MELETIUS PEGAS: Patriarch of Alexandria in the sixteenth century; b. about 1540; d. at Alexandria, 1601 or 1602. He studied at Padua, was employed about 1575 at the courts of the patriarchs of Alexandria, and Constantinople, and ascended the patriarchal throne of Alexandria in 1590. His most important work is his "Miscellanies," printed in the "Book of Joy" of the Patriarch Dositheos of Jerusalem (pp. 553-604 [Bucharest], 1705). It treats of the true church and attacks at the same time the primacy of the pope. Against Rome were

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directed also "An Orthodox Christian Discourse" (Vilna, 1596) and "The Orthodox Doctrine" (1769). Meletius influenced the confessional strug gles in Poland by a number of dogmatic epistles, one to King Sigismund III. of Poland, one to Bishop Hypatius Potei of Vladimir and Brest, and a number of letters which were published by Niko demos Metaxas, " On the Primacy of the Pope, in a Series of Letters'-' (Constantinople 1627). Against the Jews he wrote, " Apology of & Chris tian Religion, Addressed to the Jews " (Greek and Slavonic, Lemberg, 1593) [in catalogue of British Museum, ascribed to another Meletius]. The important part which he took in the synod of 1593 -in Constantinople shows that he was active also for the development and expansion of his church.

(Philipp Meyer.)

Bibliography: The scattered references are collected in P. Meyer, Die theologische Litteratur der priechiechen Kirche im 18. Jahrhundert, pp. 53-54, Leipsic,,1899.

MELETIUS SYRIGUS: Greek theologian; b. at Candia 1586; d. at Galata, a suburb of Constanti nople, 1664. He studied in Padua and became monk in a monastery of Crete whence he was soon expelled on account of his attacks on the Catholics. After a short stay in Alexandria he turned in 1630 to Constantinople where he received a position as teacher of theology. He was a pronounced opponent of Cyril Lucar (q.v.). In 1642 he cooperated at the synod of Jassy in drawing up the orthodox creed and wrote its Greek translation. In 1644 he was banished from Constantinople by Patriarch Par thenios the Elder, because he had hindered the circulation of the translation of the Bible into modern Greek by Maximos Kalliupolites. Only after the death of Parthenios in 1651 could he safely remain in Constantinople. The only one of his works which has been published is the " Refutation of the Calvinistic Articles and Questions of Cyril Lucar " (Bucharest, 1690.

(Philipp Meyer.)

Bibliography: It. Legrand, Bibliographis hell6nique, ii. 470-472, Paris, 1894; E. a Scheletrate, Acta orientalis ecclesid contra Lutheri htereaim, i. 393 sqq., Rome, 1739.