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Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is a Christian body whose adherents are largely based in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, with a growing presence in the western world. It claims to be the original Christian church founded by Christ and the Apostles, and traces its lineage back to the early church through the process of Apostolic Succession. Eastern Orthodox distinctives include the Divine Liturgy, Mysteries, organization into self-governing jurisdictions, and an emphasis on the preservation of Tradition, which it holds to be Apostolic in nature.

Icon of Our Lady of Vladimir, one of the most venerated of Orthodox Christian icons of the Virgin Mary.

The Eastern Orthodox approach

Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology is "Christocentric", viewing Christ Jesus as the head of the Church, and the Church as his body; with authority derived directly from this relationship. This authority is held to be intrinsic to the whole Church in all her members and mediated by the Holy Spirit dynamically in Tradition. Eastern Orthodoxy has an extensive oral tradition that predates the actual texts of the New Testament, hence, it does not consider itself to be "bibliocentric"; which is the case with most forms of Protestantism. This, however, does not in any way diminish their respect and devotion toward Scriptures, but rather puts it into perspective as the texts accepted by the Church as most important. The Eastern Orthodox Church holds the Old Testament (Septuagint) in high esteem (as the New), including the Psalms (which are a part of daily services) and the prophecies leading up to the incarnation of Christ. While many parts of the Old Testament are considered edifying (teaching moral lessons about hospitality and the result of sin) it is not a requirement that everything be taken literally. The Orthodox Church does not seek any conflict with science. It tends to consider truth to be seen in the "Consensus of the Fathers" (the golden thread of agreement that runs back through the patristic writings of the Church Fathers back to the early Church and the Apostles). All theological concepts must be in agreement with the consensus of the Fathers in order to be considered truth. Rules and laws are deëmphasized in the Orthodox Church in favor of guidelines with love, compassion and mercy considered in all things.

The Fathers of the Orthodox Church are not legalistic in their views of sin. Sin does not exist as an abstract entity and must be approached on an individual basis. Likewise, the prescription for sin must be filtered through human understanding in order to be effective. There is nothing within the Church that is automatic (latae sententiae). What is a sin for one man may not be for another; neither does the Orthodox Church see all sin as being the same. The traditional practice of the Orthodox is to have a spiritual father (or mother) to whom one confesses and who treats the sin on an individual basis. An experienced spiritual father will know how and when to apply strictness in dealing with sin and when to effectively "bend the rules." This relationship (father and son) is a reflection of humanity's relationship to God and is pervasive in the church—see the section concerning the Mystery of Repentance.

Note: It is fairly common in the West to use the term "Greek Orthodox" to refer to any national group of Orthodox (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian, Georgian, American, Syrian [Antiochian], etc., in addition to Greek). This stems from the historical identification of Orthodoxy with the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire in the east, as opposed to the Latin-speaking Roman Catholic Church in the west. However, in modern usage, the term "Eastern Orthodoxy" has a wider circumference.

Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism

The Roman Catholic Church shares many of the same characteristics as the Eastern Orthodox Church, especially in reference to the early Church because of their common origin. For nearly 1000 years, the two churches were united, with the Roman Pope being counted as one of the five major hierarchs, along with the Patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople. The division of the Church into separate churches is regarded as having occurred in 1054 in what is known as the Great Schism, though their divergence began as much as two centuries earlier. Both churches claim to be the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and reject the other's claim to this title. The term "Orthodox" was adopted by the Eastern Church to signify its adherence to, and preservation of, the original apostolic traditions, teachings, and style of worship. Both churches, to signify the universality of the Church, retain the term "Catholic". Both churches also continue to claim apostolic succession. The churches differ, however, in their ecclesiology: the Orthodox Church views all bishops as equal, and rejects the idea that one patriarch may have authority over another's jurisdiction. The Patriarch of Constantinople currently enjoys the honorary title of "First Among Equals"; which simply means that in council, he occupies the position of president in what is otherwise a democratic organization. This, in the view of the Orthodox, is the same position held by the Roman Pope during the first of the ecumenical councils. As positions of political power changed within the Roman Empire, so did the leadership of the ecumenical councils, ultimately reorienting itself to the Patriarch of Constantinople. The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, views the Patriarch of Rome as the head of the Church and ascribes to him all-encompassing—indeed, infallible—authority on Christian matters.

Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras meets Pope Paul VI in 1964

To date, however, there has not been a final statement on behalf of the whole Orthodox Church, with regard to the status of Rome. This is not surprising, since such general, authoritarian statements are simply unheard-of within Eastern Orthodoxy, even upon issues with little to no internal disagreement. Therefore, a lack of a definitive, authoritarian, "Church-wide" statement cannot be taken to mean that the Eastern Orthodox Church necessarily espouses or rejects a specific belief. This sort of centralized communication is neither typical of nor appropriate to Eastern Orthodoxy. Because of its conciliar nature, in order to make such a pronouncement, the Orthodox Church would be required to convene another ecumenical council, the last of which was held in 787 AD (though some Orthodox regard there to have been eight or nine ecumenical councils, the last one thus being in the 9th or 14th c., respectively). There has been talk in recent years of doing exactly that in order to clarify the church's position on certain modern issues though nothing definite has been set.

The primary causes of Orthodox differences with Rome include the addition to the Symbol of Faith (Nicean Creed) of the Filioque clause, papal claims to authority over all Christians (papal primacy), and other doctrinal and liturgical developments approved by the See of Rome. After the split, Roman Catholics defined other dogmas that the Eastern Orthodox also considers heretical, among them papal infallibility, the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, and purgatory. The See of Rome considers the Eastern Orthodox churches to be in schism. The general Orthodox consensus is that Roman Catholics are both schismatics and heretics, although a minority of Orthodox Christians believe that the difference in reality is smaller than it appears superficially.

Eastern, Oriental and Assyrian churches

The Great Schism was not the first division to occur in the church, though it was by far the most significant. The earlier conflict between the Imperial Church and what are now called the Oriental Orthodox churches was established many centuries before at the fourth and fifth ecumenical councils. And, in some fundamental aspects, the Oriental Orthodox churches are as dissimilar from the Eastern Orthodox churches as they are from the Roman Catholic Church. Oriental Orthodox churches include the Coptic Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Malankara Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Church. These are all labelled 'monophysite' by some of the Eastern Orthodox, although they reject this label, preferring the term 'miaphysite'. The Assyrian Church of the East is also often included among this group, although it does not belong to the Oriental Orthodox Communion, and indeed, adheres to the doctrine of 'Nestorianism', directly opposed to the doctrine of the Oriental Orthodox. The main theological problem is usually traced back to the 5th century, with Saint Cyril's referring to the nature of Christ as being "One Theandric Nature". The term "Theandric" was taken by the main body of the church to mean "God/Man" and therefore really two natures, God and Man unified, while the remainder thought of it as one single nature. At first glance this may seem a trivial disagreement, but ultimately the question took hundreds of years to solidify because of its extreme complexity and eventually lead to this early split.

Eastern-Rite Catholicism

Eastern Catholic Churches (on which, see Eastern Rite) are Churches in full communion with the See of Rome and thus not part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. However, some of them use the same Byzantine liturgy used by the various Churches that make up the Eastern Orthodox Church. Since this liturgy originated in Constantinople, the Catholic Churches that use it are often called, even officially, Greek Catholic. Others have, instead, a liturgy identical with one of the diverse liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox Churches or that is individual.

Eastern Catholic Churches include the Armenian Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Eparchy of Krizevci, the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Romanian Catholic Church, the Ruthenian Catholic Church, the Syrian Catholic Church, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church.

Orthodox often apply to such Churches the term Uniate, to which they sometimes give pejorative overtones. Catholics too use the term, though less frequently. It appears in papal documents such as Ex Quo of Pope Benedict XIV,[1] (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope0247m.htm) and can be seen on some Eastern Catholic church buildings, such as Ss. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Simpson, Pennsylvania, whose cornerstone, adorned with a Russian-style cross, reads (in Russian, with some of the words abbreviated): "Russian Greek Catholic Church / of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul", followed (in English) by "MAY 7, 1905 / RUSSIAN GR. CATH. CHURCH / SIMPSON, PA. UNIAT" (see photograph here).

Internal differences in Eastern Orthodoxy

The various jurisdictions of the Orthodox Church are distinct in terms of administration and local culture, and for the most part, exist in full communion with one another. Most importantly, these groups recognize that the Grace of God is present and working within the other. The term "full communion" can be misleading in this instance since there have often existed within the Church legitimate groups that for legitimate reasons disagree with another jurisdiction's position. In such a case the normal response is to refrain from con-celebration of the services and communing mysteriologically (sacramentally); they do not, however, consider the other groups to be without Grace and outside the body of the church. An example of this is the lack of communion between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate (the Orthodox Church of Russia), the conflict arising early in the 20th century due to a serious distrust of the soviets. Another example is the philosophical differences between the New Calendarists and the Moderate Old Calendarists.

In administrative power, all Bishops of the Orthodox Church are equal; there is no Orthodox equivalent of the Roman Catholic Papacy. Jurisdictions and positions of authority are administrative only. There is no single leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church other than Jesus Christ. Therefore attachment to a single, specific hierarch, such as the Ecumenical Patriarch (of Constantinople) is not a litmus test for Orthodoxy, as there have been heretics and schismatics in even that venerable position. The measure of the legitimacy of a bishop and his jurisdiction is in how closely and carefully he upholds the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Obedience to a bishop is required only if he, in fact, upholds the teachings of the Church. It is therefore, the responsibility of the laity to reject a bishop who begins to turn toward teachings other than the ones the Church has always believed. This places a fairly heavy responsibility on the laity to educate themselves on the teachings of the Church.

History

From its founding the Church spread quickly throughout most of the Roman Empire, despite much official opposition. The Apostles traveled in different directions spreading the witness of Christ Jesus throughout the empire. Much of their history is preserved by the church including their eventual martyrdom. The only Apostle to survive into old age and die a natural death was St. John. The Apostles created bishops through the laying on of hands and taught the traditions of how this power could be passed on. In its early years thousands died under persecution only to increase the strength and witness of the church. Widespread, organized persecution finally stopped in 313 when Emperor Constantine the Great so ordered it in the Edict of Milan. From that time forward, the Byzantine emperor exerted various degrees of influence in the church. Sometimes this was seen as positive, as in the calling of the Ecumenical Councils to resolve disputes and establish church dogma on which the entire church would agree. Sometimes this was seen as negative, as when Patriarchs (often of Constantinople) were deposed by the emperor, or when the emperor sided with the iconoclasts in the eighth and ninth centuries.

Orthodox Christian culture reached its golden age during the Byzantine Empire and continued to flourish in Russia after the fall of Constantinople. It holds true to the pronouncements of the Ecumenical Councils, and its numerous autocephalous jurisdictions share a spiritual unity that transcends any minor differences in style they may have. They trace their lines back to the Apostles through a number of important ancient centers of Christianity: the cities of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, and the country of Greece.

The Orthodox jurisdictions with the largest number of adherents in modern times are the Russian and the Romanian Orthodox churches. The most ancient of the Orthodox churches of today are the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Georgia, Antioch, and Jerusalem.

The Church within the Empire

There were several doctrinal disputes from the 4th century onwards. Some of them led to the calling of Ecumenical councils to try to resolve them. The Church in Egypt (Patriarchate of Alexandria) split into two groups following the Council of Chalcedon (451), owing to a dispute about the relation between the divine and human natures of Jesus. Eventually this led to each group having its own Patriarch (Pope). Those that remained in communion with the other patriarchs were called "Melkites" (the king's men, because Constantinople was the city of the emperors) [not to be confused with the Melkite Catholics of Antioch], and are today known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, until recently led by Pope Petros VII (who was killed in a helicopter crash on September 11, 2004), while those who disagreed with the findings of the Council of Chalcedon are today known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, led by Pope Shenouda III. There was a similar split in Syria. Those who disagreed with the Council of Chalcedon are sometimes called "Oriental Orthodox" to distinguish them from the Eastern Orthodox, who accepted the Council of Chalcedon. The Oriental Orthodox are also sometimes referred to as "monophysites", "non-Chalcedonians", or "anti-Chalcedonians", although today the Oriental Orthodox Church denies that it is monophysite and prefers the term "miaphysite", to denote the "joined" nature of Jesus.

Note: The term Pope is simply an affectionate term for the lead bishop in a major patriarchate. Any of the original Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Rome, or Alexandria can be called Pope as it is not an official title. The more common term today is Patriarch in order to distinguish them from the Pope in Rome who is not an Orthodox bishop.

Muslim conquest and Iconoclasm

Icon of Holy Martyr St. Catherine of Alexandria

In the 7th century the areas administered by the bishops of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were conquered by Muslim Arabs, and the native Christians were treated as second-class citizens, or dhimmi. Westerners tend to think of Christianity as the dominant social force for a long period of history, but Christians in three of the five ancient churches have been in Muslim-dominated societies for 13 centuries. It was the Muslims who first opposed the Christian use of icons, though many Christians held a similar doctrine, based on Judaizing tendencies within the Church. The use of icons was defended and upheld at the Seventh Ecumenical Council in Nicea in AD 787, called by Patriarch Tarasius and presided over by Empress Irene, where it was dogmatically established that Christians give honor not to the image itself but to the person the image represents. The end of that council is still celebrated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" in Orthodox churches today, and icons remain a central part of Orthodox faith and practice.

Conversion of the Slavs

In the ninth and tenth centuries, Orthodoxy made great inroads into Eastern Europe, including Kievan Rus'. This work was made possible by the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who translated the Bible and many of the prayer books into Slavonic. Originally sent to convert the Slavs of Great Moravia, they were forced to compete with Frankish missionaries from the Roman diocese. Their disciples were driven out of Great Moravia in AD 886.

Some of the disciples, however, reached Bulgaria where they were welcomed by the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I who viewed the Slavonic liturgy as a way to counteract Greek influence in the country. In a short time the disciples of Cyril and Methoduis managed to prepare and instruct the future Slav Bulgarian clergy into the Glagolitic alphabet and the biblical texts and in AD 893, Bulgaria expelled its Greek clergy and proclaimed the Slavonic language as the official language of the church and the state. The success of the conversion of the Bulgarians facilitated the conversion of other Slavic peoples, most notably the Rus', predecessors of Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians.

Slavic missionaries had great success in part because they used the people's native language rather than Latin as the Roman priests did, or Greek. Today the Russian Orthodox Church, in spite of 70 years of persecution under the atheistic government of the USSR, is the largest of the Orthodox Churches.

The Great Schism

In the 11th century the Great Schism took place between Rome and Constantinople, which led to the Church of the West, the Roman Catholic Church, to become distinct from the Churches of the East. There were doctrinal issues like the filioque clause and the authority of the Pope involved in the split, but they were exacerbated by cultural and linguistic differences (Greek East and Latin West).

The final breach is often considered to have arisen as a result of the sacking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204. This Fourth Crusade had the Latin Church directly involved in a military assault against the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, and the Orthodox Patriarchate thereof. The sacking of the Church of Holy Wisdom and establishment of the Latin Empire in 1204 is viewed with some rancor to the present day. In 2004, Pope John Paul II extended a formal apology for the sacking of Constantinople in 1204; the apology was formally accepted by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. (Many things that were stolen during this time: relics, riches, and many other items, are still held in various Catholic churches in Western Europe and have yet to be offered back to the Orthodox Church. This is one of the reasons why nearly all Orthodox view the Pope with extreme suspicion.)

Something also must be said about modern terminology in reference to the Orthodox and Catholic churches. The term Roman applied to all members of the Roman Empire. Even after the Emperor Constantine moved the capitol to Byzantium, any common man would have referred to himself as Roman. Long after the Great Schism the Orthodox East continued to refer to itself as Roman Catholic, however, what we in modern times refer to as the Roman Catholic Church they would have called the Frankish Church, referring to Charlemagne’s supposed re-establishment of the Roman Empire. As far as the Orthodox countries were concerned, they were the Roman Empire, and that empire did not fall until the 15th century. The Orthodox argues that they remain the same while the Frankish church had fallen into heresy. But because of the ascendancy of western ideas in modern literature, the Roman Empire of that period is now referred to as the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Catholic Church is now the Orthodox Church, Charlemagne’s Frankish empire is now called the Holy Roman Empire and the Frankish church, the Roman Catholics.

In 1453, the last of the Roman Empire (with its capital at Constantinople) fell to the Ottoman Turks. By this time Egypt was also under Muslim control, but Orthodoxy was very strong in Russia; and so Moscow, called the Third Rome, became a new major center of the Church at that time.

Orthodoxy and the Reformation

Augusburg & Constantinople by George Mastrontonis, containing the primary source documents of the 16th century exchange between the Lutherans and the Ecumenical Patriarch

Orthodoxy did not undergo the Reformation, and attitudes of the Protestant churches towards it have been ambiguous since the beginning. Lutheran bishops led by Melanchthon sent delegates to the Patriarch of Constantinople to explore ecumenical possibilities, but the discussions went nowhere. Both sides remained cordial and brotherly, but fundamental doctrinal differences came to light, specifically regarding Holy Tradition, the Procession of the Holy Spirit, free will, divine predestination, justification, the number of sacraments, baptism by immersion (Orthodox) vs. sprinkling or pouring (Lutheran), and the immediate performance of chrismation and the giving of the Eucharist to those baptized (Orthodox), the meaning of the change in the Eucharist, and the use of unleavened bread, infallibility of the Church and of the Ecumenical Councils, veneration, feasts, and invocation of saints and their icons and relics, fasts and other ecclesiastical traditions. Ultimately, the dialogue was broken off (see 16th Century Lutheran & Orthodox Exchange in External links below).

Structure and organization

Bishops, priests, and deacons

Orthodox clergy L to R: priest, two deacons, bishop

Since its founding, the Church spread to different places, and the leaders of the Church in each place came to be known as episkopoi (overseers, plural of episkopos, overseer - Gr. Επίσκοπος), which became "bishop" in English. The other ordained roles are presbyter (Gr. Πρεσβυτερίος, elder), which became "prester" and then "priest" in English, and diakonos (Gr. Διάκονος, assistant), which became "deacon" in English (see also subdeacon). There are numerous administrative positions in the clergy that carry additional titles. In the Greek tradition, bishops who occupy an ancient See are called Metropolitan, while the lead bishop in Greece is the Archbishop. Priests can be archpriests, archimandrites, or protopresbyters. Deacons can be archdeacons or protodeacons as well. It should also be noted that in the Orthodox Church the position of deacon can be and often is occupied for life. The deacon also acts as an assistant to a bishop and bishops often travel with deacons accompanying them.

The Orthodox Church has always allowed married priests and deacons, provided the marriage takes place before ordination. In general, or ideally, congregational priests should be married, as they will be dealing with married couples; unmarried priests should normally be in monasteries. Widowed priests and deacons are not allowed to remarry. It is common for such a member of the clergy to retire to a monastery. This also applies to the widowed wives of clergy, they do not remarry and usually become nuns. Bishops are always celibate as they are selected from the ranks of monks (who are celibate). Bishops, priests, and deacons have always been men only because they represent Christ, who chose to be male. Nevertheless, Orthodox consider men and women equal before God. A priest's wife is therefore called “Presbytera” (Gr. Πρεσβυτερα, literally Priestess) and a deacon's wife “Diakonissa” (Gr. Διάκονισα, literally deaconess) for the same reason. A married man cannot accept ordination without his wife's approval, and it is common for these dedicated women to be just as busy ministering to the faithful as their husbands.

Orthodox bishops and faithful at the 2005 March for Life in Washington, DC

There also existed in the early church the official position of deaconess, which most Orthodox historians agree was not identical to the male diaconate. It is not known why the position of deaconess has mostly fallen out of use; there is no official reason why a woman could not occupy that position. Modern examples do exist: Saint Nectarios, Bishop of Pentapolis established a convent on the Isle of Aegina in Greece in 1904 and reportedly had a deaconess there.

Church jurisdictions

Main article: Eastern Orthodox Church organization

The first thing to consider when dealing with "jurisdictions" is that they apply to the clergy, not to lay persons. The different Orthodox jurisdictions are united in faith and in liturgy, but not necessarily in polity. There is only One Church regardless of nationality or culture. Laypeople do develop loyalties to the particular jurisdiction they grew up with, or were first accepted into, but should the person choose to “switch jurisdictions” there is no penalty. Jurisdictions govern the priesthood and its administrative policies thus, bishops do not interfere in one another’s territories; as their authority does not extend beyond it. There is no single bishop or similar office that corresponds to the Roman Catholic Pope, nor is there a standing synod of bishops or patriarchs. In general, the church is organized along national and regional lines in hierarchical fashion, with the "top" hierarchs or patriarchs recognizing one another's validity. From about the fourth century the churches with the largest administrative base were Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. Today there are approximately 15 separate autocephalous jurisdictions who recognize the validity of each other (though this relationship may be complicated); these are the "canonical" Orthodox Churches. Churches that call themselves Orthodox but are not recognized as valid by this group are termed "non-canonical" Orthodox Churches (though this too can be a complex relationship).

Orthodox Christians believe that they have preserved apostolic succession from the first Apostles. While Rome traces its papacy back to the Apostle Peter, Orthodox Antioch traces its Patriarchate to an even earlier foundation by the selfsame Apostle. Alexandria, for example, traces its papacy back to Mark the Evangelist, who founded the church in Alexandria in AD 40. (In Alexandria, two primates call themselves "Pope" and claim to be the successor of the apostle Mark: the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, also called the "Pope of Africa", and the Coptic Pope. Those two lines of succession separated from each other in a schism in AD 451. Coptic Catholics (one of the autonomous Eastern Rite Catholic churches) also have a high-ranking bishop called the "Patriarch of Alexandria" in that city, but he does not claim the title of "Pope".)

Orthodoxy in North America

St. Tikhon's Russian Orthodox Monastery in South Canaan, Pennsylvania

The Russian Orthodox Church sent missionaries to Alaska beginning in the 18th century. Among the first was Saint Herman of Alaska. This established missionary precedence for the Russian Orthodox Church in the Americas, and Eastern Orthodox Christians were under the omophor (Church authority and protection) of the Patriarch of Moscow. The Russian Orthodox Church was devastated by the Bolshevik Revolution. One side effect was the flood of refugees from Russia to the United States, Canada, and Europe. Among those who came were Orthodox lay people, deacons, priests, and bishops. In 1920 Patriarch Tikhon issued an ukase (decree) that Orthodox Christians under his leadership but outside of Russia should seek refuge with whatever Orthodox jurisdiction that would shield them from Communist control. The various national Orthodox communities thus were permitted as an emergency measure to look towards their immigrant homelands for ecclesiastic leadership rather than be tied to Russia. Some of the Russian Orthodox formed an independent synod that became the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR). Some of the Russian Orthodox remained in communion with Moscow and were granted autocephaly in 1970 as the Orthodox Church in America (OCA, though rarely referred to as "TOCA"). However, recognition of this autocephalic status is not universal, as the Ecumenical Patriarch (under whom is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (http://www.goarch.org)) and some other jurisdictions have not officially accepted it. The reasons for this are complex; nevertheless the Ecumenical Patriarch and the other jurisdictions remain in communion with the OCA.

Today there are many Orthodox churches in the United States and Canada that are still bound to the Greek, Antiochian, or other overseas jurisdictions; in some cases these different overseas jurisdictions will have churches in the same U.S. city. However, there are also many "pan-orthodox" activities and organizations, both formal and informal, among Orthdox believers of all jurisdictions. One such organization is SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, which comprises North American Orthodox bishops from nearly all jurisdictions. (See list of Orthodox jurisdictions in North America.)

There is a general acknowledgment that the situation, which is canonical neither in the spirit nor the letter of the law, should not continue as it is indefinitely, and that at some point all the Orthodox churches in the U.S. will need to be united under a single Metropolitan or Patriarch. There is also a general acknowledgment that this can be taken care of slowly over time. In June of 2002, the Antiochian Orthodox Church granted self-rule to the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America. Some observers see this as a step towards greater organizational unity in North America. Note that this future American Orthodox Church will be a church of Americans, for people who consider themselves Americans and speak primarily or only the English or Spanish languages; people who retain their original nationality and/or whose primary language is not English will most likely remain members of their churches, and their churches' activities will continue.

During the past 50 years there have come into existence so-called Western Orthodox Churches (a term not in use by the majority of Orthodox Christians, including those within Western Rite Orthodox parishes) in North America. These are Orthodox Christians who use the Western forms of liturgy yet are totally Orthodox in their theology. The Antiochian Orthodox Church, The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America (formerly connected with the Vicar Bishop of the (Western) Orthodox Church of France-ECOF), all have Western Rite parishes. The last jurisdiction currently has no canonical ties to the majority of Orthodox Christianaity and at best would be considered a fringe schismatic group by them.

Eastern Orthodoxy has had a history in China and East Asia as well.

Theology

In general, the Orthodox Christian approach to scriptural interpretation and theology is patristic. That means that every effort is made to continue believing and practicing the same theology that Jesus gave to the Apostles and that the Apostles gave to the early Church Fathers. Theological innovation is always met with suspicion; if an idea is truly different from what the Church has always believed and taught, it is likely heretical. It is acceptable to elaborate and more fully explain traditional theology, however. The last major theological milestone took place in the 14th century at the Hesychast Councils. There, Saint Gregory Palamas explained how God can be both utterly transcendent, yet make himself known to men.

Phronema refers to how something "smells" or "feels". The Western church (i.e., Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) generally has a legal flavor to much of its theology. Sin is understood primarily as a legal violation, and salvation is legal forgiveness for the legal offenses. Also, the West tends to first look at God in his unity, then in his three persons. The Eastern church generally has a much more relational approach. Sin leads to relational separation from God, and repentance involves restoring the relationships between the penitent and God, and between the penitent and humanity. God is viewed first as three persons in perfect relationship with each other, then as a unity sharing a single divine essence. The doctrine of the Trinity is the basis for most if not all of Orthodox theology.

It should perhaps also be mentioned that the Western churches have been especially influenced by Augustine and, to a lesser extent, Tertullian. Although Augustine was an early Church Father, writing in the fourth century, he had very little influence in the East. First of all, he wrote in Latin rather than Greek. At the time, Latin was commonly spoken in the West, but Greek was the main language of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. His writings weren't translated to Greek until the fourteenth century. Consequently, Western doctrines that are based on Augustine's views are typically not shared by the East. Eastern theologians tended to rely more on Greek philosophers than did the West, often borrowing their categories and vocabulary to explain Christian doctrine, though not necessarily accepting their theories. In the first few centuries after the fall of Rome, knowledge of Greek in the West dropped considerably, and so the Western church was generally less aware of the Greek philosophers, and consequently put much emphasis on Augustine whose Latin writings were much more approachable for them. The language barrier may also be a contributory factor to the East's not experiencing the surge of interest in Aristotle that has markedly influenced Roman Catholic theology since the High Middle Ages. These gradual differences contributed to the growing gap between the Eastern and Western churches.

Asceticism and Theosis

Asceticism is the set of disciplines practiced to work out the believer's salvation, and further the believer's repentance. Ultimately, it is believed, salvation comes only by the grace of God, but God's grace and right belief are expected to produce changes in behavior. Changes in behavior can also influence beliefs. Asceticism can include anything from taking part in prayers with the church, fasting, almsgiving, or even working hard not to lose one's temper or similar acts of restraint and self-control. Corporate prayers are generally prayed as a "liturgy", which literally means a "work of the people." One prayer that is very widely used and is the subject of much discussion of spirituality is the Jesus Prayer.

A fairly elaborate Orthodox Christian prayer corner as would be found in a private home

Theosis, also called divinization or deification, is the process of becoming more like God and more united with God. This "becoming more like God" is to be understood as becoming more like Jesus Christ (who is God), not as the wish for power and knowledge that motivated Adam and Eve to sin. Theosis is the goal of the Christian life. It means becoming all that people were originally created to be. It is not something to wait for passively, but something to be taken by force, by hard work done in one's soul. For Orthodox Christianity, theosis is salvation itself.

The chief activities of the believer are:

The Mystery of Repentance (or confession)
The Mystery of the Eucharist
Prayer
Fasting
Obedience
Almsgiving
Selflessness
The Acquisition of Virtues

Mystery of Repentance

In the earliest days of the Church, Christians confessed their sins to each other publicly, and publicly forgave each other, announcing God's forgiveness. This was possible in part because only believers were meeting together, and they were close-knit communities in which everyone trusted each other. As time went on, and more people came into the Church, some people attending were seekers or catechumens rather than faithful members, and believers began to feel uncomfortable confessing in public. Then the practice developed of members quietly confessing to God (typically in front of an icon of Jesus blessing the icon's beholder) in the presence of an elder or priest, who would offer counsel and confirm God's forgiveness. This would take place in the context of a series of prayers said by the priest and penitent together, often including Psalm 51 and other scriptures and prayers. However, it should be noted that anyone with sufficient experience and knowledge, if given a blessing from a Bishop, can hear confessions. Thus, a confessor might be a priest, monk, nun, man, woman, etc. It may make sense that married couples confess to a married person, or a woman confess to another, more experienced, woman. Such things are not unusual. However, only a priest can read the prayers of forgiveness over the person in preparation for communion. Repentance is essential preparation for receiving the Eucharist. The Orthodox Church has never bothered with the concept of anonymity in confession the way Roman Catholics have. Orthodox confession often takes the form of a discussion between the confessor and the penitent concerning his or her sins and the best course of action to take in overcoming them. Penitence is not handed out in the same way as with Catholics either. Usually all that is required is the attempt in overcoming the sin or making restitution with the person wronged. Sin is not viewed by the Orthodox as a stain on the soul that needs to be wiped out, but rather as a mistake that needs correction. Thus one should feel sorry for one's mistakes because one has failed to reach the goal. Because of this approach, guilt has never been a strong motivator with the Orthodox, nor has shame. The recognition that we are all human and occasionally make mistakes and that all we have to do is change our direction and correct the problem is more in line with the true meaning of Repentance: "to change one's mind."

Mystery of the Eucharist

The Eucharist is at the center of Orthodox Christianity. In practice, it is partaking of the bread and wine in the midst of the Divine Liturgy with the rest of the church. The bread and wine are believed to be the genuine Body and Blood of the Christ Jesus. The Eastern Orthodox Church has never described exactly how this occurs, or gone into the detail that the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have in the West. The doctrine of transubstantiation was formulated after the Great Schism took place, and the Orthodox churches have never formally affirmed or denied it, preferring to state simply that it is a mystery and sacrament. Long before the year 1054 it was the practice to in some way hide the mysterious process within the liturgy. In the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite, this was achieved through the use of Ecclesiastical Latin; in the Orthodox churches the altar area was surrounded by pillars with curtains in between. This structure called a templon represented the Temple and the Holy of Holies. Later, it became a solid wall covered with Icons and is in modern usage called an iconostasis (literally "icon stand").

Traditionally, preparation for communion involves a strict fast and often includes abstaining from animal products and sexual relations from Wednesday through Saturday, and the addition of a number of preparatory canons to ones evening prayers. Also, a complete fast (no food or drink) should be kept from sundown Saturday until after communing on Sunday. One should have one's confession heard and receive a blessing from the priest prior to receiving communion (though in keeping with the lack of legalism in Orthodoxy, the exact relation between confession and receiving communion varies between jurisdictions, regions and individuals). Because of all this preparation, some laity do not commune every Sunday, but may wait until a special holiday to commune so that he or she can properly prepare. The Orthodox take the mystery of communion very seriously because they believe this is the true Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. To receive the Mysteries unprepared would be spiritually damaging. Monastics, on the other hand, often receive communion every day because they continually fast, continually pray, and remain celibate. Because of the purity issue when considering preparation for communion, many men, even monks, will abstain from communion if they have experienced a nocturnal emission, and many women will abstain during their monthly cycle (see below - Fasting).

There are a number of pious practices that stem from the realization of this truth: the very idea that a particle of Christ’s Body and Blood might be discarded is unthinkable. At the end of the Divine Liturgy one of the clergy always remains behind in the altar in order to consume what remains of holy communion; he is very careful not to leave behind even the tiniest stray particle. In common practice, for a day following communion, anything that enters the mouth and is then removed (e.g., olive pits, grape seeds, etc.) is not thrown into the garbage but is burned. The napkin used to wipe the mouth after the meal is also burned. Orthodox should not spit, or smoke, or chew gum for the same reason. Orthodox also are careful if they are injured soon after communion to treat their own blood with the same care (since their blood and the Blood of Christ are united), burning it in the cloth used to stop it. In general, this way of dealing with the Mystery applies to anything sacred that needs to be “removed from use” due to its being damaged. The ashes of such items are usually sprinkled in a place where they will not be walked on (under a bush, in a flower garden, etc.).

Fasting

The practice of fasting is one of many Jewish practices the earliest Christians kept, and which Orthodox Christians continue to keep to this day. The Orthodox approach to fasting is quite different from the Latin West who see fasting as a penitence for sins. The Orthodox, on the other hand, are reminded that perfect man, as in the garden of Eden, ate only vegetables and fruits. The Orthodox seeks to recapture paradise through fasting, to regain a measure of purity. It is never looked on as a hardship or punishment, but rather a great privilege and joy (although it can be very difficult). Fasting typically involves differing levels of abstinence depending on the day or season and ranges from a complete fast from all food and drink to abstinence from all animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, etc.), olive oil, and wine. Shellfish and vegetable oils are permitted on certain days and weeks of the fast as is wine. Thus, most fasting guidelines resemble vegan vegetarianism with all frying/cooking done simply with water (no oil), and most vegetarian recipes are appropriate during fasts. In addition to restrictions on food, it is generally understood that married couples abstain from sexual relations during a fast. Monasteries typically have additional fasts; although there can be a great deal of variation between monastaries, they typically abstain from all animal products on Monday as well as Wednesday and Friday; and they never eat meat or poultry, fish being the only exception. The time and type of fast is generally uniform for all Orthodox Christians; the times of fasting are part of the ecclesial calendar. In this way, the whole church fasts together, and the whole church feasts together (when the fast is broken). Infants, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with other medical needs are often encouraged not to follow the usual fasting guidelines, but to work out alternatives with their priest or spiritual elder. Also, if someone wishes to follow a stricter fast, they are generally encouraged to do so only under the guidance of their priest or spiritual elder. Fasting without prayer was often called the "fast of demons" by the Church fathers, since the demons neither eat nor pray. Therefore, fasting should always be accompanied by prayer and almsgiving.

There are four major fasting periods during the year. They are:

The Nativity Fast (Advent or Winter Lent) which is the 40 days preceding the Nativity of Christ (Christmas).

The Great Fast (Lent) which consists of the 6 weeks (40 Days) preceding Palm Sunday, and Great Week (Holy Week) which proceeds Pascha (Easter).

The Fast of Saints Peter and Paul which varies in length from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the date of Pentecost which itself falls 50 days after Pascha. It begins on Monday following the first Sunday after Pentecost and extends to the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th.

And the two-week long Fast proceeding the Dormition (death or repose) of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary)

Because of the movable nature of Pascha, the number of fast days varies each year, but in general the Orthodox Christian can expect to spend at least 1/3 of the year fasting.

Almsgiving

Almsgiving refers to any charitable giving of material resources to those in need. Like fasting, it is a practice carried over from Judaism and reinforced by Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, and has remained a prominent teaching. It is often coupled with fasting (see above), as consuming less food and less expensive food should free up more resources that can be given. It is also connected to the Eucharist, in which thanks is given for all things, and it is acknowledged that all things ultimately belong to God. Almsgiving is one of the most practical of Orthodox Christian practices.

Salvation and the afterlife

16th c. Russian icon of the Last Judgment

When one speaks of salvation it is important to understand what the word means. In the Christian West it has come to mean “Going to Heaven”, but for the Eastern Orthodox it refers to the change in Human nature that occurred because of Jesus' life and death. Man was originally created perfect, but through his own actions he embraced evil through disobedience to God. Because of man’s fall he was condemned, when he died, to go to Hell (Hades), indeed, it is believed that from Adam to St John the Baptist, all men went to a place of separation from God. But when Jesus came into the world he himself was Perfect Man and Perfect God united. Through his participation in becoming human, human nature was changed allowing us to participate in the divine, thus paving our way to heaven. This process of salvation worked retroactively back to the beginning of time, thus saving Adam and Eve and all that followed after them.

Salvation, therefore, means being saved from this original fate of Hell, caused by the fall of Man. In this sense, all mankind is saved. This does not mean, however, that all men will continue to preserve that state. It is possible to separate oneself from God once again and to embrace evil. Such people place themselves in Hell; it is not God who punishes them. In the question of who is “Going to Heaven”, this rests upon the mercy of God. No man is perfect, but also no man is so corrupt that God, in his infinite mercy, cannot forgive him. The privilege of going to Heaven cannot be earned; men do not “deserve” Heaven. One cannot say, “I kept all the rules and regulations therefore God must let me in”; such an idea is called Pelagianism and was rejected by the church as heresy. God’s mercy alone is the key to our eternal happiness; the efficacy of this mercy, however, is contingent on our accepting it. God will not force us into salvation. Orthodox Christianity does not teach that one must be Orthodox to be saved; rather, it teaches that its traditions and practices are the very same traditions and practices taught by Jesus and the Apostles, and therefore offer the best possible road to follow to salvation. If one seeks the fullness of the Christian experience one can only find it within the Orthodox Church.

As to the afterlife and what we can expect, heaven is not a static state. Mankind will be restored to perfection, but perfection is not an ultimate end in and of itself. While it is true that all adverse traits will be gone from the human race and man will be as originally intended, it does not mean that we shall suddenly gain infinite knowledge, but rather that we will be able to swim unhindered into the infinite depths of God’s Knowledge, Wisdom, and Love. Unending progression in understanding and love is equated with unending happiness. This is the reward that awaits us. For those who reject the love and mercy of God, though, the experience of His presence will unbearably painful.

Eastern Orthodox churches

Autocephalous churches

See autocephaly

Orthodox Church of Constantinople
Orthodox Church of Alexandria
Orthodox Church of Antioch
Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
Russian Orthodox Church
Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church
Serbian Orthodox Church
Romanian Orthodox Church
Bulgarian Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church of Cyprus
Church of Greece
Polish Orthodox Church
Albanian Orthodox Church
Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church
Orthodox Church in America (autocephaly not universally recognized)

Autonomous churches

Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai (under the Patriarchate of Jerusalem)
Finnish Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Constantinople)
Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (http://www.orthodoxa.org/) (under the Patriarchate of Constantinople)
Estonian Orthodox Church (http://www.orthodox.ee/indexeng.php) (under the Patriarchate of Moscow)
Japanese Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow)
Chinese Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow)
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow)
Metropolia of Western Europe (under the Patriarchate of Moscow)
Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric (under the Patriarchate of Belgrade)

Churches with "irregular" status

The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, (also called the Russian Church Abroad, the Russian Synodal Church, the White Russian Church, ROCOR, or the Synod) is that part of the Russian Orthodox Church that exists outside the borders of Russia. Since the establishment of Communism the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia remained free and an outspoken critic of the Soviet Union and it's persecution of the Christians in Russia. Since the fall of Communism the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate and Russian Synod) have begun talks on re-union. For more on the history of the Soviet-inspired schism in the Russian Church, please visit:

History of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/roca_history.aspx) by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco, the Wonderworker
The Meaning of the Russian Diaspora (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/meaning_diaspora.aspx) by St. John of Shanghai and San Francisco
On the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/ephraim_roca.aspx) by Elder Ephraim of the Holy Mountain
The Life of St. John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (http://www.saintjohnwonderworker.org/lifeidx.htm)
Homilies and Writings of St. John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (http://www.stmaryofegypt.org/library/st_john_maximovich/index.htm)

Churches in Resistance

Not everything in the Orthodox Church is labeled or defined; quite the contrary. There have often been issues within the Church that caused differing opinions about an aspect of the Church's beliefs. Those that were greatest among these controversies led ultimately to a general council where the heresies were uprooted and the truth of the Church reestablished. One of the aspects of the Church that has been called into question in this modern day is the question of Tradition especially in regards to the Calendar. Since the 1920s when the Patriarch of Constantinople, Meletios Metaxakis adopted the New Calendar (officially called the "Revised Julian Calendar," but sometimes referred to incorrectly as the "Gregorian/Papal Calendar") there have been a number of reactionary groups within the church, usually called Old Calendarists. These Old Calendarists can be divided into two main groups based on the scope of their argument; the Zealots (or "Extremists") and the Moderates. Both groups are regarded as schismatics by some within the Church, however this may not be a valid label for the Moderates.

Moderate Old Calendarists

The Churches in Resistance regard themselves as following the example of St. Maximos the Confessor (662 A.D.), who stood alone against the majority of the Church in opposition to the Monothelite heresy. Likewise claiming to be functioning within the established canonical boundaries of the Church, the Churches in Resistance have chosen to react to the perceived ecumenism in modern Orthodoxy by refraining from concelebrating the Divine Liturgy with those whom they regard as ecumenists. It should be understood, however, that they do not condemn the New Calendarists for their position but seek rather a general council to clarify this conflict.

They will commune the faithful from all the canonical jurisdictions and are recognized by and in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (who themselves use the Old Calendar). Their canonical status is often questioned by the mainstream Orthodox for failure to comply with the majority of the Church, while the Traditionalists point out that compliance with Church refers to the entire Church stretching back 2000 years to Christ, not the New Calendarists that have existed for only a few decades. The example of the arguments of St. Maximos are proof that compliance with the majority is not a requirement of the Church, nor can a local church be justifiably removed from the Church without a general council. It should also be noted, in the case of St Maximos, that he was also considered to be a schismatic and outside the church while at the same time he never condemned the church, thus he followed the proper procedure in holding his position. Had he declared himself to be the sole remaining Orthodox then he would have truly been a schismatic. It might be said that the Moderate Old Calendarists have been especially careful to retain a position that both champions their traditional point of view while not being radical enough to constitute a break from rest of the church.

The Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance) (http://www.synodinresistance.gr/indexen.htm)
The Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Romania
The Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria

See also: Ecumenism Awareness (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/), a website from one of the aforementioned groups

Isolated Orthodox jurisdictions

The Old Calendar Church of Greece represents a group of Orthodox who claim to be the sole remaining True Orthodox left in the world, e.g., "Paleoimerologites". They are not in communion with any other group. Other groups are not in communion with other Orthodox jurisdictions due to recent political upheavals or due to hierarchical schisms that do not necessarily reflect doctrinal disagreement.

Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece - the Paleoimerologites
Belorussian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Macedonian Orthodox Church (recognizes all other mainstream Churches but is not recognised by any of them)
Old Believers (in general, but some Old Believers in the USA have entered Communion with ROCOR)
Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

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Other groups are not in communion with other Orthodox jurisdictions due to recent political upheavals or due to hierarchical schisms that do not necessarily reflect doctrinal disagreement. Instead, they hired Louisiana State University coach Nick Saban. They are not in communion with any other group. Despite this, the Dolphins decided not to hire Bates for the permanent coaching position. The Old Calendar Church of Greece represents a group of Orthodox who claim to be the sole remaining True Orthodox left in the world, e.g., "Paleoimerologites". He was replaced on an interim basis by defensive coordinator Jim Bates. Under Bates, the Dolphins fared much better, winning three of their final seven games, including a 29-28 upset victory over the defending champion Patriots on December 20.
. After a 1-8 start, Wannstedt resigned on November 9, 2004.

It might be said that the Moderate Old Calendarists have been especially careful to retain a position that both champions their traditional point of view while not being radical enough to constitute a break from rest of the church. This led to them being dead-last in the NFL as well as the subject to nicknames like "Stinky Fish" and, to fans, "We Stink". Had he declared himself to be the sole remaining Orthodox then he would have truly been a schismatic. These predictions proved right; the Dolphins dropped their first six games of the 2004 year, marking the worst start in franchise history. It should also be noted, in the case of St Maximos, that he was also considered to be a schismatic and outside the church while at the same time he never condemned the church, thus he followed the proper procedure in holding his position. Many experts predicted a disastrous season for the Dolphins. Maximos are proof that compliance with the majority is not a requirement of the Church, nor can a local church be justifiably removed from the Church without a general council. Tight end Randy McMichael was arrested for domestic violence and wide receiver David Boston (signed from San Diego) suffered an injury in training camp and will miss the season (Boston also failed a drug test for steroids later in the season). But the biggest shock came when Ricky Williams retired under mysterious circumstances, probably related to drug use.

The example of the arguments of St. The 2004 offseason was terrible for the Dolphins. Their canonical status is often questioned by the mainstream Orthodox for failure to comply with the majority of the Church, while the Traditionalists point out that compliance with Church refers to the entire Church stretching back 2000 years to Christ, not the New Calendarists that have existed for only a few decades. At the end of the season it was announced that Dan Marino would return to the team as its president, but quit after a month. They will commune the faithful from all the canonical jurisdictions and are recognized by and in communion with the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (who themselves use the Old Calendar). Miami finished 10-6, but it was still short of a playoff spot. It should be understood, however, that they do not condemn the New Calendarists for their position but seek rather a general council to clarify this conflict. In 2003 the Dolphins again started strong (4-1) but finished weak, with devastating mid-season losses to the Patriots, Colts and Titans submarining them.

Likewise claiming to be functioning within the established canonical boundaries of the Church, the Churches in Resistance have chosen to react to the perceived ecumenism in modern Orthodoxy by refraining from concelebrating the Divine Liturgy with those whom they regard as ecumenists. Fans wanted Wannstedt's firing, but he was kept on for the 2003 season. Maximos the Confessor (662 A.D.), who stood alone against the majority of the Church in opposition to the Monothelite heresy. Due to a tiebreaker, both the Dolphins and Patriots lost out on the playoffs as the Jets took the AFC East title. The Churches in Resistance regard themselves as following the example of St. The Dolphins started the season 5-1 before Fiedler got injured and was replaced by Ray Lucas, who lost three straight. Because the competition in the division was so close, the Dolphins still had a chance to win the division in the final week against the Patriots, but blew a 10-point fourth-quarter lead and lost in overtime. Both groups are regarded as schismatics by some within the Church, however this may not be a valid label for the Moderates. Miami revitalized its running game in time for the 2002 season by signing running back Ricky Williams from the New Orleans Saints.

These Old Calendarists can be divided into two main groups based on the scope of their argument; the Zealots (or "Extremists") and the Moderates. Miami had to settle for a wild card, and lost 20-3 to the Baltimore Ravens in the first round. Since the 1920s when the Patriarch of Constantinople, Meletios Metaxakis adopted the New Calendar (officially called the "Revised Julian Calendar," but sometimes referred to incorrectly as the "Gregorian/Papal Calendar") there have been a number of reactionary groups within the church, usually called Old Calendarists. That honor went to Super Bowl champion New England. One of the aspects of the Church that has been called into question in this modern day is the question of Tradition especially in regards to the Calendar. In the 2001 season the Dolphins lost two games to the New York Jets, which cost them the division title. Those that were greatest among these controversies led ultimately to a general council where the heresies were uprooted and the truth of the Church reestablished. The 2000 season notwithstanding, late-season collapses have been the norm in Miami since the late 1990s.

There have often been issues within the Church that caused differing opinions about an aspect of the Church's beliefs. Miami won a tough overtime game over the Indianapolis Colts on a Lamar Smith touchdown in the wild card round, but were shut out by the Oakland Raiders in the divisional playoff. Not everything in the Orthodox Church is labeled or defined; quite the contrary. Despite the obviously lowered expectations, the defense broke through with Jason Taylor and Trace Armstrong both getting 10 sacks, and four players (Sam Madison, Brian Walker, Brock Marion and Patrick Surtain) getting at least five interceptions. In addition, Lamar Smith rushed for over 1000 yards and Miami finished atop the AFC East with an 11-5 record. See autocephaly. Dave Wannstedt, formerly of the Chicago Bears, became the new coach; and Jay Fiedler became the new quarterback for the 2000 season. For those who reject the love and mercy of God, though, the experience of His presence will unbearably painful. After the season, Jimmy Johnson left the team and Marino retired.

This is the reward that awaits us. After a close win over Seattle in the wild card round, they suffered one the worst playoff losses in NFL history against the Jacksonville Jaguars: 62-7. Unending progression in understanding and love is equated with unending happiness. Miami went 2-6 in their last eight games, but still backed into the playoffs at 9-7. While it is true that all adverse traits will be gone from the human race and man will be as originally intended, it does not mean that we shall suddenly gain infinite knowledge, but rather that we will be able to swim unhindered into the infinite depths of God’s Knowledge, Wisdom, and Love. In Marino's first game back, he would have the worst game of his career, on Thanksgiving in Dallas, throwing 5 interceptions and having a passer rating of 0.0. Mankind will be restored to perfection, but perfection is not an ultimate end in and of itself. In 1999 Marino would be injured in a game where backup Damon Huard led a comeback.

As to the afterlife and what we can expect, heaven is not a static state. The Dolphins beat the Bills in the wild card round, but lost to the eventual champion Denver Broncos (who lost only one of two games that season to Miami) in the divisional playoff. If one seeks the fullness of the Christian experience one can only find it within the Orthodox Church. McDuffie, but it was not enough to get past the New York Jets into first place in the division. Orthodox Christianity does not teach that one must be Orthodox to be saved; rather, it teaches that its traditions and practices are the very same traditions and practices taught by Jesus and the Apostles, and therefore offer the best possible road to follow to salvation. Miami had a solid 10-6 season in 1998 with a career season for receiver O.J. God will not force us into salvation. In 1997 Miami stumbled late and backed into the playoffs with a 9-7 season, losing to the New England Patriots in the wild card round.

God’s mercy alone is the key to our eternal happiness; the efficacy of this mercy, however, is contingent on our accepting it. In 1996 Miami finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs, with rookie Karim Abdul-Jabbar's 1000-yard rushing season one of the lone bright spots. One cannot say, “I kept all the rules and regulations therefore God must let me in”; such an idea is called Pelagianism and was rejected by the church as heresy. Jimmy Johnson, who had won a collegiate national championship at the University of Miami and two Super Bowls with the Dallas Cowboys, was named as Shula’s replacement. The privilege of going to Heaven cannot be earned; men do not “deserve” Heaven. Following the 1995 season Don Shula became an executive in the Dolphins’ front office. No man is perfect, but also no man is so corrupt that God, in his infinite mercy, cannot forgive him. In 1995 Marino broke the career passing records formerly held by Fran Tarkenton for yards (48,841), touchdowns (352), and completions (3,913). The Dolphins finished 9-7, second in the AFC East, but still made the playoffs as a wild card; losing to Buffalo in the first round.

In the question of who is “Going to Heaven”, this rests upon the mercy of God. After beating the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round, they suffered a heart-breaking last-second loss to the San Diego Chargers in the divisional playoff. Such people place themselves in Hell; it is not God who punishes them. With Marino back for the 1994 season they won the AFC East again with a 10-6 record. It is possible to separate oneself from God once again and to embrace evil. Both Marino and backup Scott Mitchell suffered season-ending injuries, and Miami lost its final 5 games to miss the playoffs at 9-7. This does not mean, however, that all men will continue to preserve that state. 1993 turned into a disastrous year for the Dolphins.

In this sense, all mankind is saved. They beat the Chargers in the divisional playoff, but were stunned by the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship. Salvation, therefore, means being saved from this original fate of Hell, caused by the fall of Man. The Dolphins finished 11-5 in 1992, capturing the AFC East title in Mark Higgs' best season as a running back and Keith Jackson (newly acquired from the Philadelphia Eagles) leading the team in receiving. This process of salvation worked retroactively back to the beginning of time, thus saving Adam and Eve and all that followed after them. They beat the Kansas City Chiefs in the wild card round, but lost to the Buffalo Bills in the divisional playoff. The team struggled with defensive injuries in 1991, and narrowly missed the playoffs on an overtime loss to the New York Jets the final week of the season. Through his participation in becoming human, human nature was changed allowing us to participate in the divine, thus paving our way to heaven. By 1990 the Dolphins had finally shaped up on defense, and finished with a 11-5 record, second in the AFC East.

But when Jesus came into the world he himself was Perfect Man and Perfect God united. Miami had their first losing season in years in 1988, and were back to 8-8 in 1989. Because of man’s fall he was condemned, when he died, to go to Hell (Hades), indeed, it is believed that from Adam to St John the Baptist, all men went to a place of separation from God. The problems continued in 1987, with an 8-7 record in a strike-shortened year; their first at new Joe Robbie Stadium. Man was originally created perfect, but through his own actions he embraced evil through disobedience to God. In 1986 the Dolphins, hampered by defensive struggles, stumbled to 8-8, out of the playoff picture. In the Christian West it has come to mean “Going to Heaven”, but for the Eastern Orthodox it refers to the change in Human nature that occurred because of Jesus' life and death. New England forced 6 turnovers on the way to a 31-14 win - the Patriots' first in Miami since 1969.

When one speaks of salvation it is important to understand what the word means. The cinderella New England Patriots, the Dolphins' opponents in the AFC Championship, had different plans. Almsgiving is one of the most practical of Orthodox Christian practices. After beating the Cleveland Browns in the divisional playoffs, many people were looking forward to a rematch with Chicago in Super Bowl XX. It is also connected to the Eucharist, in which thanks is given for all things, and it is acknowledged that all things ultimately belong to God. In 1985 Miami went 12-4 and was the only team that beat the Chicago Bears all year. It is often coupled with fasting (see above), as consuming less food and less expensive food should free up more resources that can be given. It would be Marino's only Super Bowl appearance.

Like fasting, it is a practice carried over from Judaism and reinforced by Jesus and the authors of the New Testament, and has remained a prominent teaching. In the title game, however, Miami lost to the San Francisco 49ers 38-16. Almsgiving refers to any charitable giving of material resources to those in need. Miami beat the Seahawks and Steelers in the playoffs to get to Super Bowl XIX. Because of the movable nature of Pascha, the number of fast days varies each year, but in general the Orthodox Christian can expect to spend at least 1/3 of the year fasting. Marino, in his first full season, was voted MVP as he threw for over 5000 yards and 48 touchdowns. Monastics often include Mondays as a fast day in commemoration of the Angels. In 1984, the Dolphins won their first 11 games en route to a 14-2 season.

In addition, except during feasting weeks, members of the Orthodox Church fast on every Wednesday in commemoration of Christ's betrayal by Judas Iscariot, and on every Friday in commemoration of his crucifixion. Defensive End Doug Betters was the Defensive Player of the Year. They are:. Seldom sacked by defenders, Marino was protected by an outstanding offensive line as he passed to receivers such as Mark Clayton and Mark Duper. Despite the regular season success (the Dolphins went 12-4, the only team in the AFC East with a winning record), they were upset in the divisional playoff by the Seattle Seahawks. There are four major fasting periods during the year. During the mid-1980s Marino produced the most impressive set of passing statistics in NFL history, setting single-season records for most yards (5,084), touchdown passes (48), and completions (362) during the 1984 season. Therefore, fasting should always be accompanied by prayer and almsgiving. During the third game of the 1983 season, Shula replaced quarterback David Woodley with rookie Dan Marino, who went on to win the AFC passing championship and rookie of the year award.

Fasting without prayer was often called the "fast of demons" by the Church fathers, since the demons neither eat nor pray. Ironically after enjoying success rooted in a defense-first philosophy, and employing a ball control offense to take pressure off of lacklustre quarterbacks, the next 17 seasons would be marked by an average rushing game and defense that limited a great quarterback. Also, if someone wishes to follow a stricter fast, they are generally encouraged to do so only under the guidance of their priest or spiritual elder. After shutting out the New York Jets in the AFC championship, they lost Super Bowl XVII to Washington 27-17. Infants, women who are pregnant or breastfeeding, and people with other medical needs are often encouraged not to follow the usual fasting guidelines, but to work out alternatives with their priest or spiritual elder. In the second round against San Diego the Dolphins got revenge for their loss the previous year, winning even more handily. In this way, the whole church fasts together, and the whole church feasts together (when the fast is broken). In the first round in Miami, they met again, with the Dolphins winning easily.

The time and type of fast is generally uniform for all Orthodox Christians; the times of fasting are part of the ecclesial calendar. Late in the season in a snowy game against the New England Patriots, a convicted felon on work release cleared a path for Patriots kicker John Smith to score the game-winning field goal. Monasteries typically have additional fasts; although there can be a great deal of variation between monastaries, they typically abstain from all animal products on Monday as well as Wednesday and Friday; and they never eat meat or poultry, fish being the only exception. During the first two rounds of the playoffs they got revenge for previous losses. In addition to restrictions on food, it is generally understood that married couples abstain from sexual relations during a fast. In the strike-shortened season of 1982, the Dolphins, led by the "Killer B's" defense (Baumhower, Bill Barnett, Lyle Blackwood, Kim Bokamper and Bob Brudzinski), held five of their nine opponents to 14 or fewer points en route to their fourth Super Bowl appearance. Thus, most fasting guidelines resemble vegan vegetarianism with all frying/cooking done simply with water (no oil), and most vegetarian recipes are appropriate during fasts. Chargers tight end Kellen Winslow, under exhaustion, blocked Uwe von Schummann's field goal try on the last play of regulation, and Rolf Benirschke kicked the game-winner for San Diego in overtime.

Shellfish and vegetable oils are permitted on certain days and weeks of the fast as is wine. After being down 24-0, Miami tied it at 24. After taking the lead, San Diego tied it up 38-38 late. Fasting typically involves differing levels of abstinence depending on the day or season and ranges from a complete fast from all food and drink to abstinence from all animal products (meat, dairy, eggs, etc.), olive oil, and wine. The Dolphins were back on top of the AFC East in the 1981 season, with an 11-4-1 record. They reached the divisional playoff against the San Diego Chargers, regarded by some as one of the most memorable games in NFL history. It is never looked on as a hardship or punishment, but rather a great privilege and joy (although it can be very difficult). The Dolphins finished 8-8 and out of the playoffs. The Orthodox seeks to recapture paradise through fasting, to regain a measure of purity. In 1980 the late David Woodley took over at quarterback and Griese retired after the season.

The Orthodox, on the other hand, are reminded that perfect man, as in the garden of Eden, ate only vegetables and fruits. After winning the division with a 10-6 record, the Dolphins lost the divisional playoff to the eventual champion Pittsburgh Steelers. The Orthodox approach to fasting is quite different from the Latin West who see fasting as a penitence for sins. Csonka returned to the Dolphins in time for the 1979 season. The practice of fasting is one of many Jewish practices the earliest Christians kept, and which Orthodox Christians continue to keep to this day. They made the playoffs as a wild card in 1978, but lost in the first round to the Houston Oilers. The ashes of such items are usually sprinkled in a place where they will not be walked on (under a bush, in a flower garden, etc.). The Dolphins went 10-4 again in 1977, but again lost the division title (and playoff spot) to the Colts.

In general, this way of dealing with the Mystery applies to anything sacred that needs to be “removed from use” due to its being damaged. Duhe and linemen Bob Baumhower and Doug Betters. Orthodox also are careful if they are injured soon after communion to treat their own blood with the same care (since their blood and the Blood of Christ are united), burning it in the cloth used to stop it. J. Orthodox should not spit, or smoke, or chew gum for the same reason. Shula built a solid defense around a new set of stars, including linebacker A. The napkin used to wipe the mouth after the meal is also burned. Miami rebounded from a losing record in 1976 by winning ten or more games in four of the next five seasons.

In common practice, for a day following communion, anything that enters the mouth and is then removed (e.g., olive pits, grape seeds, etc.) is not thrown into the garbage but is burned. After the disappointing defeat, several players, including Csonka, Warfield, and running back Jim Kiick, joined the short-lived World Football League. The Dolphins managed to win ten games in 1975, aided by Griese’s consistency and the fine play of wide receiver Nat Moore. They did not make the playoffs however, losing on a tiebreaker to the Baltimore Colts. At the end of the Divine Liturgy one of the clergy always remains behind in the altar in order to consume what remains of holy communion; he is very careful not to leave behind even the tiniest stray particle. Miami reached the playoffs again in 1974 but lost in the first round to the Oakland Raiders. There are a number of pious practices that stem from the realization of this truth: the very idea that a particle of Christ’s Body and Blood might be discarded is unthinkable. The Dolphins won 12 games during the 1973 season and repeated as Super Bowl VIII champions, routing the Minnesota Vikings 24-7. It is the opinion of some traditionalists that frequent communion is dangerous spiritually if it reflects a lack of piety in approaching the most significant of the Mysteries, which would be damaging to the soul. It was led by linebacker Nick Buoniconti, end Bill Stanfill, and safeties Dick Anderson and Jake Scott.

In modern practice, especially (but not exclusively) in the US, reception of communion is often more frequent (as it was in most of Church history), which some Orthodox Christians regard as contributing to a lack of seriousness regarding the sacrament, while others see this as a renewal of the spiritual life. The 1972 Dolphins defensive unit, called the No-Name Defense because Miami’s impressive offense received much more publicity, was the league’s best that year. Because of the purity issue when considering preparation for communion, many men, even monks, will abstain from communion if they have experienced a nocturnal emission, and many women will abstain during their monthly cycle (see below - Fasting). The offensive line included future Hall of Fame members Jim Langer and Larry Little. Monastics, on the other hand, often receive communion every day because they continually fast, continually pray, and remain celibate. During this season, Griese and veteran quarterback Earl Morrall shared the passing duties, and running backs Larry Csonka and Mercury Morris became the first teammates to rush for more than 1,000 yards each. To receive the Mysteries unprepared would be spiritually damaging. (This is sometimes called the "Perfect Season".) Miami went on to win two playoff games and then Super Bowl VII, defeating the Washington Redskins 14-7.

The Orthodox take the mystery of communion very seriously because they believe this is the true Body and Blood of Christ Jesus. In 1972 the Dolphins accomplished an amazing feat, becoming the first NFL team to finish a season undefeated (the 1948 Cleveland Browns had accomplished the feat, but as members of the All-America Football Conference). Because of all this preparation, some laity do not commune every Sunday, but may wait until a special holiday to commune so that he or she can properly prepare. In Super Bowl VI, however, Miami lost to the Dallas Cowboys 24-3. One should have one's confession heard and receive a blessing from the priest prior to receiving communion (though in keeping with the lack of legalism in Orthodoxy, the exact relation between confession and receiving communion varies between jurisdictions, regions and individuals). The AFC Divisional Playoff Game, in which the Dolphins defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, was the longest contest in NFL history (82 minutes 40 seconds). Also, a complete fast (no food or drink) should be kept from sundown Saturday until after communing on Sunday. The Dolphins were a successful team during the early 1970s, capturing the AFC championship in 1971 behind quarterback Bob Griese and wide receiver Paul Warfield.

Traditionally, preparation for communion involves a strict fast and often includes abstaining from animal products and sexual relations from Wednesday through Saturday, and the addition of a number of preparatory canons to ones evening prayers. Miami joined the NFL in 1970 when the NFL and AFL completed their merger. Later, it became a solid wall covered with Icons and is in modern usage called an iconostasis (literally "icon stand"). The Dolphins began play in 1966, and after four consecutive losing seasons, Don Shula replaced George Wilson as head coach. This structure called a templon represented the Temple and the Holy of Holies. Miami joined the American Football League (AFL) when an expansion team franchise was awarded to lawyer Joseph Robbie and actor Danny Thomas in 1965. In the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite, this was achieved through the use of Ecclesiastical Latin; in the Orthodox churches the altar area was surrounded by pillars with curtains in between. He piloted the Dolphins to numerous playoff appearances and one Super Bowl, and he holds numerous NFL career passing records.

Long before the year 1054 it was the practice to in some way hide the mysterious process within the liturgy. During the 1980s and 1990s quarterback Dan Marino became the most prolific passer in NFL history. The doctrine of transubstantiation was formulated after the Great Schism took place, and the Orthodox churches have never formally affirmed or denied it, preferring to state simply that it is a mystery and sacrament. Five future Hall of Fame members played for Miami during the 1970s, including running back Larry Csonka and quarterback Bob Griese. The Eastern Orthodox Church has never described exactly how this occurs, or gone into the detail that the Roman Catholic and Protestant churches have in the West. In 1972 the Dolphins became the first and only NFL team to complete a 14-game regular season (and the entire postseason) without a loss. The bread and wine are believed to be the genuine Body and Blood of the Christ Jesus. His Dolphins teams posted losing records in only 2 of his 26 seasons with the club.

In practice, it is partaking of the bread and wine in the midst of the Divine Liturgy with the rest of the church. For most of their history, the Dolphins were coached by Don Shula, the winningest head coach in professional football history. The Eucharist is at the center of Orthodox Christianity. The team is named for the dolphins that inhabit the coastal waters of Florida. The recognition that we are all human and occasionally make mistakes and that all we have to do is change our direction and correct the problem is more in line with the true meaning of Repentance: "to change one's mind.". Miami Dolphins, professional football team and one of the four teams in the Eastern Division of the American Football Conference (AFC) of the National Football League (NFL). Because of this approach, guilt has never been a strong motivator with the Orthodox, nor has shame. The Miami Dolphins are a National Football League team based in Miami, Florida.

Thus one should feel sorry for one's mistakes because one has failed to reach the goal. Jimmy Johnson (coach). Sin is not viewed by the Orthodox as a stain on the soul that needs to be wiped out, but rather as a mistake that needs correction. Garo Yepremian. Penitence is not handed out in the same way as with Catholics either. Usually all that is required is the attempt in overcoming the sin or making restitution with the person wronged. Ricky Williams. The Orthodox Church has never bothered with the concept of anonymity in confession the way Roman Catholics have. Orthodox confession often takes the form of a discussion between the confessor and the penitent concerning his or her sins and the best course of action to take in overcoming them. Paul Warfield.

Repentance is essential preparation for receiving the Eucharist. John Stofa. However, only a priest can read the prayers of forgiveness over the person in preparation for communion. Dwight Stephenson. Such things are not unusual. Jake Scott. It may make sense that married couples confess to a married person, or a woman confess to another, more experienced, woman. Mercury Morris.

Thus, a confessor might be a priest, monk, nun, man, woman, etc. Nat Moore. This would take place in the context of a series of prayers said by the priest and penitent together, often including Psalm 51 and other scriptures and prayers. However, it should be noted that anyone with sufficient experience and knowledge, if given a blessing from a Bishop, can hear confessions. Gene Mingo. Then the practice developed of members quietly confessing to God (typically in front of an icon of Jesus blessing the icon's beholder) in the presence of an elder or priest, who would offer counsel and confirm God's forgiveness. Wahoo McDaniel. As time went on, and more people came into the Church, some people attending were seekers or catechumens rather than faithful members, and believers began to feel uncomfortable confessing in public. Larry Little.

This was possible in part because only believers were meeting together, and they were close-knit communities in which everyone trusted each other. Jim Kiick. In the earliest days of the Church, Christians confessed their sins to each other publicly, and publicly forgave each other, announcing God's forgiveness. Cookie Gilchrist. The chief activities of the believer are:. Mark Duper. For Orthodox Christianity, theosis is salvation itself. Mark Clayton.

It is not something to wait for passively, but something to be taken by force, by hard work done in one's soul. Keith Byars. It means becoming all that people were originally created to be. Nick Buoniconti. Theosis is the goal of the Christian life. Dick Anderson. This "becoming more like God" is to be understood as becoming more like Jesus Christ (who is God), not as the wish for power and knowledge that motivated Adam and Eve to sin. Larry Csonka 39.

Theosis, also called divinization or deification, is the process of becoming more like God and more united with God. Dan Marino 13. Corporate prayers are generally prayed as a "liturgy", which literally means a "work of the people." One prayer that is very widely used and is the subject of much discussion of spirituality is the Jesus Prayer. Bob Griese12. Asceticism can include anything from taking part in prayers with the church, fasting, almsgiving, or even working hard not to lose one's temper or similar acts of restraint and self-control. Zach Thomas. Changes in behavior can also influence beliefs. Jason Taylor.

Asceticism is the set of disciplines practiced to work out the believer's salvation, and further the believer's repentance. Ultimately, it is believed, salvation comes only by the grace of God, but God's grace and right belief are expected to produce changes in behavior. Junior Seau. These gradual differences contributed to the growing gap between the Eastern and Western churches. Randy McMichael. The language barrier may also be a contributory factor to the East's not experiencing the surge of interest in Aristotle that has markedly influenced Roman Catholic theology since the High Middle Ages. Sam Madison. In the first few centuries after the fall of Rome, knowledge of Greek in the West dropped considerably, and so the Western church was generally less aware of the Greek philosophers, and consequently put much emphasis on Augustine whose Latin writings were much more approachable for them. Sammy Knight.

Eastern theologians tended to rely more on Greek philosophers than did the West, often borrowing their categories and vocabulary to explain Christian doctrine, though not necessarily accepting their theories. Jeno James. His writings weren't translated to Greek until the fourteenth century. Consequently, Western doctrines that are based on Augustine's views are typically not shared by the East. Gus Frerotte. At the time, Latin was commonly spoken in the West, but Greek was the main language of the eastern part of the Roman Empire. Chris Chambers. First of all, he wrote in Latin rather than Greek. Tim Bowens.

Although Augustine was an early Church Father, writing in the fourth century, he had very little influence in the East. Marty Booker. It should perhaps also be mentioned that the Western churches have been especially influenced by Augustine and, to a lesser extent, Tertullian. Paul Warfield. The doctrine of the Trinity is the basis for most if not all of Orthodox theology. Dwight Stephenson. God is viewed first as three persons in perfect relationship with each other, then as a unity sharing a single divine essence. Don Shula.

Sin leads to relational separation from God, and repentance involves restoring the relationships between the penitent and God, and between the penitent and humanity. Dan Marino. The Eastern church generally has a much more relational approach. Larry Little. Also, the West tends to first look at God in his unity, then in his three persons. Jim Langer. Sin is understood primarily as a legal violation, and salvation is legal forgiveness for the legal offenses. Bob Griese.

The Western church (i.e., Roman Catholicism and Protestantism) generally has a legal flavor to much of its theology. Larry Csonka. Phronema refers to how something "smells" or "feels". Nick Buoniconti. There, Saint Gregory Palamas explained how God can be both utterly transcendent, yet make himself known to men. The last major theological milestone took place in the 14th century at the Hesychast Councils.

It is acceptable to elaborate and more fully explain traditional theology, however. Theological innovation is always met with suspicion; if an idea is truly different from what the Church has always believed and taught, it is likely heretical. That means that every effort is made to continue believing and practicing the same theology that Jesus gave to the Apostles and that the Apostles gave to the early Church Fathers. In general, the Orthodox Christian approach to scriptural interpretation and theology is patristic.

Eastern Orthodoxy has had a history in China and East Asia as well. The last jurisdiction currently has no canonical ties to the majority of Orthodox Christianaity and at best would be considered a fringe schismatic group by them. The Antiochian Orthodox Church, The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, and the Holy Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church of America (formerly connected with the Vicar Bishop of the (Western) Orthodox Church of France-ECOF), all have Western Rite parishes. These are Orthodox Christians who use the Western forms of liturgy yet are totally Orthodox in their theology.

During the past 50 years there have come into existence so-called Western Orthodox Churches (a term not in use by the majority of Orthodox Christians, including those within Western Rite Orthodox parishes) in North America. Note that this future American Orthodox Church will be a church of Americans, for people who consider themselves Americans and speak primarily or only the English or Spanish languages; people who retain their original nationality and/or whose primary language is not English will most likely remain members of their churches, and their churches' activities will continue. Some observers see this as a step towards greater organizational unity in North America. In June of 2002, the Antiochian Orthodox Church granted self-rule to the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.

There is also a general acknowledgment that this can be taken care of slowly over time. will need to be united under a single Metropolitan or Patriarch. There is a general acknowledgment that the situation, which is canonical neither in the spirit nor the letter of the law, should not continue as it is indefinitely, and that at some point all the Orthodox churches in the U.S. (See list of Orthodox jurisdictions in North America.).

One such organization is SCOBA, the Standing Conference of Canonical Orthodox Bishops in the Americas, which comprises North American Orthodox bishops from nearly all jurisdictions. However, there are also many "pan-orthodox" activities and organizations, both formal and informal, among Orthdox believers of all jurisdictions. city. Today there are many Orthodox churches in the United States and Canada that are still bound to the Greek, Antiochian, or other overseas jurisdictions; in some cases these different overseas jurisdictions will have churches in the same U.S.

The reasons for this are complex; nevertheless the Ecumenical Patriarch and the other jurisdictions remain in communion with the OCA. However, recognition of this autocephalic status is not universal, as the Ecumenical Patriarch (under whom is the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America (http://www.goarch.org)) and some other jurisdictions have not officially accepted it. Some of the Russian Orthodox remained in communion with Moscow and were granted autocephaly in 1970 as the Orthodox Church in America (OCA, though rarely referred to as "TOCA"). Some of the Russian Orthodox formed an independent synod that became the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (ROCOR).

The various national Orthodox communities thus were permitted as an emergency measure to look towards their immigrant homelands for ecclesiastic leadership rather than be tied to Russia. In 1920 Patriarch Tikhon issued an ukase (decree) that Orthodox Christians under his leadership but outside of Russia should seek refuge with whatever Orthodox jurisdiction that would shield them from Communist control. Among those who came were Orthodox lay people, deacons, priests, and bishops. One side effect was the flood of refugees from Russia to the United States, Canada, and Europe.

The Russian Orthodox Church was devastated by the Bolshevik Revolution. This established missionary precedence for the Russian Orthodox Church in the Americas, and Eastern Orthodox Christians were under the omophor (Church authority and protection) of the Patriarch of Moscow. Among the first was Saint Herman of Alaska. The Russian Orthodox Church sent missionaries to Alaska beginning in the 18th century.

Coptic Catholics (one of the autonomous Eastern Rite Catholic churches) also have a high-ranking bishop called the "Patriarch of Alexandria" in that city, but he does not claim the title of "Pope".). Those two lines of succession separated from each other in a schism in AD 451. (In Alexandria, two primates call themselves "Pope" and claim to be the successor of the apostle Mark: the Eastern Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria, also called the "Pope of Africa", and the Coptic Pope. Alexandria, for example, traces its papacy back to Mark the Evangelist, who founded the church in Alexandria in AD 40.

While Rome traces its papacy back to the Apostle Peter, Orthodox Antioch traces its Patriarchate to an even earlier foundation by the selfsame Apostle. Orthodox Christians believe that they have preserved apostolic succession from the first Apostles. Churches that call themselves Orthodox but are not recognized as valid by this group are termed "non-canonical" Orthodox Churches (though this too can be a complex relationship). Today there are approximately 15 separate autocephalous jurisdictions who recognize the validity of each other (though this relationship may be complicated); these are the "canonical" Orthodox Churches.

From about the fourth century the churches with the largest administrative base were Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. In general, the church is organized along national and regional lines in hierarchical fashion, with the "top" hierarchs or patriarchs recognizing one another's validity. There is no single bishop or similar office that corresponds to the Roman Catholic Pope, nor is there a standing synod of bishops or patriarchs. Laypeople do develop loyalties to the particular jurisdiction they grew up with, or were first accepted into, but should the person choose to “switch jurisdictions” there is no penalty. Jurisdictions govern the priesthood and its administrative policies thus, bishops do not interfere in one another’s territories; as their authority does not extend beyond it.

There is only One Church regardless of nationality or culture. The different Orthodox jurisdictions are united in faith and in liturgy, but not necessarily in polity. The first thing to consider when dealing with "jurisdictions" is that they apply to the clergy, not to lay persons. Main article: Eastern Orthodox Church organization.

Modern examples do exist: Saint Nectarios, Bishop of Pentapolis established a convent on the Isle of Aegina in Greece in 1904 and reportedly had a deaconess there. It is not known why the position of deaconess has mostly fallen out of use; there is no official reason why a woman could not occupy that position. There also existed in the early church the official position of deaconess, which most Orthodox historians agree was not identical to the male diaconate. A married man cannot accept ordination without his wife's approval, and it is common for these dedicated women to be just as busy ministering to the faithful as their husbands.

Διάκονισα, literally deaconess) for the same reason. Πρεσβυτερα, literally Priestess) and a deacon's wife “Diakonissa” (Gr. A priest's wife is therefore called “Presbytera” (Gr. Nevertheless, Orthodox consider men and women equal before God.

Bishops are always celibate as they are selected from the ranks of monks (who are celibate). Bishops, priests, and deacons have always been men only because they represent Christ, who chose to be male. This also applies to the widowed wives of clergy, they do not remarry and usually become nuns. It is common for such a member of the clergy to retire to a monastery. Widowed priests and deacons are not allowed to remarry.

In general, or ideally, congregational priests should be married, as they will be dealing with married couples; unmarried priests should normally be in monasteries. The Orthodox Church has always allowed married priests and deacons, provided the marriage takes place before ordination. The deacon also acts as an assistant to a bishop and bishops often travel with deacons accompanying them. It should also be noted that in the Orthodox Church the position of deacon can be and often is occupied for life.

Deacons can be archdeacons or protodeacons as well. Priests can be archpriests, archimandrites, or protopresbyters. In the Greek tradition, bishops who occupy an ancient See are called Metropolitan, while the lead bishop in Greece is the Archbishop. There are numerous administrative positions in the clergy that carry additional titles.

Διάκονος, assistant), which became "deacon" in English (see also subdeacon). The other ordained roles are presbyter (Gr. Πρεσβυτερίος, elder), which became "prester" and then "priest" in English, and diakonos (Gr. Επίσκοπος), which became "bishop" in English. Since its founding, the Church spread to different places, and the leaders of the Church in each place came to be known as episkopoi (overseers, plural of episkopos, overseer - Gr.

Ultimately, the dialogue was broken off (see 16th Century Lutheran & Orthodox Exchange in External links below). sprinkling or pouring (Lutheran), and the immediate performance of chrismation and the giving of the Eucharist to those baptized (Orthodox), the meaning of the change in the Eucharist, and the use of unleavened bread, infallibility of the Church and of the Ecumenical Councils, veneration, feasts, and invocation of saints and their icons and relics, fasts and other ecclesiastical traditions. Both sides remained cordial and brotherly, but fundamental doctrinal differences came to light, specifically regarding Holy Tradition, the Procession of the Holy Spirit, free will, divine predestination, justification, the number of sacraments, baptism by immersion (Orthodox) vs. Lutheran bishops led by Melanchthon sent delegates to the Patriarch of Constantinople to explore ecumenical possibilities, but the discussions went nowhere.

Orthodoxy did not undergo the Reformation, and attitudes of the Protestant churches towards it have been ambiguous since the beginning. By this time Egypt was also under Muslim control, but Orthodoxy was very strong in Russia; and so Moscow, called the Third Rome, became a new major center of the Church at that time. In 1453, the last of the Roman Empire (with its capital at Constantinople) fell to the Ottoman Turks. But because of the ascendancy of western ideas in modern literature, the Roman Empire of that period is now referred to as the Byzantine Empire and the Holy Roman Catholic Church is now the Orthodox Church, Charlemagne’s Frankish empire is now called the Holy Roman Empire and the Frankish church, the Roman Catholics.

The Orthodox argues that they remain the same while the Frankish church had fallen into heresy. As far as the Orthodox countries were concerned, they were the Roman Empire, and that empire did not fall until the 15th century. Long after the Great Schism the Orthodox East continued to refer to itself as Roman Catholic, however, what we in modern times refer to as the Roman Catholic Church they would have called the Frankish Church, referring to Charlemagne’s supposed re-establishment of the Roman Empire. Even after the Emperor Constantine moved the capitol to Byzantium, any common man would have referred to himself as Roman.

The term Roman applied to all members of the Roman Empire. Something also must be said about modern terminology in reference to the Orthodox and Catholic churches. This is one of the reasons why nearly all Orthodox view the Pope with extreme suspicion.). (Many things that were stolen during this time: relics, riches, and many other items, are still held in various Catholic churches in Western Europe and have yet to be offered back to the Orthodox Church.

In 2004, Pope John Paul II extended a formal apology for the sacking of Constantinople in 1204; the apology was formally accepted by Patriarch Bartholomew of Constantinople. The sacking of the Church of Holy Wisdom and establishment of the Latin Empire in 1204 is viewed with some rancor to the present day. This Fourth Crusade had the Latin Church directly involved in a military assault against the Byzantine Empire, Constantinople, and the Orthodox Patriarchate thereof. The final breach is often considered to have arisen as a result of the sacking of Constantinople by the Fourth Crusade in 1204.

There were doctrinal issues like the filioque clause and the authority of the Pope involved in the split, but they were exacerbated by cultural and linguistic differences (Greek East and Latin West). In the 11th century the Great Schism took place between Rome and Constantinople, which led to the Church of the West, the Roman Catholic Church, to become distinct from the Churches of the East. Today the Russian Orthodox Church, in spite of 70 years of persecution under the atheistic government of the USSR, is the largest of the Orthodox Churches. Slavic missionaries had great success in part because they used the people's native language rather than Latin as the Roman priests did, or Greek.

The success of the conversion of the Bulgarians facilitated the conversion of other Slavic peoples, most notably the Rus', predecessors of Belarusians, Russians, and Ukrainians. In a short time the disciples of Cyril and Methoduis managed to prepare and instruct the future Slav Bulgarian clergy into the Glagolitic alphabet and the biblical texts and in AD 893, Bulgaria expelled its Greek clergy and proclaimed the Slavonic language as the official language of the church and the state. Some of the disciples, however, reached Bulgaria where they were welcomed by the Bulgarian Tsar Boris I who viewed the Slavonic liturgy as a way to counteract Greek influence in the country. Their disciples were driven out of Great Moravia in AD 886.

Originally sent to convert the Slavs of Great Moravia, they were forced to compete with Frankish missionaries from the Roman diocese. This work was made possible by the work of Saints Cyril and Methodius, who translated the Bible and many of the prayer books into Slavonic. In the ninth and tenth centuries, Orthodoxy made great inroads into Eastern Europe, including Kievan Rus'. The end of that council is still celebrated as the "Triumph of Orthodoxy" in Orthodox churches today, and icons remain a central part of Orthodox faith and practice.

The use of icons was defended and upheld at the Seventh Ecumenical Council in Nicea in AD 787, called by Patriarch Tarasius and presided over by Empress Irene, where it was dogmatically established that Christians give honor not to the image itself but to the person the image represents. It was the Muslims who first opposed the Christian use of icons, though many Christians held a similar doctrine, based on Judaizing tendencies within the Church. Westerners tend to think of Christianity as the dominant social force for a long period of history, but Christians in three of the five ancient churches have been in Muslim-dominated societies for 13 centuries. In the 7th century the areas administered by the bishops of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were conquered by Muslim Arabs, and the native Christians were treated as second-class citizens, or dhimmi.

An important symbol for Eastern Orthodoxy and its spread north to the Slavic peoples was the construction in the 530s of the Church of the Holy Wisdom ("Hagia Sophia"), a most impressive church building in Constantinople, under emperor Justinian I. Any of the original Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Rome, or Alexandria can be called Pope as it is not an official title. The more common term today is Patriarch in order to distinguish them from the Pope in Rome who is not an Orthodox bishop. Note: The term Pope is simply an affectionate term for the lead bishop in a major patriarchate. The Oriental Orthodox are also sometimes referred to as "monophysites", "non-Chalcedonians", or "anti-Chalcedonians", although today the Oriental Orthodox Church denies that it is monophysite and prefers the term "miaphysite", to denote the "joined" nature of Jesus.

Those who disagreed with the Council of Chalcedon are sometimes called "Oriental Orthodox" to distinguish them from the Eastern Orthodox, who accepted the Council of Chalcedon. There was a similar split in Syria. Those that remained in communion with the other patriarchs were called "Melkites" (the king's men, because Constantinople was the city of the emperors) [not to be confused with the Melkite Catholics of Antioch], and are today known as the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, until recently led by Pope Petros VII (who was killed in a helicopter crash on September 11, 2004), while those who disagreed with the findings of the Council of Chalcedon are today known as the Coptic Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria, led by Pope Shenouda III. Eventually this led to each group having its own Patriarch (Pope).

The Church in Egypt (Patriarchate of Alexandria) split into two groups following the Council of Chalcedon (451), owing to a dispute about the relation between the divine and human natures of Jesus. Some of them led to the calling of Ecumenical councils to try to resolve them. There were several doctrinal disputes from the 4th century onwards.
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The most ancient of the Orthodox churches of today are the Churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Georgia, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The Orthodox jurisdictions with the largest number of adherents in modern times are the Russian and the Romanian Orthodox churches. They trace their lines back to the Apostles through a number of important ancient centers of Christianity: the cities of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, and the country of Greece. It holds true to the pronouncements of the Ecumenical Councils, and its numerous autocephalous jurisdictions share a spiritual unity that transcends any minor differences in style they may have.

Orthodox Christian culture reached its golden age during the Byzantine Empire and continued to flourish in Russia after the fall of Constantinople. Sometimes this was seen as negative, as when Patriarchs (often of Constantinople) were deposed by the emperor, or when the emperor sided with the iconoclasts in the eighth and ninth centuries. From that time forward, the Byzantine emperor exerted various degrees of influence in the church. Sometimes this was seen as positive, as in the calling of the Ecumenical Councils to resolve disputes and establish church dogma on which the entire church would agree. Widespread, organized persecution finally stopped in 313 when Emperor Constantine the Great so ordered it in the Edict of Milan.

In its early years thousands died under persecution only to increase the strength and witness of the church. The Apostles created bishops through the laying on of hands and taught the traditions of how this power could be passed on. John. The only Apostle to survive into old age and die a natural death was St.

Much of their history is preserved by the church including their eventual martyrdom. The Apostles traveled in different directions spreading the witness of Christ Jesus throughout the empire. From its founding the Church spread quickly throughout most of the Roman Empire, despite much official opposition. This places a fairly heavy responsibility on the laity to educate themselves on the teachings of the Church.

It is therefore, the responsibility of the laity to reject a bishop who begins to turn toward teachings other than the ones the Church has always believed. Obedience to a bishop is required only if he, in fact, upholds the teachings of the Church. The measure of the legitimacy of a bishop and his jurisdiction is in how closely and carefully he upholds the teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Therefore attachment to a single, specific hierarch, such as the Ecumenical Patriarch (of Constantinople) is not a litmus test for Orthodoxy, as there have been heretics and schismatics in even that venerable position.

There is no single leader of the Eastern Orthodox Church other than Jesus Christ. Jurisdictions and positions of authority are administrative only. In administrative power, all Bishops of the Orthodox Church are equal; there is no Orthodox equivalent of the Roman Catholic Papacy. Another example is the philosophical differences between the New Calendarists and the Moderate Old Calendarists.

An example of this is the lack of communion between the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate (the Orthodox Church of Russia), the conflict arising early in the 20th century due to a serious distrust of the soviets. In such a case the normal response is to refrain from con-celebration of the services and communing mysteriologically (sacramentally); they do not, however, consider the other groups to be without Grace and outside the body of the church. The term "full communion" can be misleading in this instance since there have often existed within the Church legitimate groups that for legitimate reasons disagree with another jurisdiction's position. Most importantly, these groups recognize that the Grace of God is present and working within the other.

The various jurisdictions of the Orthodox Church are distinct in terms of administration and local culture, and for the most part, exist in full communion with one another. UNIAT" (see photograph here). CHURCH / SIMPSON, PA. CATH.

Peter and Paul Ukrainian Catholic Church in Simpson, Pennsylvania, whose cornerstone, adorned with a Russian-style cross, reads (in Russian, with some of the words abbreviated): "Russian Greek Catholic Church / of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul", followed (in English) by "MAY 7, 1905 / RUSSIAN GR. It appears in papal documents such as Ex Quo of Pope Benedict XIV,[1] (http://www.catholic-forum.com/saints/pope0247m.htm) and can be seen on some Eastern Catholic church buildings, such as Ss. Catholics too use the term, though less frequently. Orthodox often apply to such Churches the term Uniate, to which they sometimes give pejorative overtones.

Several of these came into communion with Rome through schisms from Eastern or Oriental Orthodox Churches, a fact that explains the identity of their liturgy with that of the Church from which they sprang. Particularly in Ukraine and "Ruthenia" (a Western term for some of the Slavic areas west of Russia), they did so through the Union of Brest. Eastern Catholic Churches include the Armenian Catholic Church, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Eparchy of Krizevci, the Italo-Albanian Catholic Church, the Maronite Church, the Romanian Catholic Church, the Ruthenian Catholic Church, the Syrian Catholic Church, the Syro-Malabar Catholic Church, the Syro-Malankara Catholic Church, and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Since this liturgy originated in Constantinople, the Catholic Churches that use it are often called, even officially, Greek Catholic. Others have, instead, a liturgy identical with one of the diverse liturgies of the Oriental Orthodox Churches or that is individual. However, some of them use the same Byzantine liturgy used by the various Churches that make up the Eastern Orthodox Church.

Eastern Catholic Churches (on which, see Eastern Rite) are Churches in full communion with the See of Rome and thus not part of the Eastern Orthodox Church. At first glance this may seem a trivial disagreement, but ultimately the question took hundreds of years to solidify because of its extreme complexity and eventually lead to this early split. The term "Theandric" was taken by the main body of the church to mean "God/Man" and therefore really two natures, God and Man unified, while the remainder thought of it as one single nature. The main theological problem is usually traced back to the 5th century, with Saint Cyril's referring to the nature of Christ as being "One Theandric Nature".

The Assyrian Church of the East is also often included among this group, although it does not belong to the Oriental Orthodox Communion, and indeed, adheres to the doctrine of 'Nestorianism', directly opposed to the doctrine of the Oriental Orthodox. These are all labelled 'monophysite' by some of the Eastern Orthodox, although they reject this label, preferring the term 'miaphysite'. Oriental Orthodox churches include the Coptic Church, the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Malankara Orthodox Church, and the Armenian Church. The earlier conflict between the Imperial Church and what are now called the Oriental Orthodox churches was established many centuries before at the fourth and fifth ecumenical councils. And, in some fundamental aspects, the Oriental Orthodox churches are as dissimilar from the Eastern Orthodox churches as they are from the Roman Catholic Church.

The Great Schism was not the first division to occur in the church, though it was by far the most significant. The general Orthodox consensus is that Roman Catholics are both schismatics and heretics, although a minority of Orthodox Christians believe that the difference in reality is smaller than it appears superficially. The See of Rome considers the Eastern Orthodox churches to be in schism. After the split, Roman Catholics defined other dogmas that the Eastern Orthodox also considers heretical, among them papal infallibility, the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, and purgatory.

The primary causes of Orthodox differences with Rome include the addition to the Symbol of Faith (Nicean Creed) of the Filioque clause, papal claims to authority over all Christians (papal primacy), and other doctrinal and liturgical developments approved by the See of Rome. There has been talk in recent years of doing exactly that in order to clarify the church's position on certain modern issues though nothing definite has been set. Because of its conciliar nature, in order to make such a pronouncement, the Orthodox Church would be required to convene another ecumenical council, the last of which was held in 787 AD (though some Orthodox regard there to have been eight or nine ecumenical councils, the last one thus being in the 9th or 14th c., respectively). This sort of centralized communication is neither typical of nor appropriate to Eastern Orthodoxy.

Therefore, a lack of a definitive, authoritarian, "Church-wide" statement cannot be taken to mean that the Eastern Orthodox Church necessarily espouses or rejects a specific belief. This is not surprising, since such general, authoritarian statements are simply unheard-of within Eastern Orthodoxy, even upon issues with little to no internal disagreement. To date, however, there has not been a final statement on behalf of the whole Orthodox Church, with regard to the status of Rome. The Roman Catholic Church, on the other hand, views the Patriarch of Rome as the head of the Church and ascribes to him all-encompassing—indeed, infallible—authority on Christian matters.

As positions of political power changed within the Roman Empire, so did the leadership of the ecumenical councils, ultimately reorienting itself to the Patriarch of Constantinople. This, in the view of the Orthodox, is the same position held by the Roman Pope during the first of the ecumenical councils. The Patriarch of Constantinople currently enjoys the honorary title of "First Among Equals"; which simply means that in council, he occupies the position of president in what is otherwise a democratic organization. The churches differ, however, in their ecclesiology: the Orthodox Church views all bishops as equal, and rejects the idea that one patriarch may have authority over another's jurisdiction.

Both churches also continue to claim apostolic succession. Both churches, to signify the universality of the Church, retain the term "Catholic". Both churches claim to be the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church, and reject the other's claim to this title. The term "Orthodox" was adopted by the Eastern Church to signify its adherence to, and preservation of, the original apostolic traditions, teachings, and style of worship. The division of the Church into separate churches is regarded as having occurred in 1054 in what is known as the Great Schism, though their divergence began as much as two centuries earlier.

For nearly 1000 years, the two churches were united, with the Roman Pope being counted as one of the five major hierarchs, along with the Patriarchs of Alexandria, Jerusalem, Antioch, and Constantinople. The Roman Catholic Church shares many of the same characteristics as the Eastern Orthodox Church, especially in reference to the early Church because of their common origin. However, in modern usage, the term "Eastern Orthodoxy" has a wider circumference.. This stems from the historical identification of Orthodoxy with the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire in the east, as opposed to the Latin-speaking Roman Catholic Church in the west.

Note: It is fairly common in the West to use the term "Greek Orthodox" to refer to any national group of Orthodox (Russian, Bulgarian, Serbian, Romanian, Georgian, American, Syrian [Antiochian], etc., in addition to Greek). An experienced spiritual father will know how and when to apply strictness in dealing with sin and when to effectively "bend the rules." This relationship (father and son) is a reflection of humanity's relationship to God and is pervasive in the church—see the section concerning the Mystery of Repentance. The traditional practice of the Orthodox is to have a spiritual father (or mother) to whom one confesses and who treats the sin on an individual basis. What is a sin for one man may not be for another; neither does the Orthodox Church see all sin as being the same.

There is nothing within the Church that is automatic (latae sententiae). Likewise, the prescription for sin must be filtered through human understanding in order to be effective. Sin does not exist as an abstract entity and must be approached on an individual basis. The Fathers of the Orthodox Church are not legalistic in their views of sin.

Rules and laws are deëmphasized in the Orthodox Church in favor of guidelines with love, compassion and mercy considered in all things. All theological concepts must be in agreement with the consensus of the Fathers in order to be considered truth. It tends to consider truth to be seen in the "Consensus of the Fathers" (the golden thread of agreement that runs back through the patristic writings of the Church Fathers back to the early Church and the Apostles). The Orthodox Church does not seek any conflict with science.

While many parts of the Old Testament are considered edifying (teaching moral lessons about hospitality and the result of sin) it is not a requirement that everything be taken literally. The Eastern Orthodox Church holds the Old Testament (Septuagint) in high esteem (as the New), including the Psalms (which are a part of daily services) and the prophecies leading up to the incarnation of Christ. This, however, does not in any way diminish their respect and devotion toward Scriptures, but rather puts it into perspective as the texts accepted by the Church as most important. Eastern Orthodoxy has an extensive oral tradition that predates the actual texts of the New Testament, hence, it does not consider itself to be "bibliocentric"; which is the case with most forms of Protestantism.

This authority is held to be intrinsic to the whole Church in all her members and mediated by the Holy Spirit dynamically in Tradition. Eastern Orthodox ecclesiology is "Christocentric", viewing Christ Jesus as the head of the Church, and the Church as his body; with authority derived directly from this relationship. Eastern Orthodox distinctives include the Divine Liturgy, Mysteries, organization into self-governing jurisdictions, and an emphasis on the preservation of Tradition, which it holds to be Apostolic in nature. It claims to be the original Christian church founded by Christ and the Apostles, and traces its lineage back to the early church through the process of Apostolic Succession.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, also called the Orthodox Church, is a Christian body whose adherents are largely based in Eastern Europe and the Middle East, with a growing presence in the western world. SCOBA. Eastern Orthodox Church calendar. Orthodox.

Caesaropapism. History of Europe. History of the Balkans. History of Christianity.

Christianity. Hesychasm. Monasticism. Liturgical year.

Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. Old Believers (in general, but some Old Believers in the USA have entered Communion with ROCOR). Macedonian Orthodox Church (recognizes all other mainstream Churches but is not recognised by any of them). Belorussian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.

Church of the Genuine Orthodox Christians of Greece - the Paleoimerologites. See also: Ecumenism Awareness (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/), a website from one of the aforementioned groups. The Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Bulgaria. The Old Calendar Orthodox Church of Romania.

The Orthodox Church of Greece (Holy Synod in Resistance) (http://www.synodinresistance.gr/indexen.htm). John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (http://www.stmaryofegypt.org/library/st_john_maximovich/index.htm). Homilies and Writings of St. John the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Shanghai and San Francisco (http://www.saintjohnwonderworker.org/lifeidx.htm).

The Life of St. On the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/ephraim_roca.aspx) by Elder Ephraim of the Holy Mountain. John of Shanghai and San Francisco. The Meaning of the Russian Diaspora (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/meaning_diaspora.aspx) by St.

John of Shanghai and San Francisco, the Wonderworker. History of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia (http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/ecumenism/roca_history.aspx) by St. For more on the history of the Soviet-inspired schism in the Russian Church, please visit:. Since the fall of Communism the two parts of the Russian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate and Russian Synod) have begun talks on re-union.

Since the establishment of Communism the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia remained free and an outspoken critic of the Soviet Union and it's persecution of the Christians in Russia. The Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia, (also called the Russian Church Abroad, the Russian Synodal Church, the White Russian Church, ROCOR, or the Synod) is that part of the Russian Orthodox Church that exists outside the borders of Russia. Orthodox Ohrid Archbishopric (under the Patriarchate of Belgrade). Metropolia of Western Europe (under the Patriarchate of Moscow).

Ukrainian Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow). Chinese Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow). Japanese Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Moscow). Estonian Orthodox Church (http://www.orthodox.ee/indexeng.php) (under the Patriarchate of Moscow).

Estonian Apostolic Orthodox Church (http://www.orthodoxa.org/) (under the Patriarchate of Constantinople). Finnish Orthodox Church (under the Patriarchate of Constantinople). Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai (under the Patriarchate of Jerusalem). Orthodox Church in America (autocephaly not universally recognized).

Czech and Slovak Orthodox Church. Albanian Orthodox Church. Polish Orthodox Church. Church of Greece.

Orthodox Church of Cyprus. Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Romanian Orthodox Church. Serbian Orthodox Church.

Georgian Orthodox and Apostolic Church. Russian Orthodox Church. Orthodox Church of Jerusalem. Orthodox Church of Antioch.

Orthodox Church of Alexandria. Orthodox Church of Constantinople. And the two-week long Fast proceeding the Dormition (death or repose) of the Theotokos (Virgin Mary). It begins on Monday following the first Sunday after Pentecost and extends to the feast day of Saints Peter and Paul on June 29th.

The Fast of Saints Peter and Paul which varies in length from 2 to 6 weeks depending on the date of Pentecost which itself falls 50 days after Pascha. The Great Fast (Lent) which consists of the 6 weeks (40 Days) preceding Palm Sunday, and Great Week (Holy Week) which proceeds Pascha (Easter). The Nativity Fast (Advent or Winter Lent) which is the 40 days preceding the Nativity of Christ (Christmas). The Acquisition of Virtues.

Selflessness. Almsgiving. Obedience. Fasting.

Prayer. The Mystery of the Eucharist. The Mystery of Repentance (or confession).