From defensive to introspection and deep Christianization: the Orthodox world and the
Reformation The chronological interval during which the Western Christian world has felt the impact of
institutionalizing the Protestant dissents is also the time for substantial transformations at
the level of ecclesiastical institutions and the collective piety of the communities within the
Orthodox church. The historical writing has favored approaches dominated by the political
paradigm and by the attempts to restore the unity of the Christian church initiated by the Holy
See or underlined the innovations generated by the contacts with the Protestant theses. The deep
knowledge of the past requires a documented analysis of the readiness of the Orthodox clergy and
faithful towards theological speculation and institutional innovations, inspired mainly by their
own ethical and spiritual demands and less by defensive reasons. FLORIAN DUMITRU SOPORAN |
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