A Question For Our Modern Greek Friends???

[Napoleon]

What is 'Hellenism'???

Although modern Greek literature full of references to 'Hellenism', especially with regard to Macedonia ("Alexander spread Hellenism", "Macedonia is a bastion of Hellenism" etc), I have still yet to read a basic definition as to exactly what 'Hellenism' means.

This question is even more perplexing when you consider that 'Hellenism' is a completely modern term which the ancients had absolutely no idea or concept of.

Therefore can one of our modern Greek friends on this forum please give us a definition of what 'Hellenism' means in order to clear up this issue.

Thanks in advance.

[TrueMacedonian]

Crickets crickets all I hear are crickets because the modern "greek" can't answer. It is a tough question to answer. But it should be easy for todays hellene which was yesterdays Albanian, Vlach, Macedonian, Turk, Armenian, Jew etc.

[TrueMacedonian]

What is 'Hellenism'???

Although modern Greek literature full of references to 'Hellenism', especially with regard to Macedonia ("Alexander spread Hellenism", "Macedonia is a bastion of Hellenism" etc), I have still yet to read a basic definition as to exactly what 'Hellenism' means.

This question is even more perplexing when you consider that 'Hellenism' is a completely modern term which the ancients had absolutely no idea or concept of.

Therefore can one of our modern Greek friends on this forum please give us a definition of what 'Hellenism' means in order to clear up this issue.

Thanks in advance.

Still no answer Napolean? Geez and this is an easy one to answer. But why should I answer it. I'll give you a "greeks" honest answer, would that be suffice?

[TrueMacedonian]

[TrueMacedonian]

[TrueMacedonian]

[TrueMacedonian]

[Dejan]

So...seeing that no athenian is able to give an answer, is it accurate to say that you don't know what 'hellenism' means?

[Napoleon]

Ahhh.....Manolis Andronikis, Greece's most famous modern Greek 'Macedonian' after Pavlos Melas (a Hellenised Albanian). Ironically, Andronikis spent most of his life trying to prove that ancient Macedonia was 'Greek' when he could not even prove that he himself was 'Greek'. He was nothing but a Turkish christian born in western Anatolia whose family had no connection to Macedonia whatsoever.

Back to the topic...I still can't believe none of our modern Greek friends have bothered to respond to my question. Surely there is one self-proclaimed modern Greek defender of 'Hellenism' out there who can explain to me exactly what the term 'Hellenism' actually means???

BTW...thanks TrueMacedonian for scanning the book pages and posting them, they made some interesting reading.

Regards

[lvintra]

Hellenic means greek. Hellas is the ancient greek word for Greece. The word Greece/ greek was imported during roman times. OK? gg?

[Soldier of Macedon]

No, too vague, sorry.

Hellenic means Greek? Does Russian mean Greek too? I have seen texts refer to the church in Russia as the Greek Church, what should I make of that?

[Napoleon]

Hellenic means greek. Hellas is the ancient greek word for Greece. The word Greece/ greek was imported during roman times. OK? gg?

It still makes no sense. For instance, we constantly read that Alexander III was supposed to have "spread 'Hellenism' to the countries of the east'. What is 'Hellenism', is it simply culture or is it ethnicity.

If 'Hellenism' is ethnicity, then how is it connected to todays modern Greek population that is derived from just about everyone except the ancient Hellenes. As modern Greeks, by claiming to be 'Hellenes' aren't you falsely claiming to be something which you are not?

If 'Hellenism' equates to culture, then there is nothing wrong with you celebrating it as you live on the same land that the ancient Hellenes once lived. But at the same time, simply celebrating 'Hellenism' does not make you an ancient 'Hellene'. A recognition by modern Greeks of their diverse multiracial origins would go along way in not only healing modern Greece's relationship with its neighbors, but also go a long way in healing the paranoia, meglamania, insecurity self-hate that you have within youselves.

[Dejan]

back to square one...

[Bij]

A term cant apply in retrospect, can it? If 'Greek' didn't exist in the time of ATG, how could he have spread 'Greek'???

shame it took so long for such a poor response.

[Bill77]

can someone please refer me to historian or book where king Otto asked "where are all the Greeks gone" need it urgent. A neighbour of ours is pissing in his pants and want some sort of evidence which i can shove up his ass. lol