Overview

This book examines the rehabilitation over the past two decades of Bishop Nikolaj Velimirovic (1881-1956), the controversial Serbian Orthodox Christian philosopher, written fifty years after his death. Having been vilified by the former Yugoslav Communist authorities as a traitor, antisemite and a fascist, Velimirovic has come to be regarded in Serbian society as a saintly figure and the most important religious person since medieval times. This book charts the posthumous passage of Velimirovic from 'traitor' to 'saint' and examines the complementary dynamics of repression and denial that were used to divert public attention from the controversies surrounding his life. This book presents the first detailed examination of the way in which an Eastern Orthodox Church manages controversy surrounding the presence of anti-Semitism within its ranks and considers the implications of the continuing reverence of Nikolaj Velimirovic for the persistence of antisemitism in Serbian Orthodox culture and Serbian society as a whole. This study is based on a detailed examination of the changing representations of Velimirovic in the Serbian media and in commemorative discourse, as well as interviews with a number of prominent public figures who have been actively involved in the bishop's rehabilitation over the past two decades.

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9789639776319

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Reviews

It is hard to believe that there are almost no scholarly works on such an important and controversial figure. Therefore, the appearance of Jovan Byford's book is a welcome and timely contribution. A native of Serbia trained as a psychologist, Byford conducted interviews and drew on the secondary literature of his profession to create this unique study of the psychological operations behind the making of Velimirovic's cult. Byford meticulously demonstrates the textual, rhetorical, and argumentative tactics employed by the promoters of Velimirovic's cult to repress, deny, or justify Velimirovic's antisemitism. * American Historical Review * This book provides an authoritative vivisection of the goals, behavior, and strategies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and sheds light on the chuavinism behind the myths of martyrdom. Byford's claims and conclusions are well supported by strong evidence, most of which comes from Church sources and Velimirovic's own works. No serious student of Serbia should miss this impressive book. * Journal of Politics and Religion *

"""It is hard to believe that there are almost no scholarly works on such an important and controversial figure. Therefore, the appearance of Jovan Byford's book is a welcome and timely contribution. A native of Serbia trained as a psychologist, Byford conducted interviews and drew on the secondary literature of his profession to create this unique study of the psychological operations behind the making of Velimirović's cult. Byford meticulously demonstrates the textual, rhetorical, and argumentative tactics employed by the promoters of Velimirović's cult to repress, deny, or justify Velimirović's antisemitism."" * American Historical Review * ""This book provides an authoritative vivisection of the goals, behavior, and strategies of the Serbian Orthodox Church, and sheds light on the chuavinism behind the myths of martyrdom. Byford's claims and conclusions are well supported by strong evidence, most of which comes from Church sources and Velimirović's own works. No serious student of Serbia should miss this impressive book."" * Journal of Politics and Religion *"

Author Information

Jovan Byford is Lecturer in Psychology at the Open University, UK.

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