Eastern Orthodoxy Faith

5/11/23, 4:54 AM Eastern Orthodoxy - Wikipedia
Eastern Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodoxy, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is one of the three main
branches of Chalcedonian Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.[1][2] Like the
Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") Eastern Orthodox Church is
organised into autocephalous churches independent from each other. In the 21st century, the number
of mainstream autocephalous churches is seventeen; there also exist autocephalous churches
unrecognized by those mainstream ones. Autocephalous churches choose their own primate.
Autocephalous churches can have jurisdiction (authority) over other churches, some of which have
the status of "autonomous" which means they have more autonomy than simple eparchies.
Many of these jurisdictions correspond to the territories of one or more modern states; the
Patriarchate of Moscow, for example, corresponds to Russia and some of the other post-Soviet
states.[3] They can also include metropolises, bishoprics, parishes, monasteries, or outlying
metochions corresponding to diasporas that can also be located outside the country where the
primate resides (e.g., the case of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople whose canonical
territory is located partly in northern Greece and the east); sometimes they overlap (the case of
Bessarabia where the jurisdictions of the patriarchs of Bucharest and of Moscow overlap).
The spread of Eastern Orthodoxy began in the eastern area of the Mediterranean Basin within Greek
culture. Its communities share an understanding, teaching and offices of great similarity, with a
strong sense of seeing each other as parts of one Church. Every Eastern Orthodox Christian sees his or
her year punctuated by the liturgical calendar of the church on which they depend. Eastern Orthodoxy
holds that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and rejects the clause added by Latin churches,
"and the Son" (Filioque), on the grounds that no council was called for the addition.[4]
Theology
Trinity
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the Trinity, three distinct, divine persons (hypostases),
without overlap or modality among them, who each have one divine essence (ousia, Greek: οὐσία)—
uncreated, immaterial, and eternal.[5] These three persons are typically distinguished by their relation
to each other. The Father is eternal and not begotten and does not proceed from any, the Son is
eternal and begotten of the Father, and the Holy Spirit is eternal and proceeds from the Father.[6]
Eastern Orthodox doctrine regarding the Trinity is summarised in the Nicene Creed.[7]
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a monotheistic conception of God (God is only one), which is
both transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent
(involved in the material universe).[6] In discussing God's relationship to his creation, Eastern
Orthodox theology distinguishes between God's eternal essence, which is totally transcendent, and his
uncreated energies, which is how he reaches humanity.[6] The God who is transcendent and the God
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eastern_Orthodoxy 1/20
who touches mankind are one and the same.[6] That is, these energies are not something that proceed
from God or that God produces, but rather they are God himself: distinct, yet inseparable from God's
inner being.[8] This view is often called Palamism.
In understanding the Trinity as "one God in three persons", "three persons" is not to be emphasised
more than "one God", and vice versa. While the three persons are distinct, they are united in one
divine essence, and their oneness is expressed in community and action so completely that they
cannot be considered separately. For example, their salvation of mankind is an activity engaged in
common: "Christ became man by the good will of the Father and by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit.
Christ sends the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit forms Christ in our
hearts, and thus God the Father is glorified." Their "communion of essence" is "indivisible".
Trinitarian terminology—essence, hypostasis, etc.—are used "philosophically", "to answer the ideas of
the heretics", and "to place the terms where they separate error and truth."[9]
Sin, salvation, and the incarnation
When Eastern Orthodox Christians refer to fallen nature they are not
saying that human nature has become evil in itself. Human nature is
still formed in the image of God; humans are still God's creation, and
God has never created anything evil, but fallen nature remains open to
evil intents and actions. It is sometimes said among the Eastern
Orthodox that humans are "inclined to sin"; that is, people find some
sinful things attractive. It is the nature of temptation to make sinful
things seem the more attractive, and it is the fallen nature of humans
that seeks or succumbs to the attraction. Eastern Orthodox Christians
reject the Augustinian position that the descendants of Adam and Eve
are actually guilty of the original sin of their ancestors.[10]
Resurrection of Christ
The Eastern Orthodox Church understands the death and resurrection

of Jesus to be real historical events, as described in the gospels of the John of Damascus
New Testament.
Christian life
Church teaching is that Eastern Orthodox Christians, through baptism, enter a new life of salvation
through repentance whose purpose is to share in the life of God through the work of the Holy Spirit.
The Eastern Orthodox Christian life is a spiritual pilgrimage in which each person, through the
imitation of Christ and hesychasm,[11] cultivates the practice of unceasing prayer. Each life occurs
within the life of the church as a member of the body of Christ.[12] It is then through the fire of God's
love in the action of the Holy Spirit that each member becomes more holy, more wholly unified with
Christ, starting in this life and continuing in the next.[13][14] The church teaches that everyone, being
born in God's image, is called to theosis, fulfillment of the image in likeness to God. God the creator,
having divinity by nature, offers each person participation in divinity by cooperatively accepting His
gift of grace.[15]
The Eastern Orthodox Church, in understanding itself to be the Body

of Christ, and similarly in understanding the Christian life to lead to
the unification in Christ of all members of his body, views the church
as embracing all Christ's members, those now living on earth, and
also all those through the ages who have passed on to the heavenly
life. The church includes the Christian saints from all times, and also
judges, prophets and righteous Jews of the first covenant, Adam and
Eve, even the angels and heavenly hosts.[16] In Eastern Orthodox
services, the earthly members together with the heavenly members
worship God as one community in Christ, in a union that transcends
time and space and joins heaven to earth. This unity of the Church is
sometimes called the communion of the saints.[17]
Virgin Mary and other saints

A 17th-century Russian
Pre-eminent among the saints is the Virgin Mary (commonly referred Orthodox icon of the
to as Theotokos or Bogoroditsa: "Mother of God"). In Eastern Resurrection
Orthodox theology, the Mother of God is the fulfillment of the Old
Testament archetypes revealed in the Ark of the Covenant
(because she carried the New Covenant in the person of Christ)
and the burning bush that appeared before Moses (symbolising
the Mother of God's carrying of God without being consumed).[18]
The Eastern Orthodox believe that Christ, from the moment of his
conception, was both fully God and fully human. Mary is thus
called the Theotokos or Bogoroditsa as an affirmation of the
divinity of the one to whom she gave birth. It is also believed that
her virginity was not compromised in conceiving God-incarnate, Our Lady of Tinos is the major
that she was not harmed and that she remained forever a virgin. Marian shrine in Greece
Scriptural references to "brothers" of Christ are interpreted as kin.
Due to her unique place in salvation history according to Eastern
Orthodox teaching, Mary is honoured above all other saints in this religion and especially venerated
for the great work that God accomplished through her.[19]
The Eastern Orthodox Church regards the bodies of all saints as holy because of their participation in
prescribed rituals called holy mysteries. Physical items connected with saints are also regarded as
holy, through their participation in the earthly works of those saints. According to Eastern Orthodox
church teaching and tradition, God himself bears witness to this holiness of saints' relics through the
many miracles connected with them that have been reported throughout history since biblical times,
often including healing from disease and injury.[20]
Eschatology
Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that when a person dies the soul is temporarily separated from
the body. Though it may linger for a short period on Earth, it is ultimately escorted either to paradise
(Abraham's bosom) or the darkness of Hades, following the Temporary Judgment. Orthodox do not
accept the doctrine of Purgatory, which is held by Catholicism. The soul's experience of either of these
states is only a "foretaste"—being experienced only by the soul—until the Final Judgment, when the
soul and body will be reunited.[21][22]
The Eastern Orthodox believe that the state of the soul in Hades
can be affected by the love and prayers of the righteous up until
the Last Judgment.[23] For this reason the Church offers a special
prayer for the dead on the third day, ninth day, fortieth day, and
the one-year anniversary after the death of an Eastern Orthodox
Christian. There are also several days throughout the year that are
set aside for general commemoration of the departed, sometimes
including nonbelievers. These days usually fall on a Saturday,
since it was on a Saturday that Christ lay in the Tomb.[22]
The Eastern Orthodox believe that after the Final Judgment:
All souls will be reunited with their resurrected bodies.

All souls will fully experience their spiritual state.
Having been perfected, the saints will forever progress
towards a deeper and fuller love of God, which equates with
eternal happiness.[22]
The Theotokos of Vladimir, one of
Bible the most venerated of Orthodox
Christian icons of the Virgin Mary
The official Bible of the Eastern Orthodox Church contains the
Septuagint text of the Old Testament, with the Book of Daniel
given in the translation by Theodotion. The Patriarchal Text is used
for the New Testament.[24][25] Orthodox Christians hold that the
Bible is a verbal icon of Christ, as proclaimed by the 7th ecumenical
council.[26] They refer to the Bible as holy scripture, meaning
writings containing the foundational truths of the Christian faith as
revealed by Christ and the Holy Spirit to its divinely inspired human
authors. Holy scripture forms the primary and authoritative written
witness of holy tradition and is essential as the basis for all Orthodox
teaching and belief.[27]
Once established as holy scripture, there has never been any question
that the Eastern Orthodox Church holds the full list of books to be
venerable and beneficial for reading and study,[28] even though it
informally holds some books in higher esteem than others, the four
Last Judgment: 12th-century
gospels highest of all. Of the subgroups significant enough to be
Byzantine mosaic from Torcello
named, the "Anagignoskomena" (ἀναγιγνωσκόμενα, "things that are
Cathedral
read") comprises ten of the Old Testament books rejected in the
Protestant canon,[a] but deemed by the Eastern Orthodox worthy to
be read in worship services, even though they carry a lesser esteem than the 39 books of the Hebrew
canon.[29] The lowest tier contains the remaining books not accepted by either Protestants or
Catholics, among them, Psalm 151. Though it is a psalm, and is in the book of psalms, it is not
classified as being within the Psalter (the first 150 psalms).[30]
Eastern Orthodoxy does not subscribe to the doctrine of sola scriptura. Rather, Eastern Orthodoxy
teaches that its church has defined what Scripture is, and therefore, its church also interprets the
meanings of Scripture.[31]
Scriptures are understood by Eastern Orthodox interpretation to

contain historical fact, poetry, idiom, metaphor, simile, moral fable,
parable, prophecy and wisdom literature, and each bears its own
consideration in its interpretation. While divinely inspired, the text
still consists of words in human languages, arranged in humanly
recognisable forms. The Eastern Orthodox Church does not oppose
honest critical and historical study of the Bible.[32]
Holy tradition and the patristic consensus
"That faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all",
the faith taught by Jesus to the apostles, given life by the Holy Spirit David glorified by the women of
at Pentecost, and passed down to future generations without Israel from the Paris Psalter,
additions and without subtractions, is known as holy example of the Macedonian art
tradition.[33][34] Holy tradition does not change in the Eastern (Byzantine) (sometimes called
Orthodox Church because it encompasses those things that do not the Macedonian Renaissance)
change: the nature of the one God in Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy
Spirit, the history of God's interactions with his peoples, the Law as
given to the Israelites, all Christ's teaching as given to the disciples and Jews and recorded in
scripture, including the parables, the prophecies, the miracles, and his own example to humanity in
his extreme humility. It encompasses also the worship of the church, which grew out of the worship of
the synagogue and temple and was extended by Christ at the last supper, and the relationship between
God and his people which that worship expresses, which is also evidenced between Christ and his
disciples. It includes the authority that Christ bestowed on his disciples when he made them
apostles.[35]
Holy tradition is firm, even unyielding, but not rigid or legalistic; instead, it lives and breathes within
the church.[36] For example, the New Testament was entirely written by the early church (mostly the
apostles). The whole Bible was accepted as scripture by means of holy tradition practised within the
early church. The writing and acceptance took five centuries, by which time the holy scriptures
themselves had become in their entirety a part of holy tradition.[37] But holy tradition did not change,
because "that faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all" remained consistent,
without additions, and without subtractions. The historical development of the Divine Liturgy and
other worship services and devotional practices of the church provide a similar example of extension
and growth "without change".[38]
Besides these, holy tradition includes the doctrinal definitions and statements of faith of the seven
ecumenical councils, including the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and some later local councils,
patristic writings, canon law, and icons. Not all portions of holy tradition are held to be equally strong.
Some—the holy scriptures foremost, certain aspects of worship, especially in the Divine Liturgy, the
doctrines of the ecumenical councils, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed—possess a verified
authority that endures forever, irrevocably. However, with local councils and patristic writings, the
church applies a selective judgement. Some councils and writers have occasionally fallen into error,
and some contradict each other.[32]
In other cases, opinions differ, no consensus is forthcoming, and all are free to choose. With
agreement among the Church Fathers, though, the authority of interpretation grows, and full patristic
consensus is very strong. With canon law (which tends to be highly rigorous and very strict, especially
with clergy) an unalterable validity also does not apply, since canons deal with living on earth, where
conditions are always changing and each case is subject to almost infinite variation from the next.[32]
By tradition, the Eastern Orthodox Church, when faced with issues that are larger than a single bishop
can resolve, holds a local council. The bishops and such others as may attend convene (as St. Paul
called the Corinthians to do) to seek the mind of the church.[39] A council's declarations or edicts then
reflect its consensus (if one can be found). An ecumenical council is only called for issues of such
import or difficulty or pervasiveness that smaller councils are insufficient to address them.
Ecumenical councils' declarations and canons carry binding weight by virtue of their representation
across the whole church, by which the mind of the church can be readily seen. However, not all issues
are so difficult as to require an ecumenical council to resolve. Some doctrines or decisions, not
defined in a formal statement or proclaimed officially, nevertheless are held by the church unshakably
and unanimously without internal disturbance, and these, also reflecting the mind of the church, are
just as firmly irrevocable as a formal declaration of an ecumenical council. Lack of formality does not
imply lack of authority within holy tradition.[32]
Territorial expansion and doctrinal integrity
As the church increased in size through the centuries, the logistic dynamics of operating such large
entities shifted: patriarchs, metropolitans, archimandrites, abbots and abbesses, all rose up to cover
certain points of administration.
Liturgy
Church calendar
Lesser cycles also run in tandem with the annual ones. A weekly
cycle of days prescribes a specific focus for each day in addition to
others that may be observed:[40]
Each day of the Weekly Cycle is dedicated to certain

special memorials. Sunday is dedicated to Christ's
Resurrection; Monday honors the holy bodiless powers
(angels, archangels, etc.); Tuesday is dedicated to the
prophets and especially the greatest of the prophets,
St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of the Lord;
Wednesday is consecrated to the Cross and recalls
Judas' betrayal; Thursday honors the holy apostles and Fresco of Basil the Great, in the
hierarchs, especially St. Nicholas, Bishop of Myra in church of Saint Sophia, Ohrid. The
Lycia; Friday is also consecrated to the Cross and saint is shown consecrating the
recalls the day of the Crucifixion; Saturday is dedicated Gifts during the Divine Liturgy which
bears his name.
to All Saints, especially the Mother of God, and to the me

departed this life in the hope of resurrection and eternal life.
Church services
Music and chanting
For the composition of religious chant, the Octoechos, an eight-

tone (mode) system, analogous to the Gregorian modes in the
West, and to other ancient Christian musical systems, is used.
Byzantine music is microtonal.
Northern Slavs, however, have used simpler tonal systems evolved

through the sundry local types of Znamenny chant; today Western
music, often with four-part harmony, and the "tones" are simply
sets of melodies.
Chanters singing on the kliros at the
There are numerous versions and styles that are traditional and Church of St. George, Patriarchate
of Constantinople
acceptable and these vary a great deal between cultures.[41]
Traditions
Monasticism
The Eastern Orthodox Church places emphasis and awards a high

level of prestige to traditions of monasticism and asceticism with
roots in Early Christianity in the Near East and Byzantine
Anatolia. The most important centres of Christian Orthodox
monasticism are Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai
Peninsula (Egypt) and Mount Athos in Northern Greece.
All bishops are monks; if a man who is not a monk is elected a

Saint Catherine's Monastery (6th
bishop, he must be tonsured a monk before he may be
century), Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
consecrated. Customarily, also, a man must either be a monk or be
married to be ordained.
Icons and symbols
Icons
Aspects of the iconography borrow from the pre-Christian Roman and Hellenistic art. Henry
Chadwick wrote, "In this instinct there was a measure of truth. The representations of Christ as the
Almighty Lord on his judgment throne owed something to pictures of Zeus. Portraits of the Mother of
God were not wholly independent of a pagan past of venerated mother-goddesses. In the popular
mind the saints had come to fill a role that had been played by heroes and deities."[42]
Icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely.[43]
Most Eastern Orthodox homes have an area set aside for family prayer, usually an eastern facing wall,
where are hung many icons. Icons have been part of Orthodox Christianity since the beginning of the
church.[44]
Iconostasis
An iconostasis, also called the templon, is a wall of icons and

religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a
church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be
placed anywhere within a church. The modern iconostasis
evolved from the Byzantine templon in the 11th century. The
evolution of the iconostasis probably owes a great deal to 14th-
century Hesychast mysticism and the wood-carving genius of the Iconostasis of the Romanian
Russian Orthodox Church. People's Salvation Cathedral
The first ceiling-high, five-leveled Russian iconostasis was

designed by Andrey Rublyov in the cathedral of the Dormition in Vladimir in 1408.
Cross
The small top crossbar represents the sign that Pontius Pilate
nailed above Christ's head. It often is inscribed with an acronym,
"INRI", Latin for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" or "INBI",
Greek Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεύς τῶν Ἰουδαίων for "Jesus of
Nazareth, King of the Jews"; however, it is often replaced or
amplified by the phrase "The King of Glory" in order to answer
Pilate's statement with Christ's affirmation, "My Kingdom is not of
this world".[45]
Other crosses associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church are

the more traditional single-bar crosses, budded designs, the Greek
cross, the Latin cross, the Jerusalem cross (cross pattée), Celtic Greek cross
crosses, and others.[46] A common symbolism of the slanted foot
stool is the foot-rest points up, toward Heaven, on Christ's right
hand-side, and downward, to Hades, on Christ's left. "Between two thieves Thy Cross did prove to be a
balance of righteousness: wherefore one of them was dragged down to Hades by the weight of his
blasphemy [the balance points downward], whereas the other was lightened of his transgressions
unto the comprehension of theology [the balance points upward]. O Christ God, glory to Thee."[47]
Art and architecture
The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on New York City's Upper East Side is the largest
Eastern Orthodox Christian church in the Western Hemisphere.[48]
Local customs
Locality is also expressed in regional terms of churchly

jurisdiction, which is often also drawn along national lines. Many
Orthodox churches adopt a national title (e.g. Albanian Orthodox,
Bulgarian Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox,
Romanian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox,
Ukrainian Orthodox, etc.) and this title can identify which
language is used in services, which bishops preside, and which of
the typica is followed by specific congregations. In the Middle
East, Orthodox Christians are usually referred to as Rum
("Roman") Orthodox, because of their historical connection with
the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.[49]
Holy mysteries (sacraments)

Those things which in the West are often termed sacraments or
sacramentals are known among the Eastern Orthodox as the
"sacred mysteries". While the Roman Catholic Church numbers
seven sacraments, and many Protestant groups list two (baptism Russian Orthodox cross
and the Eucharist) or even none, the Eastern Orthodox do not
limit the number. However, for the sake of convenience,
catechisms often speak of the seven great mysteries. Among
these are Holy Communion (the most direct connection),
baptism, Chrismation, confession, unction, matrimony, and
ordination. But the term also properly applies to other sacred
actions such as monastic tonsure or the blessing of holy water,
and involves fasting, almsgiving, or an act as simple as lighting
a candle, burning incense, praying or asking God's blessing on
food.[50]
An illustration of the traditional interior

Baptism
of an Eastern Orthodox church.
Baptism is the mystery which transforms the old and sinful

person into a new and pure one; the old life, the sins, any
mistakes made are gone and a clean slate is given. Through baptism a person is united to the Body of
Christ by becoming a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. During the service, water is blessed.
The catechumen is fully immersed in the water three times in the name of the Trinity. This is
considered to be a death of the "old man" by participation in the crucifixion and burial of Christ, and a
rebirth into new life in Christ by participation in his resurrection.[51]
Properly, the mystery of baptism is administered by bishops and priests; however, in emergencies any
Eastern Orthodox Christian can baptise.[52]
Chrismation
Chrismation (sometimes called confirmation) is the mystery by which a baptised person is granted the
gift of the Holy Spirit through anointing with Holy Chrism.[53][54] It is normally given immediately
after baptism as part of the same service, but is also used to receive lapsed members of the Eastern
Orthodox Church.[55] As baptism is a person's participation in the death

and resurrection of Christ, so Chrismation is a person's participation in
the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.[56]
A baptised and chrismated Eastern Orthodox Christian is a full member

of the church and may receive the Eucharist regardless of age.[56]
Anointing with chrism substitutes for the laying-on of hands described

in the New Testament.[57]
Holy Communion (Eucharist)
Communion is given only to baptised and chrismated Eastern Orthodox Shards of pottery vases on
Christians who have prepared by fasting, prayer and confession. The the street, after being thrown
priest administers the gifts with a spoon, called a "cochlear", directly from the windows of nearby
into the recipient's mouth from the chalice.[58] From baptism young houses. A Holy Saturday
infants and children are carried to the chalice to receive holy tradition in Corfu.
communion.[56]
Repentance (Confession)
There are many different practices regarding how often Eastern

Orthodox Christians should go to confession. Some Patriarchates
advise confession before each reception of Holy Communion,
others advise confessing during each of the four fasting periods
(Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast), and
there are many additional variants.[59] An Eastern Orthodox baptism
Marriage
From the Orthodox perspective, marriage is one of the holy

mysteries or sacraments. As well as in many other Christian
traditions, for example in Catholicism, it serves to unite a woman
and a man in eternal union and love before God, with the purpose
of following Christ and his Gospel and raising up a faithful, holy
family through their holy union.[60][61] The church understands
marriage to be the union of one man and one woman, and certain
Orthodox leaders have spoken out strongly in opposition to the Eucharistic elements prepared for
civil institution of same-sex marriage.[62][63] the Divine Liturgy
Jesus said that "when they rise from the dead, they neither marry
nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven" (Mk 12:25). For the Orthodox Christian this
passage should not be understood to imply that Christian marriage will not remain a reality in the
Kingdom, but points to the fact that relations will not be "fleshy", but "spiritual".[64] Love between
wife and husband, as an icon of relationship between Christ and Church, is eternal.[64]
The church does recognise that there are rare occasions when
it is better that couples do separate, but there is no official
recognition of civil divorces. For the E. Orthodox, to say that
marriage is indissoluble means that it should not be broken,
the violation of such a union, perceived as holy, being an
offense resulting from either adultery or the prolonged
absence of one of the partners. Thus, permitting remarriage is
an act of compassion of the church towards sinful man.[65]
Holy orders
The wedding of Tsar Nicholas II of
Russia.
Widowed priests and deacons may not remarry and it is
common for such members of the clergy to retire to a
monastery (see clerical celibacy). This is also true of widowed
wives of clergy, who do not remarry and become nuns when
their children are grown. Only men are allowed to receive holy
orders, although deaconesses had both liturgical and pastoral
functions within the church.[66]
In 2016, the Patriarchate of Alexandria decided to reintroduce

the order of deaconess.[67][68] In February 2017, Patriarch
Theodore II consecrated five women to be deacons within the
Patriarchate of Alexandria.[69]
Eastern Orthodox subdeacon being
ordained to the diaconate. The bishop
Distribution has placed his omophorion and right
hand on the head of the candidate and is
Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion in the world's reading the Prayer of Cheirotonia.
largest country, Russia (77%),[70][71][72] where roughly half
the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live. The religion is
also heavily concentrated in the rest of Eastern Europe, where
it is the majority religion in Ukraine (65.4%[73]–77%),[74]
Romania (81%),[75] Belarus (48%[76]–73%[77]), Greece
(98%),[75] Serbia (86%),[75] Bulgaria (86%),[75] Moldova
(90%),[75] Georgia (80%),[75] North Macedonia (53%),[75]
Cyprus (80%)[75] and Montenegro (73%);[75] it is also Eastern Orthodox population by country
predominant in the disputed territories of Abkhazia, South
Ossetia and Transnistria.
Significant minorities are present in several European countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina (31%),[75]
Latvia (24%), Estonia (24%), Albania (7-10%),[78] Lithuania (4%), Croatia (4%), Slovenia (2%), and
Finland (1.5%). In the former Soviet republics of Central Asia, Eastern Orthodoxy constitutes the
dominant religion in northern Kazakhstan, representing 17.9% of the population of the region,[79] and
is also a significant minority in Kyrgyzstan (10%), Turkmenistan (4%), Uzbekistan (3%), Azerbaijan
(2%),[75] and Tajikistan (1%).
Significant Eastern Orthodox populations in the Eastern Mediterranean (primarily Greek Orthodox)
are Lebanon (8%),[80] Syria (5–8%), Jordan (2–5%),[81][82] State of Palestine (1%–2.5%),[83] and
Israel (1–2%).[84][85]
See also
Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodox theology
Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
Revised Julian calendar
Western Rite Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox cross
List of Eastern Orthodox saints
Notes
a. Including the deuterocanonical books
References
Citations
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considered Christian and can be divided into three main branches: (1) Roman Catholicism (the
largest coherent group, representing over one billion baptized members); (2) Orthodox Christianity
(including Eastern Orthodoxy and Oriental Orthodoxy); and (3) Protestantism (comprising many
denominations and schools of thought, including Anglicanism, Reformed, Presbyterianism,
Lutheranism, Methodism, Evangelicalism, and Pentecostalism)."
2. Mirola, William; Monahan, Susanne C. (2016). Religion Matters: What Sociology Teaches Us
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3. Richters, Katja. The Post-Soviet Russian Orthodox Church: Politics, Culture and Greater Russia
(2014)
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5/11/23, 4:54 AM Eastern Orthodoxy - Wikipedia

Sin, salvation, and the incarnation

The Eastern Orthodox Church understands the death and resurrection

The Eastern Orthodox Church, in understanding itself to be the Body

Virgin Mary and other saints

The Eastern Orthodox believe that after the Final Judgment:

All souls will be reunited with their resurrected bodies.

Scriptures are understood by Eastern Orthodox interpretation to

Holy tradition and the patristic consensus

Territorial expansion and doctrinal integrity

Each day of the Weekly Cycle is dedicated to certain

to All Saints, especially the Mother of God, and to the me

Music and chanting

For the composition of religious chant, the Octoechos, an eight-

Northern Slavs, however, have used simpler tonal systems evolved

The Eastern Orthodox Church places emphasis and awards a high

All bishops are monks; if a man who is not a monk is elected a

Icons and symbols

An iconostasis, also called the templon, is a wall of icons and

The first ceiling-high, five-leveled Russian iconostasis was

Other crosses associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church are

Art and architecture

Locality is also expressed in regional terms of churchly

Holy mysteries (sacraments)

An illustration of the traditional interior

Baptism is the mystery which transforms the old and sinful

Orthodox Church.[55] As baptism is a person's participation in the death

A baptised and chrismated Eastern Orthodox Christian is a full member

Anointing with chrism substitutes for the laying-on of hands described

Holy Communion (Eucharist)

There are many different practices regarding how often Eastern

From the Orthodox perspective, marriage is one of the holy

In 2016, the Patriarchate of Alexandria decided to reintroduce

9. Hierotheos 1998, pp. 128–130.

35. Bible: Matthew 16:19 (https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Matthew+16:19&version=

60. "Letter to Families by Pope John Paul II" (https://web.archive.org/web/20110405033300/https://ww

83. "West Bank" (https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/west-bank/). Central Intelligence

Tertiary reference works

FitzGerald, Thomas (2007). "Eastern Christianity in the United States" (https://books.google.com/

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