Politismos, Vol. 1, Issue 1, March 2021

1821 200th Anniversary of the Greek War of Independence 2021 Πολιτισμός Politismos Ελευθερία ή θάνατος VOLUME 1/ISSUE 1 MARCH 2021 Cultural Committee Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox church 250 Gallows Hill Road Westfield, NJ 07090 contents Πολιτισμός Politismos Archiepiscopal and synodal encyclical for the feast of “Civilization” - “Culture” the annunciation and the 200th anniversary of the Greek revolution iii from the Greek word polis (city state) as related to politis Welcome 1 (citizen) Peter Tarhanidis, PhD Tribute to Barbara Manos 2 Helen Constantinides Bruno Ζήτω η Ελλάς ! A Timeline of the struggle for Greek Independence 3 Peter Tarhanidis, PhD Athonite academy — modern Greek enlightenment 5 Helen Constantinides Bruno Listing of the heroes and heroines of the war for Greek independence 6 The contribution of patriarch Gregory E’ to the struggle for Greek independence 7 Celia Kapsomera Rigas Feraios 10 Helen Constantinides Bruno Theodoros Kolokotronis 11 “When we revolted, we said first for Helen Constantinides Bruno our Christian Faith and then for the Laskarina bouboulina - Georgios karaiskakis 12 Nation.” Theodoros Kolokotronis Helen Constantinides Bruno the Hellenic national anthem 13 Yμνος εἰς τὴν Ἐλευθερίαν peter Tarhanidis , PhD 1821 celebratory events 14 Hellas— by Percy Shelley Ht cultural committee 15 did you know Helen Constantinides Bruno https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W2KUxkA9JFw Aς κρατήσουν οι χοροί - Let the Dances Last - Dionysis Savopoulos Grateful Ellas Official video commemorating the 200th anniversary for the fight for Greek Theodoros Vryzakis Independence from the Ottoman Turks. 1858 ii THE GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA Prot. No. 57/2021 Archiepiscopal and Synodal Encyclical for the Feast of the Annunciation and the 200th Anniversary of the Greek Revolution March 25, 2021 Unto the Most Reverend and Right Reverend Hierarchs, Pious Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, Presidents and Members of Parish Councils, Honorable Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, Members of Leadership 100, the Day and Afternoon Schools, Philoptochos Societies, the Youth, Greek Orthodox Organizations, and the entirety of the Christ- named Plenitude of the Holy Archdiocese of America. Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ, The glorious Feast of the Annunciation of the Theotokos is the annual, joyful, commemoration of the Rebirth of the Greek Nation. This year, on the very day we praise the incarnation of the Son of God, we celebrate the Bicentennial of the Greek Revolution of 1821, the beginning of the War for Independence, and the restoration of freedom after four centuries of oppression. iii The glad tidings of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, “Rejoice, O Full of Grace,” were the beginning of the liberation and redemption of every human person, the invitation into communion with God. For the Heroes of 1821, this day was the rallying cry to freedom, for if ever there was a People full of God’s grace, it is the Nations of the Hellenes. Greece has been blessed for thousands of years to be a most precious repository of treasures of wisdom, spiritual knowledge, and the enlight- ened giants upon whose shoulders the rest of the world has raised its hori- zons. This noble country is the womb from which Western Civilization was born: Philosophy, Politics, Reason, Drama, Music, Athletics, and the whole host of virtuous human endeavors. The renewal of Democracy that began in Athens, five hundred years before the Birth of our Savior, was born again in Greece. The Rebirth of the Nation in 1821 was a cause for worldwide rejoicing, as it coincided with other nations throwing off their own yokes of tyranny. We turn the eyes of our hearts, with deep emotion and gratitude, to the Nation whose titanic struggle and blood- soaked sacrifice redounded to the benefit of every Greek today, whether of Greece itself, or the Diaspo- ra. As we bend our knees before the Holy Icon of the Virgin, we bend the knee of our heart before the sacred offering of our spiritual and National forebears. The immortal martyrs of 1821 understood fully what their fore- fathers, the Heroes of the Battle of Salamis knew 2,300 years before, that Νῦν ὑπέρ πάντων ἀγών – “Now is the fight for everything!” (Aeschylus, The Persians, 405). The Twenty-fifth of March is not only the anniversary of the Rebirth of the Nation, it is the symbol of the immortality of the Greek People. It is a shining star in the constellation of illustrious achievements of the Greek People throughout their glorious history. iv Brothers and Sisters in Christ, With gratitude to the Ὑπέρμαχος Στρατηγός of the Nation and of the Church, today we offer up a special prayer and doxology all across our Holy Archdiocese of America. These have been specifically composed for this Two-Hundred Year Anniversary, in gratitude to God for the rich mercies with which He has so abundantly graced us. Therefore, let us weave a wreath of victory from the valiant deeds of our warrior ancestors, and crown their sacred memory. May we always be worthy of the freedom they gained with their lives, and give thanks unto God, for His mercy endures forever. Long live Greece! Long live the Greek Nation! With paternal love in Christ Jesus, † Elpidophoros of America † Methodios of Boston † Isaiah of Denver † Alexios of Atlanta † Nicholas of Detroit † Savas of Pittsburgh † Gerasimos of San Francisco v By Peter Tarhanidis, PhD elcome to our inaugural newsletter, Politismos, published by our Holy Trinity Cultural Committee co- W chairs Helen Bruno and Celia Kapsomera, with Father Peter Delvizis’ spiritual guidance. The purpose of this year’s publication is to inform readers of Hellenism and its connection with Greek Orthodoxy in celebration of the bicentennial of the 1821 Greek War of Independence. The Cultural Committee had grand ambitions in planning a worthy bicentennial tribute throughout 2021, including hosting in-person events in our parish and at- tending regional events and virtual tours to immerse ourselves in a variety of festivities. Yet, the COVID-19 pan- demic compelled the committee to reimagine an alternate experience to commemorate this extraordinary time in Hellenic history. The committee’s revised goal for 2021 is to publish four newsletters to examine the Greek War of Independence through the lens of significant historical events, and to highlight cultural movements and the contributions of Hellenes and Philhellenes. As we begin to focus on many highlights, recall that Greeks always referred to themselves as “Έλληνες”— Hellenes. The Romans started to use the Latin word Greek to refer to Hellenic people and culture. Hellenism is defined as an openness to new ideas and the embracing of beauty and truth. As far back as antiquity it was rec- ognized that if a person or nation accepted Hellenistic values it reformed both Hellenes and non-Hellenes into humanity’s collective legacy. “And if a man should partake of our culture, let him be called Hellene” - Isocrates, 4th century B.C. After the fall of the Byzantine Empire, the longest-lasting medieval power, Christians under the Ottoman Empire succumbed to the Muslim political government and were constrained to a ghetto life in the Rūm Millet, or “Roman nation” with limited autonomy. The Patriarch was the assigned head of the Christian Rum millet or the “ethnarch”, the political leader of the Greeks. His powers broadened beyond canonical and spiritual to political jurisdiction over all the Christians of the Ottoman Empire. The millet system permitted the church to survive and was the only source of Hellenic education and culture. The Greek Revolution was not an isolated event, but numerous failed attempts at regaining independence throughout the history of the Ottoman occupation. In the 17th century noteworthy revolts included those in Pelo- ponnesos (1603), in Epirus (1611) organized by bishop Dionysios Skylosophos, the Morean War (1680 -1715), the Orlov Revolt (1770), and one in the Mani peninsula (1780). The world witnessed a horrific Hellenic oppression and national sympathies for independence were expressed around the world as a rising “Greek Fever”. From the 18th century onwards, Phanariote Greeks were selected as administrators of Constantinople who were influential in the governance of the Ottoman Empire. The emergence of Aegean maritime created a wealthy mer- chant class who funded schools and libraries and paid young Greeks to study in Western universities. These young Greeks encountered the radical ideas of the European Enlightenment and the French Revolution. They conveyed these ideas back to the Greeks by distributing books and pamphlets written in Greek in a process known as "Diafotismos" or the modern Greek Enlightenment. By now the yearning for independence was shared among all Greeks whose sense of Greek nationality had long been fostered by the Greek Orthodox Church. Their economic progress and the impact of Western revolutionary ideas further brought out their Hellenism. They planned the uprising with the straightforward aim to recover the Byzantine Empire, with Constantinople as the capital, not the establishment of a national state. According to tradition, the Greek revolt started on March 25, 1821, when Bishop Germanos of Patras raised the flag of revolution over the Monastery of Agia Lavra in the Peloponnese. 1 It coincided with the celebration of the Annunciation (Evangelismos) of the Theotokos. In fact, the Ottomans discovered the rebels’ plans which forced the revolution to start earlier. The first revolt commenced in February in the Danubian Principalities and was quickly smothered by the Ottomans. On March 17, the Greeks in the Pelo- ponnese (Morea), the Maniots were first to declare war. On March 23 revolutionaries took control of Kalamata in Peloponnese. Uprisings were launched across Macedonia, Crete and Cyprus. The Orthodox Church condoned the Greek War of Independence and blessed the Greek insurgents. Many Orthodox prelates assumed a leading role in ecclesiastical, political and military matters.

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