The church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic and apostolic church established by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, and that its bishops are the successors of Christ’s apostles. It maintains that it practices the original Christian faith , as passed down by holy tradition.
What did the Eastern Orthodox Church do?
Essentially the Orthodox Church shares much with the other Christian Churches in the belief that God revealed himself in Jesus Christ, and a belief in the incarnation of Christ, his crucifixion and resurrection . The Orthodox Church differs substantially in the way of life and worship.
What does Eastern Orthodox Church mean in history?
Eastern Orthodoxy is the large body of Christians who follow the faith and practices that were defined by the first seven ecumenical councils . ... This changed in the 1950s, when both churches independently began dialogue with the Oriental Orthodox churches and resolved many of the ancient Christological disputes.
What is the most important holiday in the Eastern Orthodox Church?
In the Eastern Orthodox Church, the feast of the Resurrection of Jesus, called Pascha (Easter) , is the greatest of all holy days and as such it is called the “feast of feasts”.
What are the Eastern Orthodox practices?
Baptism : Baptism is the initiator of the salvation experience. Eastern Orthodox practice baptism by full immersion. Eucharist: The Eucharist is the center of worship. Eastern Orthodox believe that during the Eucharist adherents partake mystically of Christ’s body and blood and through it receive his life and strength.
How is Orthodox different from Catholic?
The Catholic Church believes the pope to be infallible in matters of doctrine. Orthodox believers reject the infallibility of the pope and consider their own patriarchs , too, as human and thus subject to error. In this way, they are similar to Protestants, who also reject any notion of papal primacy.
Which religion is Orthodox?
Orthodox means adhering to accepted norms and creeds – especially in religion. In Christianity, the term means “ conforming to the Christian faith as represented in the creeds of the early Church.” The Orthodox Church is one of the three main Christian groups – the others are the Roman Catholic and Protestant Churches.
Which is older Catholic or Orthodox?
Therefore the Catholic Church is the oldest of all . The Orthodox represents the original Christian Church because they trace their bishops back to the five early patriarchates of Rome, Alexandria, Jerusalem, Constantinople and Antioch.
How does the Orthodox Church worship?
For Orthodox Christians , worship joins the human being to God in prayer and unites them to the Church, the body of Christ . The main service is called the Divine Liturgy, during which people receive the bread and wine. the Proskomedia – meaning ‘offering’ when the bread and wine is prepared.
Can Orthodox priests marry?
Under Orthodox rules, a celibate priest cannot marry after ordination , and a non-celibate priest cannot remarry and remain a priest, even if his wife dies, he said. Widowers who remain celibate can become bishops, but that’s happened just once.
Why is Orthodox Easter different to Catholic?
The Catholic church uses the Gregorian calendar to determine their holidays, while the Orthodox Christians still use the Julian calendar—which means they celebrate the same holidays on different days . Red-dyed eggs sit on top of a loaf of Kulich, a traditional Orthodox Easter bread.
What do Orthodox Christians believe?
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a single God who is both three and one (triune); the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit , “one in essence and undivided”. The Holy Trinity is three “unconfused” and distinct divine persons (hypostases), who share one divine essence (ousia); uncreated, immaterial and eternal.
Why are there 2 different Easters?
Did you know that there are two different dates for the Easter holiday? There is one for the Catholic Church and one for the Orthodox Church . On rare occasions the two dates fall on the same day. The reasoning behind the different dates comes down to the church and the modern day calendar.
What Bible does the Orthodox Church use?
The Orthodox Study Bible (OSB) is an Eastern Orthodox study Bible published by Thomas Nelson. It features an English translation of the St. Athanasius Academy Septuagint for the Old Testament and utilizes the New King James Version for the New Testament.
What are Greek Orthodox churches called?
The churches where the Greek Orthodox term is applicable are: The four ancient Patriarchates : The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the “first among equals” of the Eastern Orthodox Communion.
Why is the Orthodox cross different?
The Russian Orthodox cross differs from the Western cross. ... Thus bottom bar of the cross is like the scale of justice and its points show the way to the Hell and Heaven . Another interesting fact is that the upper point of the slanted beam always show the way to the North. Thus a church cross can serve as a compass.
