Introduction
Introduction Eastern Orthodoxy was the shape taken by Christianity in Eastern Europe,
Russia, and the Middle East, existing in unbroken continuity from the days of the early church fathers. The Roman papacy had never exercised its supremacy over Eastern Christians, who cherished their own identity, traditions, and independence.
In the period covered by this volume, Orthodoxy was, in some ways, the unwilling and unwitting victim of the Protestant Reformation and the Catholic Counter-Reformation. Both made deep inroads into Orthodox territory and theology. Amid the struggles for ascendancy between Protestantized and Romanized Orthodox people, it can be hard at times to discern where, if anywhere, the authentic face and voice of Orthodoxy can be seen and heard. Perhaps the following narrative will provide at least the framework for readers to ask and answer that key question.
We begin our account with the man who was undoubtedly the most famous and most tragic figure of the entire period, whose life so poignantly sums up the inner conflicts of 17th century Orthodoxy.