So what is Hellenismos? With all the incessant fuss raging on sporadically in the Anglophone community about who is a Hellene and who is not, as well as the denial of the modern Greek heritage as being that of Ancient Greece, I decided to focus my thoughts on the subject and question my identity as both a Hellene and a member of the collective known as Hellenismos. And periphery reflection would appear to indicate that that there are those out there who are hell-bent on denying the modern Hellenes their heritage and ancestry. Statements such as: "the contemporary Greeks have nothing to do with the Ancient Hellenes" and, "Hellenismos is a religion" have led me to reflect deeply upon the definition of words with which I have identified since I was a very small child and words that I was taught and led to believe by others to believe meant certain things. And what I was taught words mean and how others used them was confirmed by any dictionary that I laid my hands on. However, now I constantly find remarks and definitions concerning these words that appear to deny both dictionaries and the common usage of words as I was taught.

Naturally, in my haste to clarify my understanding, I first re-consulted the scholars and the dictionaries that they so lovingly and painstakingly wrought. I found the following definition for the word Hellene:

Hellene: 1. the citizen of the Hellenic state 2. the person who belongs to the Hellenic nation irrespective of whether he or she is a citizen of Hellas or not.

I also looked up the word Hellenismos and found the following:

 Hellenismos: 1. the sum of Hellenes who live in the whole world, the nation of the Hellenes (the word nation here is used in the same sense as one would say "the nation of the Sioux" or "the aboriginal nation" as a group of people and not as nationals of a particular country), 2. The sum of Hellenes who live in geographical areas outside of Hellas such as Hellenes abroad, Hellenes of Asia Minor, Hellenes of the Diaspora or Cypriot Hellenes 3. The Hellenic culture and the totality of Hellenes as the bearers of that culture. Further more the word Hellenismos was used in a more specialized manner by the East Roman (Byzantium) Emperor Julian the Apostate to refer to those within his empire who retained the Ancient Hellenic culture and religion to distinguish them from the converts to the new religion of Christianity with its distinct Abrahamic cultural expression (these people referred to themselves as Ethnikoi).

I then referred to the dictionary for the ancient usage of the word and found that the word Hellenismos was used to refer to the Hellenic and correct usage, expression and practice of the LOGOS.

The English Dictionary I consulted concurred with the Greek dictionary on the meaning of the word Hellene but unfortunately I could find no reference to the word Hellenismos in any English dictionary. I therefore had to accept that the word Hellenismos could only be interpreted with its Greek meaning as it is not an accepted English word. The closest word I could find to Hellenismos in the dictionary was Hellenism and I found the following definition:

Hellenism: 1. Ancient Greek character, ideals or civilisation; 2. A Greek idiom or phrase; 3. Assimilation of Greek speech, manners and culture, as by the Romans or the Jews of the Diaspora.  

The fact is that the definition of the word Hellenism includes the assimilation of the Hellenic language, traditions and customs through the process of Hellenisation and the creation of Hellenists, and even though I had to conclude that although the English word Hellenism had some parallels with the word Hellenismos, it was certainly referring to a different total concept to that of the Greek meaning of Hellenismos and thus the two words could not be seen as interchangeable.  Hellenism and Hellenismos are obviously different words from different languages that refer to a related concept from varied perspectives.

The word 'hellenism' refers to the period in history known as the Hellenistic era and is from the death of Alexander the Great circa 323 BCE to the Roman occupation circa 31 BCE. It specifically refers to the process which the various peoples of Alexander's Empire underwent due to the policies of their Greek governors.

For some reason, I was still dissatisfied by what my superficial enquiry had revealed and I decided to enquire further into the academically accepted history of the words to offer me a deeper understanding on how the words had been used through the ages. Here is what I found;

A Brief History of the usage of the words Hellene and Hellenismos:

The earliest references to the words in question, we have is from Homers Illiad (B683) which states that in ancient Hellas the term Hellene was used to refer to the dwellers of an area in Central Hellas known as Phthia in Thessaly. These people considered themselves to be the descendants of the mythological hero Hellen who was the son of Deukaleon.  So Homer defines Hellenes to be the people of Phthia and the descendants of Hellen. Homer (Illiad B530) also names the 'tribes/clans' which comprise the Hellenes as the Achaians, the Panachaians, the Danaans, the Argives and the Panellenes.

By the 7th century BCE (era lucis) the name Panellenes (Pan-Hellenes) was more commonly used as may be attested by Hesiod (Work and Days 528) and Archilochos (52).  Now if we consider that Panellenes is directly translated to pan = all and ellenes = hellenes (thus referring to the collective of Hellenes) it is perhaps understandable why it is said that it is from Panellenes that our common conception of the word Hellenes derives.

The generalisation of the term Hellene occurred from the 6th century BCE (era lucis) onwards and as a result of the common traditions which bound and characterized all the dwellers of Hellas and the Greater Hellas.  These shared traditions were apparent in the common places of worship such as Delphi, Dodona and Olympia and the various Pan-Hellenic contests such as the Olympic 'games'  which epitomized the expression of these collective cultural (including religious) traditions. Another important factor was the common language which was shared by all Hellenes and existed as an 'identifier' of the Hellenes, many of whom became the settlers of the numerous settlements established outside of Hellas. It is generally through the characteristically ethnic, cultural, religious, ethical and educational commonalities that the Hellenes were distinguished as a distinct ethnic collective from other nations who were frequently referred to as VARVAROI.

Up until the arrival of christianity, the word Hellene was a simple ethnic name. With the arrival of christianity the collective name of Hellenes acquired the additional meaning of 'idolaters' and 'those who worship many gods' that stood in contrast to 'monotheistic' Christians and Jews. Thus, for the first time, the word received a religious dimension and a comparative religious one at that! However, initially this change in meaning was not simply a religious distinction but more of a cultural one as the lines were drawn not only by theological differences but also by the disparity between the cultural lifestyles of Hellenes, Christians and Jews. Later, as will often happen with the common usage of words, the meaning of the word Hellene was simplified to indicate a "non-christian".

During the 1st century CE (era vulgaris) and during the Alexandrine era, the term Hellenistai was used to refer to those who spoke the Hellenic language and referred more specifically to those who spoke the common simplified Alexandrian dialect known as Koine that stood in contrast to the Attic dialect which was spoken and written by the intellectuals of the times.

Throughout christianity's early striving for dominion it was considered that everything Hellenic was non-christian and as such should be renounced and persecuted. It was soon became evident that persecution alone would not be enough to convert the Hellenes to christianity in its early form and so it came to pass that the so-called 'Three Hierarchs' (bishops) cunningly combined elements of Hellenic religion and culture to christian ideology thus establishing the basis of the helleno-christian and helleno-orthodox education through which the Hellenes could and would be converted to the new religion.

This was however not enough to quell the fears of the Byzantine clergy and for a long time they remained suspicious of Hellenic education (bearing in mind that education was not secular at the time) and assumed a hostile stance towards it.

As a result of the christianization of Hellenic education another phenomenon became apparent; the Roman rulers of Byzantium, known as the Eastern Roman Empire during its existence, adopted a more Hellenic identity. In 620 CE (era vulgaris) the Emperor Heraclius established the Hellenic language to be the official language of the court in place of Latin. By the 11th century CE (era vulgaris) and as a result of the christianization of education, Komninos, the Emperor of Byzantium totally identified as a Hellene in accordance with that which had already been established in 620 CE. Komninos' action simultaneously established Christian Orthodoxy as Hellenic. At the same time, the name of the Eastern Roman Empire fell into disuse in favour of the name Byzantine Empire.

After the fall of the Byzantine Empire to the Ottomans the term 'romioi' (derived from 'romans') was used to refer to the diverse peoples of Byzantium including the Hellenes. It is obvious from this that the new Turkish 'masters' considered the Byzantines to still be Romans. The term 'romioi' also became synonymous with Greek orthodoxy. After the successful Revolution against the Ottoman Empire in 1821, the newly independent state once again adopted the name of Hellas for its land and Hellenes for its citizens.

But my research was incomplete because, as any good anthropologist will tell you, detached scholarly accounts only offer one perspective of any culture and for a truly human experience of native/social identity and its processes it is necessary to turn to the people themselves. So I approached my neighbour Barba Vasilis and asked him what made him identify himself as Hellene.

He replied: "You mean besides the fact that my identity document says so? Well, let's see… I was born in a family which has lived in Hellas as far back as we can trace for at least 6 generations. I have been born and been baptised Greek Orthodox and I observe the traditions and customs of my ancestors who themselves called themselves Hellenes. What else could I be but a Hellene?"

I then went across the street and asked the question to Thiea Eirene. She looked at me strangely as though I was joking but answered me nonetheless: "I speak Hellenica don't I? What else could I be?" And she shook her head and chased me off home.

"Fair enough", I thought, "but let's see what my own grandfather has to say on the subject." And so I went to my grandfather Aristomenes and asked him: "Papou, do you consider yourself a Hellene because of your religion?"

He looked at me in disgust and replied: "Don't talk to me about religion! You know very well that these priests are all bloodsuckers who wish to keep the working man a slave to the fat capitalist bosses who exploit……"

"Yes, yes, I know that you are a good party member but surely communism is not Hellenic and you insist that you are a Hellene" I interrupted him.

"Of course I'm a Hellene", he countered, "and just because I support a fair system of government, that cares for the working man, does not mean that I renounce my heritage and my culture or the history of my people".

My final visit was with Aspasia, a friend who was born in Sydney Australia to a family of Greek immigrants. She was visiting family in Hellas as she does on an annual basis.

"Aspa," I began, "you were born in Australia, why do you come to Hellas every year?"

"Because, I'm a Hellene and come to visit my family and the land of my ancestry", she replied.

"But you are an Australian" I prompted.

"Yes, I am a Graeco-Australian but I'm proud to say that I keep a Hellenic home in my country of birth".

"So what makes your home Hellenic?" I prompted further.

"I keep all the traditions as were taught to me by my mother and I feed my Australian husband and children wholesome Greek food with all love in my heart," Aspa continued.

"So you enjoy coming to Hellas?" I inquired.

"I love the country and I feel so much closer to our ancestors and our heritage here. It is a pity though that every one here is so laid back and, to be frank, their attitude towards life is not what I'm used to. In Australia we do things differently".

I laughed knowingly and said my goodbyes having gathered enough information to reflect upon.

After long reflection on the diverse reasons for which people consider themselves to be Hellenes and consequently a part of Hellenismos (in the modern sense of the word), I came to the conclusion that sadly the ancient meaning of Hellenismos has changed to include the cultural colonisation which the Hellenes have been experienced since their subjugation to the Roman Empire. All types of foreign, barbaric ideologies such as 'monism', 'monotheism', 'nationalism', 'communism' and a host of other -isms have changed the Hellenic ethnic identity, sometimes for the good and other times for the bad, to what it is today. The key to identifying a Hellene however remains the same; Hellenic culture in its various expressions, inclusive of the Hellenic language and all the 'foreign' ideology Hellenic culture now encompasses.

Be that as it may, Hellenic ethnicity may only be based (as it was in ancient Hellas) on the common traditions and to a certain extent, the common language (irrespective of dialect). These traditions and language were inseparable from the religious beliefs of the Hellenes and even though each area of Hellas had its own distinct form of worship for the local gods, there were enough commonalities which were expressed in the various places of common worship such as Dodona, Olympia, Eleusis, Delphi and other lesser known centres to say that a cohesion in common beliefs did exist. Interestingly enough not one of these centres was Athens or any other major ancient Hellenic power. This possibly means that neither Athens nor Sparta or any major city-state could be considered to be the exemplary form of the ancient Hellenic ethnos.

Thus an ethnic Hellene could be anyone who participates in any of the traditional expressions of the ancient Hellenic culture. This is what the Roman Emperor Julian, the Apostate, was referring to in his usage of the word Hellenismos and furthermore what those who called themselves Ethnikoi made reference to. The concepts of any tradition and culture are inclusive of not only language and religion but also of the collective people as the bearers of that particular culture and it is this complete concept that the word Hellenismos expresses.

As Hellenismos is such an all inclusive concept of various Hellenic traditions it becomes necessary to qualify the word by adding an adjective to specify or refer to a particular idea or 'ism' within the collective concept. As such Ethnikos Hellenismos would then refer to the people who are the bearers of the Hellenic traditions, culture, language and religion as it was known in ancient times and expressed in any form of ancient Hellenic culture. In the same manner Socialistikos Hellenismos would refer to the people who are the bearers of Hellenic tradition, culture and language, etc (irrespective of religion) as is expressed by the ideology of Socialism. Another example is Orthodoxos Hellenismos which refers to the people who are the bearers of Hellenic tradition, culture and language as expressed by the Christian Orthodox Church.

As we can see from the above examples the expressions may vary widely but there are two constants; i.e. tradition and culture. There is a continuity of culture since ancient times. Still today, within the folk customs of all regions of Hellas, remain traces of the ancient traditions. Language is no longer a commonality as there are many Hellenes born outside Hellas who have a limited, if any, command of the Hellenic language. Regardless, the language remains the perfect expression of the culture.

I can safely say that I identify myself as a Hellene and therefore as a member of the collective known as Hellenismos because I follow the traditions and culture of other Hellenes but I express those traditions and culture in my own way, which is more aptly described by the adjective Ethnikos. This, of course, means that anyone who adopts any expression of the traditions and culture of Hellenismos has the right to claim to be a Hellene, irrespective of nationality or place of birth or ancestry as long as the correct qualifying adjective is used. What makes one a Hellene is living as one and not just buying into certain Hellenic ideas. Religious ideology alone does not make one a Hellene or a part of Hellenismos as the worship of the Hellenic Theoi can only be perfectly expressed through the Hellenic tradition and culture. Any other form of worship renders the worship of the Theoi into the area of eclectism and therefore a part of some new Religious Movement. This 'eclectic' form of worship may by definition be referred to as Hellenistic as it is not Hellenic but only contains Hellenic elements and influences.

The same reasoning would then dictate that anyone who is an admirer or a lover of things Hellenic or of Hellas is not necessarily a Hellene or a Hellenist. Such a person in Greek is known as a "philhellene" - a friend of Hellenes.

These terms which I have discussed in this essay are the accepted and commonly used terms in the Greek language with their actual meaning and definition. Some would like to introduce these words into the English language with different meanings and definitions or sometimes with no definition whatsoever. One can imagine the confusion that may arise from such action in any communication on the subject. Such action is a direct attack to the modern Hellenic identity as what it indirectly says is: "You Greeks do not know what you are talking about. We foreigners know better and we will dictate to you how your own language should be used". I marvel at such attitude that could not only be construed as unfriendly towards the Hellenes but in truth downright hostile.

So I say that any one who proposes to take aspects of the Hellenic language, culture and religion and twist them to suit their own purposes and agenda while not taking heed or accepting the Hellenic people and their opinion on the matter can only be considered to be cultural thieves and guilty of cultural misappropriation.   Such people could only be called "misohellenes" (haters of Hellenes).

At the same time some one who takes Hellenic ideas and concepts in context and uses them to shape what ever other religion or culture they are part of, would by definition be called a Hellenist as a person who purely has an interest and a love of Hellenic culture and its people would be referred to as a "philellene" (friend of Hellenes).

Finally to conclude, when one is looking to find the METRON so as to measure up oneself as either a Hellene, Hellenist or Philhellene the place to look is not in any list of virtues or rules or laws or even ancestry but simply within one's personal level of participation within the culture and tradition. That is something which is learnt and not inherited even by those of us who were born to it.

ΑΦ’  ΕΣΤΙΑΣ  ΑΡΧΕΣΘΑι

Sources

Λεξικό της Νέας Ελληνικής Γλώσσας - Γ Μπαμπινιώτη
YSEE's Standard Terminology for Hellenismos
Funk & Wagnalls Standard Dictionary of the English Language