 Church of Greece | |
|---|---|
| Ancient Greek: Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος Modern Greek: Εκκλησία της Ελλάδος | |
 Seal of the Church of Greece | |
| Type | Autocephaly |
| Classification | Christian |
| Orientation | Greek Orthodox |
| Scripture | |
| Theology | Eastern Orthodox theology |
| Polity | Episcopal |
| Primate | Ieronymos II of Athens |
| Bishops | 101 |
| Priests | 8,515 |
| Monastics | 3,541 |
| Monasteries | 541 |
| Language | Greek (Katharevousa) |
| Liturgy | Byzantine Rite |
| Headquarters | Metropolitan Cathedral of Athens andPetraki Monastery,Athens,Greece |
| Territory | Greece (exceptCrete,Dodecanese,Mount Athos, and the Greek Orthodox churches in theDiaspora)[1] |
| Founder | Dionysius the Areopagite (tradition) |
| Origin | Achaea,Roman Empire |
| Independence | 1833 |
| Recognition | Autocephaly recognized by theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople in 1850 (Tomos dated June 29, 1850) |
| Separations | Greek Old Calendarists |
| Members | 10,000,000[2] |
| Official website | ecclesia |
TheChurch of Greece (Greek:Ἐκκλησία τῆς Ἑλλάδος,romanized: Ekklēsía tē̂s Helládos,IPA:[ekliˈsi.atiseˈlaðos]), part of the widerGreek Orthodox Church, is one of theautocephalous churches which make up the communion ofEastern OrthodoxChristianity. Its canonical territory is confined tothe borders of Greece prior to theBalkan Wars of 1912–1913 ("Old Greece"), with the rest of Greece (the "New Lands",Crete, and theDodecanese) being subject to the jurisdiction of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. However, most of the dioceses of the Metropolises of the New Lands arede facto administered as part of the Church of Greece for practical reasons, under an agreement between the churches of Athens and Constantinople. Theprimate of the Church of Greece is thearchbishop of Athens and All Greece.
Adherence to theEastern Orthodox Church was established as a definitive hallmark of Greek ethnic identity in the first modern Greek constitution, the "Epidaurus Law" of 1822, during theGreek War of Independence.[4] Thepreamble of all subsequent Greek constitutions simply states "In the name of the Holy, Consubstantial, and Indivisible Trinity" and theOrthodox Church of Christ is established as the "prevailing" religion of Greece.
Mainstream Orthodox clergy salaries and pensions are paid by the State, at rates comparable to those of teachers. The church had previously compensated the State by a tax of 35% on ordinary revenues of the church but, in 2004, this tax was abolished byLaw 3220/2004.[5] By virtue of its status as the prevailing religion, thecanon law of the Church is recognized by the Greek government in matters pertaining to church administration. Religious marriages and baptisms are legally equivalent to their civil counterparts. All Greek Orthodox students in primary and secondary schools in Greece attend religious instruction.[6]
Liaisons between church and state are handled by theMinistry of National Education and Religious Affairs.
Supreme authority is vested in the synod of all the diocesan bishops who havemetropolitan status (theHoly Synod of the Church of Greece,Greek:Ἱερὰ Σύνοδος τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τῆς Ἑλλάδος,romanized: Hierà Sýnodos tês Ekklēsías tês Helládos[ieˈraˈsinoðostisekliˈsiastiseˈlaðos]) under thede jure presidency of theArchbishop of Athens and all Greece. This synod deals with general church issues. The Standing Synod is under the same presidency, and consists of the Primate and 12 bishops; each members serves for one term on a rotating basis and deals with administrative details.[7]
The church is organized into 81 dioceses, of which 36, located in northern Greece and in the major islands in the north and northeast Aegean, are nominally and spiritually under the jurisdiction of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.[8] The Patriarchate retains certain privileges over and in them—for example, their bishops have to acknowledge the Patriarch as their own primate during prayers. They are called the "New Lands" (Νέαι Χώραι, orNéai Chōrai) as they became part of the modern Greek state only after theBalkan Wars, and are represented by 6 of the 12 bishops of the Standing Synod. A bishop elected to one of the Sees of the New Lands has to be confirmed by the Patriarch of Constantinople before assuming his duties. These dioceses are administered by the Church of Greece "in stewardship" and their bishops retain their right of appeal (the "ékklēton") to the Patriarch.
The dioceses ofCrete (Church of Crete), theDodecanese, and theMonastic state of Holy Mount Athos remain under the direct jurisdiction of thePatriarchate of Constantinople; they are not part of the Church of Greece.[9] TheArchdiocese of Crete enjoys semiautonomous status: new bishops are elected by the local Synod of incumbents, and the Archbishop is appointed by the Ecumenical Patriarchate from a three-person list (thetriprósōpon) drawn by the GreekMinistry of National Education and Religious Affairs from among the incumbent Metropolitans of Crete.
As in other Orthodox Christian churches, male graduates of seminaries run by the church (and financed by the Greek State) may be ordained as deacons and eventually priests. They are allowed to marry before their ordination as deacons, but not afterwards. The vast majority of parish clergy in Greece are married. Alternatively, they may enter monasteries and/or take monastic vows. Monastics who are ordained as priests and possess a university degree in theology are eligible as candidates for the episcopate (archimandrites). Women may also take monastic vows and becomenuns. In 2004, the Holy Synod of the Church of Greece voted to reinstate thefemale diaconate, but limited ordaining women as deaconesses to monastic communities.[10]
Monasteries are either affiliated to their local diocese, or directly to one of the Orthodox Patriarchates; in the latter case they are called "Stauropegiac" monasteries (Stayropēgiaká, "springs of the Cross").
A split (schism) occurred within the church in 1924 when the Holy Synod decided to replace the Old Calendar (Julian) with a hybrid calendar—the so-called "Revised Julian Calendar"—which maintained a modified Julian dating method for Pascha while adopting theGregorian Calendar date for fixed feasts. Those who refused to adopt this change are known asOld Calendarists (palaioimerologites in Greek) and still follow the old Julian Calendar.[11] They themselves have suffered several schisms, and not all Old Calendarists comprise one church. They refer to themselves as "Genuine Orthodox Christians".
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Greece was an early center of Christianity. The ApostlePaul was involved in the founding of several early Christian communities:Paul's letters to the churches in Thessalonica, at Philippi, and at Corinth are included in the New Testament.[12]
Upon formation of thePatriarchate, the Church was formerly a part of theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople. Under Ottoman rule, the Muslims exercised no control over the church. With the establishment of the Greek kingdom, however, the government decided to take control of the church, breaking away from the patriarch in Constantinople. The government declared the church to beautocephalous in 1833 in a political decision of theBavarian Regents acting forKing Otto, who was a minor. The decision roiled Greek politics for decades as royal authorities took increasing control. The new status was finally recognized as such by the Patriarchate in 1850, under compromise conditions with the issue of a special "Tomos" decree.[13]
In 1833, Parliament dissolved 400 small monasteries having fewer than five monks or nuns.[14] Priests were not salaried; in rural areas they were peasant farmers themselves, dependent for their livelihood on their farm work and from fees and offerings by parishioners. Their ecclesiastical duties were limited to administering the sacraments, supervising funerals, the blessings of crops, and exorcism. Few attended seminaries. By the 1840s, there was a nationwide revival, run by travelling preachers. The government arrested several and tried to shut down the revival, but it proved too powerful when the revivalists denounced three bishops for purchasing their office. By the 1880s, the "Anaplasis" ("Regeneration") Movement led to renewed spiritual energy and enlightenment. It fought against the rationalistic and materialistic ideas that had seeped in from secular Western Europe. It promoted catechism schools and Bible study circles.[15]
The 20th-century religious revival in Greece included the Zoë (Zoe) movement, a Greek Orthodox semimonastic association founded in 1907 by Eusebius Matthopoulos. Named after the Greek word for "life", the movement operated largely independently of the institutional Greek Orthodox Church and developed a strong, decentralized organizational structure centered primarily in Athens. Zoë brought together both laypeople and clergy; its core consisted of highly disciplined, unmarried members bound by vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience, approximately half of whom were ordained priests.[16][17]
Zoë was actively engaged in teaching, preaching, publishing, and the administration of schools, youth organizations, and professional associations throughout Greece. It sponsored a nationwide Sunday School program operating in approximately 7,800 churches and provided religious education to an estimated 150,000 students. The movement also established affiliated organizations for youth, parents, professionals, and young women nurses, and promoted the widespread distribution of Bibles, religious literature, and pamphlets. Its publications reached hundreds of thousands of copies annually in the period following World War II. Zoë encouraged greater lay participation in liturgical and sacramental life and contributed to a broader revival of religious practice in Greece.[18][17]
The movement was initially viewed with suspicion by the Orthodox episcopate, which objected to its strong independent organization. Its influence was later weakened by internal divisions, including the departure of several members who formed a rival association, Soter, as well as by its close associations with themilitary dictatorship established in Greece in 1967. By the late 20th century, Zoë’s prominence had significantly declined.[17]
In a 2019 interview with Norman Russell, the Greek philosopherChristos Yannaras stated that although he had participated in the Zoë movement in his youth, he later came to regard it ascrypto-Protestant in character.[19]
Head of the Church of Greece and of the Holy Synod isArchbishop Ieronymos II (Ioannis Liapis),Archbishop of Athens and AllGreece (2008–).
Notes
1 In 2010 theMetropolis ofAttica was split into 2 newMetropolises, the Metropolis ofKifissia,Amaroussion andOropos (temporary Vicar: the Metropolitan ofMesogeia) and the Metropolis ofIlion,Acharnes andPetroupolis (temporary Vicar: the Metropolitan ofMegara)
2 The Metropolis ofTrikke was separated from the Metropolis ofStagi (andMeteora) in 1981 but still bears the titular name "Trikke andStagi"
(under the jurisdiction of Constantinople until 1928, then under Athens; except theDodecanese)
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