Reception of St Gregory of Nyssa and St Jerome’s Views on the Holy Places of Palestine: Chrysanthos Notaras, Patriarch of Jerusalem
Abstract
This article deals with the main views of St Gregory of Nyssa and St Jerome on holy places of Palestine and pilgrimage to them in the historical context, demonstrates contradictions in their statements, which in the 16th — 17th centuries in Europe came to be a basis for the Protestant-Catholic controversy on the issue of pilgrimages. Further, the article examines the views of Chrysanthos Notaras, patriarch of Jerusalem (1707–1731), a prominent fi gure of the Greek Enlightenment, on contradictions in the opinions of both authors in the light of his attempt at systematising the theology of holy places, which, being an echo of theological disputes of supporters of Reformation and Counter-Reformation, made up an instructive and critical approach to the topic in question from the stance of Orthodox church tradition. With regard to the issue of holy places, Chrysanthos employs the methodological principle of diff erentiating between the opinions that are of doctrinal character (believing that journeys to Jerusalem do not constitute a necessary and important part of faith) on the one hand and, on the other hand, the words that are not doctrinal, have the character of a private instruction and should be considered in the context of ecclesiastical “oikonomia”.
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