Theory of Evolution and Orthodoxy in Greece: Contemporary Concordist Attempts from a Critical Perspective

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleΕξελικτική και ορθοδοξία στην Ελλάδα: σύγχρονες απόπειρες εναρμόνισης σε κριτική θεώρηση
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Katsiampoura, Gianna
5. lemma category Biology:evolution - History and philosophy of science
6. Publication date 14-10-2016
7. lemma work Makrides, Vasilios [Author]. Theory of Evolution and Orthodoxy in Greece: Contemporary Concordist Attempts from a Critical Perspective
8. lemma manifestations Νεύσις
9. Keywords Evolution - Greece
10. Citations
    1. <p>Vasilios Makrides, “Theory of Evolution and Orthodoxy in Greece: Contemporary Concordist Attempts from a Critical Perspective” (Εξελικτική και ορθοδοξία στην Ελλάδα: σύγχρονες απόπειρες εναρμόνισης σε κριτική θεώρηση), <em>Νεύσις</em> (<em>Nefsis</em>) 7, winter 1998, p. 173-220</p>
11. Lemma body

    1. The writer discusses critically the attempts concerning evolution theory and the idea of creation in contemporary Greece. The encounter between Orthodoxy and evolutionary theories has been somewhat troublesome in this country since the late 19th century. Nevertheless, this matter does not signify the absence of different views on this contentious issue. The concordist attempts fall under three categories and have been proposed by both orthodox theologians, biologists, and physicians. According to Makrides, the first category entails an old-fashioned trend to correlate the God-inspired, and, thus infallible text of the Bible, with evolutionist ideas and to show that the Biblical text does not exclude the notion of evolution in nature. The second category focuses on a clear distinction between the Orthodox East and the Latin West, and it holds the latter exclusively responsible for the serious conflict between science and religion in modern times. In addition, various solutions are proposed from the Orthodox Patristic and Byzantine tradition in order to incorporate the idea of evolution into the Christian worldview and to overcome the dualism in the relationship between science and religion. In the third category, no attempt is made to correlate modern evolutionist theories and the Biblical narratives of Genesis, because the two are considered totally different. The theory of evolution is not necessarily viewed as opposing to the Christian doctrine of creation, provided that the latter is demythologized and its hidden theological-existential meaning is unearthed. As a conclusion, Makrides assesses these concordist attempts from a critical perspective and in view of the present developments in the relation