Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches - by Vasilios N Makrides (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

Covering an expanse of more than three thousand years, Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches charts, in one concise volume, the history of Greece's religious cultures from antiquity all the way through to present, post-independence Greece.
Focusing on the encounter and interaction between Hellenism and (Orthodox) Christianity, which is the most salient feature of Greece's religious landscape--influencing not only Greek religious history, but Greek culture and history as a whole--Vasilios N. Makrides considers the religious cultures of Greece both historically, from the ancient Greek through the Byzantine and the Ottoman periods up to the present, and systematically, by locating common characteristics and trajectoriesacross time. Weaving other traditions including Judaism and Islam into his account, Makrides highlights the patterns of development, continuity, and change that have characterized the country's long and unique religious history.
Contrary to the arguments of those who posit a single, exclusive religious culture for Greece, Makrides demonstrates the diversity and plurality that has characterized Greece's religious landscape across history. Beautifully written and easy to navigate, Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches offers an essential foundation for students, scholars, and the public on Greece's long religious history, from ancient Greece and the origins of Christianity to the formation of "Helleno-Christianity" in modern Greece.

Review Quotes

"[Makrides] has masterfully presented a history of the religious cultures of Greece from antiquity to the present. Few scholars today would have the courage, let alone sufficient knowledge of the sources, to present a panoramic synthesis of so huge a topic..."--Vasiliki M. Limberis "The Journal of Religion"

"Provides a careful new look at the palimpsest of Hellenism and Christianity over the long course of Greek history, revealing the immense complexity of the religious cultures of Greece. The book is at once a valuable contribution to the comparative study of religion and to our understanding of Greece's dense religious history."--K. E. Fleming, author of Greece: A Jewish History

"The first synthetic survey of a complex plurality of voices from antiquity to the present; it is broad in scope, rich in detail for every period, and theoretically challenging. Like the Greek tradition itself, it builds bridges between disciplines that have for too long remained separate."--Anthony Kaldellis, author of The Christian Parthenon: Classicism and Pilgrimage in Byzantine Athens

"Until now no one has written a comprehensive, synthetic history of the religious cultures of Greece. In this deeply learned book, Vasilios Makrides presents a brilliant analysis of the complex, multifaceted and intertwined history of Hellenism and Christianity. Hellenic Temples and Christian Churches is a tour de force of a book that is now the foundational text on which all future research will be based."--Thomas W. Gallant, University of California, San Diego