Description
For those living in the East Roman Empire, it was God-protected, immune from the impermanence of other states. But in late Byzantium, intellectuals began to reconsider this assumption: could the East Roman Empire be vulnerable, even temporary? And what would that mean for the Orthodox Church? Through his engagement with influential intellectuals at the time, principally Philotheos Kokkinos, Demetrios Kydones, Cardinals Bessarion and Isidore, George Gemistos Plethon, Mark Eugenikos and George Scholarios, Norman Russell explores the strategies and responses to this seismic shift in the imagination and conceptualisation of the Church and the Empire.
By exploring the details of such crucial events as the Hesychast Controversy, the ecclesiastical revolution that followed, and successive attempts to attain ecclesiastical union with the West, Norman Russell considers how the Orthodox Church adapted to survive and flourish under Ottoman rule. This is an important new contribution to the scholarship of the Orthodox Church in the Byzantine period, of interest to scholars of Byzantine civilisation, the East Roman Empire, and the Orthodox Church.
About the Author
Norman Russell is an Orthodox translator and patristic scholar of partial Greek descent. He is an Honorary Research Fellow of St Stephen’s House of the University of Oxford and Professor of Patristics and Byzantine Theology of the Istituto Teologico ‘Santa Eufemia di Calcedonia’ of the Orthodox Exarchate of Italy. He has published two books on Gregory Palamas and a number of articles exploring Orthodoxy in the fourteenth century.
Contents
Preface
Abbreviations
Introduction: Strategies of Religious and Cultural Survival
1. The Recovery of Constantinople from the Latins
2. The Ecclesiastical Revolution of 1347
3. Political Hesychasm: Philotheos Kokkinos and His Successors
4. Siren Voices: Demetrios and Prochoros Kydones
5. Salvation through Philosophy: Nikephoros Gregoras and George Gemistos Plethon
6. Apostles of Union: Cardinals Bessarion and Isidore
7. Opponents of Union: Mark Eugenikos and George Scholarios
8. Orthodoxy on the Eve of Imperial Collapse
Bibliography
Index
Endorsements and Reviews
The Byzantine Empire is often summed up in two words: unchanging and caesaropapism. This was never true, but Norman Russell reveals with rare clarity and amazing insight how, in the empire’s long last century (1330–1453), the Patriarch, in alliance with the monastic hesychast movement, assumed a wide-ranging political authority. Emperor and Patriarch changed places—the patriarch lending sacral support to the emperor. A brilliant and thought-provoking book!Andrew Louth, Professor Emeritus of Patristic and Byzantine Studies, Durham University
An astute examination of church-state relations in the final years of the Byzantine empire. While impecunious emperors pursued a pro-Latin policy in a futile attempt to save the dying state, the reins of cultural and political power were increasingly taken up by erudite and energetic churchmen affiliated with the Hesychast movement. Russell demonstrates how the new leadership strengthened the Church and insured its survival under the ensuing centuries of Ottoman domination.Fr Maximos Constas, Distinguished Professor of the Humanities, University of Austin
A very valuable new contribution to understanding the theological and ecclesiastical developments of Late Byzantium within the wider political and intellectual context. Norman Russell takes a generous and nuanced approach, presenting the various strands of development with an appreciation of the different personalities and their responses to the challenges posed by this period of turmoil. A presentation both enjoyable to read and deeply rooted in scholarship.Dr Judith Ryder, General Editor, Translated Texts for Byzantinists
Norman Russell’s Orthodoxy and the Imperial Idea offers a compelling analysis of the evolving relationship between the Orthodox Church and imperial power in the late Byzantine era. Drawing on an impressive range of primary sources and scholarly research, Russell explores how the Church adapted to political changes, highlighting its central role in shaping both religious and imperial identity. A must-read for anyone interested in the intersection of theology, politics, and history in late Byzantium.Revd Dr Alexandros Chouliaras, Adjunct Lecturer of Patristics, Dogmatics, Anthropology, and Spirituality, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens
