The continuous Greek Orthodoxy presence in the Middle East and its contemporary geopolotical role
| Title | Διαχρονική Ελληνορθόδοξη παρουσία στη Μέση Ανατολή και ο σύγχρονος γεωπολιτισμός ρόλος της / The continuous Greek Orthodoxy presence in the Middle East and its contemporary geopolotical role |
| Code | Β2 |
| Faculty | Theology |
| School | Theology |
| Cycle / Level | 2nd / Postgraduate |
| Teaching Period | Spring |
| Coordinator | Konstantinos Papastathis |
| Common | No |
| Status | Active |
| Course ID | 600020560 |
Programme of Study: PMS THrīskeía, Geōpolitikī kai Diethnīs Asfáleia
Registered students: 79
| Orientation | Attendance Type | Semester | Year | ECTS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KORMOS | Compulsory Course | 2 | 1 | 7.5 |
| Academic Year | 2025 – 2026 |
| Class Period | Spring |
| Faculty Instructors | |
| Total Hours | 39 |
| Class ID | 600277199
|
Type Of Offer
- Disciplinary Course
Course Type 2021
Specialization / Direction
Mode of Delivery
- Face to face
- Distance learning
Digital Course Content
- e-Study Guide https://qa.auth.gr/en/class/1/600277199
- At the Website of the School: www.regs.gr
- eLearning (Moodle): https://elearning.auth.gr/course/view.php?id=15729
Language of Instruction
- Greek (Instruction, Examination)
- English (Instruction, Examination)
Learning Outcomes
The course aims to introduce students to the Orthodox Christian presence in the Near and Middle East and is designed to provide an overview of the cultures, religions and politics of the region, but with a focus on the Orthodox presence in the region and its geopolitical role. In particular, students upon successful completion of the course will be able to:
1. To broaden their awareness and better understanding of the factors related to the wide range of diversity and experiences among "Middle Eastern" Christians.
2. To gain a general knowledge base about different cultural groups, geographies, historical backgrounds, different religious beliefs and practices, and different understandings of current issues in the region.
3. To engage in a process of continuous learning about the "Middle East" through a closer examination and analysis of the events, roles, and factors that have influenced and are influencing the region.
4. Use opportunities for interaction to better understand similar and different perceptions and opinions on issues related to the course content; and
5. Develop skills that reflect changes in thinking and behavior related to the area under study.
General Competences
- Apply knowledge in practice
- Make decisions
- Work in teams
- Generate new research ideas
- Appreciate diversity and multiculturality
Course Content (Syllabus)
Syllabus
1. The land of the Bible: "Sacred geographies" and the significance of the land.
2. Judaism - Christianity - Islam: Fifteen centuries of coexistence.
3. Alexander the Great as cosmopolitan in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
4. Relations between Thessaloniki and the Middle East: Approaches through Sources and Visual Testimonies: The Victorious Cross of Constantine from the Rotunda to the Christian Communities of the East: The adoption of the cross as a religious symbol by Constantine I. The significance of the Rotunda as a monument and its relation to the victorious cross. The spread of the cross to the Christian communities of the East. The Beginnings of Monasticism and Saint David the Mesopotamian.
5.Relations between Thessaloniki and the Middle East: Approaches through Sources and Visual Testimonies:The "Iconoclastic" East, the Iconoclasm and the Elevation of the Holy Cross in the Hagia Sophia of Thessaloniki: Saint Demetrius, the Patron Saint of Thessaloniki, Protector of the Crusaders in the Battle of Antioch (1098): The Life of Saint Gerasimos of Jordan in the Wall Paintings of Saint Nicholas Orphanos: Hesychasm and Eastern Monks in Palaiologan Painting:
6. Christianity in the Middle East in Late Antiquity. Christians in Persia and pre-Islamic Arabia.
7. Overview of the history of the Orthodox Churches-Patriarchates of the Middle East before the rule of Islam.
8. The Orthodox Churches-Patriarchates in the Middle East after the Islamic conquest and their survival in the new environment.
9. Ottoman Politics and the Orthodox Church.Community identities and ethnic groups.
10. Religion and Nationalism: the "Arab" Question.
11. The legal and administrative framework of the Orthodox Church of Jerusalem.
12. The international status of the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
13. The legal and administrative framework of the Orthodox Church of Antioch.
Keywords
Middle East, Patriarchates, Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Arabs, Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Constantinople
Educational Material Types
- Notes
- Slide presentations
- Video lectures
Use of Information and Communication Technologies
Use of ICT
- Use of ICT in Course Teaching
- Use of ICT in Communication with Students
Description
Courses take place using Powerpoint.
The course is supported by the electronic platform elearning.auth.gr
Course Organization
| Activities | Workload | ECTS | Individual | Teamwork | Erasmus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 39 | ||||
| Reading Assigment | 70 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Tutorial | 3 | ✓ | |||
| Field trips and participation in conferences / seminars / activities | 6 | ✓ | ✓ | ||
| Project | 15 | ✓ | |||
| Written assigments | 34.5 | ✓ | |||
| Exams | 20 | ✓ | |||
| Total | 187.5 |
Student Assessment
Description
Scientific work and presentation in the classroom.
Student Assessment methods
- Written Exam with Multiple Choice Questions (Summative)
- Written Assignment (Formative, Summative)
- Performance / Staging (Formative, Summative)
Bibliography
Additional bibliography for study
Βλασ. Ιω. φειδά, Προϋποθέσεις διαμορφώσεως του θεσμού της Πενταρχίας των Πατριαρχών, Αθήναι 1969.
Βλασ. Ιω. Φειδά, Ιστορικοκανονικά προβλήματα περί την λειτουργίαν του θεσμού της πενταρχίας των Πατριαρχών, ΙΙ, Αθήναι 1970.
Σοφία Πατούρα-Σπανού, Χριστιανισμός και Παγκοσμιότητα στο πρώιμο Βυζάντιο. Από τη θεωρία στην Πράξη, εκδ. Εθνικού Ιδρύματος Ερευνών, Αθήνα 2008.
Ιωάννης Μπάκας, Η οργάνωση διευρυμένης εκκλησιαστικής διοίκησης εκτός Ρωμαϊκής αυτοκρατορίας το πρώτο μισό του 5ου μ.Χ. αιώνα: Η Εκκλησία στη Σασσανιδική Περσία και οι σχέσεις της με τις "Δυτικές" εκκλησιαστικές διοικήσεις της Αντιόχειας και της Κωνσταντινούπολης, Βάνιας, Θεσσαλονίκη 2013.
Δέσποινα Ευγενίδου - Δημήτρης Τριανταφυλλόπουλος - Ελένη Γλύκατζη-Αρβελέρ - Johannes Koder - Κωνσταντίνος Πιτσάκης - Gilbert Dagron - Αθανάσιος Μαρκόπουλος - Cyril Mango - Τίτος Παπαμαστοράκης - Paul Magdalino - Cecile Morrisson - Christian Hannick - Ελένη Παπασταύρου, Το Βυζάντιο ως οικουμένη, εκδ. Εθνικό Ίδρυμα Ερευνών, Αθήνα 2005.
Χρυσόστομος Παπαδόπουλος, Ιστορία της Εκκλησίας Αντιοχείας, εκδ. Πουρναρά, Θεσσαλονίκη 2010.
Χρυσόστομος Παπαδόπουλος, Ιστορία της Εκκλησίας Ιεροσολύμων, εκδ. Πουρναρά, Θεσσαλονίκη 2010.
Ιωάννης Μπάκας, Η ανύψωση της Εκκλησίας των Ιεροσολύμων σε υπερμητροπολιτική διοίκηση τον 5ο μ.Χ. αιώνα. Οι προσκυνητές, οι μοναχοί, ο αρχιεπίσκοπος Ιουβενάλιος, εκδ. Πουρναρά, Θεσσαλονίκη 2010.
Jas’ Elsner and Ian Rutherford, Pilgrimage in Graeco-Roman and Early Christian Antiquity. Seeing the Gods, Oxford University Press 2005.
Birgitta Elweskiöld, John Philoponus against Cosmas Indicopleustes. A Christian Controversy on the Structure of the World in Sixth-Century Alexandria, Lund University, Lund 2005.
Χατζητρύφωνος Ε.(επιμ.), Δρόμοι της πίστης στη Μεσαιωνική Μεσόγειο, Ιστορία, μνημεία, άνθρωποι, προσκυνηματικές προοπτικές, Διεθνές Συμπόσιο, Θεσσαλονίκη 2008.
Last Update
11-03-2024
