ABSTRACT
Greece is an interesting puzzle. The Greek nation, like the Irish and Polish nations, is undeniably linked with religion (Boatswain and Nicolson 1995; Brewer 2001; Carey and Carey 1968; Clogg 2002; Curtis 1995; Sarafis and Eve 1990; Toynbee 1981; Vacalopoulos 1976; Woodhouse 1991). But Greece also provides an opportunity to examine the issue of religious nationalism from new angles. Specifically, whereas Ireland and Poland were each Catholic countries, Greece is strongly Orthodox in its faith – a fact that has implications in terms of attendance figures. In addition, the Greek state has taken on an almost theocratic structure, certainly more so than either Ireland or Poland. Language and descent are also important factors in Greek nationalism, whereas Ireland and Poland feature a purer focus on Catholicism. Therefore, the historic trajectory of Greece is of particular interest. Greece is, however, very similar to the previous cases in other ways. Like
Ireland and Poland, Greece has existed at a religious frontier for much of its history. Since the expansion of Islam in the twelfth century, the Greeks have faced a near constant threat from the Muslim world. This frontier became very real in the 1400s, when Constantinople fell to Islamic forces. Even before this, historic animosities between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity had led to a religious identity in the Balkans. To this day, the Turkish-Greek border represents the presence of a religious frontier that plays a key role in Greek policy, both domestic and foreign. The Greek case is also similar in that the religious identity is a result of a political conflict. The Greek War of Independence arose from the ideals of the French Revolution, but wrapped itself in the garb of the Orthodox Church simply
because of the differentiating power of religious identity. As a result, the Greek relationship between nation and religion is strong. As Adamantia Pollis claims:
… the Enlightenment and its tenets of modernity, reason and secularism, largely bypassed modern Greece. The national identity that was constructed became coterminous with ethnic identity, in which religion, specifically Eastern Orthodoxy, became an essential ingredient.
