More