The Eastern Orthodox Church considers itself to be both orthodox and catholic. In a Christian context, the Christian Church, as identified with the original Church founded by Christ and his apostles, is said to be catholic (or universal) in regard to its union with Christ in faith.
Eastern Orthodox Church. Essentially the Orthodox Church shares much with the other Christian Churches in the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection. The Orthodox Church differs substantially in the way of life and worship.
In the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy, celibacy is the norm for bishops; married men may be ordained to the priesthood, but even married priests whose wives pre-decease them are not allowed to enter marriage after ordination.
In actual truth, the earliest would be the Christians Orthodox. The first early followers of Christ are called Christian in Antioch. Roman Catholic is never founded by Jesus Christ. It started from Constantine the Great, who gave rise to Roman Catholics.
Roman Catholics use the Rosary (Latin "rosarium", meaning "rose garden") with 59 beads. However, Eastern Orthodox Christians use a knotted prayer rope called either a komboskini or chotki, with 100 knots, although prayer ropes with 50 or 33 knots can also be used.
In Eastern Europe and the middle east- the church is divided along geographic lines, so the Russian Orthodox Church is simply the Church in Russia and the Greek Orthodox Church is simply the Church in Greece.
Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox believers both believe in the same God. 2. Roman Catholics deem the Pope as infallible, while Greek Orthodox believers don't. Latin is the main language used during Roman Catholic services, while Greek Orthodox churches use native languages.
Orthodox means adhering to accepted norms and creeds - especially in religion. In Christianity, the term means "conforming to the Christian faith as represented in the creeds of the early Church.” The Orthodox Church is one of the three main Christian groups – the others are the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches.
The Eastern Orthodox Churches
- Church of Constantinople (ancient)
- Church of Alexandria (ancient)
- Church of Antioch (ancient)
- Church of Jerusalem (ancient)
- Church of Russia (established in 1589)
- Church of Serbia (1219)
- Church of Romania (1925)
- Church of Bulgaria (927)
Historically, the term "Greek Orthodox" has been used to describe all Eastern Orthodox Churches in general, since "Greek" in "Greek Orthodox" can refer to the heritage of the Byzantine Empire. Thus, the Eastern Church came to be called "Greek" Orthodox in the same way that the Western Church is called "Roman" Catholic.
List
| Name | Capacity (worshippers) | City |
|---|
| Cathedral of Christ the Saviour | 10,000 | Moscow |
| Church of Saint Sava | 7,000 | Belgrade |
| Kazan Cathedral | 6,000 | Saint Petersburg |
| Trinity Izmailovsky Cathedral | 3,000 | Saint Petersburg |
Two patriarchates are noted to have been founded by St Peter, the patriarchate of Rome and the patriarchate of Antioch. The Eastern churches accept Antioch as the church founded by St Peter (see the Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch and the Syriac Orthodox Church).
Charlemagne's crowning made the Byzantine Emperor redundant, and relations between the East and the West deteriorated until a formal split occurred in 1054. The Eastern Church became the Greek Orthodox Church by severing all ties with Rome and the Roman Catholic Church — from the pope to the Holy Roman Emperor on down.
The Eastern Orthodox Church is a fellowship of "autocephalous" (Greek for self-headed) churches, with the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople being the only autocephalous head who holds the title primus inter pares, meaning "first among equals" in Latin.
The 2 main divisions of Orthodox Christians are Eastern Orthodox & Oriental Orthodox. The Churches which fall under Eastern Orthodox are: Greek, Russian, Ukrainian, Armenian, Romanian, & Macedonian, etc. The Churches which fall under Oriental Orthodox are: Coptic, Ethiopian, & Indian, etc.
100 ce). Modern Orthodox theology also emphasizes that the office of bishop is the highest among the sacramental ministries and that there is therefore no divinely established authority over that of the bishop in his own community, or diocese.
Though the average salary for a Greek orthodox priest is about $76,141, this may vary quite significantly. As a senior priest working in this capacity can expect to earn upwards of $100,000 and a priest just starting out may earn somewhere around $40,000, you see that experience plays a big role in the salary earned.
Orthodox Christianity reached its present form in Late Antiquity (in the period from the 3rd to the 8th century), when the Ecumenical Councils were held, doctrinal disputes were resolved, the Fathers of the Church lived and wrote, and Orthodox worship practices settled into their permanent form (including the liturgies
Some Protestants, such as Anglicans of Anglo-Catholic churchmanship, espouse a version of branch theory which teaches that the true Christian Church comprises Anglican, Eastern Orthodox, Old Catholic, Oriental Orthodox, Scandinavian Lutheran, and Roman Catholic branches.
The term Eastern Orthodox Europe is informally used to describe the predominantly Eastern Orthodox countries of Eastern Europe, as well as Greece, Cyprus, and one Caucasus state, Georgia. These include Belarus, Bulgaria, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine.
Russian Orthodox cross or Orthodox cross is a variation of the Christian cross since the 6th century in the Byzantine Empire. The cross has three horizontal crossbeams, with the lowest one slanted. Nowadays it is a symbol of the Russian Orthodox Church and a distinctive feature of the cultural landscape of Russia.
Historically, the term "Greek Orthodox" has been used to describe all Eastern Orthodox Churches in general, since "Greek" in "Greek Orthodox" can refer to the heritage of the Byzantine Empire. Thus, the Eastern Church came to be called "Greek" Orthodox in the same way that the Western Church is called "Roman" Catholic.
All Oriental Orthodox Churches are in full communion with each other. They can take part in all the 7 sacraments from each others churches.
Almost half the nearly 1 million Orthodox Christians in the United States today are converts, the Assembly of Canonical Orthodox Bishops of the United States of America reported in 2015. The majority of these married into the church. But a growing number are joining simply out of an affinity for the faith.
According to the Eastern Orthodox tradition the history of the Eastern Orthodox Church is traced back to Jesus Christ and the Apostles. In the Late Middle Ages, the Fall of Constantinople brought a large part of the world's Orthodox Christians under Ottoman Turkish rule.
Apostolic succession and sacraments
Most Orthodox Churches allow marriages between members of the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church. Catholic canon law allows marriage between a Catholic and an Orthodox only if permission is obtained from the Catholic bishop.As one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, the Eastern Orthodox Church has played a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe, the Caucasus, and the Near East. Eastern Orthodox theology is based on the Nicene Creed.
The Catholic Church is the oldest institution in the western world. It can trace its history back almost 2000 years.
According to the Catholic tradition, the history of the Catholic Church begins with Jesus Christ and his teachings (c. 4 BC – c. AD 30) and the Catholic Church is a continuation of the early Christian community established by the Disciples of Jesus.
Archaeology magazine suggests that the Dura-Europos church in Syria is the oldest surviving church building in the world, while Jordan's Aqaba Church is considered to be the world's first purpose-built church. Several authors have cited the Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Armenia's mother church) as the oldest cathedral.
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a single God who is both three and one (triune); the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, "one in essence and undivided". The Holy Trinity is three "unconfused" and distinct divine persons (hypostases), who share one divine essence (ousia); uncreated, immaterial and eternal.
In the case that it is impossible to approach a Catholic minister, that it is a case of real need or spiritual benefit, and that the danger of error or indifferentism is avoided, the Catholic Church permits its faithful to receive Communion in Orthodox Churches, although Orthodox Churches do not honour this and only
The Eastern Orthodox Church shared communion with the Roman Catholic Church in the state church of Rome until the East–West Schism in 1054, disputing particularly the authority of the Pope.
| Eastern Orthodox Church |
|---|
| Founder | Jesus Christ, according to Holy Tradition |
| Origin | 1st century Holy Land, Roman Empire |
