St Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary - Press Releases Press Release Fr McGuckin delivers lecture honoring Prof. Pelikan

The seminary is proud to have sponsored the third in a series of seven events in 2003 to celebrate the 80th birthday of theological luminary Jaroslav Pelikan. The series, entitled "Orthodoxy and Western Culture," is being co-sponsored by several institutions, including the seminary. (Information on all related events can be found at http://pelikan80.smu.edu.)

Fr John McGuckin, a priest of the Orthodox Church, teaches at Union Theological Seminary and at Columbia University, and is author of scores of articles and over a dozen books. He spoke tonight in the Metropolitan Phillip Auditorium on the topic Orthodoxy and Western Christianity: The Original European Culture War?

In a highly engaging lecture, Fr McGuckin asked several challenging questions surrounding the image which Orthodoxy is given by non-Orthodox scholars, commentators, and the press. Why is it, McGuckin asked, that we Orthodox allow ourselves to be defined by others as an obscure, Eastern faith, instead of as what we really are - namely the Church?

Drawing extensively on the concept of Orientalism (as expounded on by contemporary literary theorist Edward Said), Fr John pointed to the ways in which, especially since the late 19th century, Orthodox (within the increasingly irrelevant category of "Eastern"), have been defined as exotic or quaint - or worse chaotic and undisciplined. (Why is it that the word "Byzantine" has come to denote duplicitous complexity?)

McGuckin pointed also to the ways in which many Orthodox are complicit in such definitions, giving definitions which paint us against the backdrop of "The West." Contrarily, he cited Fr Georges Florovsky as saying that "East vs West" is a distinction which has been forced into becoming a contradiction. Fr John also pointed out how in history the Orthodox, whether from Greece or Asia Minor, never saw themselves as "Greek" (which denoted "pagan") but rather as "Romaioi" - a name which entirely avoided national distinction and pointed to the identification with the Orthodox Church - the Roman Empire as dwelling in the East.

Among the sizeable audience were His Grace, Bishop NIKON, who had celebrated the feast of the Holy Cross this morning, as well as His Grace, Bishop DIMITRIOS of Xanthos (Greek Orthodox Archdiocese), a close friend and trustee of the seminary. A lively discussion followed the lecture.

We can look forward to the publication of this lecture, collected together with the other lectures in honor of Professor Pelikan.