Arab Orthodox Christians Under the Ottomans 1516–1831

Publication Data: Jordanville, NY: Holy Trinity Seminary Press, 2016
Format: softcover
Number of Pages: xii + 688
Dimensions (l × w × h): 22.8 cm × 15.3 cm × 3.8 cm
Additional Information: full-color illustrations
ISBN: 978‒1‒942699‒08‒8

   
By Constantin A. Panchenko
Translated by Brittany Pheiffer Noble and Samuel Noble
Foreword by His Beatitude Patriarch John X of Antioch and All the East

“[...]Dr Constantin Panchenko[...reveals] to the world more fully the history of[...Orthodox] people in the Middle East, drawing on sources both previously known and unknown to us, many of which have only survived in archives in Russia. He recounts to us the observations of many believers who visited[...the] Antiochian lands in previous centuries, as well as those of delegations from[...the] Antiochian Church to the Russian lands, Georgia, Wallachia, and other places stretching back to the late fourteenth century. His expertise in the field of archeology has also been brought to bear on the unfolding narrative. The picture that all these present to us is sometimes stark in its bleakness. Nevertheless, we see that despite schism, natural disasters, and civil strife, [...the Orthodox] Church has survived and remains deeply rooted in its Middle Eastern homeland. In all these things, it has refused to succumb to the catacombs of darkness. [...]This monograph fills an important lacuna in the wider history of the Christian Church as it unfolds the presence and extent of indigenous Arabic-speaking believers in the Levant. In particular, it amplifies the nature of their relationship with other non-Arabic-speaking Orthodox, with other Christians, and also with Muslim believers who have been present[...]in the Middle East for fourteen hundred years. These are matters of great complexity and a fuller understanding of them will help to shape our understanding of the takfirism against which[...the Orthodox] now struggle.”
—“Foreword”

CONTENTS

Foreword
Introduction
1. The Historical Context: Orthodox Christians Under Muslim Rule from the Sixth to the Fifteenth Century
2. The Political Context: The Ottoman State and the Orthodox Church
3. Geography and Demographics
4. Shepherds and Flock
5. Monasteries and Monasticism
6. A State Within a State: Intra-Imperial Connections in the Orthodox East
7. The Holy Places
8. Foreign Relations
9. The Catholic Unia
10. The Culture of the Orthodox Orient
Conclusion
Appendix: Patriarchs and the Sultans
Notes
Glossary of Terms
Bibliography
Index
Acknowledgments