1st Edition

Innovation in the Orthodox Christian Tradition? The Question of Change in Greek Orthodox Thought and Practice

    298 Pages
    by Routledge

    298 Pages
    by Routledge

    The relationship between tradition and innovation in Orthodox Christianity has often been problematic, filled with tensions and contradictions starting from the Byzantine era and running through the 19th and 20th centuries. For a long period of time scholars have typically assumed Greek Orthodoxy to be a static religious tradition with little room for renewal or change. Although this public perception continues, the immutability of the Greek Orthodox tradition has been questioned by several scholars over the past few years. This book continues this line of reasoning, but brings it into the centre of contemporary discussion. Presenting case studies from different periods of history up to the present day, the authors trace different aspects in the development of innovation and renewal in Orthodox Christianity in the Greek-speaking world and among the Diaspora.

    Conceptual Overview; 1: How Can We Speak of Innovation in the Greek Orthodox Tradition? Towards a Typology of Innovation in Religion; 2: Orthodox Christianity, Change, Innovation; Encounters with Other Christian Denominations; 3: Double-Identity Churches on the Greek Islands under the Venetians; 4: Religious Innovation or Political Strategy? The Rapprochements of the Archbishop of Syros, Alexandros Lykourgos (1827–1875), towards the Anglican Church; Adaptations to Modernity; 5: Emancipation through Celibacy? The Sisterhoods of the Zoe Movement and their Role in the Development of ‘Christian Feminism' in Greece 1938–1960; 6: The New Sound of the Spiritual Modern; Reform and Power Struggle in Religious Governance; 7: Holy Canons or General Regulations? The Ecumenical Patriarchate vis-à-vis the Challenge of Secularization in the Nineteenth Century; 8: An Innovative Local Orthodox Model of Governance? The Shrine of Evangelistria on the Island of Tinos; Change in Contemporary Socio-Political Contexts; 9: A New Role for Religion in Greece? Theologians Challenging the Ethno-Religious Understanding of Orthodoxy and Greekness; 10: From Mobilization to a Controlled Compromise; Beyond National Borders: The Greek Orthodox Diaspora; 11: Innovation within Greek Orthodox Theology in Australia: Archbishop Stylianos and the Mystique of Indigenous Australian Spirituality; 12: Continuities and Change in Greek American Orthodoxy

    Biography

    Trine Stauning Willert is Assistant Professor in Modern Greek studies at the University of Copenhagen. Her research has focused on national identity, religion and education in contemporary Greece and the cultural relationship between Greece and Europe in a historical and contemporary perspective. Lina Molokotos-Liederman is an independent scholar and researcher specializing in international issues of religion and education, migration, social welfare and humanitarian aid. Educated in Greece, France and the United States, she received her MS in Mass Communication from Boston University and her PhD in the sociology of religion from the École Pratique des Hautes Études (EPHE) in Paris.

    '... the volume’s significance lies in the successful follow-up and expansion of the list of topics covered in Orthodox Christianity in 21st Century Greece. It offers a great deal of new and important research and is a further addition to the academic revival of the study of Orthodox Christianity. The editors and contributors should be praised for their hard work, persistence, and perseverance. As a fellow academic who has invested a considerable amount of time and effort in this field of study I am extremely gratified to see this volume in print.' Journal of Contemporary Religion