http://hdl.handle.net/11089/57956 2026-04-08T21:37:17Z 2026-04-08T21:37:17Z Yovchev, Ivan http://hdl.handle.net/11089/57976 2026-04-08T01:53:10Z 2025-12-30T00:00:00Z

The Autocephalous Structure of the Orthodox Church in a Historical – Canonical Perspective Yovchev, Ivan It is well known that the foundations of Church organization were established by the Holy Apostles themselves, who were the first to spread the teachings of Christ. They fulfilled this mission in accordance with the command of the Lord Jesus Christ (Matt. 28:18–19), as they traveled to various regions to establish Christian communities. Initially, each Christian community, led by its bishop, constituted a distinct ecclesiastical unit, which may be regarded as the prototype of the modern local autocephalous Churches. The existence of multiple, distinct, and independent local Churches does not hinder conciliarity within the Church. On the contrary, the major issues concerning the life of the entire Church were historically resolved through conciliar processes. With the recognition of Christianity as a legally equal religion under Emperor Constantine the Great, the organization of Church dioceses began to mirror the administrative divisions of the Roman Empire. By the 4th century, this alignment was fully realized. In the centuries that followed, the structuring of local Churches developed gradually, shaped by historical circumstances. 

2025-12-30T00:00:00Z Nikolaou, Anastasia http://hdl.handle.net/11089/57977 2026-04-08T01:53:29Z 2025-12-30T00:00:00Z

Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Canons of the Matins in Honour of Saints Constantine and Helena Nikolaou, Anastasia This article presents (a) a critical edition of two still unedited Byzantine canons of the Matins and (b) a re-edition of two Byzantine and post-Byzantine canons, all dedicated to Saints Constantine and Helena. Additionally, this article constitutes a continuation and a supplement of a previous publication of ours entitled The Hymnography in Honour of Saints Constantine and Helena and its Connection with Imperial Ideology, published in “Studia Ceranea” 13, 2023.

2025-12-30T00:00:00Z Totomanova, Anna-Maria http://hdl.handle.net/11089/57975 2026-04-08T01:53:18Z 2025-12-30T00:00:00Z

Once Again About the Short Slavic Redactions of Zonaras’ Chronicle Totomanova, Anna-Maria Recent research into the history of the transmission of Zonaras’ Chronicle in the Slavic Orthodox World has shown that three short redactions of it were compiled from the so-called full Slavic redaction, an abridged version of the Greek original. Only one of those redactions, known as Paralipomenon, has been published and studied. Dating back to the beginning of the 16th century, it survives in a Russian copy (Moscow, Russian State Library, depository 113, MS Volokolamskij 655, ff. 1–122v). The second short redaction has been preserved in two Serbian manuscripts (Belgrade, Museum of the Serbian Orthodox Church, MS 42, ff. 125r–221v, the second fourth of 15th century around 1430/1440) and Cavtat, Collection of Baltazar Bogišič, MS 52, 1st section ff. 1–83v, the third fourth of the 16th century. The third short redaction is preserved in a draft copy, kept in the library in Zograph monastery under № 105 and dated 1433. This redaction is in its structure and segmentation based on the text of the second short redaction. However, it contains a large number of interpolations taken mostly from the prophetologion. The article reveals links between these two redactions and attempts to prove that Constantine of Kostenets was involved in the compilation of both of them. The relevant evidence is provided by editorial remarks that follow the text of the Chronicle. The remarks were copied into both the Belgrade 42 and Cavtat 52 manuscripts by mistake. The excerpted and analyzed linguistic material undoubtedly confirms Constantine’s intervention in both redactions.

2025-12-30T00:00:00Z Terezakis, George http://hdl.handle.net/11089/57974 2026-04-08T01:53:31Z 2025-12-30T00:00:00Z

Assessing the Demographic and Economic Parameters that Determined the Residential History of Medieval Central Greece: the Case of Western Sterea Hellas Terezakis, George The principal objective of this study is to investigate the demographic and economic parameters that shaped the settlement dynamics of medieval Central Greece (Sterea Hellas) over a broad chronological span extending from the 12th to the 16th century. Given the fragmentary and often insufficient nature of surviving Byzantine-era sources, the most effective means of avoiding vague generalizations is to adopt a long-term analytical perspective, using the comparatively rich Ottoman data from the mid-15th to the 16th century as a basis for retrospective interpretation. Throughout this period, the spatial organization of the region – particularly the contrast between the mountainous and semi-mountainous zones of Aetoloakarnania and Evrytania and the lowland plains of Fthiotida – profoundly influenced patterns of agricultural production and pastoral activity. Documentation from the late Byzantine period regarding settlement structures remains limited, with narrative sources, primarily historiographical in nature, offering only sporadic and anecdotal references. By contrast, the Ottoman fiscal censuses (tahrir defters) provide a far more systematic dataset, recording local tax revenues and offering detailed information on the composition of the taxable population, thus enabling a more grounded reconstruction of settlement and economic patterns in the region.The available evidence points to a relatively smooth transition following the establishment of Ottoman rule in the region. In this context, the consolidation of political authority contributed to the stabilization and even revitalization of the local urban network and the broader settlement landscape, suggesting that the process of Ottoman integration fostered a degree of continuity and structural reinforcement rather than abrupt disruption.

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