Orthodoxy and Islam: Theology and Muslim–Christian Relations in Modern Greece and Turkey

217 Pages·2017·4.01 MB·English

by  Archimandrite Nikodemos Anagnostopoulos

Orthodoxy and Islam
Church history reveals that Christianity had its roots in Palestine during the first
century and was spread throughout the Mediterranean countries by the Apostles.
However, despite sharing the same ancestry, Muslims and Christians have been
living in a challenging symbiotic co-e xistence for more than 14 centuries in
many parts of South- eastern Europe and the Middle East.
This book analyses contemporary Christian–Muslim relations in the tradi-
tional lands of Orthodoxy and Islam. In particular, it examines the development
of Eastern Orthodox ecclesiological thinking on Muslim–Christian relations and
religious minorities in the context of modern Greece and Turkey. Greece, where
the prevailing religion is Eastern Orthodoxy, accommodates an official recog-
nised Muslim minority based in Western Thrace, as well as other Muslim popu-
lations located at major Greek urban centres and the islands of the Aegean Sea.
On the other hand, Turkey, where the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople
is based, is a Muslim country that accommodates within its borders an officially
recognised Greek Orthodox minority. The book then suggests ways to overcome
the difficulties that Muslim and Christian communities are still facing with the
Turkish and Greek States. Finally, it proposes that the positive aspects of the co-
existence between Muslims and Christians in Western Thrace and Istanbul might
constitute an original model that should be adopted in other EU and Middle
Eastern countries, where challenges and obstacles between Muslim and Chris-
tian communities persist.
This book offers a distinct and useful contribution to the ever popular subject
of Christian–Muslim relations, especially in South- east Europe and the Middle
East. It will be a key resource for students and scholars of Religious Studies and
Middle Eastern Studies.
Archimandrite Nikodemos Anagnostopoulos is an Orthodox priest of the Ecu-
menical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and along with his pastoral duties he
teaches at various British universities. His main research areas are Muslim–
Christian relations and Eastern and Orthodox Christianity.
Culture and Civilization in the Middle East
General Editor: Ian Richard Netton
Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Exeter
This series studies the Middle East through the twin foci of its diverse cultures and
civilisations. Comprising original monographs as well as scholarly surveys, it covers
topics in the fields of Middle Eastern literature, archaeology, law, history, philo-
sophy, science, folklore, art, architecture and language. While there is a plurality of
views, the series presents serious scholarship in a lucid and stimulating fashion.
For a full list of books in the series, please go to:
www.routledge.com/middleeaststudies/series/SE0363
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History and Prophecy Roshdi Rashed
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Orthodoxy and Islam
Theology and Muslim–Christian Relations
in Modern Greece and Turkey
Archimandrite Nikodemos
Anagnostopoulos
First published 2017
by Routledge
2 Park Square, Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon OX14 4RN
and by Routledge
711 Third Avenue, New York, NY 10017
Routledge is an imprint of the Taylor & Francis Group, an informa business
© 2017 Archimandrite Nikodemos Anagnostopoulos
The right of Archimandrite Nikodemos Anagnostopoulos to be identified
as author of this work has been asserted by him in accordance with
sections 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reprinted or reproduced or
utilised in any form or by any electronic, mechanical, or other means, now
known or hereafter invented, including photocopying and recording, or in
any information storage or retrieval system, without permission in writing
from the publishers.
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registered trademarks, and are used only for identification and explanation
without intent to infringe.
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A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
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ISBN: 978-1-138-23818-3 (hbk)
ISBN: 978-1-315-29793-4 (ebk)
Typeset in Times New Roman
by Wearset Ltd, Boldon, Tyne and Wear
This work is dedicated with gratitude to
His All Holiness Bartholomew,
Archbishop of Constantinople- New Rome and Ecumenical
Patriarch, for His indefatigable efforts in promulgating the
aspects of religious freedom and world peace in the light of
the development of Muslim–Christian relations in
contemporary society.

Contents
Foreword ix
Preface x
1 Introduction 1
2 Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople 8
Introduction 8
The Byzantine period (324–1453) 15
The period of the Ottoman Empire (1453–1923) 24
The period of the Turkish Republic (1923) until the present day 29
Conclusion 41
3 The development of the Autocephalous Greek Orthodox
Church 61
Introduction 61
The Church of Greece during the apostolic era
(49/50–732/733) 62
The modern historical period (1833) of the Autocephalous Greek
Orthodox Church until the present day 67
Conclusion 89
4 Modern historical context of the States of Greece and
Turkey as it relates to the minority question 103
Introduction 103
The Muslim minority of Western Thrace and other minority
communities in present-d ay Greece 104
The legal status of Islam in Greece 111
The Greek Orthodox minority of Turkey 119
Conclusion 122
viii Contents
5 Methodology 138
Introduction 138
Design 139
Rationale of the chosen geographical areas 139
Researcher’s narration 140
Informants 141
Procedures 142
Apparatus 143
Ethics 143
Results and analysis 143
Correlations 156
Discussion 158
Limitations of the study 162
Further studies 163
Conclusion 163
6 Conclusions 165
Appendices 169
Appendix 1: Patriarchal and Synodal Tome of the Proclamation of
the Autocephalous Church of Greece 169
Appendix 2: Declaration of the Independence of the Church of
Greece 173
Bibliography 185
Index 203
Foreword
It is with paternal joy and gladness that we welcome the present study offered by
the Very Reverend Archimandrite Nikodemos Anagnostopoulos.
Dealing with such sensitive issues, which have been the cause of much dis-
tress for the populations of both Greece and Turkey, this work by Fr Nikodemos
first portrays in great detail the extraordinary brightness and darkness of the
historical and political landscapes of two inextricable institutions, the Ecumeni-
cal Patriarchate and the Autocephalous Orthodox Church of Greece. As the
author helps illustrate, it is not merely the ethnic character of those involved in
these sacred institutions that has forged their bond to one another. Many other
factors come into play as well, such as the very nature of Orthodox unity, the
granting of autocephaly, and the circumstances both encountered.
All of this, of course, becomes more complicated in the twentieth century, espe-
cially upon entering into the post- Ottoman period, when the role of religion in
public life drastically changes with the establishment of modern nation- states. What
took place then was not the championing of authentic and honest dialogue or peace-
ful and respectful co-e xistence between different peoples, but rather the desperate
clinging of populations to both their ethnicities and religious beliefs, ignoring the
need to strengthen relationships on an inter-C hristian and inter-r eligious level.
Our fervent hope, therefore, is that by revisiting the harsh conditions and
significant developments accounted for in this study, a new precedent will be set
in these regions, which – rather than not tolerate the other – will choose to not
tolerate any form of violence or discrimination. Certainly, this is reflected in the
aspirations of Fr Nikodemos, who, with considerable care and responsibility,
discusses issues of great importance to today’s Muslim minority of Greece as
well as the Orthodox Christian minority of Turkey. In seeking this new dawn for
the sake of the rights of all people, we convey our Patriarchal blessings and
prayers to Fr Nikodemos for his diligent efforts and pray that our loving and
merciful God will continue to bless and strengthen him in all of his endeavours.
At the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the thirteenth of March, 2016
X BARTHOLOMEW
Archbishop of Constantinople-N ew Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch