Christian Orthodoxy and Nationalism

Chiesa cattolica e Chiesa ortodossa di Grecia: le ragioni di un dialogo

by Rigas Raftopoulos

Catholic Church and Orthodox Church of Greece, historical relationships

The role of religion and spirituality on the quality of life of rare diseases patients

by Ioan Popoviciu

Salomea Popoviciu, Delia Birle, Serban Olah (2012). Review of Research and Social Intervention.

This study explored the relationship between religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs and the quality of life of... more This study explored the relationship between religious beliefs and spiritual beliefs and the quality of life of Romanian rare disease patients. Specifically, the study, firstly, analyzed the correlations between self-reported life satisfaction and
participants’ beliefs in heaven, afterlife and God. Secondly, correlations between self-reported optimism and participants’ belief in the role of spirituality and life meaning were studied. Thirdly, the relationship between self-reported health and
church attendance, importance of church and importance God for Romanian rare disease patients were examined. Implications for social workers, counselors and health providers were also discussed.

Pilgrimage Memory Book

by Aaron Friar

Composed by Aaron W. Friar
Photos by Aaron Friar, Seraphim Davidson & Agape Wisenat

The senior class pilgrimage of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology started several years ago primarily as a... more The senior class pilgrimage of Holy Cross Greek Orthodox School of Theology started several years ago primarily as a means to teach the Greek language in a study abroad program to Greece. Since then, it has expanded to include other pilgrimage sites which enrich graduating students’ vision of the Orthodox Christian world. I am privileged to be a part of this year’s group of 25 pilgrims— male and female, clergy and lay, married and monastic— all on a journey ending in the Queen of cities, Constantinople, to meet with His All Holiness Bartholomew, the Ecumenical Patriarch.The following is a travelogue of our adventures along with spiritual reflections inspired by those places.

Réunir tous les "Grecs" dans un Etat-nation, une "Grande Idée" catastrophique

by Hervé Georgelin

« From Orthodoxy to Greekness: Rupture in the “East” »

by Hervé Georgelin

pp. 11-24, dans Erythea, Revista de Estudios Bizantinos y Neogriegos, Vol. 27 (2006

"The Heavy Mode (ēchos varys) on the Fret Arak" — Eastern Chant in Istanbul and the Various Influences during the Ottoman Empire

by Oliver Gerlach

Paper 02/12/2010, Jahrestagung des Nationalkomitees der Bundesrepublik Deutschland im International Council of Traditional Music (ICTM), Institut of Musicology, Department of Music, Martin-Luther-Universität Halle/Wittenberg

The living traditions of monodic Orthodox chant were going through innovations, as the music theory and its notation... more The living traditions of monodic Orthodox chant were going through innovations, as the music theory and its notation were created starting from 1814. They are the results of a reform finished under the third generation or the “4th music school of the patriarchate” (Istanbul). The reformers, who were called “the three great teachers”, had close relationships with musicians at the Ottoman Court, with musicians belonging to Sufi brotherhoods, and with synagogal singers—a context which Rudolf Maria Brandl called 1989 the Levantine community of traditional musicians (“The Music of the Fanariots”).

The paper is about the performance practice of Greek-Orthodox singers and is focused on the various forms of the diatonic (papadikan) ēchos varys, as they can be found in the living tradition today. It is also an attempt to trace back the theoretical concept of this mode and to answer the question, to what extent the reformers were inspired by traditional musicians of the Levant.

Roussou. E. 2011. 'Orthodoxy at the Crossroads: Popular Religion and Greek Identity in the Practice of the Evil Eye.' JMS Special Issue 20 (1): 85-106.

by Eugenia Roussou

Orthodoxy and Democracy, an Antiochian Experience

by Georges NAHAS

Nahas, G. N. (October 4-6, 2008). Orthodoxy and Democracy, an Antiochian Experience. In The Itineraries of World Religions towards Democracy. American University of Beirut & Friedrich Ebert Stiftung. Byblos. Lebanon.

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The following presentation will focus on the Orthodox community, which has been present for 20... more ...

The following presentation will focus on the Orthodox community, which has been present for 20 centuries and has become a minority. It is difficult to understand the Orthodox without exploring the ground of Orthodox thought, even if it is not always visible. A very important issue is the problem of Liberty. This is a crucial subject in the Orthodox approach to life and especially to mankind. The liberty of the person is crucial from a theological point of view because it is this liberty that establishes man as a creature in the image of God. Orthodoxy’s position can only be understood if this idea is clearly underscored. The problem of the person’s liberty is at the base of the anthropological approach and it is reflected in two aspects. First, the multitude vis-à-vis the person. Do the free persons submit themselves, against their conscience to a democratic vote by a majority? What is the limit of their liberty then, and to what extent is liberty absolute? Second, for this approach the person is not alone. Human beings are only “persons” when they are in a communication; otherwise, they are individuals who do not have the dimension God intended to give them. This results in a permanent dialectic between the person and the community. The question becomes how this can be lived? ....

Construire une Identité: pour l'Autre ou contre Lui, Rôle de l'Education

by Georges NAHAS

Nahas, G. N. (16 - 18 octobre 2008). Contruire une Identité: pour l'Autre ou contre Lui, Rôle de l'Education. In Trois Religions, Un Seul Homme, Université Saint-Esprit - Kaslik. Kaslik. Lebanon.

Une identité est-elle nécessairement intrinsèque ou peut-elle être considéré comme une réalisation de soi pour l’Autre... more Une identité est-elle nécessairement intrinsèque ou peut-elle être considéré comme une réalisation de soi pour l’Autre et par Lui ? L’objectif de cette intervention est de montrer que l’appartenance religieuse est ontologiquement libératrice ; l’utiliser pour définir une identité introvertie est une déformation de la Nature Humaine et qui va à l’encontre de l’Harmonie Universelle.

Pour ce faire, cette intervention se penchera sur des textes « prophétiques » des livres saints et de grands penseurs humanistes toute appartenance religieuse confondue. L’Homme convergence des deux infinis est pressenti comme créature sociale par excellence, prêtre de l’Univers, et point focal de toute communication source d’harmonie (ou de conflit).

Former à cette conception de l’Homme et de l’Humain, exige une transcendance tout azimut des formats éducatifs qui prévalent tout en soulignant la différence de fond entre l’éducation religieuse dogmatisante et la formation libératrice de l’Homme religieux.

Future of Orthodoxy in the Near East: An Educational Perspective

by Georges NAHAS

Nahas, G. N. (September 10-12, 2010). Future of Orthodoxy in the Near East: An Educational Perspective. In Orthodoxy and Protestantism. Hofgeismar. Germany.

          Near East is the geographical region covered by the Patriarchate of Antioch.... more           Near East is the geographical region covered by the Patriarchate of Antioch. Trying to foresee the future in this region is not an easy exercise considering how much the political scene has been changing in this region starting with the first decades of the 20th Century. This region has known, since the 7th Century the co-existence of the three Abrahamic religions while its political profile was and is forever changing. Churches of the region had to live under different regimes and the political links that some confessions had with the rulers influenced a lot the inter-religious dialogue and the peaceful co-existence of the believers.

            Trying to focus on the experience of Orthodoxy in the Near East is an important exercise because the Orthodox Church existed in the region since the 1st Century and has had a continuous presence since then. Focusing on the educational aspect of this presence is a means to underline how this Church tried, over centuries, to live its mission in the world, and to see how we can build on this experience to prepare for the future in a positive, open, and dynamic way.  After a quick overview of the specificity of Orthodoxy in this region, and of the specific and broad understanding of the term education, this presentation will focus on the link between these two folders in preparing for the future, by answering this main question: How will Orthodoxy continue to witness in the Near East, bringing to the region peace, hope, and a message of love?

            This presentation will answer these questions by stressing the fact that the future of Orthodoxy in the Near East, while the 21st century seems to be a turning point for the whole region, is not only a social presence of a confessional group in midst of other groups. It is the witness for specificity, a service to be rendered to all communities, a way to preserve God’s will.

Les Chrétiens en Terre d’Orient, Une Exception?

by Georges NAHAS

Nahas, G.N. (février 2011). Les Chrétiens en Terre d'Orient, Une Exception? In Service Orthodoxe de Presse (SOP), No 355, France.

Ethnography, Historiography, and the Making of History in the Tradition of the Anastenaria

by Dimitris Xygalatas

History and Anthropology
Volume 22, Issue 1, 2011, Pages 57 - 74

In five villages of Northern Greece, the communities of the Anastenaria have a long tradition of fire-walking rituals.... more In five villages of Northern Greece, the communities of the Anastenaria have a long tradition of fire-walking rituals. The Anastenaria are Orthodox Christians, and their rituals are performed in honour of saints Constantine and Helen. However, the majority of Greek scholars have argued that these rituals originate from the ancient orgiastic cults of Dionysus. This theory was intentionally designed to serve specific political agendas, namely to prove the continuity of Greek civilization from ancient to modern Greece. Despite lacking any evidentiary support whatsoever, it became the dominant view of the Anastenaria for more than a century and has heavily influenced not only the ethnographic representation of this tradition but also the tradition itself. This article explores ethnographic practice in the context of the Anastenaria, its effects on this tradition, and the implications for further anthropological research on the subject.

Autour de l’élément politique du culte en Moldavie de sainte Parascève la Jeune

by Dan Ioan Muresan

Published originally in : Petre Guran, Bernard Flusin (éds.), L’empereur hagiographe. Culte des saints et monarchie byzantine et post-byzantine, Bucarest, 2001, p. 249-280.

Originile monahismului oriental. Dora d'Istria, India şi ortodoxia la 1850 - partea II (Revista Istorică, nr. 3-4, 2009)

by Liviu Bordas

Originile monahismului oriental. Dora d'Istria, India şi ortodoxia la 1850 - partea I (Revista Istorică, nr. 1-2, 2009)

by Liviu Bordas

Le philhellénisme russe: union d’amour ou d’intérêt?

by Stella Ghervas

published in "Regards sur le philhellénisme", Cléopâtre Montandon (ed), Geneva, Mission permanente de la Grèce auprès de l’ONU, 2008.

Le philhellénisme d’inspiration conservatrice en Europe et en Russie (Conservative Philhellenism in Europe and in Russia)

by Stella Ghervas

published in "Peuples, Etats et nations dans le Sud-Est de l’Europe", Bucharest, Ed. Anima, 2004, pp. 98-110.

S’il est un point sur lequel les chercheurs sont généralement d’accord, c’est que le philhellénisme, qui prit dans les... more S’il est un point sur lequel les chercheurs sont généralement d’accord, c’est que le philhellénisme, qui prit dans les années 1820 la forme d’un vaste courant de sympathie à la cause de libération grecque, fut l’une des premières manifestations de l’opinion publique à une échelle véritablement européenne. Ce n’est que tout récemment que des questions ont surgi quant à l’ampleur réelle du phénomène et quant à son impact effectif sur le cours des événements politico-militaires. L’existence, longtemps méconnue en Occident, d’un philhellénisme oriental à la fois russe et balkanique, vient compliquer l’image d’un mouvement beaucoup plus complexe et moins unilatéral qu’on ne l’a longtemps cru, où se mêlent aspects culturels et politiques, préoccupations humanitaires et visées économiques.

L’insurrection grecque de 1821 suscita naturellement l’enthousiasme des milieux libéraux européens, encore opprimés par la politique réactionnaire de la Sainte-Alliance. Ce lien entre le philhellénisme et le libéralisme fut accrédité presque unanimement par l’historiographie européenne, et cela jusqu’à nos jours. A l’encontre de cet avis largement répandu, notre contribution vise à montrer qu’il a existé également un philhellénisme conservateur qui s’est manifesté dans des cercles légitimistes occidentaux, russes ou balkaniques de l’époque. Des penseurs comme Alexandre Stourdza, bras droit du comte Capodistrias, ont tenté de concilier leurs sympathies philhellènes avec des positions favorables à la Sainte-Alliance.

Basée sur de multiples documents inédits tirés des archives russes et ukrainiennes, cette analyse interprète le philhellénisme dans le contexte de l’Europe de la Restauration. Elle s’attache également à en faire ressortir les composantes politiques, diplomatiques et religieuses.


Bibliographie sélective :

- Stella GHERVAS, "Alexandre Stourdza (1791-1854). Un intellectuel orthodoxe face à l’Occident", Genève, Ed. Suzanne Hurter, 1999.

- Stella GHERVAS, «Alexandru Sturza ou la quête de l’espace orthodoxe», "Bulletin de l’Association internationale d’études du sud-est européen", n° 31, 2001, pp. 53-60.

- Stella GHERVAS, «Alexandre Stourdza sur la scène européenne: autopsie d'un échec», "Revue Roumaine d'Histoire", t. XXXIX, n° 1-4, 2000, pp. 107-148.

Alexandre Stourdza: une vision géopolitique du monde orthodoxe

by Stella Ghervas

published in "Omagiu. Virgil Cândea la 75 de ani" [Mélanges offerts à Virgil Cândea], Paul H. Stahl (ed), Bucharest, Ed. Academiei Române / Ed. Roza Vânturilor, 2002.

Alexandru Sturza ou la quête de l’espace orthodoxe

by Stella Ghervas

published in "Bulletin de l’Association internationale d’études du Sud-Est européen", n° 31, 2001, pp. 53-60.

Ukrainian Liturgical Books used by The Serb in the former Hungarian Kingdom

by Sándor (Alexander) Földvári

Trilingual abstract of the paper was given on the conference Naum of Ohrid was held in the Institute for Bulgarian Culture, Budapest, Hungary, 13 October 2010. - The entire paper is being completed and coming soon. - Abtract is uploaded here in Engllish, Russian and Bulgarian, too.

Földvari, Sándor,
Budapest & Debrecen, Hungary
address: 2119 Pécel, Pf. 36.
more
Földvari, Sándor,
Budapest & Debrecen, Hungary
address: 2119 Pécel, Pf. 36.
jerome13@windowslive.com

Provenance of the Old Printed Liturgical Books, Held in the Orthodox Parishes in the Former Hungarian Kingdom:
As Witnesses of the Contacts Between the Western and Eastern Christianity

There were various Slavic ethnic groups settled on the territory of The Former Hungarian Kingdom. Their Churches were different for being organized on ethnic principles and independent each from other as well, however, all of them followed the Byzantine rite in the liturgy. Apart from the North-Eastern and Eastern parts of Hungary, dominated by the Greek-Catholic (i.e. Uniate) Church of The Rusyn and partly The Rumanian, the central and southern parts of the country were settled by Serbs who belonged to the Orthodox Church. (As to The Greek, they are not to be concerned in the paper for they have not shown activity in book import from very Slavic countries, mainly from Russia.)  The Serb immigrated into Hungary on different causes and in different times. The waves of their immigration were evidenced by the records written in the liturgical books, too (that is, the marginalia). Those books printed in southern typographies (e.g. Venice), were brought by Serbs during their coming in, for no booksellers worked for them from the south direction. On the other hand, great activity of the Russian booksellers was evidenced by archival data and marginalia as well, because Serbs, settled already on the new places, imported their further liturgical books from Russian and Ukrainian typographies. Thus Russia gave great support for holding the Serbian cultural heritage in this way, too, among other means. Although Queen Maria Theresa forbade the import of the books from Russia in 1773 and established the Typography of Kurzböck at that time, the book trade from Russia did not stopped then, in spite of the prohibition, for the books, those published in Vienna, were not willingly accepted by The Serb.  Thus the Serbian parishes continued to import the liturgical –also secular– books from Russia in underground ways, e. g. by students, later became teachers at Serbs. In a consequence, by studying the provenance of the books, we have got further evidences of activity taken by Russia in favor of keeping the Orthodox heritage.
The Bulgarian appeared on the scene of history of The Hungarian Kingdom in a later period –although they have had contacts with it for thousand years–, when the “Royal University Press in Buda” was already established and it played a great role in support of national awakening of the Slavic peoples. For this later epoch can not be discussed in details within the framework of the paper, the author is giving a further essay on them, too, and is focusing on the Serbian parishes as to the 15-18 century problems.