Eastern Orthodox Essay

I. OriginThe Eastern Orthodox church building and Roman Catholicism were branches of the same bodythe One, sanctum, Catholic and Apostolic church service until 1054 AD, which is the date of the beginning(a) major division and the beginning of denominations in Christianity. The Christian Church carve up into two Churches, East and West. Both Churches believe that they be the original Church established by Jesus Christ and the Apostles, and they disapprove each other. The Church in the East added orthodox, which comes from the Greek word orthodxia, to show that they retain the original teachings and traditions. either Church in the Eastern Orthodox system send word trace their roots back to the five early Christianity centerthe Roman Church, the Jerusalem Church, Antioch, the Alexandrian Church and the Church of Constantinople. Although in all Orthodox Churches recognize the Patriarch of Constantinople as the ecumenical Patriarch and the supreme draw, the Churches are indepen dent of each other in the mutual recognition of state instead of entirely united.Disagreements between the two branches of ChristianityEastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicismhad long existed even before the division, and miscellanea magnitude throughout the first millennium. Their disputes include issues pertaining to the nature of the Holy Spirit, the use of icons in worship, and the correct date to celebrate Easter. Also, the Eastern mindset inclined more toward philosophy, religious mysticism and ideology. They reject rationalism, as they believe that unless god speaks out, humans can not know him through reason. The Western outlook guided more by a practical and legal mentality, a perfect example being the Summa Theologica by St. Thomas which successfully fused Aristotelian philosophy with ideology. The Catholics believe that humans can one daylight see the true body of the Lord through rationality. With these disputes worsening and the gaps widening, separation was inevitabl e.The slow process of it was encouraged in 330 AD when emperor moth Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium and called in Constantinople. After he died, the Roman empire was divided by his two sons into the Eastern portion, which was control from Constantinople, and the Western portion, which was ruled from Rome. The formal split took place in 1045 AD when Pope Leo IX, leader of the Roman Church at the age, excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, leader of the Eastern Church. Cerularius then condemned the Pope in mutual excommunication. Michael Cerularius was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1043-1058 AD, and played a prominent role in the East-West Schism.In 1045 he wrote a earn to the Pope claiming the title ecumenical patriarch and addressing Pope Leo as brother rather than father. It can be argued that it was this letter that initiated the events which followed. At the m the two primary disputes were Romes cl aim to a universal papal supremacy and the adding of the word filioque to the Nicene Creed. Filioque is a Latin word which subject matter and from the Son. By inserting it to the Nicene Creed during the 6th century, the phrase pertaining to the origin of the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father was changed to who proceeds from the Father and the Son.The change was made to emphasize Christs divinity, but was strongly objected by the Eastern Christians, as they not only opposed whatsoever alteration of anything by the first ecumenical council, but also disagreed with its new implication. Eastern Christians believe that both the Holy Spirit and the Son have their origin in the Father. During the time of the Crusades beginning in 1095, Rome joined the East in fight against the Turks to defend the Holy Land. But by the end of the Forth Crusade in 1204, all hope for potential reconciliation between the two Churches was over as the hostility between them continued to worsen. The Eas tern and Western Churches remain divided and separate until present day.II. Institutional StructureThe Orthodox Church is evangelical, but not Protestant. It is orthodox, but not Jewish. It is Catholic, but not Roman. It isnt non-denominationalit is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, sustaind, defended and died for the Faith of the Apostles since the day of Pentecost 2000 years ago.Steve RobinsonThe Orthodox Catholic Church is the second largest Christian Church in the world and the religious denomination of the majority of the population in Russia, Greece, Belarus, Ukraine, Moldova, Georgia, Romania, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Bulgaria and Cyprus. Orthodoxy plays a smaller role in a dozen other countries Albania, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Canada, China, Czech Republic, Estonia, Finland, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and the U. S. It also consists of churches in scattered presence in other countries. The Orthodox Church has an Episcopal organizational structure where con secrated bishops are the chief ecclesiastical officers in each diocese and have the power to ordain priests.The Church believes in the Apostolic Succession, which means that the consecration of its bishops can be traced back to Jesus apostles. The Orthodox Church is composed of several self-governing ecclesial bodies, each geographically and nationally different but theologically unified. Each self-governing body, often but not always encompassing a nation, is shepherded by a Holy Synod whose duty, among other things, is to preserve and teach the apostolic and patristic traditions and related church practices.III. Basic Belief SystemIn Orthodox history, events that have transformed the external appearance of the Orthodox worldthe capture of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem by Arab Muslims the burning of Kiev by the Mongols the two sacks of Constantinople the October Revolutionhave neer broken the inward continuity of the Orthodox Church. Thegreatest characterization of the Ortho dox faith is its antiquity, its apparent changelessness, its continuity with the Apostolic Church and that it follows the faith and practices defined by the first seven Ecumenical Councils. For the Orthodox Christians, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity underlies all theology and spirituality. Salvation is personal and underlines particularity, yet also communal and implies sharing there is a uniqueness and oneness in the human person, in good-will and in creation.It is also on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity that the councilor and hierarchical structure of the Orthodox Church rests. The mystery story of the Trinity is revealed in the supreme act of love, the Incarnation of the churchman Word that became flesh, assuming and healing humanity and creation entirely. Participation in the defied humanity of Jesus Christ is the ultimate goal of the Christian life, accomplished through the Holy Spirit. In the seven Sacraments and in the life of the Church, each person is called to theos is or nonesuch, for immortal became human in order that humanity might be divinized. When stateing these beliefs, the Orthodox look for consistency with Scripture and Tradition, as manifested in the life of the Church and the early Church Fathers, but will search also for new formulations of this tradition. External criteria of righteousness are lacking for Orthodox Christians seek the living put through of truth accessible in the communion of Saints.Thus they are reluctant to define matters of faith with too much precision, in the firm conviction that truth is never exhausted. The apophatic or negative approach safeguards the transcendence of God even while designating His immanence it also affirms the uniqueness of each person portend and humanthat they may never be reduced to anything less than a mystery. Integral to the long history and tradition of the Orthodox Christian faith are the Icons, which further reflect the divine glory and beauty. The Incarnation of Christ impli es that God became fully human and therefore accessible and describable. God is not only mum but, at the Incarnation, is looked upon and seen.An Orthodox Church is, therefore, filled with icons invariably depicting Christ or the Saints of the Church, and an Orthodox Christian kisses and assigns veneration to those depicted by them. Icons are never worshiped, and they are the Christian faith and histories depicted in images and constitute part of the transfigured cosmos. Today people tend to think of the Orthodox Church as a vast, world-wide institution. Yet the concept of universality as expressed in the local community is a fundamental principle of Orthodox doctrine. Each local observance gathering is related on the principle of identity.IV. MoralityEastern Orthodoxy does not differ from the larger Christian principles of moral thought and action in any way, but does offer a unique view on Christianitys promised redemption. It teaches a doctrine of theosis, or unity with God, whi ch is a kind of deification that is obtainable to all. The Orthodox doctrine of theosis is grounded in several key New Testiment scriptures. In the epistles of Paul, he repeatedly describes the Christian life as life in Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus prayed, My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, that all of them may be one, be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me (John 1720-21). The idea of this mutual indwelling, God in us and we in God, is a constant theme in Johns Gospel. In the Second Letter of Peter he says, Through these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may participate in the divine nature and escape the corruption in the world caused by evil desires (2 Peter 14) The goal of the Christian life, and its expected outcome, is to partake in the divine nature.This is theosis, or deification, and the idea merits special discussion so that its meani ng is not distorted. The hoped-for mystical union between God and human is a true union, but it is a union with Gods energies, not the divine essence. Humans remain fully human and distinct from God. But they become perfected in grace, so that every element of ego and selfishness disappears and they are able to reflect the divine light. Few Christians will experience theosis before the mean solar day of Judgment, but on that day, Christians will be resurrected and glorified by God, raiment in a spiritual body that radiates the divine light. Still, deification begins in the here and now, in the daily lives of ordinary Christians. All Christians are called to follow Gods commandments, and as long as they try to do so, however weak their efforts may be, or however often they may fail, they become in round way deified. Deification begins in repentance, and is nurtured through the normal routines of the Christian life.To become deified, the Christian should go to church, regularly par ticipate in the sacraments, pray to God with honesty and great sincerity, read the Gospels, and follow the commandments. The most important commandments are love of God and neighbor. To love God is to live in and for others, which is why some of the greatest of the Eastern Orthodox saints are remembered for their service to others, such as St. Basil of Caesarea (c. 330-379) caring for the sick, or St. John the Almsgiver (d. 619) caring for the poor. Sincere dedication to following the commandments and living life within the church bears with it the promise of redemption fulfilled in the resurrection of a radiant body and soul.But Christians may look front to even more than this. The Bible speaks of a new heaven and a new earth (Revelation 211) and of the hope that the creation itself will be deliver (Romans 822). In these scriptures, Eastern Orthodoxy sees the promise of a cosmic redemption, in which all of material creation is transfigured. This belief in the redemption as deific ation rests in the Orthodox interpretation of the doctrine of the Incarnation. By choosing to become human, God became flesh and blood, thereby sanctifying material as well as immaterial creation. Because of this, all of material creation can look forward to its ultimate redemption, in which pain, death, and suffering will cease, along with hostility and enmity, and all of creation will be transfigured. The first fruits of this promise can already be seen as fulfilled in the divine power that works through the holy relics, in the divine presence in the icons, and in the radiant transfigured faces of the hesychasts.V. WorshipThe life of an Orthodox Christian can be seen as being composed of five wheels. original of all, there is the cycle of life, which embraces the whole life of a man from birth to death, and which consists in liturgical actions which are not repeated, occurring only once in a persons lifetime. There are Holy Baptism, Holy Chrismation (equivalent to Confirmation i n the West) and the Burial Service. In addition, there also belongs in this great cycle the Sacraments or Sacramental Blessings which bestow special grace for a particular office or vocation with the community. These are Holy Matrimony, the Monastic Tonsure and Holy Orders.Another major cycle which involves the entire life of an Orthodox Christian is the daily cycle of prayers and praises offered by the Church, once every twenty-four hours. These services express our remembrance of events which happened at certain hours and contain petitions relevant to these memories. In antiquity the day was considered to begin at sunset and divided according to the following order. nighttime began at 6 p.m. and was divided into four parts called watches, which means the time of changing guards Evening (6 p.m. to 9 p.m.), Midnight (9 p.m. to 12 midnight), Cock-crow (12 midnight to 3 a.m.), and Morning (3 a.m. to 6 a.m.). Day began at 6 a.m. and was too divided into four watches (or hours) First H our (6 a.m. to 9 a.m.), Third Hour (9 a.m. to 12 noon), Sixth Hour (12 noon to 0 3 p.m.), and Ninth Hour (3 p.m. to 6 p.m.).