Defending Orthodoxy: Polemical Literature Against Missionaries in Karamanlidika

Year 2024, Issue: 4, 88 - 107, 30.06.2024

Stefo Benlisoy

Abstract

Beginning in the 1830s, as Protestant missionaries began to settle in Anatolia, the Orthodox Church hierarchy became increasingly concerned about the Turkish-speaking Orthodox population of Anatolia. These concerns were based on the fact that these communities were ignorant of the liturgical language of the Church and thus vulnerable to the influence of the missionaries. This study examines the impact of these concerns on the publication of Karamanlidika, i.e., Turkish with Greek script. Literature on the Karamanlidika has mainly focused on non-religious themes, especially novels published since the second half of the 19th century. In the present article, the topic of religious works in Karamanlidika will be addressed, as these works, together with those produced by Protestant missionaries, constitute an important axis of Karamanlidika printed book production, but have not been given due attention in literature to the same extent. Religious book publishing for the Anatolian Turkish-speaking Rum Orthodox had existed since the beginning of the 18th century, but a new phase began with the entry of Protestant missionaries as important producers of printed literature in Karamanlidika. In response, the Turkishspeaking Orthodox in Anatolia started to publish religious literature in Karamanlidika to increase their religious knowledge and counter the missionaries’ influence. A large portfolio of publications emerged, including polemical/critical books in Karamanlidika that directly targeted the missionaries. The article will trace the religious anti-missionary texts in Karamanlidika. By providing examples of the most important books in this literature, it will evaluate issues such as their content, the reasons for their writing, the identities of the translators/authors, their perceptions of the potential readership’s qualities, and the nature of this readership’s interest in religious texts.

Keywords

Turkish speaking Anatolian Rum Orthodox, Karamanlidika, Karamanlidika book production, Karamanlidika periodical press, Protestant missionaries, Evangelinos Misailidis

"Ortodoksluğun Muhafazası": Misyoner Karşıtı Karamanlıca Literatür

Abstract

Protestan misyonerlerin Anadolu’ya yerleşmeye başladığı 1830’lardan itibaren Rum Ortodoks kilise hiyerarşisinin, Anadolu’nun Türkçe konuşan Ortodokslarına ilişkin endişeleri artmıştı. Bu endişelerin temelinde, bu toplulukların kilisenin ayin dilinden bihaber olmaları nedeniyle misyonerlerin etkisine açık olmaları yatmaktaydı. Bu çalışma, bu kaygıları Karamanlıca yani Yunan harfli Türkçe neşriyat üzerinden takip ederek Karamanlıca yayıncılığa yansımalarını inceleyecektir. Karamanlıca literatür, ağırlıklı olarak 19. yüzyılın ikinci yarısından itibaren üretilen, romanlar başta olmak üzere din dışı temalara ağırlık vermiştir. Mevcut yazıda ise Protestan misyonerlerin ürettikleriyle birlikte düşünüldüğünde Karamanlıca basılı kitap üretiminin önemli bir ekseni olmaya devam eden ama literatürde aynı ölçüde yer bulamamış Karamanlıca dini içerikli eserler meselesi gündeme getirilecektir. Anadolulu Türkçe konuşan Rum Ortodokslarına yönelik dini kitap yayıncılığı 18. yüzyılın başından beri vardı ancak Protestan misyonerlerin Karamanlıca, basılı literatürün önemli bir üreticisi olarak devreye girmesiyle birlikte yeni bir evre başlamış oldu. Anadolulu Türkçe konuşan Ortodokslar tarafından dini meselelerde bilgi düzeyini arttırmak ve misyonerlere yanıt vermek amacıyla Karamanlıca dini içerikli kitap üretimi yeni bir ivme kazandı. İçlerinde misyonerleri doğrudan hedef alan polemik/yergi niteliğine sahip Karamanlıca kitapların da bulunduğu geniş bir yayın portföyü oluştu. Bu makale söz konusu literatürden yararlanarak bilhassa Karamanlıca misyoner karşıtı dini içerikli metinlerin izini sürecektir. Bu literatüre dahil edilebilecek başlıca kitaplardan örnekler vererek bunların içerikleri, yazılış sebepleri, çevirmen/yazar kimlikleri, ulaşmak istediği potansiyel okur kitlesinin niteliklerinin nasıl algılandığı, diğer taraftan bu potansiyel okur kitlesinin dini metinlere ilgisinin niteliği gibi meseleleri değerlendirmeye çalışacaktır.

Keywords

Türkçe konuşan Anadolulu Rum Ortodokslar, Karamanlıca, Karamanlıca kitap üretimi, Karamanlıca basın, Protestan misyonerler, Evangelinos Misailidis

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