ABSTRACT
The relationship to Tradition is one of the most representative illustrations for the Orthodox longitudinal gift circulation. A multi-faceted and at times vague concept, Tradition plays a highly authoritative and normative role in the Orthodox system of the gift, providing an organic binder of present, past and future anchored in the vertical dimension of the gift. In this chapter, I will analyze those elements of Tradition that the Orthodox actors perceive as endangered by secularization, as well as the various (often divergent) attempts to preserve Tradition, under the two modalities of expression, namely filiation and translation. First, the chapter discusses the relationship of Tradition (and traditions) with modernity as a historical process and cultural phenomenon, but most importantly with modernity and secularization, as these notions emerge in the actors’ discourse; second, the chapter presents the heterogeneous Orthodox positions and stances with regard to how to perpetuate the gift on the longitudinal axis (emerging filiations, literal vs. intelligible translations of Tradition in new contexts, and transmission to younger generations) in the context of migration.
