The Greek Church of the Kingdom of Greece originated with the revolution of 1821-29, which made the country independent of Turkey. The new Church was organized by a formal decree in 1833. The Patriarch of Constantinople claimed jurisdiction until 1868, when he acknowledged the entire independence of the Creek hierarchy. The government of the Church of Greece is mod eled on that of the Russian Church. Ecclesiasti cal authority is vested in a Holy Synod consist ing of five members, usually archbishops, or bishops, though exceptionally a monk or a priest may be among the number. This body is sup posed to be independent in spiritual affairs, but as its members are appointed by the Crown and hold office only for a year, it has become in prac tice a State instrument. Moreover, two officials of the Crown have the right to assist at all de liberntioils, though without votes. The Holy Synod elects bishops, but the Crown has the right of confirmation and investiture. The Church of Greece is represented in the United States by five priests, five churches, and 20.000 adherents.
The Eastern Church in its various branches is estimated to number about 98,000.000 adher ents, of which over 90,000,000 belong to the Rus sian Church. For the bodies which follow in many particulars the Greek usages and liturgy, but are in communion with the Pope, see UNIATS; EASTERN RITE, CHURCHES OF.
Consult the general Church histories, Schaff, Darras, Neander, etc., or Hefele, Concilien-Ge schichte (Freiburg, 1851-73) ; and Neale, History of the Holy Eastern Church (5 vols., London, 1850-73) ; Dean Stanley, History of the Eastern Church (London, 1861) ; Silbernagel, Verfassung and gegenwiirtiger Best and siimmtlicher Kirchen des Orients (Landshut, 1865) ; Tozer, The Church and the Eastern Empire (London, 1888) ; Her genriither, Monumentu Grtvca ad Photium Perti nentia (Regensburg, 1869) ; id., Photius, Patri arch von Constantinopel, sein Leben and seine Schrif ten (3 vols., Regensburg, 1867-69) ; How ard, The Schism Between the Oriental and West ern Churches (London, 1892) ; Riihan, L'eglise orthodoxe greco- russe (Brussels, 1897) ; Ga garin, The Russian Clergy (London, 1872) ; Hor ton, Student's History of the Greek Church (New York, 1902) ; Pierling, La Russie et le Saint Siege, Etudes diplomatiques (Paris, 1896) ; also Tapes et Tsars (Paris, 1890). Pierling is the author of a series of works on the relations be tween the Holy See and the Czar during the six teenth and seventeenth centuries.