Greek Orthodox Community Research Articles

Североливанское православие на заре османской эпохи

Североливанское православие на заре османской эпохи

“Acatholic” Foundations: The Emergence of Charitable Endowments in the Greek Orthodox and Protestant Communities of Vienna (18th Century)

This article aims at comparing the endowments founded during the 18th century by wealthy members of the Greek Orthodox and Protestant (Lutheran, Calvinist) communities in Vienna. Charitable endowments in fact offer a paramount example of the entanglement of economic, confessional and migration issues, which played an important role in the non-Catholic communities in the Habsburg capital before and after the Proclamation of Toleration in 1781. The analysis of relevant sources gives the impression that these endowments had a massive (material as well as symbolic) importance for these communities and shaped their relationship to a political regime that, even while performing enlightened reforms in the fields of culture and confession, was strengthening its control over the sector of charity.

Matrimony and baptism: changing landscapes in Greek (Rum) Orthodox Jerusalem (1900–1940)

Previously unexamined material from two archives of the Greek (Rum) Orthodox community in Jerusalem shed new light on our understanding of the dynamic of an important segment of the city during the transition period between the Ottoman Empire and the British Mandate eras. We use these unexplored records to question communal affiliations, transitions of identity, the impact of modernity as well as notions of sacred space. We offer unique insight regarding the Christian Orthodox denomination in the city by examining its two main sub-communities, Palestinians and Greeks, and exploring the connection between the community and the city. We argue that the proximity to the holy sites bears little impact on private Christian life. We trace the impact of modernity through the change of professions and argue that the most important divide in the community was not between the ethnic groups but between the older and younger generations. Naming patterns (prosopography) disclose other influences of modernity. We contend that a seemingly minor change in naming patterns is indicative of two important processes: the secularization of the community and rising Palestinian nationality.

From ‘right to be equal’ to ‘right to be’: Greek-Orthodox Community in Istanbul

The Greek-Orthodox community, which was granted collective rights by the ‘millet system’ in the Ottoman state and then by the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, today is deprived of the necessary population num...

Out of Harm's Way? Structural Violence and the Greek Orthodox Community of Istanbul during World War I

Out of Harm's Way? Structural Violence and the Greek Orthodox Community of Istanbul during World War I

Filling in the ‘floating gaps’ in the history of the Greek Orthodox community of Ayvalık: A study in cultural memory

Abstract During the second half of the eighteenth century there was a significant increase in the Greek Orthodox Christian population in the region of the western coast of Asia Minor, which was accompanied by the establishment of new settlements and the growth of existing ones, as Ayvalık. In the following article we will study both the formation of this city’s ‘tradition of origin’ and its various transformations in the course of time. Ayvalık’s cultural memory was neither fixed nor unified since members of subsequent generations, as well as members of different sociocultural groups, often tended to fill the emerging ‘floating gaps’ according to their, sometimes, competing political agendas. In doing so, they formed nostalgic narratives by making use of certain elements of local and national history, myths and legends, folk tradition, religion and culture in order to mobilize groups and form identities.

Tradition and Propaganda in the Venetian Madonna della Pace

In 1503 a large icon of the Hodegetria belonging to the Dominican friars of SS. Giovanni e Paolo, Venice, was transferred from the chapter house of the monastery to its own chapel adjacent to the cloister. The image was promoted as the icon before which St John of Damascus recovered his amputated hand, as a mediator in family disputes, and as an object of veneration by both Venetian Catholics and the Greek Orthodox community in that city. A series of polyglot pamphlets recording the history of the icon and its function as mediatrix par excellence further promoted the icon in the 17th century, reinforcing the link the icon provided between Counter Reformation Catholics and Greek Orthodox immigrants in early modern Venice.

The Ottoman Millet System: Non-Territorial Autonomy and its Contemporary Legacy

Historians and social scientists view the Ottoman millet system as a successful example of non-territorial autonomy. The Ottoman rulers recognized the diversity of religious and ethnic communities that made up the empire and also understood that this diversity could not and should not be assimilated into an overarching principle of sameness. Instead, they organized a series of ad-hoc negotiations with the heads of religious communities, resulting in what became known as the millet system. Under these arrangements Jewish, Greek Orthodox and Armenian communities organized their existence in the empire and survived through a generalized system of imperial toleration and intense negotiation. This article describes the main features of the millet system, and looks at the legacy it bequeathed to certain successor states, notably Egypt, Israel, Lebanon and Turkey. It argues that this kind of non-territorial autonomy was best suited to the geographical dispersion of minorities, but also to the strategic goals of the Ottoman Empire. Although this model was subsequently idealised, it had the effect not just of allowing autonomy to minorities but also of ensuring that they remained under the control of the state.

Recent Studies on the September Pogrom in Istanbul 1955

Drawing on theories of nationalism, two recent books by Dilek Güven and Ülkü Ağır engage with the September Pogrom in Istanbul on the 6th and the 7th of September 1955. To explain the pogrom’s emergence from its historical background both studies discuss the role of Young Turkish ideology, ethnic violence in the course of Turkish nation building, and the development of minority politics throughout the Turkish Republic. On the basis of interviews and archival materials, Dilek Güven meticulously reconstructs the course of events, the actors, their motives and the context. Ülkü Ağır analyses the Turkish press discourse in the pogrom’s preparatory phase focusing on the Greek Orthodox community. Critically discussing the two studies, this article scrutinises current conceptualisations of collective violence in research devoted to post-Genocidal Turkey.

Border Crossing and Symbiotic Relationships between Christians in Jerusalem

Based on ethnographic work carried out in Jerusalem's Old City over a period of fifteen months, this article outlines the historical background necessary to understand the development of the diversity of Christianity in Jerusalem and explores the nature of relationships that are forged between resident monks as well as between local Palestinian Christians within the context of everyday life in a major shrine of Christianity, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, or Anastasis, in Jerusalem. Focussing upon the social lives of people within the Greek (called Rum) Orthodox community as they interact with intra-communal networks as well as those linking them with members of other Christian communities this paper suggests that the kind of relations that get established between people living in and around the Church of Anastasis are often symbiotic relations.

The OttomanBeratsof the Greek Orthodox Patrirach of Jerusalem (1872–1931)

Ottoman Berats (charters11 The authors prefer to use the term Berat, a Turkish expression which is also used extensively in the literature. The term ‘charter’ has more institutional meaning and since each Patriarch received its own specific Berat so the word charter does not give the full meaning. ) were official documents issued by Sultans delineating the tasks, powers, exemptions and concessions granted to Greek Orthodox Patriarchs to be the applicable within the jurisdiction of the Patriarchs. The Berat also showed that the Patriarch was elected by the Synod and approved by the Sultan. A Patriarch who did not have Berat could not perform his duties or exercise executive authority. This article critically examines the Berats of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem in the period 1873–1931. These Berats are analysed in terms of their contents as well as in connection to the way non-Muslims were subject to rules which applied to the domestic relations of the Greek Orthodox community and to public law areas which came within the scope of Sharia law.

Orthodox Christians in the Late Ottoman Empire: A Study of Communal Relations in Anatolia by Ayşe Özil (review)

Reviewed by: Orthodox Christians in the Late Ottoman Empire: A Study of Communal Relations in Anatolia by Ayşe Özil İpek K. Yosmaoğlu (bio) Ayşe Özil, Orthodox Christians in the Late Ottoman Empire: A Study of Communal Relations in Anatolia. New York: Routledge. 2013. Pp. xv + 186. 11 Illustrations, 5 maps. Cloth $140. Appearing almost simultaneously with Nicholas Doumanis’s Before the Nation: Muslim-Christian Coexistence and Its Destruction in Late Ottoman Anatolia (Oxford, 2012), this book is a welcome addition to the growing English-language literature about the Greek Orthodox communities of the Ottoman Empire. Özil taps into a rich selection of primary sources, including the collections of the Center for Asia Minor Studies in Athens; the Greek Foreign Ministry and State Archives; Archives of the Greek Educational Association; the Prime Ministry Ottoman Archives; Ottoman Court Records; and the British National Archives. Some of this material had remained virtually untapped, and the author does an admirable job of parsing these sources to further our understanding of what she calls “the notion [of community] in practice” (15)—specifically, in this instance, the koinotites of Greek Orthodox Christians in northwestern Asia Minor and not the Orthodox Christians, writ large, of the empire, despite what the title suggests. The author’s focus is on the province of Hüdavendigar that extended from the shores of the Marmara Sea in the north to the west-central Anatolian hinterland in the south, including a stretch along the Aegean around the town of Ayvalik (Kidonies). Building on the work of scholars such as Richard Clogg, Haris Exertzoglou, Socrates Petmezas, Eleni Frangakis-Syrett, and Edhem Eldem, among others, Özil acknowledges, and proceeds to challenge, a common misperception in conventional narrative histories of the Ottoman Empire, namely that the (Greek) Orthodox mainly comprised a class of “merchant bourgeoisie.” She emphasizes the diversity and social stratification within the Greek Orthodox community, not only across the empire, but also in relatively more homogenous administrative entities such as the Hüdavendigar province. Moving beyond the well-worn paradigm of a monolithic Rum milleti, the book, in the author’s words, “tries to understand what the community was about by exploring the notion in practice. … [It] takes a relational approach and treats the Christian presence under the Ottomans as a variable set of contexts and situations” (15). In order to accomplish these objectives, Özil turns her focus to “institutions,” an understanding of which, she argues, is necessary to make sense of communal relations (17). The book is organized in five chapters following this institutional framework, in the following order: local administration; local finances and taxation; legal corporate status; law and justice; nationality. Özil’s most significant contributions are in the sections where she carefully defines the post- Tanzimat (administrative reforms staring in the 1840s) koinotita as a vital institution of local governance for the Greek Orthodox subjects. While discussing at length its membership structure and relationship with the church, the author nevertheless notes the limitations of the koinotita and the simultaneous existence of other, less formal ways of communal organization. Another important intervention of the author is her discussion of the “legal corporate status” of non-Muslim millets in the Ottoman Empire, including Orthodox Christians, which presumably allowed their highest-ranking religious authority to govern these groups with a great degree of autonomy, easily lending itself to the construction of a sense of collective identity. These assumptions were central to the static and old-fashioned view of millets and [End Page 203] the millet system—to the extent that one can speak of a system as such—as the kernel of nations and national resistance to the Ottoman yoke. Özil does not merely add to the old discussion of whether or not there were autonomous millets in the Ottoman Empire; instead, she directly tackles questions concerning the authority accorded to communities in addressing internal legal disputes. By using examples of such disputes over communal ownership of real estate, she demonstrates that any notion of communal “corporate legal status” is false. Furthermore she shows that until the legislation of March 1913, which allowed “the registration of immovable property in the name of institutions,” communal property was deeded to individuals—a...

Knowledge of, Beliefs About, and Perceived Barriers to Organ and Tissue Donation in Serbian, Macedonian, and Greek Orthodox Communities in Australia

Despite the lifesaving benefits of organ and tissue donation, a worldwide shortage of suitable and registered donors exists. Although the reasons for this shortage are multifactorial, it has been recognized that distinct barriers to registration, family discussion, and consent that require targeted intervention and action are present among minority cultural, religious, and immigrant communities. To explore the knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs of 3 orthodox religious communities in Australia (Macedonian, Greek, and Serbian Orthodox) and determine the implications for engaging with these communities to improve knowledge, attitudes, family discussion, and the ability to make an informed decision about donation. Qualitative approach using focus groups moderated by researchers and bicultural health workers with the assistance of accredited interpreters. 98 adult members of the Greek, Macedonian, and Serbian Orthodox communities in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. Clear barriers to discussing and making an informed decision about organ and tissue donation were identified. Knowledge of processes and procedures was low and discussion about death (and organ and tissue donation) with family members and loved ones was considered taboo. Despite these barriers, all 3 communities expressed a desire for more information and engagement. Of particular interest were the perspectives of 3 types of "experts": medical, religious, and other community members (who had experience with the organ and tissue donation system). Future programs designed for orthodox religious communities should consider the need for active strategies that facilitate information sharing and engagement between community members and these 3 types of experts.

Understanding Socio-cultural Influences on Smoking among Older Greek-Australian Smokers Aged 50 and over: Facilitators or Barriers? A Qualitative Study

Smokers of all ages can benefit by quitting, but many smokers continue to smoke. Older Greek-Australian smokers, one of the largest ethnic groups in Australia, have higher rates of smoking than other groups of older Australians. This qualitative study aimed to explore older Greek-Australians’ views about socio-cultural influences on their smoking. A snowball sampling technique was used to identify twenty Greek–Australian smokers (12 males and eight females), aged ≥ 50 years. They were recruited through the Greek Orthodox Community Center of South Australia (GOCSA). Qualitative data were collected using semi-structured face-to-face interviews. The audio-taped interviews were translated and transcribed, and then analysed using content analysis. Results suggested that smoking was considered as the “norm” by older Greek-Australian smokers. There were four groups embedded in the participants’ social networks that were reported to be important in relation to either encouraging smoking or, smoking abstinence. These support groups included: family members, friends, the Greek community, and physicians. Smokers’ family members (brothers) and friends were identified as facilitators of smoking whereas non-smoker family members (children and spouses) were reported as providing barriers to smoking. Different approaches were used by supporter groups to assist smokers to quit smoking—both planned and unplanned. Knowledge, planning of social and cultural supports, and addressing barriers to smoking cessation are a important part of health planning for older Greek-Australians. Social norms, including those arising from social interactions, and predisposing traits can influence smoking behaviour. Addressing the specific barriers to smoking cessation of older Greek-Australians is critical to addressing the risk for chronic disease in this group.

The “Musical Question” and the Educated Elite of Greek Orthodox Society in Late Nineteenth-Century Constantinople

In the course of the nineteenth century, music became a significant site of social and cultural identification for the educated Greek Orthodox elite in Constantinople. Through a debate on music, the meaning, limits, and historical roots of the nation and Greekness were defined and contested. This article explores the musical discourse produced by Constantinopolitan Greek Orthodox literate groups within the context of a range of broader issues such as class formation, social and national identity, the “ecumenist” politics of the Orthodox Patriarchate, and the ongoing processes of Westernization and modernization, which affected not only the Greek Orthodox but the wider Ottoman society. This was a period of rapid change in the empire especially in the spheres of the economy, administration, and law, as a result of which the administration and organization of the Rum millet were established on new principles. Based on newspapers, journals, the statutes of the voluntary musical associations, articles and treatises of musicological interest, and the printed collections of secular songs, this article demonstrates the variety and complexity of the positions and discourses of cultural identity which existed in the Greek Orthodox community of Constantinople in the second half of the nineteenth century.

TO ΕΡΓΟ ΤΟΥ ΜΕΘΟΔΙΟΥ ΑΝΘΡΑΚΙΤΗ ΚΑΙ ΤΑ ΠΟΛΙΤΙΚΟΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑΣΤΙΚΑ ΣΧΕΔΙΑ ΤΟΥ ΜΕΛΕΤΙΟΥ ΤΥΠΑΛΔΟΥ

The three pastoral manuals authored by Methodios Anthrakites, Θεωρίαι Χριστιανικαί, Ἐπίσκεψις Πνευματικοῦ πρὸς ἀσθενῆ and Βοσκὸς λογικῶν προβάτων, that draw heavily on the works of the Jesuit preacher P. Segneri and other Italian sources, and directly connected to the current developments in the Greek Orthodox community of Venice in the late seventeenth c. The communty’s metropolitan bishop Meletios Typaldos pursued the ambitious goal of uniting all orthodox communities in Venetian territory under his own See, ascending to the ecumenical throne of Constantinople and, finally, subduing all orthodox churches to the Vatican. Part of this complex plan was also the broad diffusion of manuals of pastoral theology, intended both to advertise Typaldos’ active care for his fold and set a limit to the arbitrariness of the localclergy. Anthrakites, a close collaborator of Typaldos, was fully qualified to undertake writing these manuals. A close comparison between a memorandum on the state of the Greek Church under Venetian dominion, written by Typaldos for the Provveditore of Peloponnesos, Polo Nani, and the three aforementioned manuals, demonstrates their close interrelationship and sheds light on the different ambitions pursued by bishop Meletios and by Methodios Anthrakites.

THREE GERMAN TRAVELLERS ON ISTANBUL JEWS

Sixteenth-century Istanbul, capital of the Ottoman Empire and seat of the Sultans, was demographically the most important city in the Euro-Asian world of the time and contained not only the largest urban Moslem population but also the largest Greek Orthodox and Jewish communities, this last feature surprising to Western travellers. Hence the diaries of three German-language travellers, Hans Dernschwam, Stephan Gerlach and Salomon Schweigger, who visited the city in that period and lived there for a certain number of years, contain interesting remarks on the particular situation of Ottoman Jewry, so different from that in the Western world.

Observations sur la culture juridique des Grecs orthodoxes sous la domination ottomane (milieu du xve - milieu du xixe siècle)

This paper outline the characteristics of the legal culture of the Greek Orthodox communities in the Ottoman Empire, from the Fall of Constantinople (1453) to the reforms of the Hatt-i Humayoun of 1856. It examines the development of private law adopted by the Greek Orthodox population within the framework of Islamic and Ottoman law. It sheds new light on the interplay between these two legal orders and the law of the Orthodox Church and Greek customary law.

“I'm a Greek Kiwi”: Constructing Greekness in Discourse

The article reports on the preliminary findings of a project on the constructions of Greekness in modern diasporas. The discussion draws on data from the self-identified Greek community of Wellington, New Zealand. Interview data, ethnographic diaries, and everyday real-life spoken interactions were collected. The analysis of the data shows that the interactants move away from a “teleology of return” (Clifford, 1997) and reconceptualise the host/minority dimension, highlighting the dynamics and complexities of Greek identity. Special attention is paid in the analysis to the role of institutions, particularly the Greek Orthodox community, in constructing a Greek identity in this context. The standpoint taken considers identity not to be a stable, predefined entity but an ongoing dynamic process that is constantly negotiated and co-constructed between the interactants (De Fina, Schiffrin, & Bamberg, 2006). Identity is not something interactants are or have but rather something they actively do in discourse. The article closes by arguing that diasporas are not static “definable” communities, but dynamic systems shaping and being shaped in the discourse of their self-affiliated members.

Conflict and strife on the way to Gethsemane

Marian rituals have been the apex of Christian believers' journey for centuries. Although its research importance in many disciplines, Marian devotion and rituals in Israel have been largely neglected. This article outlines several social and religious aspects of ‘the public dimension of the ritual’. These aspects include several lines of conflict and strife taking place between a myriad array of socio-ethnic groups: between the Greek Orthodox and the Palestinian Greek Orthodox communities; between the Palestinian Greek Orthodox communities and clergymen; between Palestinian believers and pilgrims; and between the Greek Orthodox and Jews/Muslim believers. This research is based upon a combination of two principal qualitative methodologies: participant observations which took place over a period of three years and in-depth interviews with believers and clergymen. The fieldwork is focused around a procession taking place in the Old City of Jerusalem at the end of August, celebrating Mary's death and resurrection.