Christian identity, sharia law and voluntary martyrdom in the Ottoman Empire

Among Greek Orthodox living under Ottoman rule, the social pressure to convert from Christianity to Islam was strong, and such conversions were welcomed by the Ottoman authorities. But conversions in the other direction, from Islam to Christianity, were regarded as apostasy from Islam and were punis...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:International journal for the study of the Christian church
Main Author: Russell, Norman 1945- (Author)
Format: Electronic Article
Language:English
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Published: Routledge [2018]
In: International journal for the study of the Christian church
RelBib Classification:BJ Islam
CC Christianity and Non-Christian religion; Inter-religious relations
KAH Church history 1648-1913; modern history
KBK Europe (East)
KDF Orthodox Church
SA Church law; state-church law
Further subjects:B Eleni Gara
B Nikodemos the Hagiorite
B kollyvades movement
B Elizabeth Zachariadou
B neomartyrs
B Apostasy
B Martyrdom
B Orthodox identity
Online Access: Volltext (Resolving-System)
Description
Summary:Among Greek Orthodox living under Ottoman rule, the social pressure to convert from Christianity to Islam was strong, and such conversions were welcomed by the Ottoman authorities. But conversions in the other direction, from Islam to Christianity, were regarded as apostasy from Islam and were punishable, under sharia law, by death.The most significant collection of the lives of such martyrs (known as "neomartyrs") was the Neon Martyrologion of Nikodemos the Hagiorite, first published in 1799. Modern scholars, notably Elizabeth Zachariadou and Eleni Gara, have tended to see these lives as examples of ecclesiastical propaganda designed to reinforce a collective identity. This essay argues that, on the contrary, the eighteenth-century collections, particularly that of Nikodemos, sought to promote among Greek Orthodox a sense of personal responsibility for salvation and a conviction of the need to witness as individuals to the Christian faith.
ISSN:1747-0234
Contains:Enthalten in: International journal for the study of the Christian church
Persistent identifiers:DOI: 10.1080/1474225X.2018.1483153