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The Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church is
the one Church founded by Jesus Christ and his Apostles, begun at the day
of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit in AD 33. It is also
known (especially in the contemporary West) as the “Eastern Orthodox
Church” or the “Greek Orthodox Church.” It may also be called the
“Orthodox Catholic Church,” the “Orthodox Christian Church,” the “One,
Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church,” the “Body of Christ,” the “Bride of
Christ,” or simply “The Church.”
The
bishops of the Orthodox Churches trace unbroken succession to the very
Apostles themselves, therefore ultimately receiving their consecrations
from our Lord Jesus Christ.
All the bishops of the
Eastern Orthodox Churches, no matter their titles, are equal in their
sacramental office. The various titles given to bishops are simply
administrative or honorific in their essence. At an ecumenical council,
each bishop may cast only one vote, whether he is the Ecumenical Patriarch
or simply an auxiliary bishop without a diocese. Thus, there is no
equivalent to the Roman Catholic papacy within the Eastern Orthodox
Churches.
As with its Apostolic
succession, the faith held by the Church is that which was handed by
Christ to the Apostles. Nothing is added to or subtracted from that
deposit of faith which was “handed once for all to the saints” (Jude 3).
Throughout history,
various heresies have afflicted the Church, and at those times the Church
makes dogmatic pronouncements (especially at ecumenical councils)
delineating in new language what has always been believed by the Church,
thus preventing the spread of heresy and calling to repentance those who
rend asunder the Body of Christ. Its primary statement of faith is the
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.
A Very Brief History
More information: Timeline of Church History...
Almost two thousand
years ago, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came to earth and founded the
Church, through His Apostles and disciples, for the salvation of man. In
the years which followed, the Apostles spread the Church and its teachings
and founded many churches, all united in faith, worship, and the partaking
of the Mysteries (or as they are called in the West, the Sacraments) of
the Holy Church.
The churches founded
by the Apostles themselves include the Patriarchates of Alexandria,
Antioch, Jerusalem, and Rome and Constantinople. The Church of Alexandria
was founded by Saint Mark, the Church of Antioch by Saint Paul, the Church
of Jerusalem by Saints Peter and James, the Church of Rome by Saints Peter
and Paul, and Church of Constantinople by Saint Andrew. Those founded in
later years through the missionary activity of the first churches were the
Churches of Sinai, Russia, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Romania, and many
others.
Each church has always
had independent administration, but, with the exception of the Church of
Rome, which finally separated from the others in the year 1054, are united
in faith, doctrine, Apostolic tradition, sacraments, liturgies, and
services. Together they constitute what is called the “Orthodox Church”,
literally meaning "right teaching" or "right worship", derived from two
Greek words: orthos, "right," and doxa, "teaching" or "worship."
The Orthodox Church
historically stands in direct continuity with the earliest Christian
communities founded in regions of the Eastern Mediterranean by the
apostles of the Lord Jesus.
The destiny of
Christianity in those areas was shaped by the transfer in 320 AD of the
imperial capital from (Old) Rome to (New "Rome") Constantinople by
Constantine I. As a consequence, during the first Eight Centuries of
Church history, most major cultural, intellectual, and social developments
in the Christian church also took place in that region; for instance, all
ecumenical councils of that period met either in, or near Constantinople.
Missionaries, coming
from Constantinople, converted the Slavs and other peoples of Eastern
Europe to Christianity (Bulgaria, AD 864; Russia, AD 988) and translated
Scripture and liturgical texts into the vernacular languages used in the
various regions. Thus, the liturgy, traditions, and practices of the
church of Constantinople were adopted by all and still provide the basic
patterns of contemporary Orthodoxy.
Western Christianity,
specifically what came to be the Roman Catholic Church and Her Protestant
Denominations, evolved out of Orthodox Christianity. During the first
millenium there was one Orthodox Church in the East and in the West.
Unfortunately, novel
doctrines and dogmas developed in Rome and the West which separated those
Churches from the Apostolic Orthodox Christian faith. Among these
innovations was the Bishop of Rome, or Pope, becoming considered as the
successor of the Apostle Peter and regarded as the head of the universal
church by divine appointment.
Orthodox Christianity
had accepted the Pope of Rome only as “first among equals” primus inter
pares). He was regarded as senior among the patriarchs, but never as
having any universal primacy or authority beyond the Patriarchate of Rome.
In part, the Protestant Reformation within the Roman Catholic Church was a
reaction to the innovative and unorthodox teaching of papal supremacy.
The of the
most-serious theological innovation that separated the Roman Catholic
Church from Orthodox Christianity is their unilateral addition to the
Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed. The addition of the phrase “and of the
Son” (filioque) in regard to the procession of the Holy Spirit
altered the Christology of the first millenium which the Orthodox Church
maintains unchanged to the present day and perpetually.
The Roman Catholic
schism from Orthodox Christianity came about slowly. The first major
breach occurred in the ninth century when the Pope refused to recognize
the election of Photius as Patriarch of Constantinople. Patriarch Photius
in turn challenged the right of the papacy to rule on matters beyond his
jurisdiction and denounced the innovative filioque clause.
Disputes between East
and West grew and reached peak in AD 1054, when the Pope of Rome issued an
anathema Against the Patriarch of Constantinople, and the Patriarch
responded by anathematizing the Pope.
Animosity between the
Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches became particularly bitter when the
Roman Catholic soldiers of the Fourth Crusade sacked Constantinople in AD
1204.
Attempts at
reconciliation between the Churches were made at the councils of Lyon (AD
1274) and Florence (AD 1438-39) but these were unsuccessful. When the
papacy defined itself as infallible at the First Vatican Council in AD
1870, the dogmatic gulf between East and West grew even wider. Since the
Second Vatican Council in AD 1962-65, ecumenical contacts and discussions
have taken place in an atmosphere of mutual respect but the Roman Catholic
Church remains very far from Orthodox Christianity.
Beliefs and Practices
More information: Introduction to Orthodox Christianity...
The Orthodox Church
recognizes as authoritative the decisions of the seven ecumenical councils
that met between AD 325 and AD 787 and defined the basic doctrines on the
Trinity and the Incarnation. In later centuries Orthodox councils also
made doctrinal definitions on Grace (AD 1341, AD 1351) and took a stand in
reference to Western teachings.
The Orthodox Church
keeps the early traditions of Christianity. Infants are Baptized and
Chrismated (Confirmed), and they receive the Eucharist (Holy Communion)
along with older children and adults.
The Episcopate and the
Priesthood are understood in the light of Apostolic Succession, the
passing-on of the Holy Tradition by right-believing Bishops. Both married
men and monastics may be ordained to the priesthood, but priests, bishops,
and monastics may not thereafter marry.
The veneration of
Mary, as Theotokos (Mother of God) is central to Orthodox Incarnational
Theology, and the intercession of saints is also emphasized in the
Orthodox Holy Tradition.
After an early
controversy regarding the Icons of Christ, the Virgin Mary, and the
saints these continue to be seen as visible witnesses to the fact that God
has taken human flesh in the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Liturgy – the form
of worship – used by the Orthodox Church has been translated from Greek
into many languages. It is always sung, not just spoken. Bread and wine
are consecrated by the Holy Spirit through the bishop or priest as the
Body and Blood of Jesus Christ.
Orthodox Christians –
the faithful who have been Baptized and Chrismated (Confirmed) – who have
prepared themselves to do so receive these “Holy Gifts” as Holy Communion
on a spoon, receiving both the Body and Blood of Christ. Holy Communion is
never taken from any “reserve.”
Monasticism, which had
its origins in the Christian East (Egypt, Syria, Cappadocia), has since
been considered in the Orthodox Church as a prophetic ministry of men and
women, showing through their mode of life the action of the Holy Spirit.
The monastic republic of Mount Athos, Greece, is still viewed among
Orthodox Christians as a center of spiritual vitality.
Church Structure
More information: List of Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches...
The Eastern Orthodox
Churches of today consist of a family of fifteen Autocephalous Churches
and five Autonomous Churches, sometimes referred to as “jurisdictions.”
The number of
Autocephalous churches has varied in history. Autocephalous Churches are
fully self-governing in all they do, while Autonomous Churches must have
their primates confirmed by one of the Autocephalous Churches, usually its
mother church.
No one but Jesus
Christ is the head of the Orthodox Church, and He is also its single High
Priest. The Bishops are regarded as “living icons of Christ,” and exercise
His Sacred Priesthood on behalf of the faithful. They are also the
“overseers” (epískopoi) as shepherds of their respective dioceses.
Each Priest
participates in the Sacred Priesthood under the authority of his Bishop
and represents him in the local parish to celebrate the Sacraments and
sanctify the faithful. A Deacon is delegated certain duties of his Bishop
and assists in administering the local parish.
Among the
Autocephalous Churches, the Patriarchate of Constantinople is regarded as
the “Ecumenical Patriarchate” and its Patriarch has the status of “first
among equals” among the Eastern Orthodox Churches. The Church is not a
centralized organization headed by a pontiff, but an organic community
guided by the Holy Spirit in the world. The unity of the Church is visible
in, and held together with, common faith and communion in the sacraments.
No one but Christ himself is the real head of the Orthodox Church.
All the Orthodox
churches remain in full communion with one another, sharing the same faith
and praxis. There have been occasional breaks in communion due to various
problems throughout history, but they generally remain brief and have not
heretofore developed into full schism.
The exception to this
is the ”Great Schism” of the Roman Catholic Church from the universal
Orthodox Church in AD 1054. It is hoped that this schism might someday be
mended should the Roman Catholic Church rescind its doctrinal innovations,
such as the filioque and especially its dogmatic pronouncement
regarding papal supremacy.
The fifteen
Autochephalous Orthodox Churches are:
Number of Adherents
Politics, wars,
persecutions, oppression, and related potential threats make precise
counts of Eastern Orthodox membership difficult, if not impossible, to
obtain in some regions. The more reliable estimates currently available
number Orthodox Christian adherents as approximately 220 million
worldwide.
Orthodox Christianity
is the second largest Christian communion in the world after the Catholic
Church. Orthodox Christians comprise approximately 3.8% of the world
population, and about 0.5% of the US population. In comparison, Roman
Catholics comprise 17.4% of the World population, and 20.8% of the US
population.
According to the
2015 Yearbook of International Religious Demography, the Orthodox
population decreased between 1910 and 2010 from 7.1% to 4.0% of the global
population, and from 20.4% to 12.2% of the Christian population.
The Pew Research
Center reports that Orthodox Christianity experienced far less geographic
spread than Catholicism and Protestantism which were driven largely by
colonialism and missionary activity across the world.
Most Orthodox faithful
reside in Southern Europe, Eastern Europe and Asian Russia. Orthodox
Christianity became more globalized over the last century, seeing greater
growth in Western Europe, the Americas, and parts of Africa.
In Russia, Orthodox
Christians constitute the largest single religious community, where
roughly half the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live.
In Ukraine, Romania,
Belarus, Greece, Serbia, Bulgaria, Moldova, Georgia, North Macedonia,
Cyprus, and Montenegro, Orthodox Christianity is overwhelmingly the
majority religion. In these nations, culture, national identity, and
Orthodox faith remain tightly interwoven.
Orthodox communities
are also predominant in the disputed territories of Abkhazia, South
Ossetia, and Transnistria. Significant minorities of Eastern Orthodox are
present in Bosnia and Herzegovina (with an absolute majority in Republika
Srpska), Latvia, Estonia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Albania, and
Syria, among others.
In certain Western
countries, Orthodox Christianity is the fastest growing religion,
primarily through labor migration from Eastern Europe and, to a lesser
degree, conversion. Ireland saw a doubling of its Eastern Orthodox
population between 2006 and 2011.
In the Americas, four
countries have over 100,000 Eastern Orthodox Christians: the United
States, Canada, Mexico, and Brazil. In the United States the number of
Orthodox parishes is growing, and the community has more than quadrupled
between 1910 and 2017 from 460,000 to 1,800,000.
Asia Minor, today’s
Turkey, once had one of the largest Orthodox Christian populations. Due to
the split of the Ottoman Empire, the percentage of Christians in Turkey
dropped between 1914 and 1927 from 19% to 2.5%.
In Turkey, large-scale
genocide against the Armenian, Greek, and Assyrian communities;
“population exchanges” (ethnic cleansing) between Greece, Turkey, and
Bulgaria; as well as the flight of Christians to foreign countries has
reduced the population of Jews and people of various Christian
denominations to only 0.2% of the population.
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