Orthodoxy (2)

12 June 2000 08:09

This second ‘Orthodoxy’ mailing provides a little historical background. Most of the item is written by an Orthodox and so represents the Orthodox standpoint on matters which, for some, may be controversial.

The Christian Church, founded by Jesus Christ, left His Apostles the task of going out from Jerusalem to make disciples of the whole world, baptising in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

This missionary task was started at PENTECOST, shortly after Christ’s Ascension when the Apostles experienced the COMING OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Petecost is often called “the Church’s birthday”. After that the Church grew rapidly, spreading throughout the Roman Empire. The story of the Early Church can be read in the Book of Acts in the New Testament.

During the next three hundred years there were many times of persecution, when countless people were martyred for their faith, until at last the Roman emperor Constantine championed Christianity, setting up a new Christian capital at Constantinople. Finally Christianity became the state religion.

Over the following four hundred years or so the Church summoned a series of councils of its bishops, called General or Ecumenical Councils, to discuss questions of doctrine which were being challenged. The Seven Ecumenical Councils were considered universally binding as they were laid down by the Universal Church, guided by the Holy Spirit and were therefore right in their declarations. The Greek word for “right belief and worship” is “orthodox” and the Greek word for “universal” is “catholic”. So the whole Church was Orthodox and Catholic.

Rivalry between the pope of Rome and the patriarch of Constantinople, as well as differences that existed for centuries between the eastern and western parts of the empire, led to a schism in 1054. The Western, Latin speaking part of the Roman Empire saw itself as the true continuation of the universal church, and used the name Catholic, while the Eastern, Greek speaking part saw itself likewise as the true guardian of the right faith, and called itself Orthodox. [two sides of the same coin rolled in opposite directions]

Constantinople remained the capital of the Eastern Empire (sometimes called the Byzantine Empire) and did not fall – to the Muslims – until 1453.

While the Western Church went on to split further at the Reformation – the

Orthodox Church expanded into the Slav countries from the 9th century
onwards. Russia was baptised in 988 A.D. So the Greeks and Slavs
became the guardians of Orthodoxy.

Each country had its own national church, sharing the same faith and services but independent, as had been the case with the provincial churches in the Roman Empire. That is still how Orthodoxy is organised today – as a group of independent churches, in one communion of beliefs, services and sacraments.

In modern times Orthodox have been scattered beyond Eastern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean to every continent.

Orthodox communities are often outposts of national churches. In Britain, for example, each national group has its own network of parishes, under the administration of the parent church. For instance, the Greeks and Cypriots belong to the Patriarchate of Constantinople while two Russian groups belong to the Moscow Patriarchate and the Russian Church in Exile. Perhaps one day, when there are sufficient members, there will be an English Orthodox Church.

The name “Orthodox” is sometimes also used of the Oriental churches who split from mainstream Orthodoxy in the 5th century. These include the Armenians, the Copts of Egypt and the Ethiopians. They are very similar to Orthodox in belief.

Eastern Rite Churches include the ‘Uniate’ Churches that recognize the authority of the Pope but keep their own traditional liturgies. They include the Melchites, Syrian Catholics, Maronites (Arab Christians in Lebanon), Catholic Copts and Ethiopians, the autonomous Nestorian Church, and others.

Although in communion with Rome, the Eastern Rite churches have their own canon law and are not bound by the Code of Canon Law of the Western church.

(to be continued)