Eustratios Argenti: A Study of the Greek Church under Turkish Rule
This scholarly monograph examines the life and theological work of Eustratios Argenti, an eighteenth-century Orthodox theologian who served as patriarch of Constantinople during one of the most challenging periods in Byzantine Christian history. Writing his doctoral dissertation at Oxford, Kallistos Ware chose to illuminate a figure largely forgotten in Western scholarship but crucial for understanding how Eastern Orthodoxy survived and adapted under Ottoman rule. The work emerged from Ware's conviction that Western Christians needed to understand the continuous theological tradition of the East, even during its darkest political centuries.
Ware traces Argenti's attempts to navigate between traditional Orthodox theology and the intellectual pressures of his age, including encounters with Western scholastic thought and the rationalism filtering in from Europe. The book demonstrates how Argenti worked to preserve Orthodox theological integrity while engaging contemporary philosophical questions, particularly around the relationship between faith and reason. Ware shows how Argenti's theological method remained thoroughly patristic even as he grappled with modern challenges, illustrating the continuity of Orthodox thought across centuries of political upheaval. The study reveals the sophisticated intellectual life that persisted within the millet system, countering assumptions that Ottoman rule meant only decline for Christian theology.
This work established Ware as a serious patristic scholar before he became widely known as an Orthodox spokesman to the West. It remains valuable for its meticulous archival research and its demonstration that Orthodox theology continued to develop creatively even under foreign rule. The book opened Western eyes to the ongoing vitality of Eastern Christian thought during periods previously dismissed as mere survival.
Who should read this: Scholars of Eastern Orthodox history and theology, particularly those interested in the Ottoman period and the development of modern Orthodox thought. This is specialized academic work that requires background in both Orthodox theology and Byzantine history, not suitable for general readers seeking an introduction to Eastern Christianity.