Christianity in Lycia: From its beginnings to the “Triumph of Orthodoxy”

Abstract

In his seminal article on the churches of Lycia, R. M. Harrison opined that the relative lack of information about Christianity in that region during the Imperial period was “probably accidental”, basing his observation on the belief that the coastal cities of the region, ‘in close commercial contact’ with the Levant and Egypt, were likely to be as “receptive to the new religion as were other, better documented parts of Asia Minor”1. The reality is, though, that a broad range of evidence does exist to suggest that some of Lycia’s inhabitants were receptive to the “new religion” from as early as the Apostle Paul’s first missionary journey to Anatolia in c. 46/48. The principal purpose of this article, then, is to identify and elaborate on these items regarding early Christianity in Lycia as a means of correcting this rather one-sided opinion. In addition, however, the opportunity is taken to explore here a greatly neglected topic: namely the reaction of the Lycian Church to the various Christological debates that repeatedly divided the early Church from the sole reign of Constantine I and the First Ecumenical Council in 325, to the regency of Theodora and the Synod of Constantinople in 842 and its celebration of the “Triumph of Orthodoxy”, marking the final defeat of iconoclasm and so also the genesis of the modern Eastern Orthodox Church. This excursus, though, will naturally necessitate some basic analysis of the underlying issues to elucidate their substance and so better understand the controversies they generated and how these impacted on the wider Church. The picture that emerges with specific regard to Lycia is a mixed but interesting one, for it suggests that up to at least the 7th century, members of the Lycian Church were often attracted to and embraced dogmas and doctrines that were denounced as heretical by the mainstream Church.

Lykia’da Hıristiyanlık: Başlangıcından ‘Ortodoksluğun Zaferi’ne Kadar

Abstract

Lykia’da Hıristiyanlığın kökeni ciddi bir şekilde incelenmemiştir. Bunun başlıca sebebi Aziz Paulos’un M.S. 46/47-57 yılları arasında Anadolu’daki misyoner etkinliğinin Lykia’ya ulaşmadığı, ve böylece Lykia halkının 325 yılında İznik’te toplanan Konsil’de Hıristiyanlığa imparatorluk desteği verilmesi öncesi yeni dine geçişinin yavaş olduğu şeklindeki genel kanıdır. Benzer şekilde 843 yılındaki Constantinopolis Synodu’na kadar bu eyalette dinin gelişimine çok az dikkat edilmiştir. Aslında bu, modern Doğu Ortodoks Kilisesi’nin doğumuna giden kilit aşamalardan biridir, çünkü aynı yıl 11 Mart Pazar günü İkonoklazmanın kesinlikle lanetlenmesini, yani bugün ‘Ortodoksluğun Zaferi’ olarak kutlanan olayı anma amacıyla özel bir ayin içerir. Ne var ki, bu makalede gösterileceği gibi, M.S. 1. yy.’ın ortasından 9. yy.’ın ortasına kadar geçen 800 yıllık sürede Hıristiyanlığın kökeni ve yayılımını izlememizi ve bu döneme damgasını vuran çeşitli doktrinlere karşı Lykia Kilisesi’nin tepkisi değerlendirmemizi sağlayacak yeterli veriye sahibiz.

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