Patriarch Of Constantinople Research Articles

Orthodox Christianity in Turkey and the limits of ecumenical transnationalism

ABSTRACT The process of Europeanisation initiated in Turkey following the 1999 Helsinki summit witnessed a loosening of state control over the Patriarchate of Constantinople under the government of the Justice and Development Party (AKP). In parallel with the AKP’s reforms geared towards EU membership, the Patriarchate’s activities became more transnational in their character, especially with regards to its organisation and influence over religious affairs within the Christian world. This contribution traces change and continuity in Turkish policy towards the Patriarchate under the AKP government. Key differences between the AKP government’s stance on the Patriarchate and those of its predecessors are noted, with specific reference to prospects of EU membership and the strategy that has been devised by the AKP to that end. Specifically, the contribution shows that Turkey’s bid to join the EU initially presented important leverage over Turkey, allowing the Patriarchate to reassert its transnational character. However, diminished prospects of EU membership together with a gradual return of nationalist sentiment now present an important challenge for the Patriarchate in its efforts to maintain transnational character and influence.

Tradition: Politics of cultural heritage, Stanbulite Greeks, and the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the late nineteenth century

This article explores the notions of tradition and innovation as perceived and discursively employed by the Stanbulite Greek Orthodox concerning their ritual music in the second half of the nineteenth century. At a more general level, focusing on the sacred music of the Greek Orthodox Church in the late nineteenth century, it argues for a blurred boundary between tradition and invention (or innovation). By investigating the discourses of tradition used by the spiritual leaders, musicians, and European musical experts, it tackles the manifestations of ethnic and religious identity in the largest non-Muslim minority group within a multi-ethnic and multi-religious empire. Some of the major issues which concerned the patriarchs, cantors, and the participants of the musical commissions in Istanbul were the amelioration of choral singing, the notation of ecclesiastical chants, and the problems of intonation. This article explores the reformist intentions and acts of the Stanbulite cantors, scholars, and patriarchs, in view of their assertions of their cultural identity, the discourses of the West that they subscribed to, and their individual responses to certain Western European scholars’ convictions on the origins and continuity of the Greek musical tradition. Furthermore, by providing examples from the long history of the Eastern Orthodox Church, the article contributes to our understanding of the processes of the making of myths and traditions in contemporary Greek culture.

An introduction to conflict, politics, and the Christian East: towards a theoretical typology

ABSTRACT This introduction to a collection of five studies focusing on church-state relations in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) provides a theoretical typology through which to view the complex and varied relationships that exist between Christianity and Christians and the states and political actors that comprise the MENA region. Conceptual insights are discussed in both general terms and in relation to the arguments and conclusions advanced by the contributing authors. Specific cases considered include: 1) the Ethiopian Orthodox Church and its ties to successive governments and leaders in Ethiopia, along with those of other prominent denominations; 2) lay-clerical tensions in the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, as well as the corporatist ties its hierarchs exhibit to the state; 3) the role played by the head of the Chaldean Church in post-invasion Iraq; 4) the degree to which Christians in Lebanon support democracy; and 5) the role of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in relation to the domestic and international politics of the Turkish state.

Church without Borders: A Successful Project of the Hesychast Patriarchs of the 14th Century

The purpose of this article is to trace the principal directions of the policy of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in the second half of the 14th century. At that time, the Ecumenical see was occupied by prelates from the Hesychast movement. Armed with a strong juridical and diplomatic tradition, the Hesychast patriarchs focused their efforts on the expansion of the Byzantine Church well beyond the increasingly narrow borders of the secular Byzantine State, with an eye toward gathering the Orthodox world around the Great Church of Constantinople. On the one hand, they moved in the direction of the South Slavsic dioceses, in order to recover what they considered fell, by law, under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical see. On the other hand, they devoted themselves to gaining jurisdiction over the Churches in Russia, Wallachia and Moldavia, which were under an autocratic secular power independent of the Byzantine State. The other major goal was to appeal to orthodox princes in order to ensure the financial patronage of the entire Orthodox Church, starting with the Athonite monasteries.

“Results of Synodal Era Will Be Positively Exposed”. Anton V. Kartashev’s Letters to George I. Novitskii. 1957

This publication continues to acquaint the readers with letters written by the historian and professor of the St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris, Anton V. Kartashev, to his friend George I. Novitskii, who lived in New York. At the beginning of the year, A. V. Kartashev was still thinking about the second edition of his book “The Restoration of Holy Russia”, supplemented by a polemic with its critics. However, the main event in the life of the historian this year was the preparation of “Essays on the History of the Russian Church”. Despite his illness, he managed to prepare a manuscript of the book. A. V. Kartashev paid special attention to assessments of the Synodal period, which, unlike the pre-revolutionary tradition, he characterized positively. A significant place in the letters was occupied by the description of intrigues in the diocesan administration of the West European exarchate of the Russian parishes of the Patriarchate of Constantinople in connection with the anniversary of Metropolitan Vladimir (Tikhonitsky). A. V. Kartashev consistently upheld the principle of collegiality in church administration, and also sought to maintain the high authority of the St. Sergius Orthodox Theological Institute and its rector Bishop Cassian (Bezobrazov). The text of letters is aline with current spelling standards with preservation of some features of author's spelling of separate words and punctuation.

The Patriarchate of Constantinople: the Mother Church of the modern Orthodox autocephalous churches

ABSTRACT The main subject of debates among contemporary theologians has been the recent split within world Orthodoxy caused by the granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine by the Patriarch of Constantinople. The escalation of the tension within the family of the Orthodox autocephalous churches on the subject of autocephaly and its proclamation continues to be destructive to the unity and conciliarity of Orthodoxy. As this article will discuss, the Ecumenical Patriarchate assumes the role of the centre of the unity of the Orthodox Church and the ecclesiastical motherhood of the contemporary local autocephalous Orthodox Church. She is the “Mother birth giver” and the source of apostolic succession of all the recognized autocephalous churches in the last two centuries. Internally, the Ecumenical See has assumed the role of the faithful guardian of the Ecumenical Councils, based on which she consolidates the internal life of Orthodoxy. As the Mother Church with the authority to grant autocephaly to the local Orthodox churches, including the most recent, the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, she solidifies her position and the inner life of Orthodoxy and responsibility delivered to her by the Fathers of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

A family affair? Post-imperial Estonian Orthodoxy and its relationship with the Russian Mother Church, 1917–23

ABSTRACT As the First World War shattered the old empires, Orthodox Christians in former imperial territories faced a dilemma. Should they remain loyal to their Russian “Mother Church,” from which they were separated by physical and ideological borders, or should they pursue autonomy and break away from their former canonical centre? This article deals with the evolution of the Estonian part of Riga diocese into an autonomous Orthodox Church, focusing on the negotiations, compromises, pluralism, and realpolitik that characterized this process. The reconfiguration of Riga diocese in 1917–23 and the emergence of the autonomous Estonian Orthodox Church under the patriarch of Constantinople occurred under the influence of three factors: first, the political formation of Estonian statehood; second, the violence of the Bolshevik takeover and the Civil War; and, third, the temporary decentralization of the Russian Church. Pointing out that Patriarch Tikhon was willing to negotiate various forms of church autonomy in the Baltic and there was support for remaining under the jurisdiction of Moscow, the article argues that the change of jurisdiction was in itself a sign of the Estonian Church’s agency when it came to fulfilling its desire for ecclesiastical autonomy.

Orthodoxy and autocephaly in Ukraine: editor’s introduction

On 5 January 2019, Bartholomew I, Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, signed the tomos (decree) that officially recognized and established the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and granted it autoceph...

A Patriarchal “Blessing of Release” for the See of Kyiv Dated 1686

Abstract The discovery of copies of two texts of the synodal decisions of the Patriarchate of Constantinople concerning the metropolitan see of Kyiv dated 1686, in a manuscript from Athens (MIET/ ΙΠΑ, 22, fol. 202r–204r), presents historians with an opportunity to compare it with their Russian translations done in the 17th century and to identify their possible models. Such a model could be found in the “synodal chrysobull” of 1655 conceding specific rights of church administration to Athanasius Vellerianos, metropolitan of Philadelphia, beyond the borders of his proper diocese (Hellenic Institute in Venice, n. 15 A). In the same way, while experiencing difficulties in carrying out pastoral care in the eparchy of Kyiv, the patriarchate of Constantinople conceded the rights to consecrate the church hierarchy of this see to the patriarchs of Moscow, insisting, however, on the precedence of the ecumenical patriarch in the commemorations during the liturgy.

Пинская генеральная конгрегация православного духовенства 1791 года как первый опыт враждебных действий Фанара в отношении Русской Православной Церкви

The article examines the little-known event in the Church history of the Western Russian region – the Pinsk General Congregation of 1791, which put on its agenda the issue of the subordination of the Orthodox population in Poland to the authority of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The author traces the premises, course and significance of this meeting of the Orthodox clergy of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, as well as the role of the Patriarch of Constantinople Neophytos VII in its holding and his guiding motives. It is concluded that: 1) the Pinsk Congregation was an unlawful assembly from the canonical point of view, and it served to intensify the actions of the Russian Empire against the Polish statehood; 2) the motives for the support of the Congregation on the part of the leadership of the Patriarchate of Constantinople were the idea of the universal power of Constantinople in the Orthodox world, and also the Greek nationalism; 3) the assistance to the separatist movement of the Orthodox clergy in the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealths in 1791 became, chronologically, the first experience of Phanar’s hostile actions against Russian Orthodox Church.

The new Ukrainian Autocephalous Church and its image in the ecumenical space

An important moment in the recent history of the Eastern Orthodox Church was for sure the recognition granted to the Ukrainian Orthodoxy by the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople with the Tomos of autocephaly (2019). Praised by some Orthodox churches and damned by other, it was preceded by some attempts of negotiation initiated by the Ecumenical Patriarchate and by a few meetings between the representatives of the aforementioned institution, Russian Patriarchate and the Ukrainian local churches that was later recognised by Constantinople and by a Schism between the Constantinople and Moscow. At the same time, it divided the local Orthodox churches between the ones who sustain one or the other side or prefer to remain in a neutral state and determined later meetings like the one from Amman in Jordan (2020), between leaders and representatives of the Orthodox Church. Conscious of the relevance of the event and its potential consequences, we have tried here to see how it was reflected in the ecumenical space. Therefore, we have proceeded to the investigation of the journals from the ecumenical area that spoke about it, and we analysed the way how they saw it and emphasised the main elements that have raised their interest. Together with the ecclesiastical challenges, we found that they were also interested in this problem not only for its theological meaning but also because of its geopolitical relevance. The research, based on the literature investigated, therefore presents the Ukrainian problem and its image in the ecumenical space.Contribution: The research investigates how the image of the Eastern Orthodox Church changed in the ecumenical space after the foundation of the New Ukrainian Church and the debates that followed inside of the Orthodox space in this context. It is linked with the scope of the journal due to the fact that investigates a topic relevant for the ecumenical area and presents a topic that can contribute in the future to the change of the relationships with different churches with the Orthodox one.

ПЕТР, АРХИЕПИСКОП АЛАНСКИЙ

Theonlysourceofour knowledgeaboutPeter, probably thefirstbishopofAlania, arefiveletterstohimwrittenbyNicholasMystikos, Patriarch of Constantinople(d.925); Peter is also mentioned in two letters of Nicholas to rulersof Abasgia.Notwithstandingfragmentationofinformation contained in thesedocumentstheyallowtoreconstructtosomeextenthowtheChristian missiоn to Alania wasperceived by the key figure of the process in the time when Christianity was becoming the official religion of this medieval country.

“Probably in a Week Both My Volumes Will Go on Sale”. Anton V. Kartashev’s Letters to George I. Novitskii. 1958-1960

This publication completes the readers' acquaintance with letters written by the historian and professor of the St. Sergius Theological Institute in Paris A. V. Kartashev to his friend G. I. Novitsky, who lived in New York. The historian focused on preparing for the publication of his final works, “Essays on the History of the Russian Church” and “Ecumenical Councils”, which he wrote and dictated during the summer vacations. No less space in the letters was given by their author to traditional questions - about the financial condition of the institute and the peculiarities of training students in it, as well as about the relationship of its professors with the hierarchs of the West European Exarchate of Russian Parishes of the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The text of the letters is brought into line with modern spelling standards while preserving some features of the author’s spelling of individual words and punctuation. Comments include data on newly mentioned persons, and information on re-meeting ones can be found in previous journal publications for 2016-2019.

«В интересах усиления влияния и престижа СССР на Ближнем Востоке». Донесение советского представителя в Турции руководству НКИД СССР о положении Константинопольского патриархата в 1924 г.

«В интересах усиления влияния и престижа СССР на Ближнем Востоке». Донесение советского представителя в Турции руководству НКИД СССР о положении Константинопольского патриархата в 1924 г.

NESTORIUS, CYRILL VE PULCHERIA ÜÇGENİNDE MARYOLOJİ VE NASTURİLİĞİN DOĞUŞU

Meryem’in tabiatı üzerine V. asrın ilk çeyreğinde başlayan Maryoloji tartışmaları Hristiyanlıktaki ikinci büyük ayrışma olan Nasturiliğin doğuşuna sebep olmuştur. Meryem’in Tanrı’nın Annesi mi (Theotokos) yoksa Mesih’in Annesi mi (Kristotokos) olduğu yönündeki tartışmalar her ne kadar teoloji ve kristoloji temelli görünse de arka planda Kilise merkezleri arasındaki siyasal çatışmaların olduğu bilinmektedir. Bu tartışmaların neticesinde düzenlenen I. Efes Konsili’nde Konstantinopolis Patriği Nestorius’un “diyofizit” görüşü mahkûm edilmiştir. Bu çalışmada Hristiyanlıkta Meryem Kültü’nün beslendiği kaynaklar, Meryem Kültü’nün oluşmasına yol açan teolojik ve kristolojik tartışmalar, tartışmaların arka planında bulunan Antakya Kilisesi, İskenderiye Kilisesi ve Konstantinopolis Sarayı arasındaki siyasal çatışmalar ve bunların sonucu olarak 431’de Efes’te toplanan üçüncü ekümenik konsil incelenmiştir.

Antieroe dai molti volti: Giuliano l'Apostata nel Medioevo bizantino and “Molti fedeli di Cristo morirono tra terribili pene.” Bibliografia agiografica giulianea con edizione della Passio Cyriaci BHG 465b

Antieroe dai molti volti: Giuliano l'Apostata nel Medioevo bizantino and “Molti fedeli di Cristo morirono tra terribili pene.” Bibliografia agiografica giulianea con edizione della Passio Cyriaci BHG 465b

Constantinople III and Constantinople IV: Minorities Posing as the Voice of the Whole Church

Abstract Decisions at ecumenical councils required ‘unanimous’ consensus. This paper treats two councils, Constantinople III (680–81) and Constantinople IV (869–70), which issued decrees where the claim to unanimity was particularly contrived. Although the Acts of Constantinople III try to hide the fact, the account in the Liber pontificalis shows that it took imperial pressure and months of debate before the bishops of the patriarchate of Constantinople came over to the ‘orthodox’, dyothelete side. At Constantinople IV the lack of support for its anti-Photian decrees is shown by minimal number of bishops who chose to attend. These two councils are examples of ‘ecumenical’ decisions that, so far from being unanimous, enjoyed the genuine support of only a minority.

Ukraine as a center of contemporary global religious confrontation: Constantinople – Rome – Moscow

The article analyzes the historical and contemporary status of Ukrainian churches of the Eastern Christian tradition, which at the beginning of the 21st century found themselves at the epicenter of the geopolitical confrontation between the three world’s Christian centers. Being a border area between Europe and Asia, Ukraine always had to make choices of the ways of its civilizational development. There were periods in its history when Ukraine did so voluntarily, becoming an independent center of the east Slavic, in particular, of the Eastern Christian world. However, the presence of aggressive neighbors made changes to the Kyiv-centric discourse of the country, inclining Ukrainians either to Constantinople, Rome or Moscow. Under these circumstances, the orientation towards the development of an independent and distinctive Kyiv Church was partially lost, but at the same time opposition to the world religious centers, which sought to determine the spiritual life of Ukrainians, formed. Ukraine now seeks to rectify the situation of subordination to the foreign centers and to get rid of colonial dependence on different countries and religions. Having received Tomos from the Patriarch of Constantinople in 2018, the united Ukrainian Local Orthodox Church will in time effectively and confidently influence the geopolitical situation in the world. The framework of the historical religious-political triangle will gradually be destroyed, and Ukraine will confidently declare its autonomous standing in the Christian oekumene.

The New Independent Orthodox Church in Ukraine

AbstractIn January 2019, the Ukrainian Orthodoxy received what is known as the tomos from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, which established the independent Orthodox Church in Ukraine. The granting of autocephaly to the Orthodox Christians of Ukraine caused a deep crisis in the Orthodoxy and a conflict between Constantinople and Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) condemned the Ecumenical Patriarch’s action and accused the Patriarchate of Constantinople of encroaching on the ‘canonical territory’ of the ROC. The author examines the foundations of this formation of a new Orthodox Church, the religious and political factors influencing the process of its establishment, and the reaction of the Russian Orthodox Church leadership and Russian politicians. He also reflects on the consequences for relations within Orthodoxy, for ecumenical dialogue, and for contacts between Ukraine and Russia.

Constantius III, Galla Placidia, and Libanius the Magician: Olympiodorus of Thebes and the Reconstruction of Imperial Politics in Ravenna in 421

In Fragmentum 36, the ninth-century Photius, patriarch of Constantinople, summarises Olympiodorus of Thebes teratological story about Libanius the magician and the contradictory responses to his presence in Ravenna by Constantius III and his wife, Galla Placidia. The story of the dispute between the couple and of Galla Placidia’s success in having Libanius put to death is to be believed, in the light of what else we can reconstruct about how this married couple operated in other situations. Although R.C. Blockley assessed this story in terms of Olympiodorus’ interest in paganism and magic, it will be argued here that it is best seen in terms of the poet-historian’s hostility to Constantius—something Blockley noted but did not explain. That hostility is to be understood as flowing from Olympiodorus’ aim of providing an encomium for Theodosius II in Constantinople, who was ill-disposed towards Constantius, parallel as it were with the efforts of Claudian for Stilicho, detailed a generation ago by Alan Cameron.