Eastern Orthodox Church

This is one of the Christian traditions that claim apostolic succession and by which many adherents have sought for Yahoshea Meshiyach and his way.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is variously  identified as Orthodox Catholic Church, Orthodox Church and Orthodoxy. It is assumed that the Christian tradition is the second largest or populous with close to 300 million converts.

The Orthodox traced  its origin from earliest congregation established by St. Paul and other apostles which passed through ancient Roman empire and continued by the efforts of Byzantine empire.

Etymology Of The Name

The word “Orthodox” is driven from the Greek term – “Orthos” which means “straight”, “Correct”, “True” or “Right”. This term refer to correct worship or true belief of the practices laid by Yahoshea Meshiyach.

The term – “Eastern” identifies the geographical “East” in the East-West schism that separated from the Western Roman that is commonly called Roman Catholic Church which later gave birth to Protestantism and Anglican Communion. The Eastern Church is identification of the highly congested Orthodox faithful and operations in the Eastern part of the ancient Roman empire which lately developed into a global Christian tradition.

The Orthodox Church claim that the Assyrians and Orientals left the movement after the fourth Ecumenical Council of Chalcedon in 451 on the argument of the true nature of Yahoshea Meshiyach.

The Eastern Orthodox moved along  with mainstream church till 1054 when separated from the Church of the Western Roman in an event identified as the “Great Schism” or the “East-West schism”.

Before this period, both Eastern that gave rise to Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western block that gave rise to Roman Catholic Church were referred as the “One Holy Catholic” which was driven from the Greek term that means “According to the whole” and “Apostolic Church”.

Both groups contests to be the true continuation of the original Catholic Church that claimed Apostolic succession.

Structure and Policy

Although, Eastern Orthodox Church has grown and spread to all continents, all of its national or local jurisdictional titles use the term-Eastern Orthodox as general identical name.

The Christian tradition is made up of many self-governing ecclesial bodies and each geographical and national jurisdictions being distinct but are held together in worship and practices.

The sect claim to observe true practices that were held by early apostles of Yahoshea in what it terms as “Holy Tradition”.  It believe that Holy Tradition encompasses all doctrines or practices that were of original faith that passed down from the apostles and which have been believed every where, always and by all.

All members of Orthodox Church observe same faith regardless to jurisdiction, race or time variation. The Holy Tradition is the channel by which the unity of faith is passed to all jurisdictions and boundaries of times.

After the East-West schism in 1054, the church in Rome and that in Constantinople saw each other as enemies and as people that have left the real tradition of the early apostles. Each of the schism retained the term “Catholic” as part of its title. For example, the church in the West began to identify itself as Roman Catholic Church.

As it defined separation from Roman Catholic Church, the body began to be identified as “Greek Orthodox Church “or Greek Catholic” in contrast to Roman Church. The movement finally settle for Eastern Orthodox as proper definition of itself. This identity composes of the predominance of geography, in its origin and development.

Claim Of Apostolicity

History holds that early Yahaosheans toiled desperately to plant congregations at various cities and localities of the ancient Roman Empire.  Those congregations or stations of the movement were at Yerusalem, Antioch, Ethiopia, Egypt, Rome, Alexandria, Athens, Thessalonica, Illyricum etc.

The activities of these early congregations were usurped by Greek Scholars who were predominant in those ages.  Greek brethren applied complimentary but deceptive ploys to transform the early messianic movement into Hellenistic culture.

With passage of time, the assembly at Rome came to dominate other stations owing to its tie with the Roman Emperors. This gave way for the Church of Rome in which the present day Eastern Orthodox Church was initially part of until it separated in 1054 Ad.

For such reason, the Eastern Orthodox is founded mainly on the First-Seven Ecumenical Councils that defined the practices of Christendom.

History record that during early period of the assembly of Yahoshea, there were various schisms or heretical sects that rose to contest with the real brethren. In the terms of true scriptural practices, such sects or philosophical groups included the Alexandrian and Antiochian approaches.

As the assembly began to spread with passage of time, the pagan scholars began to plunge into the fold with their heresies and such helped to drown the true way that Yahoshea and his apostles stood for.  Such development called for different forms of belief and practices within the movement  and equally caused religious  disharmony in Roman Empire.

To handle the religious conflicts, Emperor Constantine called for the Ecumenical Council which was viewed as a supreme authority that can be invoked to resolve contested issues of faith.

Before the conversion of Emperor Constantine, the assembly had been thoroughly mixed by various pagan philosophical thoughts which in turn had a great conflict with traditional Roman nationals.

The conflict reduced through  the conversion of the emperor who called for the first Ecumenical Council being  the Nicene Council on 325 Ad.

The Church Continued in such custom to convene many later ecumenical councils which helped it to address some religious differences.

The Orthodox Church partook of all the major ecumenical Councils and made it part of its liturgy or operation. The movement partook of the first seventh councils that defined Christianity before its separation from the mainstream church.

Convocation Of Separate Councils

The Eastern Orthodox later convened its separate councils to define the practices of orthodox. Such includes the synods of Constantinople in 1484, 1583, 1755, 1819 and 1872.

The Orthodox Church rested upon those council for its existence and practices and for such reason, it shared majority of doctrines with Roman Catholic Church and Anglican that equally hung on the councils.

The Church of Orthodox flourished with support or influence of Byzantine empire especially when the Constantinople fall during the fourth crusade.

The formal origin of the orthodox church is based on the outcome of the Great Schism or East-West schism that separated Rome and Constantinople.

This separation gave birth to Church of the West becoming Roman Catholic Church while the Eastern Byzantine Churches becoming Orthodox. The separation were based on the authority of Pope, political issues that relate to Church and State, relationship, differences that developed over linguistic and cultural applications between Latin and Greek.

Reasons For The Great Schism

Before 1054 separation, the Eastern and Western wings of Christendom had frequently been in conflicts particularly during the periods of Eastern Iconoclasm. The final disintegration came in 1204 after the sacking of Constantinople through the Catholic Fourth Crusade.

Though, there were many attempts to unite both movements through the Second Council of Lyon on 1274 and the Council of Florence in 1437 but such did not yield good fruits.

The separation of East and Western Rome were totally political motivated and had nothing in relationship of restoration of true doctrines and practices that have been alleged corrupted by Roman Catholic Church.

The Orthodox followed or observed all major ordinances or traditions that were instituted by the Christendom before the separation.

Both Catholic and Eastern Orthodox were as two branches of the same tree and each contesting to have the real root or stem.  Both shared same root and stem but with little differences.

Both movements were state backed and the differences of those states affected the movements or traditions.

Few religious differences can be recounted as contributing factors to the separation of both Roman Empires.  For example, in the early 8th century, the Byzantine Iconoclasm raised a dispute between both empires. The Byzantine emperor forbid creation and veneration of religious images which they saw as violation of one of the laws of Yahweh.

This was the view of other major religions in the East such as Yudaism and Islam who had same prohibitions.

Majority of the points that breed the great separation were of more political. After destruction of the Western Roman Empire, the church of west became a major factor for development and governance while in the Eastern Rome, the Byzantine Empire preserved Orthodox.

The political conflict between both empires of Rome ensued till the Great East-West schism.  Emperors and Patriarchs of both Constantinople (East) and Rome (West) contested over the true descendants of the Roman Empire.

In church affair, the Patriarchs of Constantinople were uncomfortable by the influence or powers wielded by the Western Popes.  This envy resulted into sort of disloyalty to the popes by the patriarchs even when the patriarchs were raised to the status  as popes under their jurisdictions.

The religious and political differences of Eastern and Western Rome reached to its peak in 1054 when both territories separated.  The case of the separation was the contest whether Constantinople or Rome held jurisdiction over the Church in Sicily and such led to mutual excommunications.

History held that the conflict aggravated during the fourth crusade that sacked Constantinople.  The record of the Church crusade held that the Muslim Turks invaded Byzantine empire and its emperor Alexius I appealed to Pope Urban II of Roman Church for military assistance. Pope Urban saw the appeal as an opportunity to reconcile the differences of both Eastern and Western empires.

Pope Urban responded to the request by launching of the great crusade in 1095.  The crusade was a military campaign that was intended to end Muslim occupation of Byzantine territories and to return the Holy land back to Christian control.

To achieve these efforts, series of crusades were launched and on its fourth series, the city of Constantinople was sacked.  This development embittered the Eastern Christianity and enhanced the difference of both religious traditions despite Pope Innocent III's apology to the Orthodox.

Relationship In Practices

As the difference between Roman Church and Greek church were basically political, both shared  same root and stem but are of different branches.  Both took their origin on the Acts of the First Seven Ecumenial Councils and the Church Fathers from 2nd to 5th Centuries.

This era constituted  the formative stage of Christianity. Since both East and West Schisms relied upon those instruments, they cannot claim of having substantial religious differences.

For example, all practices that are tied as Holy Tradition in Orthodox Church are practiced in one way or the other in Roman Church.

Both traditions hold to the efficacy of the canonized scriptures, they jointly believe on the doctrines of trinity, cross veneration, icons, downfall of man, veneration of virgin Mary, glorification of saints, Sunday worship or rest, facing the East to worship, seven sacraments as baptism, confirmation (chrismation), use of incense during worship, usage of church bells, Easter festival, Holy Communion, Confession, Unction, Matrimony, tradition, blood and body as Holy Communion, divine liturgy (Mass observation) marriage, monasteries, Monks, Nuns, Bishops, priests, deacons, etc.

The Orthodox Church had slight differences to Roman Church on issues relating to strict fasts, marriage of priests, non-belief of purgatory and partial observation of Sabbath rest.

Equally, the Orthodox Church do not bear over-regard to its patriarch as done to Pope in Roman Church.

The patriarch is seen as the first amongst equal in the arena of Bishops.

Both are Chalcedonian Churches and share same view over the resurrection of Yahoshea Meshiyach. Both traditions convokes ecumenical councils to handle religious differences that emerge within them.  They are structured and administered in same nature even when the Patriarchs are not seen as super-sacred as Popes. 

Both traditions shares religious symbolisms and interprets such symbols in almost same way.

The separation of the religious tradition from mainstream Christianity was not targeted at restoration of sacred values that were alleged to have been corrupted by the Church of Rome rather, it was mostly of political matter.

Constantinople’s fall and further efforts

When Constantinople fall to Ottoman Empire, some local Eastern Churches however renewed union with Rome.  Those local churches breed the Eastern Catholic Churches.

As the Byzantine Empire fall to Ottoman Empire in 1453, the Orthodox Church adopted Russia as its stronghold. Such promted  the adherents to begin to identify Moscow as the Third Rome as well as a cultural heir to Constantinople.

Under Ottoman Empire, Western Orthodox Council acquired power as an autonomous body in which the ecumenical Patriarch became the religious and administrative ruler.

As the Orthodox Church gave freedom for national jurisdiction to use the name of their host countries as for identifications, such evolved many native orthodox churches as Romanian Orthodox, Albanian Orthodox, Bulgarian Orthodox, Russian Orthodox etc.

The Russian Orthodox Church became so popular and influential during 17th and 18th centuries. Before 1666, Patriarch Nikon was deposed by the Isar, the Russian Orthodox Church had been independent of the state.

In 1721, the Russian empire under Emperor Peter I abolished the Patriarchate and turned the church into a department of Russian government ruled by a most Holy Synod.  The council consists of Senior Bishops and lay bureaucrats that were appointed by the emperor.

This status of the church continued till 1917 revolution when the church was seen as enemy of the masses along the imperial regimes that supported it.

Shortly after the Bolshevik Revolution, Vladimir Lenin pounced upon the church, imprisoning and killing many of the clergy and faithful.

As communism became instituted in Russia, the government unleashed terrible attacks upon the Eastern Orthodox Churches, began to profess hatred over religions and equally adopting Atheism as way of life.

The new constitution of the communist government guaranteed the freedom to profess atheism or propaganda as a part of freedom of religion.

The communist government banned Catechist classes, religious schools, study groups, Sunday schools and religious publications.

Few places of worship were granted to the church and such properties were made to be state owned.  After the institution of State funded universal education, the church was restricted from carrying out educational and instructional activities.

By the communist persecution of Orthodox Church, many priests were killed and the population of congregation and members drastically reduced.

The tide changed after the fall of communism in 1991 as churches began to rebuild its facilities and with increased membership.

Conclusions

Going by these developments, it is wise to conclude that Eastern Orthodox Church is a twin brother to Roman Catholic Church in many ways. It is reasonable to hold that the religious tradition did not unfold to redeem mankind that were trapped by the religious bigotry of Roman Catholic church.  It neither came on board to free people from heresies and adulterations that characterized Catholicism. Rather,  it is a political creation targeted towards enhancing the political fortune of Eastern Roman Empire and its emperors and patriarchs.

The Church is aimed at expression of Greek religious influence over its Latin Counterpart.  It did not work to rusticate the Hebrew traditions that the early apostles held but been destroyed by Roman Church.  It was not a credible opposition to Roman Church over doctrinal practices.  Rather,  it contested of political control of the church and the empire.

Millions of adherents are deceived to profess orthodox as it claim to represent the “true way of worship” as it relied upon the First to Seven Ecumenical Councils and the Acts of Church Fathers of 2nd to 5th centuries that is termed as Acts of Holy Tradition.

True faith must base its root on the Acts of Prophets, Acts of Yahoshea Meshiyach and his apostles and Acts of the true comforter and his disciples.

True faith must adopt all acts of Roman convened ecumenical councils and their edicts as acts of apostasy (fallen Away) and headed by the man of sin (Anti-Yahoshea).

As men search for Yahoshea Meshiyach they must be acquinted with the scriptural prescription  of both opposing camps of the comforter and the man of sin, the Acts of Apostles against the Acts of Apostasy. Ability to discern both personalities and their works will help a convert to reach to a good decision or choice of the real way of life that he seeks for.