THE HERMENEUTICS OF THE CANONS
AND THE PLACE OF THE ‘RUDDER” IN CHURCH LIFE TODAY

On Tuesday, May 17, 2022, the online round table entitled “The Hermeneutics of the Canons and the place of the Rudder in church life today” took place. Speakers included Metropolitan of Peristeri Grigorios (Papathomas), Professor of the Faculty of Theology, University of Athens and the Institute of St. Sergius in Paris, Theodoros Giagkou, Professor of Canon Law and former Dean of the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki with a commentary by Dr. Denia (Spyridoula) Athanasopoulou-Kypriou, PhD in Theology, teacher of religious education and psychotherapist. The discussion was moderated by the Director of the Volos Academy for Theological Studies, Dr. Pantelis Kalaitzidis. At the beginning, greetings were addressed by the Metropolitan of Demetrias, Ignatius (Georgakopoulos) and the Metropolitan of Constantia & Famagusta, Vassilios (Karagiannis). It was the eighth event of the second series “Time for Action”, organized by Volos Academy in the first half of 2022.

The discussion revolved around two axes. The first concerned the work of St. Nicodemus the Hagiorite, in the early 19th century, and his attempt to clean up the body of the holy canons from material that had infiltrated in but was not based on decisions of ecumenical councils or other authoritative sources. In addition, there was discussion on the reaction to the updating of the language of the canons and its replacement with the one in everyday use then. Particular reference was made to the recent publication of Prof. Theodoros Giagkou and the late professor Antonios-Emilios Tachiaos, of the Correspondence of St Nikodemus the Hagiorite and Dorotheos Voulismas: the Rudder and its adventures , which shed new light on the historical context of the Rudder based on the relevant correspondence. The second axis of the discussion concerned the applicability of the canons of the Rudder in the current context and the correct way of its interpretation, as it becomes obvious that a literal interpretation of the canons is far from the current ethical and conceptual norms and perceptions.

The video of the round table is available on the Volos Academy YouTube channel (in Greek).

The next event of the circle "Time for action" with the theme "What is Christian politics? Insights from the Work of Fr. Sergius Bulgakov ", will take place on Wednesday, June 1, 2022, with the distinguished theologian Rowan Williams, Emeritus Professor of the University of Cambridge and former Archbishop of the Canterbury as a speaker.