The Challenges of Modernity to the Orthodox Church in Estonia and Latvia (1917-1940) (Erfurter Studien zur Kulturgeschichte des orthodoxen Christentums)

After the collapse of the Russian Empire in 1917, Orthodox Christians in Estonia and Latvia had to rethink their place in society and reorganise the local Orthodox Church. The Church was challenged both by the new political circumstances and by societal antagonism. In both cases, the local ecclesiastic authorities considered themselves independent from the Patriarchate of Moscow, although in very different fashions. This study uses primarily periodicals and other published sources from the period between 1917 and 1940 to shed light on the internal discussions in the respective Orthodox Churches on issues of authority, identity, and history. This includes creating adequate structures for the Church, reforming liturgical elements and emphasising the positive role of Orthodox Christianity in Estonian and Latvian history. Cover Table of Contents Preface Notes on Terminology Introduction 1. Modernity and Orthodox Christianity 1.1. Modernity 1.1.1. The Challenges of Modernity 1.1.2. Modernity, Ideology, and Identity 1.2. Orthodox Christianity Encounters Modernity 1.2.1. The Orthodox Church in the Balkans and Modernity 1.2.2. The Orthodox Church in the Russian Empire and Modernity 1.2.3. The Orthodox Church in the Aftermath of the First World War 1.2.4. The Orthodox Church and Modernity: the Legal Dimension 1.3. Discourse Analysis and Mass Media 2. Orthodox Church Structures 2.1. Orthodoxy and the Baltic Region 2.1.1. The Baltic Provinces in the Mid-Nineteenth Century 2.1.2. The Orthodox Church in the Baltic Provinces until 1917 2.1.3. Institutional Context in the Interwar Years 2.1.4. Demographics of the Baltic States 2.2. Creating New Orthodox Churches – the 1920s 2.2.1. Leading up to Fundamental Change – 1917 2.2.2. Estonia: the Road towards Autocephaly 2.2.3. Estonia: the Russian Question 2.2.4. Estonia: Church and State 2.2.5. Latvia: Rebuilding the Church – 1917-1921 2.2.6. Latvia: under the Leadership of Archbishop Jānis – 1921-1925 2.2.7. Latvia: an Archbishop in Parliament – 1926-1934 2.2.8. The 1920s Compared 2.3. From Crisis to Crisis: the Structures of the Orthodox Churchin the 1930s 2.3.1. Crisis in Estonia: the Setu in Petserimaa and the ‘Monastery War’ 2.3.2. Crisis in Latvia: an Assassination and its Consequences 2.3.3. The Orthodox Church and the Authoritarian Regimes 2.3.4. The 1930s Compared 3. Orthodox Baltic Identity: Language and Tradition 3.1. The Internal Dimension 3.1.1. The Language of the Liturgy 3.1.2. Song and Music 3.1.3. The Calendar Issue 3.2. The External Dimension 3.2.1. Orthodoxy and the Discourse of Ecumenicalism 3.2.2. The Orthodox Church and Lutheranism 3.2.3. Baltic Orthodoxy and Secular Society 4. Orthodox Baltic Historiography 4.1. The Hegemonic Historiographic Narratives of the BalticRegion 4.1.1. The Historiographies of the Baltic Provinces 4.1.2. The Baltic Historiographies and the Orthodox Church 4.1.3. Interwar Professional Historiography on the Orthodox Church 4.2. The Orthodox Church in Popular Historiography 4.2.1. Popular Historiography on the Orthodox Church 4.2.2. Popular Historiography by the Orthodox Church 5. Concluding Remarks 6. Appendixes 6.1. Maps 6.1.1. Map of the Baltic Provinces in 1888. 6.1.2. Map of Estonia and Latvia, 1920-1940. 6.2. Timeline 6.3. Archbishop Jānis’ Speech at the Ecclesiastic Saeima,30.10.1923 6.4. Brief Biographies of the Main Actors1 7. Bibliography 7.1. Archival Sources 7.2. Periodicals 7.3. Unpublished Sources 7.4. Published Sources Index of Places Index of Names Uses primarily periodicals and other published sources from the period between 1917 and 1940 to shed light on the internal discussions in the respective Orthodox Churches on issues of authority, and history. This book includes reforming liturgical elements and emphasising the positive role of Orthodox Christianity in Estonian and Latvian history.