Author: Matthew Namee
-
When did the Roman Empire end: 1917 or 1922?
The era of World War I transformed global Orthodoxy as we know it and produced the context that we live in today. The Russian Empire fell, and with it the Tsar and the Byzantine…
-
How Many Orthodox Christians Are in the World?
In 1991, when Bartholomew I was enthroned as Ecumenical Patriarch, the Los Angeles Times ran the following headline: “Bartholomeos I Installed as Leader of 200 Million Orthodox Christians.” Six years later, in 1997, the same…
-
Patriarch Nikon’s Reforms and the Spoon Controversy
On June 8, the OCA website published “A Letter of a Parish Priest to His Flock.” This letter has been shared widely on social media, by people of many different Orthodox jurisdictions. It was…
-
How US Slavery Undermined Protestant Missionaries in 1860 Beirut
In the 19th century, American and English Protestant denominations sent loads of missionaries to the Ottoman Empire in an effort to convert the native Christian population — most of whom were Orthodox — to…
-
Greek Orthodox Opposition to Slavery in 1862
At the close of every year, the Greek newspaper Anatolikos Aster (Eastern Star), published in Constantinople for the local Greek Orthodox community, would write an annual retrospective on events around the globe in the year…
-
Back to the Future: A New Old Model for Clergy Training
Today, the main way a man becomes an Orthodox priest in America is by completing an M.Div. program at an Orthodox seminary, the biggest being Holy Cross, St. Vladimir’s, and St. Tikhon’s. All of…
-
St. Dionysius on the Epidemic of Alexandria
St. Dionysius the Great was Pope of Alexandria from 248 to 264. During that time, the Church of Alexandria suffered horrible persecution. Just as that was dying down, an epidemic broke out in the…
-
Athenagoras Didn’t Want the Hagia Sophia Returned to the Church
The Hagia Sophia in Constantinople was the greatest cathedral in the Orthodox world — an architectural wonder built during the reign of St. Justinian, which, according to legend, inspired the emperor to declare, “Solomon,…
-
The Cold War Origins of the EP’s Albanian Diocese
There are 13 Albanian Orthodox parishes in America, and 11 of them are part of the Albanian Archdiocese of the OCA. The other two belong to the Albanian Diocese of the Ecumenical Patriarchate —…
-
The “Bulgarian Schism” Began 150 Years Ago
On February 28, 2020, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church will celebrate the 150th anniversary of the creation of an independent Bulgarian Church (known as the “Bulgarian Exarchate”) by decree of the Ottoman sultan. For centuries…