ABSTRACT
Archbishop Stylianos of Australia (b. 1935) is a prominent theological figure within the Greek Orthodox Diaspora. His literary work in Australia spans four decades and covers a wide range of genres, from poetry through systematic presentations of dogmatics to a variety of articles in the media. Coming from the island of Crete, a place with a rich oral and literary poetic tradition, Archbishop Stylianos seems to have been predisposed to the lure of words and rhythm. This predisposition of his was fostered by and through the liturgical poetics of the Greek Orthodox Church, since from a very young age he went to study at the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s school at Chalki. In the early 1960s he started publishing his first poems and ever since his poetry has been acclaimed within Greek literary circles. At the same time – perhaps thanks to poetry – he has always been an open-minded thinker, one who is not afraid of encountering, interacting with and learning from various worldviews and life-perspectives. In this respect, although adherence to the Orthodox tradition has always been his most cherished consideration, he has not failed to interact with the new and challenging Australian milieu – especially its indigeneity. 1 This fact has rendered his thinking and writing quite innovative at certain points, inasmuch as he has aspired to be creatively receptive of indigenous Australian religious concerns and bring them into a dialogic 2 relationship with the Greek Orthodox patristic, ascetic and liturgical legacy.
