Narratives of identity : the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of England 1895-1914 / by William Taylor.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Taylor, William, 1956-

Contributor:

Charlton Yarnall Fund.

Yarnall Collection (University of Pennsylvania)

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Orthodox Eastern Church--Syria--History--20th century.

Orthodox Eastern Church.

Orthodox Eastern Church--Syria--History--19th century.

Oriental Orthodox churches--Relations--Church of England.

Oriental Orthodox churches.

Relations.

Church of England.

History.

Religion.

Turkey--History--Ottoman Empire, 1288-1918--Religion.

Turkey.

Syria.

Physical Description:

285 pages : illustrations, facsimiles ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

Newcastle upon Tyne : Cambridge Scholars Press, 2013.

Summary:

The relationship between the Syrian Orthodox Church in the Ottoman Empire and the Church of England developed substantially between 1895 and 1914, as contacts between them grew. As the character of this emerging relationship changed, it contributed to the formation of both churches' own 'narratives of identity'. The wider context in which this took place was a period of instability in the international order, particularly within the Ottoman Empire, culminating in the outbreak of the First World War, effectively bringing this phase of sustained contact to an end. Narratives of Identity makes use of Syriac, Garshuni, and Arabic primary sources from Syrian Orthodox archives in Turkey and Syria, alongside Ottoman documents from the Basbakanlik Osmanli Arsivi, Istanbul, and a range of English archival sources. The preconceptions of both Churches are analysed, using a philosophical framework provided by the work of Paul Ricoeur, especially his concepts of significant memory (anamnesis), translation, and the search for mutual recognition. Anamnesis and translation were extensively employed in the formation of 'narratives of identity' that needed to be understood by both Churches. The identity claims of the Tractarian section of the Church of England and of the Ottoman Syrian Orthodox Church are examined using this framework. The detailed content of the theological dialogue between them, is then examined, and placed in the context of the rapidly changing demography of eastern Anatolia, the Syrian Orthodox 'heartland'. The late Ottoman state was characterised by an increased instability for all its non-Muslim minorities, which contributed to the perceived threats to Ottoman Syrian Orthodoxy, both from within and without. Finally, a new teleological framework is proposed in order to better understand these exchanges, taking seriously the amamnetic insights of the narratives of identity of both the Syrian Orthodox Church and the Church of England from 1895 to 1914. Book jacket.

Contents:

Chapter 1 The Changing Identity of the Church of England, 1895-1914 30

1.1 The Tractarian Party in the Church of England

1.2 Tractarianism, Political Patronage, and Ecclesiastical Preferment

1.3 Apostolicae Curae

1.4 The Salisbury Factor

1.5 The Emergence of an 'Eastern Policy' within the Church of England: Tractarianism versus Evangelicalism and the Shift of Contacts from India to the Ottoman Empire

1.6 Religious Communities of Men and Women

1.7 The Eastern Churches Association and the Anglican and Eastern Orthodox Churches Union

1.8 The Emergence of a 'Syriac Policy' within the Church of England

1.9 Establishment: Church, State, and Monarch

1.10 Summary

Chapter 2 The Changing Identity of the Syrian Orthodox Church, 1895-1914 65

2.1 Narratives of Identity from Within

2.2 Narratives of Identity from Without

2.3 Syrian Orthodox Millet: A New Identity

2.4 Summary

Chapter 3 Shaping Identities: Theological Dialogue, 1895-1914

3.1 The Lambeth Conferences

3.2 Ecclesiology

3.3 The Imprint of the Syrian Catholic Church on Syrian Orthodox Identity

3.4 Summary

Chapter 4 The Changing Identity of Ottoman Eastern Anatolia, 1895-1914 147

4.1 Displacement throughout the Late Ottoman Empire and its Neighbours

4.2 The Armenian Violence and Other Communities

4.3 Armenians and Syrian Orthodox: Separate Identities

4.4 Resettlement in Eastern Anatolia

4.5 Circassian Resettlement and Syrian Orthodoxy

4.6 The Hamidie Cavalry

4.7 Emigration of Christians and Syrian Orthodox as Response

4.8 Summary

Chapter 5 Emergent and Clashing Identities: Syrian Orthodoxy under Threat 184

5.1 Threats from Without

5.2 Threats from Within

5.3 A Theology of the State

5.4 Summary.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (240-259).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the Charlton Yarnall Fund.

ISBN:

9781443845267

1443845264

OCLC:

849099945

Publisher Number:

99954854186