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
Syrian, Garshuni, and Arabic primary sources from Syrian Orthodox archives in
Turkey and Syria, alongside Ottoman document 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 Ottomans
Syrian Orthodoxy, both from within and without.
Finally, a new theological
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.
The author of this new book is
Fr. William Taylor. He is the Chairman of the Anglican and Eastern Churches
Association, and a writer and broadcaster on the Orthodox Churches, especially
in the Islamic world. He has worked and lived in Jordan, Cairo, and Turkey,
served in parishes in England, as a Chaplain in the Middle East, on the
ecumenical staff of the Archbishop of Canterbury at Lambeth Palace, and as Dean
of an English Cathedral. He has travelled and lectured extensively throughout
the Middle East and Central Asia. A linguist by training and inclination, his
languages include Syriac, Arabic, and Turkish. Publications include Light from the East, Christians in the Holy
Land, and Antioch, and Canterbury. He is a Facilitator for the Windsor
Leadership Trust, a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society, and a Freeman of the
City of London.
On Thursday 12th
September 2013 (6-8 pm) Fr. William Taylor’s book Narratives of Identity will be launched in Lambeth Palace. If
anyone wishes to attend please RSVP at officemanager@stjohnsnottinghill.com.
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