Eastern Orthodox Christianity and the Uses of the Past in Contemporary Greece

Victor Roudometof

doi:10.3390/rel2020095

Abstract

The article examines the use of Orthodox Christianity in the debates over the cultural heritage of contemporary Greece. Since the birth of modern Greece, Orthodox Christianity has been used as one of the foundational cultural markers for the construction of Modern Greek national identity. This employment of religion is particularly evident in the case of history in its popularized format. In contemporary cultural politics, debates over the building of a mosque in Athens or the role of Orthodoxy in history textbooks offer particular illustrations of the public significance of Orthodox Christianity. This high profile role was particularly pronounced during the reign of the late Archbishop Christodoulos (1998–2008). The article suggests that the engagement and influence of the Church on public debates depends upon the nature of the affair: The Church enjoys more authority in ecclesiastical issues and is far less influential on issues of broader interest, such as geopolitical disputes.

Highlights

The varied and most frequent political use of the past is a well-documented avenue of research for historians and social scientists
Cultural heritage is a facet of the concern with the collective memory of modern societies
Though, over 90% of the population of Greece is Orthodox Christians, and speaking about the role of religion in contemporary Greece is identical in many respects to addressing the role of Orthodox Christianity in the country‘s public life and national culture

Summary

Introduction

The varied and most frequent political use of the past is a well-documented avenue of research for historians and social scientists (see, for example, Levi and Revel [1]). In modern societies heritage has been democratized It has become a property of the people under the guise of national heritage From France‘s l’affairre de mandil to the publication of cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in Denmark to the decision of banning the building of an Islamic mosque in Switzerland, religion has made a return to the European public scene. This return has important cultural and political ramifications. I situate and analyze the role of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in contemporary debates over Greece‘s cultural heritage and memory.

Orthodox Christianity and Modern Greek Identity: A Brief Primer

The Orthodox Church of Greece in Contemporary Debates

Battle Lines in Contemporary Greek Culture

Nationalism and the Orthodox Church of Greece

Findings

Conclusions