Difference between revisions of "Eastern Orthodox Church"

Revision as of 15:32, March 19, 2007

The Orthodox Church is an international federation of patriarchal, autocephalous and autonomous churches. Each church is independent in her internal organization and follows her own particular customs. However, all the churches are united in the same faith and order.

The Orthodox Church acknowledges that unity does not mean uniformity. Each Church is led by a synod of bishops. Among the various bishops, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople is accorded a "place of honor" and is regarded as "first among equals."

In America and Western Europe there are a number of dioceses and archdioceses which are directly linked to one of these autocephalous Churches. For example, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese is under the care of the Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The Great Schism

The Great Schism is the title given to separation between the Western Church (the Roman Catholic) and the Eastern Church, (the Orthodox), which took place in the eleventh century.

By the ninth century legitimate differences were intensified by political circumstances, cultural clashes, papal claims, and the introduction in the West of the Filioque phrase into the Nicene Creed. The Filioque affirms that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Both the papal claims and the Filioque were strongly repudiated by the East.

The Crusades can be considered the final element in the process of estrangement and deepening mistrust. Although there were attempts to restore communion in the years 1274 and 1439, there was no lasting unity achieved.

Eastern-Rite Catholics

The term commonly refers to those Orthodox Christians who left Orthodoxy and acknowledged the jurisdiction of the Pope of Rome while retaining the rites and practices observed by Orthodoxy. The term "uniate" is seen as negative by such individuals, who are more commonly referred to as Catholics of the Byzantine Rite, Greek Catholics, Eastern Rite Catholics, Melkite Catholics, or any number of other titles.

Tradition

The main sources of Orthodox teaching are the Bible and Sacred Tradition. The third source is the writings of the so-called Apostolic Fathers and the Apologists. The fourth source is decisions of the canonical synods, local and ecumenical, and their utterances of faith, especially the Symbol of Faith (Nicene Creed) and some of their canons pertaining to faith. The fifth source is the discourses written at the time of disputes and schisms, especially the Great Schism between the Eastern and Western parts of the Undivided Church (1054). The sixth source is a variety of discourses written after the Protestant Reformation; these documents critique the various errors of Protestantism and Roman Catholicism.

The Bible is viewed as only one expression of God's revelation in the on-going life of His people. Scripture is part of the treasure of Faith which is known as Tradition. Tradition means that which is "handed on" from one generation to another.

Original Sin

Orthodoxy believes that, while everyone bears the consequences of the first sin, the foremost of which is death, only Adam and Eve are guilty of that sin.

Sin

In the Orthodox Church there are no "categories" of sin as found in the Christian West. In the pre-Vatican II Roman Catholic catechism, sins were categorized as "mortal" and "venial." These categories do not exist in the Orthodox Church. Sin is sin.

Canonization of Saints

The Orthodox Church does not follow any official procedure for the "recognition" of saints. Initially the Church accepted as saints those who had suffered martyrdom for Christ. The saints are saints thanks to the grace of God, and they do not need official ecclesiastical recognition.

Recently, in order to avoid abuses, the Ecumenical Patriarchate has issued special encyclical letters (tomoi) in which the Holy Synod "recognizes" or accepts the popular feelings about a saint. Such an example in our days is St. Nicodemos of the Holy Mountain (1955).

Theotokos

Orthodoxy teaches that the Mother of God was sinless of her own free will and that she remains ever-virgin. Orthodox Christians do not "pray to" the Mother of God instead of God. However, they do seek her intercession before her Son. The Roman Catholic doctrine of the Immaculate Conception (the belief that the Virgin Mary was born without original sin) is foreign to Orthodox Christianity.

Fasting

Fasting as practiced in the Orthodox Church means abstinence from meat, fish, dairy products, olive oil, and wine. Total abstinence is reserved for the fast of several hours duration preceding Holy Communion. The rules for fasting prescribed by the holy canons are quite rigid. Most Orthodox Christians today find it difficult to uphold the traditional practice for the length of time prescribed.

Calculation of Pascha

According to the ruling of the First Ecumenical Synod in 325, Easter Sunday should fall on the Sunday which follows the first full moon after the vernal equinox. If the full moon happens to fall on a Sunday, Easter is observed the following Sunday. The day taken to be the invariable date of the vernal equinox is March 21.

The Orthodox Church continues to base its calculations for the date of Easter on the Julian Calendar, which was in use at the time of the First Ecumenical Synod. Western Christians observe the date of the vernal equinox on March 21 according to the Gregorian Calendar. File:Pascha.jpg

The Sacraments/ Divine Mysteries

The Orthodox Church uses the Greek word mysterion, instead of sacrament, to denote the divinely instituted rites which manifest sanctifying divine grace. Mysterion means anything hidden or incomprehensible. Its chief meaning is linked to the hidden and secret Will of God related to the salvation of the world, now manifest in Jesus Christ, the Incarnate Word (Logos).

The Orthodox Church has never formally determined a particular number of Sacraments.

The Holy Eucharist, which is known as the Divine Liturgy, is the central and most important worship experience of the Orthodox Church. All the other Sacraments of the Church lead toward and flow from the Eucharist.

Through the three-fold immersion in the waters of Baptism in the Name of the Holy Trinity, one dies to the old ways of sin and is born to a new life in Christ. Orthodoxy encourages the baptism of infants. The Baptism of adults is practiced when there was no previous baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity.

The Sacrament of Chrismation (Confirmation) immediately follows baptism and is never delayed until a later age. In the Sacrament of Chrismation, the priest anoints the various parts of the body of the newly-baptized with Holy Oil. The Sacraments of initiation always are concluded with the distribution of Holy Communion to the newly-baptized. There is never time when the young are not part of God's people.

Confession is the Sacrament through which sins are forgiven, and the relationship to God and to others is restored and strengthened. According to Orthodox teaching, the penitent confess to God and is forgiven by God. The priest is the sacramental witness.

Through the Sacrament of marriage, a man and a woman are publicly joined as husband and wife. There are no vows in the Sacrament. Orthodox Christians may not be married in non-Orthodox ceremonies and remain "in good standing" with the Orthodox Church. It is not permitted for an Orthodox Christian to be married to an individual who has not been baptized, regardless of whether they are of the Jewish, Muslim, Buddhist, or other faith.

While the Church stands opposed to divorce, the Church, in its concern for the salvation of its people, does permit divorced individuals to marry a second and even a third time. The Order of the Second or Third Marriage is somewhat different than that celebrated as a first marriage and it bears a penitential character.

The Holy Spirit preserved the continuity of the Church through the Sacrament of Holy Orders. Through ordination, men who have been chosen from within the Church are set apart by the Church for special service to the Church. Each is viewed as a living icon of Christ among His people. Only a Bishop may ordain. The Orthodox Church permits men to marry before they are ordained. Since the sixth century, Bishops have been chosen from the celibate clergy.

The Orthodox Church precludes the ordination of women to the priesthood and episcopacy. Orthodoxy does not see the priesthood has a "right" or a "privilege." It does not understand ordination to the priesthood as a matter of justice or equality. No one has the "right" to ordination (even males).

The Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick, or Holy Unction as it is also known, reminds the faithful that when in pain, either physical, emotional, or spiritual, Christ is present through the ministry of his Church. Orthodoxy does not view this Sacrament as available only to those who are near death. It is offered to all who are sick in body, mind, or spirit. The Church celebrates the Sacrament for all its members during Holy week on Holy Wednesday.

The House of God

When one enters the interior of the Orthodox church it is like stepping into a whole new world of color and light.

The interior of an Orthodox church is frequently very beautiful. Orthodoxy recognizes that beauty is an important dimension of human life. As the pious woman poured her most precious oil on the feet of Our Lord, Orthodoxy seeks always to offer to God what is best and most beautiful.

Monasticism

The monastic men and women in Orthodoxy are usually restricted to monasteries and do not normally participate in the active ministry of the Church. Orthodox monastic life is contemplative -- there are no monastic "orders" devoted to teaching, social work, etc., such as one would find in Roman Catholicism.

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References

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Orthodox Church in America

Flickr Public Photos

External Links

Orthodox Internet Radio

Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Orthodox Church in America

Official Web Site For Ecumenical Patriarchate