What is Orthodox Christianity?
![[Icon of Christ the Pantocrator]](images/pantocrator.jpg)
Christ Pantocrator
From St. Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai, Egypt
Orthodoxy is that form
of Christianity which gives right glory
or right worship
to God the Holy Trinity. Orthodoxy is the Christian Church, in
succession to the Patriarchs, Prophets, and Priests of the Old
Testament, which was founded by our Lord Jesus Christ when He Ordained
His Apostles and sent the Holy Spirit upon the faithful gathered in
Jerusalem at Pentecost. The followers of the Way were first called
Christians at Antioch; and the Christians were first called Catholics in
a letter of St. Ignatius of Antioch in about the year AD 98. The
Orthodox are the original Christians, the first Catholics, the Church of
the Apostles, and the Community of the New Testament.
The Western Churches, including that of Rome, were part of
the unity of Orthodoxy through the whole of the first 1,000 years. Rome
only separated from the unity of the church by making extraordinary
claims for the earthly powers of her patriarch (Pope) at the beginning
of the 11th century and completed the break with the Orthodox by the
13th century. The usual date of the great schism
is given as AD
1054. The ancient churches of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and
Constantinople are all Orthodox. About 250 million people now living are
members of the Orthodox churches around the world with about 5 million
in the USA.
The Orthodox Church is universal (catholic), has Patriarchs, Archbishops, Bishops, Priests, Deacons, Laity, and a rich Monastic life with Communities of Monks and of Nuns in nearly every country. Most Priests and Deacons are married. Bishops are not married because they are elevated from celebate monastic life for the most part.
Links to Off-site Introductions to Orthodoxy
- Some Straight Answers about the Orthodox
- Q & A by the Monks at Ascension Monastery (OCA) in Resaca, Ga., at the Orthodox Christian Foundation.
- What is the Orthodox Church?
- From A Short History of the Holy Trinity Monastery, Jordanville, New York, 1972. From the ROCOR periodical Orthodox America.
- The Unity of the Orthodox Church
- By Fr. Andrew Phillips, from the ROCOR periodical Orthodox America.
- Orthodoxy
- An article by Prof. John Behr of St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary
- Introduction to the Orthodox Church
- An article by Rev. Leonidas Costos Ph.D, at Orthodox Ministry ACCESS.
- The Orthodox Church
- An article by Prof. Constantine Scouteris of the University of Athens Department of Theology.
- Understanding Orthodox Christianity
- A monograph by Jim Forest of the Orthodox Peace Fellowship.
- Introduction to Orthodoxy
- published by the Serbian Diocese of Raska and Prizren.
- Meeting the Orthodox: Questions and Answers
- An article by Fr. Thomas Hopko of the Orthodox Church in America.
- Little Known or Fascinating Facts about Eastern Orthodoxy
- An article in Christian History Magazine by Danial Clendenin. Published by a group not in communion with the Patriarchate of Antioch and the rest of the Patriarchal Orthodox Churches.
- The Orthodox Churches
- A list of autocephalous and autonomous jurisdictions recognised by the Orthodox Church in America.