Georgios A. Chatziantoniou

Georgios A. Chatziantoniou ( Greek Γεώργιος Α. Χατζηαντωνίου ; * 1904 in Smyrni , Ottoman Empire ; † December 3, 1995 ) was a writer, theologian , historian , lawyer and pastor of the Greek Evangelical Church .

Life

Chatziantoniou was born in Smyrni in Asia Minor in 1904, where he grew up in a strict Orthodox Christian environment. While he was still attending grammar school, he became a member of the local evangelical community. After the Asia Minor catastrophe , he and his family settled in Athens. He graduated from the Athens University School of Law . He graduated in 1926 and practiced as a lawyer for nine years. In 1935 he married Eleny Panousi (Ελένη Πανούση) with whom he had a son. After he felt an increasingly strong calling to the "work of God" (έργο του Θεού), he took up a theology degree at the University of Cambridge , which he completed in 1940. Due to the Second World War he was unable to return to Greece and therefore initially stayed in England, where he worked as a pastor in a Protestant church in Chesterfield . He used the time and wrote a doctoral thesis in church history on Kyrillos Loukaris , his life and work (Κύριλλος Λούκαρις, ο Βίος και το Έργο του) which he successfully published in Greek and English. He received his PhD in Edinburgh .

After the end of the war, Chatziantoniou went to Greece, where he took over the pastoral position in the Second Greek Evangelical Church (Β 'Ελληνική Ευαγγελική Εκκλησία) in Athens and held it until 1961. Then he went to Canada . There he became a pastor in a Calgary evangelical church .

He also taught history of Western civilization at the University of Calgary and church history and patristic , Greek language and New Testament at the Catholic Newman Theological College in Edmonton .

He died on December 3, 1995.

Work on the battle of images (Εικονομαχία)

Chatziantoniou was a big proponent of the Byzantine ban on images . In his book Ikonomachi sto Vyzantio (Εικονομάχοι Στο Βυζάντιο) he writes:

It is evident, however, that the religious life of the Christian milieu in the period that preceded the iconoclasm was deeply undermined by the habits of the ancient, iconic world. It is no secret that those people who are not fortunate enough to receive an enlightened education from religious leaders will succumb to superstitions to the extent set out above and to all kinds of exploitative teachings. Also for the use of images that were completely alien to the teachings of Jesus Christ and his apostles.
Εκείνο πάντως που είναι φανερό, είναι ότι η θρησκευτική ζωή του μέσου χριστιανού στην περίοδο , που προηγήθηκε του εικονομαχικού αγώνα, είχε διαβρωθεί βαθιά από τις συνήθειες του παλιού ειδωλολατρικού κόσμου . Δεν είναι εκληπκτικό ότι άνθρωποι, που δεν ευτύχησαν να έχουν μια πιο φωτισμένη διαπαιδαγώγηση από τους θρησκευτικούς ηγέτες τους , έγιναν θύματα δεισιδαιμονιών στο βαθμό, που σκιαγραφήθηκε παραπάνω, και ήταν ώριμοι σε κάθε λογής εκμετάλευση. Ακόμα και για μια χρήση των εικονών, που ήταν ολότελα ξένη προς τα διδάγματα του Ιησού Χριστού και των αποστόλων
Chatziantoniou: Ikonomachi, p 41

He presented his views on this in detail in the book and showed that numerous church fathers were skeptical or hostile towards the worship of images, including Athanasius the Great , Gregory of Nyssa , Gregory of Nazianzen , Basil the Great , John Chrysostom and others. Therefore, in his presentation, he also challenged the synod of 843 , in which the iconoclast was finally settled.

Works

Chatziantoniou was a prolific writer. He has published dozens of books, many of which have been translated into English, French and Afrikaans . In addition, he was the editor of Pedika fylla (children's pages - Παιδικά Φύλλα) for 13 years .

Fonts

• Historical introduction to the Old Testament. (Ιστορική Εισαγωγή στην Παλαιά Διαθήκη).
• Historical introduction to the New Testament. (Ιστορική Εισαγωγή στην Καινή Διαθήκη).
• The Church of Christ: The First Six Hundred Years. (Η Εκκλησία του Χριστού: Τα Πρώτα Εξακόσια Χρόνια).
• The religious reformation of the 16th century. (Η Θρησκευτική Μεταρρύθμιση του Δέκατου Έκτου Αιώνα).
• Image warriors in Byzantium. (Εικονομάχοι στο Βυζάντιο).
• When the almonds bloom. (Όταν Ανθίζει η Αμυγδαλιά).
• The opened gospel. (Το Ευαγγέλιο Ανοιχτό).
• Count the countless. (Μετρώντας τα Αμέτρητα).
• The twelve. (Οι Δώδεκα).
• The seven churches of Revelation. (Οι Επτά Εκκλησίες της Αποκαλύψεως).
• Beyond the grave (Πέραν του Τάφου).
• Kyrillos Loukaris. (Κύριλλος Λούκαρις).
• Once we come in fame. (Και πάλιν ερχόμενον μετά δόξης).
• Prayers with no answer. (Προσευχές χωρίς απάντηση).
• The postman from Patmos. (The Postman of Patmos).
• A basic grammar of New Testament Greek. (A Basic Grammar of New Testament Greek).

Web links

• Biography with picture at Vivlionet.gr