The Body of Christ between nation and society

This article by Father Basil Thermos, a Greek Orthodox theologian, examines the relationship between the Orthodox Church, the nation, and civil society in the contemporary Greek context. Through a critical and well-documented study, the author analyzes the excesses of ecclesiastical nationalism, notably the encroachment of liturgical space by Byzantine imperial symbols such as the double-headed eagle, to the detriment of properly ecclesial symbols. His central thesis is that the Orthodox Church must undergo a paradigm shift: abandoning the nation as a pastoral frame of reference in order to engage with the society of citizens, a framework more compatible with Orthodox ecclesiology. The theological contribution of the article lies in its demonstration that national distinctions belong to the fallen human condition, and that ecclesial identity must take precedence over national identity, thereby opening the way for a renewed Orthodox presence in the multicultural society of the twenty-first century.