Political and social developments in Europe and in the East and the stance of St. Athanasius of Paros

1. Entity type Lemma
2. Original titleΠολιτικές καί κοινωνικές διεργασίες στήν Εὐρώπη καί στήν Ἀνατολή καί ἡ στάση του Ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου τοῦ Παρίου
3. Language term Greek, Modern (1453-)
4. lemma author Koutalis, Vangelis
5. lemma category Modes of interaction > Conflict - Orthodox theological tradition and practice > Eschatology
6. Publication date 26-02-2017
7. lemma work Karageorgoudis, Emmanouel [Author]. Political and social developments in Europe and in the East and the stance of St. Athanasius of Paros
8. lemma manifestations Ἁγιος Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Πάριος : Πρακτικά Ἐπιστημονικοῦ Συνεδρίου (Πάρος 29 Σεπτεμβρίου -4 Οκτωβρίου 1998) - Paros: Holy Metropolis of Paronaxia – Holy Shrine of Panagia Ekatontapiliani of Paros, 2000.
9. Keywords St. Athanasius of Paros - Enlightenment - French Revolution - eschatology
10. Citations
    1. <p>Karageorgoudis, E. [Καραγεωργούδης, Ε.] (2000). Πολιτικές καί κοινωνικές διεργασίες στήν Εὐρώπη καί στήν Ἀνατολή καί ἡ στάση του Ἁγίου Ἀθανασίου τοῦ Παρίου. In <em>Ἁγιος Ἀθανάσιος ὁ Πάριος: Πρακτικά Ἐπιστημονικοῦ Συνεδρίου (Πάρος 29 Σεπτεμβρίου -4 Οκτωβρίου 1998)</em> (pp. 355-362). Paros: Holy Metropolis of Paronaxia – Holy Shrine of Panagia Ekatontapiliani of Paros.</p>
11. Lemma body

    1. The author starts by pointing out the differences between the social and cultural conditions that facilitated the emergence of the Enlightenment in the West and those prevailing in the Orthodox East. In spite of these differences, the liberal values inspired by the Enlightenment and the principles of freedom, equality, and brotherhood, which became the motto of the French Revolution, had a considerable impact on the Christian populations under Ottoman rule.

       Athanasius of Paros took actively part in the campaign launched by the Ecumenical Patriarchate against the new political ideas coming from the West which were regarded as conducive to atheism or religious indifference. For Athanasius the French Revolution stands in contrast to the genuine community created by the first Christians and is illustrative of a vicious way of life that engenders vicious philosophical doctrines. The Ottoman political power should not be questioned on the grounds of Enlightenment liberalism, since Ottoman domination, from an Orthodox viewpoint, ought to be seen as an instrument of God’s providence.

       The criticism of Athanasius against the Enlightenment and the French Revolution, however, must be placed within the context of his eschatological perspective. His own standpoint was characterized by the precedence of the eternal life and of the action of God’s providence in history. This partiality in favour of the eternal is always, according to the author, what renders meaning the present life from an Orthodox view, and what fuels the self-consciousness of the Greek-Orthodox Genus (γένος).