The word 'Orthodox' takes its meaning from the Greek words orthos 'right' and doxa 'belief'. Hence the word Orthodox means correct belief or right thinking.
The Orthodox tradition developed from the Christianity of the Eastern Roman Empire and was shaped by the pressures, politics and peoples of that geographical area. The Orthodox Churches share with the other Christian Churches 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 from the other Churches in the way of life and worship, and in certain aspects of theology.
The Holy Spirit is seen as present in and as the guide to the Church working through the whole body of the Church, as well as through priests and bishops. Not all Orthodox Churches are 'Eastern Orthodox'. The 'Oriental Orthodox Churches' have theological differences with the Eastern Orthodox and form a separate group, while a few Orthodox Churches are not 'in communion' with the others. However, he is only first among equals and has no real authority over Churches other than his own.
In order to see this content you need to have both Javascript enabled and Flash installed. Visit BBC Webwise for full instructions. The doctrine of the Christian Church was established over the centuries at Councils dating from as early as CE where the leaders from all the Christian communities were represented. Although initially the Eastern and Western Christians shared the same faith, the two traditions began to divide after the seventh Ecumenical Council in CE and is commonly believed to have finally split over the conflict with Rome in the so called Great Schism in In particular this happened over the papal claim to supreme authority and the doctrine of the Holy Spirit.
The break became final with the failure of the Council of Florence in the fifteenth century. However, in the minds of most Orthodox, a decisive moment was the sack of Constantinople in during the Western Christian Fourth Crusade. The sacking of Constantinople by the Crusaders eventually led to the loss of this Byzantine capital to the Muslim Ottomans in This has never been forgotten.
The divisions between the East and Western Churches happened gradually over the centuries as the Roman Empire fragmented.
Eventually, while the Eastern Churches maintained the principle that the Church should keep to the local language of the community, Latin became the language of the Western Church. Until the schism the five great patriarchal sees were Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Eastern Christianity stresses a way of life and belief that is expressed particularly through worship. By maintaining the correct form of worshipping God, passed on from the very beginnings of Christianity.
Eastern Christians believe that they confess the true doctrine of God in the right orthodox way. The Bible of the Orthodox Church is the same as that of most Western Churches, except that its Old Testament is based not on the Hebrew, but on the ancient Jewish translation into Greek called the Septuagint. The wisdom of the Fathers of the Church is central to the Orthodox way of life as today's inheritors of the "true faith and Church" passed on in its purest form. By maintaining the purity of the inherited teachings of the Apostles, believers are made more aware of the inspiration of the Holy Spirit being present both in history and at the present day.
At the centre of worship and belief is the Eucharist surrounded by the Divine Offices or the Cycle of Prayer. These prayers are sung particularly at Sunset and Dawn and at certain other times during the day and night.
Personal prayer plays an important part in the life of an Orthodox Christian. For many Orthodox Christians an important form of prayer is the Jesus Prayer. This is a sentence which is repeated many times; for example: "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Monasticism is a central part of the Orthodox faith. Mount Athos in north-eastern Greece is described as the centre of Orthodox monasticism. It is the only place in Greece completely dedicated to prayer and worship of God. For this reason, it is called the Holy Mountain. Most monasteries are coenobitic : living a communal life.
The peninsula is divided into twenty self-governed territories. Each territory consists of a major monastery and some other monastic establishments that surround it cloisters, cells, cottages, seats, hermitages. For monk and nun alike, their spiritual life should follow the same way of living that all Christians try to achieve by following God's commandants. While not being against marriage, it is generally accepted that celibacy in the Church allows for a closer understanding of the Christian life away from worldly things.
Fasting and prayer play an important part of the Orthodox Christian life. Orthodox believe that fasting can be the 'foundation of all good'. The discipline of training the body can enable a believer to concentrate the mind totally on preparation for prayer and things spiritual.
Even though today the call to fast is not always strictly followed, nevertheless many devout Orthodox Christians do undergo a time of genuine hardship and it has been said that:. Orthodox Christians in the twentieth century - laity as well as monks - fast with a severity for which there is no parallel in western Christendom Contributors from Opus Dei and a Greek Orthodox church discuss self-denial and corporal mortification with a Muslim chaplain.
The following seven principal Mysteries or sacraments are at the heart of the Eastern Orthodox Church. The first two are Baptism and Chrismation. Baptism of adults and infants is by immersion in water three times in the name of the Trinity and is both the initiation into the Church and a sign of forgiveness of sins. Chrismation follows immediately after baptism and is by anointing with holy oil called Chrism. Chrismation is followed by Holy Communion. This means that in the Orthodox Church babies and children are fully communicant members of the Church.
Chrism can only be consecrated by the Patriarch, or chief Bishop, of the local Church. When Constantinople became the seat of the Roman Empire, all the principle teachings of Christianity were put down in seven ecumenical councils held in or near the great imperial city, the principle doctrine being the Nicene Creed set down in A. The Orthodox Church is the oldest Christian Church in the world. The one undivided Christian Church split in A.
The Ecumenical Patriarch maintained this uninterrupted role even though Constantinople fell to the Moslem Turks in A. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire in the early Twentieth Century, the Ecumenical Patriarch regained some of his freedoms.
Meanwhile, millions of Orthodox Christians were to face death and persecution under communist rule in Russia and Eastern Europe and would come to know freedom only some twenty years ago, in the s. To give canonical expression to this reality, His All Holiness Bartholomew recently changed the composition of the member Holy Synod of the Ecumenical Patriarchate to include six hierarchs from the Churches in countries outside of Constantinople, among them being the United States, Great Britain, Finland and New Zealand.
Idolatry is the worship of an idol as though it were God. In Abrahamic religions, namely Judaism, Christianity and Islam, idolatry connotes the worship of something or someone other than God as if it were God. Although less popular, statues always existed in the Orthodox Church throughout the ages, but to a lesser extent. As nouns the difference between icon and idol is that icon is an image, symbol, picture, or other representation usually as an object of religious devotion while idol is a graven image or representation of anything that is revered, or believed to convey spiritual power.
A: It is the first commandment that makes reference to graven images and idols Deut. The seventh Ecumenical Council of Nicaea justified the veneration of icons of Christ, his mother and the angels and saints. Eastern Catholics employ icons exactly as the Orthodox. Catholic thing so much as a difference of which sorts of holy images took prominence in what places, historically. There is nothing wrong with having icons. An icon is a holy image, typically a portrait of Jesus or of a saint.
Some people in the Byzantine Empire did not approve of the use of icons because it is forbidden to worship items according to the Bible. The Western Church believed icons taught people about God; therefore making them against the iconoclasts.
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