Orthodox Christian rigorism: attempting to delineate a multifaceted phenomenon

In the historically Orthodox Christian heartlandsofEastern and South EasternEurope, as wellassometimes in the Orthodox diasporiccommunities around the globe,one may come across fundamentalist-like phenomena.Forvarious reasons explainedinthis paper Isubsume these cases under acategory whichIcall rigorism.Such cases exhibit certain particularitiesvis-à-vis their Western Christian or Islamic counterparts and also attest to the diversity existing within the wider and dispersedb ody of Orthodox Christianity.Orthodox rigorists of varied provenance are at times in serious tension and conflict with the respectiveofficial OrthodoxChurches,while in other instances they collaborate with them for common purposes.Using varioust heoretical perspectives on this topic and selectedexamples from different Orthodox contexts,this paper attempts to delineate the main contours of this phenomenonb yf ocusing on the bearers of rigorism and their activities,t he main characteristics, the socio-historical background and the later transformations of this phenomenon including its endogenous and exogenous causes.Finally, the potentialresources and counter-currents from within the Orthodoxworld, which are aimed at neutralizing the rigorist influences,are also presentedand discussed.Va silios N.