Journal of Modern Greek Studies

Abstract:

Greece saw during the 1980s and 1990s what has been described as a "Neo-Orthodox movement," i.e. a significantly popular yet uncoordinated synthesis of Orthodox theology, traditionalism, and left-wing politics. Is it, however, indeed the case that Neo-Orthodoxy is a terminologically viable category? In this essay, Neo-Orthodoxy is examined and re-evaluated from a perspective that narrates its story and presents the ideas of its protagonists. Analyzing its premises as well as the social and historical context of the term while providing a sketch of important figures of the "movement," the commonly held assertion that the phenomenon under scrutiny can indeed be labelled a "movement" is challenged. The discussion identifies problems that such a label would entail and presents the core identifying characteristics of Neo-Orthodoxy, both in relation to and in contrast with the Communist-Orthodox Christian dialogue. This work sees itself as a corrective to earlier attempts at examining Greek Neo-Orthodoxy.