The Church of Greece under Axis Occupation by Panteleymon Anastasakis (review)

The Nazi occupation of several European countries has remained a topic of interest to scholars, including the role played by the various Christian churches during this period. In his monograph, Panteleymon Anastasakis examines thoroughly the Orthodox Church in Greece, a country occupied by Germany, Italy, and Bulgaria from 1941 to 1944. This critical period in modern Greek history left a strong mark on subsequent generations, particularly because of the ensuing bloody civil war (1946–49) between communist partisans and pro-Western government forces.

Anastasakis has placed particular emphasis on the connection among church, state, and nation (chapter 1). Under Axis occupation, this became most evident in the person of Archbishop Damaskinos (Papandreou), who even undertook political functions as regent to fill the political vacuum, guarantee stability, and smooth transition (chapter 2). In addition, Anastasakis explores the growing societal role of the church and its internal problems preceding the Axis occupation (chapter 3); its tenuous and difficult relationship with the Axis (especially German) authorities (chapter 4); its multiple activities to assist the afflicted population (chapters 5 and 6); its policies in the Bulgarian-occupied area of Eastern Macedonia and Thrace; its relationship with Greek Jews and the Holocaust (chapter 7); and the involvement of the clergy in the armed resistance, spearheaded by the communist-led National Liberation Front (chapter 8). In the epilogue, the author briefly shows the role of the church after the liberation from Axis occupation and the escalation of the whole situation into civil war. Was the church the only institution capable of holding the Greek people and society together during World War II? The author seems to argue in this direction, although without any hagiographical intention. This is perhaps a very strong argument that does not exactly reflect the polarized Greek situation at the time, especially with regard to the communists, who believed the church was an ally of the corrupt old establishment. This is not, however, to deny that the church as a whole was quite active, visible, and utterly important as a provider of manifold help during the Axis occupation for the nation, including problems that normally lie outside the ecclesiastical realm.

This book has many merits. First, the hitherto unpublished material that Anastasakis located in various Greek, British, and American archives is invaluable. Discussing critically older and recent historiography, he shows the multiple connections among the Orthodox and political, social, and other actors. He thus offers a balanced account of the multidimensional role of the Greek Orthodox clergy between active and passive resistance and brings to light the complex plurality of voices and actions by the various Orthodox actors toward all involved parties, the Axis forces, the Greek government imposed by them, and the resistance movements, including the National Liberation Front. Another interesting point is his comparison between the Greek Orthodox Church and other Christian churches and contexts (e.g., Catholic ones) in Axis-occupied Europe, finding both similarities and differences.

Because this is a comprehensive historical work, the author does not reflect more deeply and systematically (e.g., using sociological and other theories) on phenomena such as the particular closeness between church and state and the church’s politicization; or on the intrinsic connection among church, nation, and nationalism, despite the Orthodox ecumenical past and tradition. Bibliographically, the book is well informed, yet various additional items could have been also taken into account; for example, the book by Theodosis Ath. Tsironis on the political role of the church between 1913 and 1941 (Thessaloniki, 2010). Finally, since the book deals with the Axis occupation of Greece, it also would have been useful to consult related bibliography in the German language or even to use material from original German archives.

Despite these critical remarks, this book is a major contribution not only to the church history of modern Greece but also to Greek social, political, and cultural developments in the first...