The Greek Monopoly: Palestinian Orthodox Christians under Greek Ecclesiastical Control

Palestinian Orthodox Christians, the largest Christian population in historic Palestine, have formed, sustained, and long been affiliated with the Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem, tracing their origins to the apostles and the leadership of James the Just. Since the Ottoman period, the patriarchate’s clerical hierarchy has been dominated by foreign Greek nationals, producing persistent tensions between church leadership and the indigenous laity. This paper examines how Palestinian Orthodox Christians navigated authority, representation, and communal identity from the nineteenth century to the present. It situates the community within its historical and religious context, analyzes the establishment of a Greek ecclesiastical monopoly over the patriarchate, and explores the consequences of this structure. Drawing on fragmentary historical sources and community accounts, it argues that Palestinian Orthodox Christians have experienced overlapping structures of spiritual, cultural, and political domination—through ecclesiastical hierarchy and colonial governance—shaping both their identity and the broader dynamics of Middle Eastern Christian communities.