Subject: [HM] Orthodox Church and Sciences (was: Flat earth fallacy)
From: Antreas P. Hatzipolakis (xpolakis@otenet.gr)
Date: Wed Feb 23 2000 - 15:40:14 EST
Michael Lambrou wrote:
> No, the Orthodox church never burnt people. The highest punisment for
True. But burning people is not the only martyrion, you know!
I remind you the fate of the "heretic" Kairis.
> ordinary people's gravely serious offences, was excommunication. For
> priests the corresponding punisment was de-ordination and then
> excommunication. In any case the procedure was to call the offender
> for an "apology". This means a discussion, like in a court, of the
> matter concerned. Never was this done under force or pain. The offender,
> if found guilty, was given the chance to sign a "regret", in which
> case the matter closed.
>
> Of course, the gravely serious offences can only include matters that
> the church is interested. Vaguely speaking, theological matters.
Not quite. Every organization based on dogmata is by its nature
antiscientific, and the Orthodox church is not an exception!
The official politics on mathematics of the Orthodox patriarchate of
Constantinople epigrammatically was
Makran h polusxhmos gewmetria, makran h kenemfatos Algebra,
makran kaqe anqrwpinh episthmh kai maqhsis.
(See Giannis Karas: The Exact Sciences in the Greek Era. 15th-16th century.
Athens 1991, p. 108, fn 63)
Of course there were some individual clergymen (Evgenios Voulgaris, Beniamin
of Lesbos, Nikiphoros Theotokis, etc etc) friends of sciences, but they were
out of the official line!
You are kindly requested to give an English translation of the above quote.
Also, it would be interesting to have a look in Filippos Iliou book:
Make Blind, Lord, Your People. Athens 1988. From this book (p. 47) I quote
the infamous passage from Patriarch Gregorius E' letter (March 1819), you
might want to translate.
...kata sugkrisin de kai paraqesin eurisketai epwfelestera tw Genei kai
anagkaiotera h paradosis twn Grammatikwn apo thn didaskalian twn maqhmatikwn
kai episthmonikwn ... epeidh tis wfeleia proskollwmenoi oi neoi eis tas
paradoseis autas, na manqanwsi ariqmous kai algebras, kai kubous kai kubokubous,
kai trigwna kai trigwnotetragwna, kai logariqmous, kai sumbolikous logismous,
kai tas proballomenas elleiyeis, kai atoma, kai kena, kai dinas, kai dunameis
kai elceis kai baruthtas, kai fwtos idiothtas, kai boreia sela kai optika tina,
kai akoustika, kai muria toiauta kai alla teratwdh, wste na metrwsi thn ammon
ths qalasshs kai tas stagonas tou uetou kai na kinwsi thn ghn ean autois doqh
ph stwsi kata ton Arximhdhn, epeita eis tas omilias twn barbaroi, eis tas
grafas twn soloikoi, eis ta ths qrhskeias anideoi, eis ta hqh paraforoi kai
diefqarmenoi, eis ta politeumata epiblabeis, kai ashmoi patriwtai, kai anacioi
ths progonikhs klhsews?
Antreas
This archive was generated by hypermail 2b28 : Wed Feb 23 2000 - 15:53:17 EST