The Three Hierarchs, founders of Orthodoxy

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleΟἱ Τρεῖς Ἱεράρχες θεμελιωτές τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Koutalis, Vangelis
5. lemma category Ecumenism and dialogue > Education - Ecumenism and dialogue > Ecumenism - Modes of interaction > Integration
6. Publication date 12-5-2017
7. lemma work Babiniotis, Georgios [Author]. The Three Hierarchs, founders of Orthodoxy
8. lemma manifestations Ο Ποιμήν
9. Keywords Saint Gregory of Nazianzus - John Chrysostom - rationalism - Greek philosophy - Greek-Christian ideal - Three Hierarchs - Saint Basil the Great
10. Url Ὁ Ποιμήν, ἔτος ξθ΄ ἀριθ. 2
11. Citations
    1. <p>Babiniotis, G. [Μπαμπινιώτης, Γ.] (2004). Οἱ Τρεῖς Ἱεράρχες θεμελιωτές τῆς Ὀρθοδοξίας. <em>Ὁ</em> <em>Ποιμήν</em>, <em>69</em>, 43-46</p>
12. Lemma body

    1. The author argues that the reason why the feast of the Three Hierarchs in Greece has been chosen to be the official occasion for the celebration of learning end letters is the awareness of a deeper spiritual and cultural relationship which is constitutive for the Greek cultural identity and historical consciousness.

       Greek culture was based on two educational pillars: to the study of the Greek rationalist thought, articulated through the great philosophical writings of the ancient Greek thinkers, and to the study of the Christian Orthodox faith, articulated through the teachings of the New Testament and the great theological texts of Basil the Great, Gregory of Nazianzus and John Chrysostom. Having themselves received a classical Greek education, the Three Hierarchs managed to bridge the gap between the heathen Greeks and the neophyte Christians, between the Christian conception of the link connecting the human being with its Creator and the Greek literary heritage and critical thinking.

       Therefore, the Greek conception of school education from early on combined Hellenism and Christianity in an ideal which has been called ‘Greek-Christian ideal’. However much abused during the dictatorship of 1967-74, this ideal must be restored and reclaimed, in so far as it bespeaks the universal character of Christian faith which did and still does embrace both the East and the West.