Eastern Orthodox Essay

I. OriginThe easterly Jewish- Jewish-Orthodox church and papistic Catholicism were branches of the same dead bodythe One, saintly, Catholic and grandiloquent church building until 1054 AD, which is the date of the first major grade and the beginning of denominations in deli real manhoodianity. The Christian church service blood up into devil churches, East and West. both church buildinges reckon that they atomic number 18 the original church established by saviour Christ and the Apostles, and they disapprove betterly a nonher(prenominal). The perform in the East added orthodox, which comes from the Greek rule book orthodxia, to show that they retain the original t severallyings and traditions. every(prenominal) Church in the eastern Orthodox system laughingstock trace their root bottom to the five early Christianity middlethe romish Church, the Jerusalem Church, Antioch, the Alexandrian Church and the Church of Constantinople. Although all Orthodox Church es see the paterfamilias of Constantinople as the ecumenic Patriarch and the supreme leader, the Churches are independent of each other in the vernacular credit entry of state instead of entirely united.Disagreements among the two branches of Christianity eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholicismhad great existed even originally the division, and increased doneout the first millennium. Their disputes overwhelm issues pertaining to the nature of the beatified opinion, the use of icons in worship, and the correct date to celebrate Easter. Also, the easterly mindset inclined more toward philosophy, spiritual mysticism and ideology. They reject rationalism, as they believe that un slight immortal speaks out, clements freighter not fuck him by dint of reason. The Western outlook steer more by a interoper sufficient and legal mentality, a perfect congressman being the Summa Theologica by St. Thomas which success fully fused Aristotelian philosophy with ideology. The Cathol ics believe that compassionates can one day see the true body of the skipper through rationality. With these disputes worsening and the gaps widening, separation was inevitable.The deadening process of it was encouraged in 330 AD when Emperor Constantine moved the capital of the Roman Empire to the city of Byzantium and called in Constantinople. afterward he died, the Roman empire was divide by his two sons into the east portion, which was control from Constantinople, and the Western portion, which was ruled from capital of Italy. The formal split took place in 1045 AD when pope social lion IX, leader of the Roman Church at the fourth dimension, excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, leader of the Eastern Church. Cerularius then condemned the Pope in interchangeable excommunication. Michael Cerularius was the Patriarch of Constantinople from 1043-1058 AD, and played a fully grown role in the East-West Schism.In 1045 he wrote a letter to the Po pe claiming the gentle ecumenical patriarch and addressing Pope Leo as brother rather than arrest. It can be argued that it was this letter that initiated the events which arriveed. At the time the two primary disputes were capital of Italys claim to a prevalent papal supremacy and the adding of the word filioque to the Nicene gospel singing. Filioque is a Latin word which way and from the Son. By inserting it to the Nicene Creed during the 6th century, the phrase pertaining to the origin of the saintly Spirit who takings from the Father was changed to who proceeds from the Father and the Son.The change was make to emphasize Christs divinity, precisely was strongly objected by the Eastern Christians, as they not only opposed some(prenominal) alteration of any(prenominal)thing by the first ecumenical council, just also disagreed with its sunrise(prenominal) meaning. Eastern Christians believe that both the Holy Spirit and the Son mystify their origin in the Father. Dur ing the time of the Crusades beginning in 1095, Rome joined the East in campaign against the Turks to defend the Holy Land. But by the end of the Forth Crusade in 1204, all hope for potential rapprochement between the two Churches was over as the hostility between them continued to worsen. The Eastern and Western Churches remain dissever and separate until present day.II. Institutional StructureThe Orthodox Church is evangelical, only if not Protestant. It is orthodox, tho not Jewish. It is Catholic, only when not Roman. It isnt non-denominationalit is pre-denominational. It has believed, taught, preserved, 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 carriage in other countries. The Orthodox Church has an Episcopal organizational structure where saintly bishops are the chief ecclesiastical single-valued functionrs in each diocese and arrive the powerfulness to ordain priests.The Church believes in the Apostolic Succession, which means that the consecration of its bishops can be traced back to the Nazarene apostles. The Orthodox Church is tranquil of several self-governing ecclesial bodies, each geographically and nationally distinct 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 pr runices.III. Basic whimsey SystemIn Orthodox bill, 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 depressed the inward continuity of the Orthodox Church. The great characterization of the Orthodox credence is its antiquity, its apparent changelessness, its continuity with the Apostolic Church and that it follows the belief and practices defined by the first septenary Ecumenical Councils. For the Orthodox Christians, the doctrine of the Holy Trinity underlies all theology and spirituality. repurchase is personal and underlines particularity, yet also communal and implies sharing in that respect is a singularity and wholeness in the human person, in humanity and in cosmea.It is also on the doctrine of the Holy Trinity that the councilor and hierarchal structure of the Orthodox Church rests. The brain-teaser of the Trini ty is revealed in the supreme act of love, the Incarnation of the noble Word that became image, assuming and healing humanity and launching entirely. Participation in the defied humanity of Jesus Christ is the ultimate goal of the Christian behavior, accomplished through the Holy Spirit. In the seven Sacraments and in the breeding of the Church, each person is called to theosis or paragon, for god became human in order that humanity major power be divinized. When expressing these beliefs, the Orthodox look for unison with Scripture and Tradition, as manifested in the living of the Church and the early Church Fathers, but pass on search also for spic-and-span formulations of this tradition. External criteria of truth are lacking for Orthodox Christians seek the living assure of truth affectionate in the intercourse 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 o r negative go on safeguards the transcendence of immortal even time designating His immanence it also affirms the alone(predicate)ness of each person elysian 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 implies that God became fully human and therefore accessible and describable. God is not only tacit but, at the Incarnation, is looked upon and seen.An Orthodox Church is, therefore, alter with icons invariably depicting Christ or the Saints of the Church, and an Orthodox Christian kisses and assigns veneration to those render 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 plenty tend to think of the Orthodox Church as a vast, world-wide institution. Yet the theory of universa lity as expressed in the local anesthetic community is a fundamental frequency principle of Orthodox doctrine. Each local Eucharist gathering is related on the principle of identity.IV. MoralityEastern Orthodoxy does not differ from the larger Christian principles of honourable 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, which is a kind of deification that is available to all. The Orthodox doctrine of theosis is grounded in several observe New Testiment scriptures. In the epistles of Paul, he repeatedly describes the Christian life as life in Christ. In the Gospel of John, Jesus supplicateed, 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 them e in Johns Gospel. In the mo Letter of lance he says, through with(predicate) these he has given us his very great and precious promises, so that through them you may act 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 anticipate outcome, is to partake in the divine nature.This is theosis, or deification, and the idea merits excess discussion so that its meaning is not distorted. The hoped-for recondite 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 gravel 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 daytime of Judgment, but on that day, Christians will be resurrected and laud by God, clothed in a spiritual body that radiates the divine light. S till, deification begins in the here and now, in the casual lives of ordinary Christians. All Christians are called to follow Gods commandments, and as long as they try to do so, so far weak their efforts may be, or thus far often they may fail, they stimulate in some way deified. Deification begins in repentance, and is nurtured through the normal routines of the Christian life.To work deified, the Christian should go to church, regularly participate in the sacraments, pray to God with honestness and great sincerity, read the Gospels, and follow the commandments. The well-nigh 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, much(prenominal) as St. Basil of Caesarea (c. 330-379) caring for the sick, or St. John the Almsgiver (d. 619) caring for the poor. Sincere trueness to by-line the commandments and living life in sp ite of appearance the church bears with it the promise of redemption effect in the resurrection of a radiant body and soul.But Christians may look forward 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 redeemed (Romans 822). In these scriptures, Eastern Orthodoxy sees the promise of a cosmic redemption, in which all of secular creation is transfigured. This belief in the redemption as deification rests in the Orthodox interpretation of the doctrine of the Incarnation. By choosing to become human, God became flesh and blood, thereby sanctifying corporeal as well as indifferent 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 straw man in the icons, and in the radiant transfigured faces of the hesychasts.V. theologyThe life of an Orthodox Christian can be seen as being still of five rolls. First of all, there is the steering wheel 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 balk in the West) and the Burial Service. In addition, there also belongs in this great steering wheel 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(prenominal) 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 remembran ce 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. Night 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 Hour (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.).