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| Orthodox Christians | |
|---|---|
| Name | Orthodox Christians |
| Theology | Christian theology, Eastern Christianity, Oriental Orthodoxy |
| Scripture | Bible |
| Founder | Jesus, Apostle Paul, Apostle Peter |
| Founded | 1st century |
| Area | Eastern Europe, Middle East, Russia, Greece, Cyprus, Ethiopia, Armenia |
| Members | estimates vary |
Orthodox Christians are adherents of diverse Eastern Christianity traditions centered on continuity with the early Church of Antioch, Church of Alexandria, Church of Constantinople and Church of Jerusalem. They include communities that trace institutional lineage to the Great Schism of 1054, the Council of Chalcedon, and earlier ecumenical councils, maintaining sacramental life, episcopal succession, and liturgical continuity. Their communal identities intersect with national histories such as those of Russia, Greece, Serbia, Ethiopia, and Armenia.
Terminology distinguishes groups by historical councils: Eastern Orthodox Church (post-Great Schism of 1054) and Oriental Orthodox Churches (non‑Chalcedonian, post-Council of Chalcedon). Related labels include Eastern Christianity, Byzantine Rite, Coptic Orthodox Church, Armenian Apostolic Church, Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, and Syriac Orthodox Church. Names often reference historical sees such as Patriarchate of Constantinople, Patriarchate of Alexandria, Patriarchate of Antioch, and Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
Early history centers on the apostolic era in cities like Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, and Constantinople, with doctrinal development at the First Council of Nicaea and the Council of Chalcedon. The Great Schism of 1054 separated Roman Catholic Church and eastern communions, while regional trajectories include the Byzantine Empire’s role in shaping Byzantine Rite liturgy, the Slavic mission of Saints Cyril and Methodius to Great Moravia and Kievan Rus’, and the Christianization of Georgia and Armenia. Oriental traditions were affected by the Council of Chalcedon outcomes and later interactions with Islamic caliphates such as the Umayyad Caliphate and Abbasid Caliphate. Modern history includes relations with the Ottoman Empire, encounters with European colonialism, and 20th-century events like the Russian Revolution and migrations to North America and Australia.
Theologies emphasize Trinity affirmations from the First Council of Nicaea and First Council of Constantinople, Christology debates resolved variously at the Council of Chalcedon and earlier synods. Doctrinal emphases include soteriology shaped by Theosis, Sacramental theology with seven primary sacraments, and authority vested in episcopal collegiality exemplified by the Pentarchy concept and patriarchal sees. Oriental communities articulate distinctive formulations such as the christological terminology of Miaphysitism associated with the Coptic Orthodox Church and Armenian Apostolic Church, while Eastern Orthodox theology developed patristic traditions through figures like St. Athanasius, St. John Chrysostom, St. Basil the Great, and St. Gregory Palamas.
Liturgy centers on ancient rites: the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom and the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great in Eastern rites; the Liturgy of Saint James and Coptic Liturgy in Oriental rites. Worship features liturgical elements such as icon veneration connected to debates at the Second Council of Nicaea, use of ecclesiastical languages like Koine Greek, Church Slavonic, Geʽez, Classical Armenian, and Syriac, and sacramental rites including Eucharist, Baptism, and Chrismation. Calendar traditions include the Julian calendar and Revised Julian calendar observances that affect feast days like Pascha and Nativity of Jesus.
Church organization is episcopal: patriarchs, metropolitans, archbishops, and diocesan bishops preside over autocephalous and autonomous bodies such as the Russian Orthodox Church, Church of Greece, Romanian Orthodox Church, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, Serbian Orthodox Church, Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria, Armenian Apostolic Church, and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. Councils and synods, including local Holy Synods and pan‑Orthodox gatherings like the Pan‑Orthodox Council of 2016, address interchurch relations, while ecclesial diplomacy has involved interactions with the Vatican and ecumenical bodies such as the World Council of Churches.
Populations concentrate in Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Georgia, Armenia, Ethiopia, Egypt, Syria, and Lebanon, with significant diasporas in United States, Canada, Australia, United Kingdom, and France. Historical events shaping distribution include the Ottoman conquest, Russian expansion, the Armenian Genocide, and 20th-century migrations following the World Wars and the Soviet dissolution. Demographic studies draw on national censuses, surveys like the Pew Research Center reports, and academic research in religious demography.
Communities maintain cultural expressions in iconography traditions, Byzantine music, liturgical chant schools like Znamenny chant, and religious architecture exemplified by Hagia Sophia models, Mount Athos monasticism, and Coptic and Armenian church designs. Social practices include fasting disciplines tied to the Great Lent, feast day processions for saints such as Saint Nicholas and Saint George, monasticism influenced by St. Anthony and St. Pachomius, and marriage customs embedded in parish life. Interactions with secular states involve legal frameworks in countries like Greece and Russia, human rights dialogues with organizations like Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, and academic engagement at institutions such as Oxford, Harvard University, and University of Athens.
Category:Christian denominations