Eastern Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodoxy, sometimes referred to just as Orthodoxy, is a branch of Christianity that upholds apostolic succession, Sacred Tradition alongside Scripture, theosis (deification), veneration of icons, the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist, Trinitarian belief in the Spirit's procession from the Father alone, and conciliar governance rejecting papal supremacy.

Eastern Orthodoxy is practiced mainly in Greece and  Russia. He uses the autocephalous system, meaning every nation has their own, autonomous patriarch.

History

Apostolic Age & Early Church

The Eastern Orthodox branch traces his origins to Jesus Christ and the Apostles, particularly through the early Christian communities established in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire. The Pentarchy, the five major patriarchates of Christianity ( Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem), governed the early Church.

The Council of Jerusalem, around 50 AD, addressed the inclusion of Gentiles in the Christian community without requiring adherence to all aspects of Jewish law. Through missionary journeys, especially by Paul, Christianity spread throughout the Mediterranean basin, including Asia Minor, Greece, and eventually Rome. Despite numerous persecutions under Roman emperors such as Nero, Domitian, and Diocletian, the faith continued to grow and solidify theological foundations.

As Christianity spread through the Roman Empire, two broad traditions emerged: a Latin-speaking Western church centered in Rome, and a Greek-speaking Eastern church centered in the major cities of the East. These churches shared the same basic faith, but over centuries they developed different theological emphases, liturgical traditions, and political relationships.

Byzantine Period

It was when in 313 when Emperor Constantine I the Great legalized Christianity (Edict of Milan). It was not until then that systematic Roman persecution of Christians stopped, although it did resurface later, though temporarily, under Roman Paganism ( Julian the Apostate, reigning 361-363).

In the 530s the second Church of the Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) was built in Constantinople under emperor Justinian I, to become the center of the ecclesiastical community for the rulers of the Eastern Roman Empire. The first church had been destroyed during the Nika riots in 532 AD.

The Iconoclasm controversy, spanning from 726 to 843 AD, was a significant internal conflict over the use of icons in worship. It started with Emperor Leo III who believed it to be idolatry and heretical. The Second Council of Nicaea in 787 AD ultimately affirmed the veneration of icons, marking a critical development in Orthodox practice. During this period, missionary work also expanded Christian's influence, notably through the mission to the Slavs by Saints Cyril and Methodius in the 9th century, which led to the Christianization of the Slavic peoples such as Bulgars, Serbs, and the Kievan Rus'.

Under the Caliphates , early Muslim conquests starting in the 7th century also had a disastrous impact for both the Byzantine Empire and Christianity as a whole. Syria, Palestine, Egypt and North Africa were all quickly occupied, and to this day the Apostolic Sees of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem have been under Muslim rule. The Mediterranean had ceased to be a Roman lake centuries prior, and now he has ceased to be a Christian one.

In 1054, the patriarch of Constantinople and the pope of Rome excommunicated each other after long disagreements about church authority, theology (such as the Filioque clause in the creed), and cultural differences. Although tensions had existed for centuries, this schism, termed the "Great Schism", is remembered as the formal split between Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism.

During the Middle Ages, Eastern Orthodoxy continued to develop independently from his western neighbour. The Crusades, particularly the Fourth Crusade in 1204, resulted in the sack of Constantinople by Western crusaders and deepened the divide between East and West. The Kievan Rus also fall under Mongol domination in 1240, with Kiev sacked and burned which opens a vacuum for Moscow's rise later on. Despite these challenges, monasticism flourished, with centers like Mount Athos becoming significant for spiritual and theological life. Theological debate continued, with figures such as St. Gregory Palamas (c. 1296-1359) defending the Hesychast practice of contemplative prayer and formulating the Essence-Energies Distinction.

These later theological ideas became officially accepted in the Orthodox doctrine during the Palamite synods (1341-1351). Because of this, Eastern Orthodoxy developed a more experiential, mystical way of approaching God—focused on silence, prayer, and the idea that God's energies can be known, even if His essence cannot. This contrasts with the Western (Catholic) tradition, which used a more logical, scholarly, and analytical style of theology.

During the latter years of the Byzantine Empire, he was rolled back by the Ottoman Turks. Byzantine, the center of Eastern Orthodoxy, turned to the West for military and financial support. The Papacy was willing to support the Byzantines on the condition of their spiritual submission to Rome and acceptance of papal supremacy and the Filioque among other doctrines. This led to the Council of Florence in the 1430s-40s. The lay people were outraged that the bishops and representatives were sent were willing to sign on to such a robber council for earthly rewards; and St. Mark of Ephesus famously stood against this and was a stalwart leader for the Orthodox faith in the face of ecumenism to the West. He's now recognized as one of the "Three Pillars of Orthodoxy", which also includes St. Gregory Palamas and St. Photios the Great.

Ottoman Period

The fall of Constantinople to Sultan Mehmed II in 1453 marked the beginning of the Ottoman period for Eastern Orthodoxy. Despite the challenges of living under Muslim rule, Eastern Orthodoxy managed to preserve his faith and traditions. Orthodox Christians were considered "dhimmis" (protected non-Muslims) under Ottoman rule, which allowed them limited religious freedoms in exchange for a special tax named "jizya". Sometimes this meant paying a blood tax of one's own children to become janissaries known as "devshirme".

The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople stayed the spiritual heart of Eastern Orthodoxy, but real power began shifting north to Moscow, to Russia, who were able to act more freely without outside control. Monasteries, especially those on Mount Athos, helped protect Orthodox spiritual life and learning during this time. The Russian Empire, founded 1721, and his rulers the Romanov dynasty came to see themselves as the protectors of Orthodox Christians both within Russia and beyond. Some well-known saints from this period include St. Peter the Aleut (?-1815), St. Xenia of St. Petersburg (c. 1719/1730-c. 1803), St. Seraphim of Sarov (1754-1833), and St. Herman of Alaska (1756-1837).

Modern Period

In modern times, Eastern Orthodoxy has gone through major changes and difficulties. As the Ottoman Empire declined in the 1700s, regions fought for independence. New Orthodox communities and diasporas formed around the world, and there was renewed interest in theology. After the Greek War of Independence (1821–1829), the Church of Greece became independent. In the 20th century, Eastern Orthodoxy had to deal with modern ideas, growing secularism, and political pressure, especially in Eastern Europe under communist governments such as those in Yugoslavia and the Soviet Union, all of which was brought upon this earth through the Bolshevik Revolution of 1917. The bloody revolution led to the formation of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia (ROCOR) in the 1920s and countless martyrs throughout communist rule.

Despite these challenges, Eastern Orthodoxy maintained his rich liturgical and theological traditions. Eastern Orthodox texts and works have been translated into many new languages such as English particularly, which has helped lead to growth for many diaspora communities and parishes. Recently there's been a surge of converts across the Western world following the pandemic in 2020, which is marked by many seeking a more traditional, timeless faith that will not be transformed by modern politics nor modern culture.

Beliefs

See also: Beliefs of Christianity

Notable ideas of Eastern Orthodoxy are:

• Abraham's bosom and Hades - After death, souls experience a foretaste of either rest in " Abraham's bosom" or separation in Hades, awaiting the final resurrection and judgment
• Icons - Sacred images used in worship as windows to the divine, helping believers focus their prayers while honouring but not worshipping the holy figures depicted
• Trinity - God as three separate persons

Anthropology

Eastern Orthodoxy sees that the human person is a composite of "spirit, soul and body" (1 Thessalonians 5:23). And in order to be a person and not just an individual, one has to be in communion with both God and other people. This understanding of man as triune being falls in line with the Trinitarian view of God that Orthodox Christians have as well with great symbolic meaning (though it's not precisely the same thing ontologically). The "spirit" is the highest faculty of a person and is the seat of the "nous" or "heart/mind" as some may understand it; and it's the faculty responsible for understanding and receiving spiritual truth. The nous is often referred as the "eye of the heart" or the "mind of the heart" and it needs to be cleansed and purified in order to properly receive and love God.

What makes death unnatural is that it is the separation of soul from the body which it never was meant to be, and this ties both to the Fall of Man and to the Second Coming of Christ; where in the former death enters creation and in the latter the souls of the reposed will be reunited to their bodies. This view on the goodness of creation and the union of soul and body makes Eastern Orthodoxy directly opposed to Gnostic and some elements of Neoplatonic doctrine. Man has an immortal soul, and eternal life after death, but as people we are not eternal like God is, this distinction should be made clear as only God is uncreated and outside of time and space with which we are bound to.

Individualism and Collectivism are both alien to Orthodox Christianity, who understands that faith, salvation, and personhood are communally lived and understood in a middle ground between the two. Individualism has been closely tied to Protestantism and from the Orthodox perspective, is merely the democratization of the biggest problem of Catholicism; in which everyone becomes their own pope with no real accountability nor real consensus. Collectivism is often associated with totalitarian regimes such as the German Third Reich and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics, both of whom had done extreme damages and harm to Orthodox Christians. Collectivism also removes the personal responsibility of the Christian for their choices and spiritual life, and places that responsibility onto a more abstract and faceless group or demographic.

Bible

The official Bible of Eastern Orthodoxy uses the Septuagint text for the Old Testament and Theodotion translation for the Book of Daniel. The New Testament uses the Patriarchal Text. The Bible is considered a verbal icon of Christ, as affirmed by the 7th ecumenical council. Bible is referred to as holy scripture, containing foundational Christian truths revealed by Christ and the Holy Spirit to divinely inspired authors. Holy scripture is the primary authoritative witness of holy tradition and forms the basis for all Orthodox teaching and belief.

The Eastern Orthodoxy holds all his biblical books to be venerable and beneficial for study, although he informally esteems some books higher than others, with the four Gospels being the highest. Among the Old Testament books, the "Anagignoskomena" includes ten books rejected by the Protestant canon but considered worthy to be read in Orthodox worship services, though they are held in lesser esteem than the 39 books of the Hebrew canon. The lowest tier contains books not accepted by Protestants or Catholics, such as Psalm 151, which is not included in the Psalter.

Eastern Orthodoxy does not adhere to Sola Scriptura, teaching instead that the Church defines and interprets Scripture. The Bible is understood to contain various literary forms, each requiring different considerations for interpretation. While divinely inspired, Bible is written in human languages and forms. The Eastern Orthodox Church supports honest, critical, and historical study of the Bible.

Christian Life

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that through baptism, they begin a new life of salvation aimed at partaking in God's life through the Holy Spirit. Eastern Orthodox spiritual life involves imitating Christ, to be "little Christs", by receiving the Eucharist, reading the Bible, having a prayer rule with the ideal of cultivating "unceasing prayer", etc. Everyone within the Orthodox faith take part of this sacramental life. Through God's love and the Holy Spirit's action, believers become more unified with Christ, starting in this life and continuing in the next. The Eastern Orthodox Church sees himself as the "Body and Bride of Christ", uniting all his members, both living and departed, including Adam and Eve , the Old Testament patriarchs and prophets, angels, the saints and the faithful today.

Eschatology

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that when a person dies, the soul is temporarily separated from the body. It may linger briefly on Earth but is eventually taken to either paradise ( Abraham's bosom) or Hades, following a temporary judgment. Unlike Catholics, Orthodox Christians do not believe in Purgatory. The soul's experience in paradise or Hades is a "foretaste" until the Final Judgment, when the soul and body will be reunited.

The state of the soul in Hades can be influenced by the love and prayers of the righteous until the Last Judgment. Therefore, the Eastern Orthodox Church offers special prayers for the dead on the third, ninth, and fortieth days, and on the first anniversary after death. There are also several days throughout the year dedicated to the general commemoration of the departed, often on Saturdays, the day Christ lay in the tomb.

After the Final Judgment, Eastern Orthodox Christians believe:

• All souls will be reunited with their resurrected bodies.
• All souls will fully experience their spiritual state.
• The saints, having been perfected, will continually grow in their love of God, equating to eternal happiness.

Eastern Orthodoxy has a strong aversion for trying to predict the exact time/date of Christ's second coming or the end-times, or what is considered very Millenarian attitudes. This is believed to not just be unproductive, but the road to "prelest" or spiritual delusion.

Sin

When Eastern Orthodox Christians speak of fallen nature, they do not mean that human nature is inherently evil. Human nature remains created in the image of God, who creates nothing evil. However, fallen nature is susceptible to evil intents and actions. Humans are "inclined to sin," meaning they find some sinful things attractive. Temptation makes sinful things seem appealing, and fallen human nature can give in to this attraction. Eastern Orthodox Christians do not believe, as Augustine did, that Adam and Eve 's descendants are guilty of their original sin. The term "ancestral sin" is more widely used.

This isn't to say Orthodox Christians deny that there was an original sin, just we aren't personally guilty or responsible for it.

Trinity

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the Trinity, which consists of three distinct, divine persons (hypostases): the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. These three persons share one divine essence (ousia), which is uncreated, immaterial, and eternal. The Father is eternally unbegotten, the Son is eternally begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit eternally proceeds from the Father. This belief is summarized in the Nicene Creed. Eastern Orthodoxy holds a monotheistic view of God, who is both transcendent (independent from the material universe) and immanent (involved in it). God's essence is totally transcendent, while his uncreated energies allow him to interact with humanity. These energies are not separate from God but are God himself, a view known as Palamism. There's internal debate as to whether this distinction between essence and energies is a "formal" distinction or a "real" distinction.

In the Trinity, "one God in three persons" are united in one divine essence and acts together, such as in the salvation of mankind: the Father wills it, the Son becomes man (hypostatic union), and the Holy Spirit cooperates and forms Christ in believers' hearts.

Virgin Mary

The Virgin Mary, known as Theotokos, Panagia or Bogoroditsa ("Mother/Bearer of God"), is seen as the fulfilment of Old Testament symbols like the Ark of the Covenant (carrying the New Covenant, Jesus) and the burning bush (bearing God without being consumed). Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that Christ was fully God and fully human from conception. Mary is called Theotokos to affirm the divinity of her son. Eastern Orthodoxy believes her virginity was preserved during and after Jesus' birth known by her title of "Ever Virgin". References to Christ's "brothers" in Scripture are interpreted as extended kin and not actual blood brothers. Mary is honored as the greatest of all saints and women, and is understood to be the Queen of Heaven (which is in the Hebrew tradition the Queen is the mother of the King).

Relationships

Friends

• Christianity - We're have basically the same thing, you're just more generic lol! Orthodoxy is normal Christianity.
• Traditionalism - Tradition is very important to us.
• Christian Mysticism - Theosis is superior to Western rationalism. You cannot lawyer your way into Heaven.
• Western Orthodoxy - My child in the west, slain by that infernal pope.
• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo - Thanks for forgiving me and recognize it was a small mistake

Frenemies

• Oriental Orthodoxy - We may be of the same origin, have a liturgy quite similar, and be of orthodox nature, sharing most of our beliefs. However, I still can't call you a brother in Christ for your rejection of truth and acceptance of heresy. I am open to talk and reconciliation, but I will not compromise on the truth for its sake. And, I never said there's no trinity! That was a translation error.
• East Syriac Christianity - Same as the above, but with the added caveat of being Nestorian. We are horrified of what you suffered during the Armenian Genocide and ISIS.
• Catholicism - You broke away from the rest of the patriarchs, you edited the creed, you slayed my child, you pillaged Constantinople. But we are getting better nowadays and trying to reconcile. Kinda… maybe… depends…

Enemies

• Islam - You slander Christ! You destroyed the Second Rome! You are an amalgam of Arabian Paganism and Gnosticism!
• Gnosticism - You are the edgy Redditors of spirituality. Trying to act esoteric and new when you rehash the same stuff again and again. Get out of here, freak!
• Ancient Greek Religion - I replaced you in Rome. Cry and weep.
• Protestantism - " Catholicism but somehow getting it even more wrong" were my first thoughts on you. I still hold that opinion.
• Nestorianism - The Theotokos shall not be slandered like this!
• Tolstoyism - So you think the Church is an invention of Satan? ANATHEMA!
• Zoroastrianism - Get out of here Persians! Belisarius sent you running!

How to draw

Banner with the Cross of Orthodox Christianity

Eastern Orthodoxy has a drawing rating of easy.

1. Draw a ball.
2. Fill it with orange.
3. Draw a black Christian cross in the middle.
4. Add a shorter extra line on top of the horizontal line of the cross.
5. Add a slanted bar in the cross.
6. Add eyes and done!

Color Name		HEX
	Orange	#FF8C00
	Black	#2E2826

Gallery

Informational

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  Eastern Orthodox cross