Quanrud, John (2018) Paying the price: Gerasim Kyrias and the personal cost of social engagement. In: Proceedings from the Balkan Conference on the 500th Anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Institute for Albanian and Protestant Studies, Tirana, pp. 255-263. ISBN 978-9928-104-85-4
Full text not available from this repository.Abstract
When, in 1884, at the age of twenty-five, Gerasim Kyrias took on thedual role of supervisor of the British and Foreign Bible Society’s newbase in Monastir (Bitola) and itinerant preacher with special focuson the Albanian people, he had little idea of what lay ahead. What he did know was that he would attract the attention of those political and ecclesiastical leaders who were determined to resist anyone they deemed as promoting an Albanian nationalist agenda. And indeed, he did; documentary evidence reveals repeated attempts by various authorities to curb Gerasim’s literary, educational and religious activities in the western Balkans. But perhaps one of Gerasim’s greatest challenges was also the least expected, for it concerned the attitudes of those to whom he had dedicated his life — his fellow Albanians. As one of the few Albanian activists in his day who chose to live and work among their people, he soon found that his was not the easiest path. Though he was dead within a decade, Gerasim succeeded—despite sustained and relentless opposition and very limited financial support—in laying foundations that enabled the work he had started to survive into the next generation. His achievements in such a short space of time and within such a hostile environment are truly remarkable. In this paper I will use documentary evidence to investigate Gerasim’s motivation for his work, and to consider the claim made by some he used his American and British Protestant contacts to further a largely non-religious agenda.
| Item Type: | Book Section |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | 5–8 October 2017 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Gerasim Kyrias, Gjerasim Qiriazi, Albania, social engagement, Monastir, Bitola |
| Subjects: | B Mission theology/theory > Peacemaking and Reconciliation B Mission theology/theory > Contextualization/Inculturation B Mission theology/theory > Mission and Social responsibility C Types of Christian Ministry > Linguistic work |
| Divisions: | Balkan countries > Albania |
| Depositing User: | Katharina Penner |
| Date Deposited: | 03 May 2021 11:32 |
| Last Modified: | 03 May 2021 11:32 |
| URI: | https://ceeamsprints.osims.org/id/eprint/1900 |
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