Carved into stone, over the main doors of Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Houston (on Yoakum Bl. in the Montrose district) are the words "Hellenic Eastern Orthodox Church." I always figured that to some folks "Hellenic" sounds more high-falutin' than "Greek."

Thus it is at our GOA parish in Cedar Rapids. I don't think it's any more high falutin' than "Greek", but since the Greece in Greek is "Hellas" and Greeks are "Helleni," maybe it's more correct. I always thought of "Greek" as Hellenic culture, but not limited to the Hellenes. In a sense, it included Arabs, Copts, Italians, and Slavs.

When I taught in a Greek school, the head - a Pontic Greek - insisted that he was Romios not Hellene. He saw Hellenism as nationalistic and exclusive, built on a modern myth full of obsessions with Hellenistic pagan culture.

As a pious Christian Greek, he conisdered himself a Byzantine and heir of the East Roman empire. He saw all Orthodox people, especially those who could manage some Greek, to be co-heirs and fellow Romios. The rest of the staff despised him for that, saw him as unpatriotic and were exclusive.

As stated above they saw all other Orthodox people as near savages - though they themselves had no interest in Orthodoxy apart from Pascha, weddings and a doxologia on Independence Day. The most sacred day of the year seemed to be Oxi Day.

I for one do not see Hellenic culture as extending to Arabs, Copts, Italians, and Slavs. Byzantine culture yes, but that's a different thing.

The distinction between Hellenic and Byzantine culture is well stated in terms of cultural influence over the other Orthodox and Eastern Christian peoples who are not Hellenists.