Greek Orthodox Church Explained

Greek Orthodox Church (Greek: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία, Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía, in Greek, Modern (1453-); pronounced as /elinorˈθoðoksi ekliˈsia/) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian churches, each associated in some way with Greek Christianity, Levantine Arabic-speaking Christians or more broadly the rite used in the Eastern Roman Empire.

The broader meaning refers to "the entire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity, sometimes also called 'Eastern Orthodox,' 'Greek Catholic,' or generally 'the Greek Church.

A second, narrower meaning refers to "any of several independent churches within the worldwide communion of (Eastern) Orthodox Christianity that retain the use of the Greek language in formal ecclesiastical settings". In this sense, the Greek Orthodox Churches are the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and its dependencies, the Patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, the Church of Greece and the Church of Cyprus.^[1]

The third meaning refers to the Church of Greece, an Eastern Orthodox Church operating within the modern borders of Greece.

Etymology

Historically, the term "Greek Orthodox" has been used to describe all Eastern Orthodox churches, since the term "Greek" can refer to the heritage of the Byzantine Empire.^{[2] [3] [4]} During the first eight centuries of Christian history, most major intellectual, cultural, and social developments in the Christian Church took place in the Byzantine Empire or its sphere of influence,^{[5] [6]} where the Greek language was widely spoken and used for most theological writings. The empire's capital, Constantinople, was an early important center of Christianity, and its liturgical practices, traditions, and doctrines were gradually adopted throughout Eastern Orthodoxy, still providing the basic patterns of contemporary Orthodoxy.^{[7] [8] [9]} Thus, Eastern Orthodox came to be called "Greek" Orthodox in the same way that Western Christians came to be called "Roman" Catholic. However, the appellation "Greek" was abandoned by the Slavic and other Eastern Orthodox churches as part of their peoples' national awakenings, beginning as early as the 10th century A.D.^{[10] [11] [12]} Thus, by the early 21st century, generally only those churches most closely tied to Greek or Byzantine culture and ethnicity were called "Greek Orthodox" in common parlance.^[13]

Greek Orthodoxy has also been defined as a religious tradition rooted in preserving the Greek identity.^[14]

In 2022, U.S. government estimated that 81-90% of the population of Greece identified as Greek Orthodox.^[15]

History

The Greek Orthodox churches are descendants of churches which the Apostles founded in the Balkans and the Middle East during the first century A.D.,^{[16] [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] [22]} as well as maintainers of many ancient church traditions.

Churches

• The four ancient patriarchates:
  • The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the "first among equals" of the Eastern Orthodox Church
    • The semi-autonomous Archdiocese of Crete
    • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
    • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia
    • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Canada
    • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy
    • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Buenos Aires and All Argentina
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of France, Western and Southern Europe
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Germany and Central Europe
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Mexico, Venezuela, Central America and the Caribbean
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of Santiago and All Chile
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of São Paulo and All Brazil
    • The Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of the British Isles and Ireland
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem
    • The autonomous Church of Sinai
• Autocephaly defended at the Council of Ephesus
  • The Church of Cyprus
• A modern autocephalous church:
  • The Church of Greece

See also

• Religion in Greece
• East-West Schism
  • Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Eastern Orthodox Church
• History of the Eastern Orthodox Church
• Russian Orthodoxy
• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Hayhurum
• Catholic Church in Greece
• Name days in Greece
• Pentarchy
• Ecumenism
• Greeks

Further reading

• Aderny, Walter F. The Greek and Eastern Churches (1908) online
• Constantelos, Demetrios J. Understanding the Greek Orthodox church: its faith, history, and practice (Seabury Press, 1982)
• Fortesque, Adrian. The Orthodox Eastern Church (1929)
• Hussey, Joan Mervyn. The orthodox church in the Byzantine empire (Oxford University Press, 2010) online
• Kephala, Euphrosyne. The Church of the Greek People Past and Present (1930)
• Latourette, Kenneth Scott. Christianity in a Revolutionary Age, II: The Nineteenth Century in Europe: The Protestant and Eastern Churches. (1959) 2: 479–484; Christianity in a Revolutionary Age, IV: The Twentieth Century in Europe: The Roman Catholic, Protestant, and Eastern Churches (1958)
• Book: McGuckin . John Anthony . John Anthony McGuckin . The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity . 2 vols . (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011) .

Notes and References

1. Encyclopedia: Orthodox Churches, Eastern: Greek Orthodox Church and Its Theology . The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity . Cambridge University Press . Demetrios [Trakatellis] . 2010 . Patte . Daniel . 895 . en . 978-0-521-52785-9.
2. Book: Boyd, Kelly. Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing. August 8, 1999. Taylor & Francis. 9781884964336. Google Books.
3. [Edwin Pears]
4. Book: Millar , Fergus . A Greek Roman Empire : Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450) . University of California Press . 2006 . 0-520-24703-5 . 279 pages .
5. Tanner, Norman P. The Councils of the Church,
6. The Byzantine legacy in the Orthodox Church by John Meyendorff - 1982
7. Hugh Wybrew, The Orthodox Liturgy: The Development of the Eucharistic Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite - 1990
8. The Christian Churches of the East, Vol. II: Churches Not in Communion with Rome, by Donald Attwater - 1962
9. J Meyendorff, Byzantine Theology: Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes (1987)
10. [Joan M. Hussey|Joan Mervyn Hussey]
11. Book: Vlasto, A. P.. The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs. 1970. Cambridge University Press. 0521074592. Cambridge. en. 637411069.
12. Book: Pantev, Andrey Lazarov. Българска история в европейски контекст. 2000. IK "Khristo Botev". 9544456708. bg. 45153811.
13. Web site: Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox - Questions & Answers . 2022-10-23 . www.oca.org.
14. Saloutos . Theodore . "The Greek Orthodox Church in the United States and Assimilation." . The International Migration Review . 1973 . 7 . 4 . 395–407 . 10.2307/3002553 . 3002553 .
15. https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious-freedom/greece US State Dept 2022 report
16. Book: Janet Saltzman Chafetz. Helen Rose Ebaugh. Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations. 2 September 2013. 18 October 2000. AltaMira Press. 978-0-7591-1712-9. 155. The distinctive characteristics of the Greek Orthodox Church are its sense of continuity with the ancient Church of Christ and the Apostles and its changelessness. The Orthodox church traces its existence, through the ordination of Bishops, directly back to the Apostles and through them to Jesus..
17. Book: Sally Bruyneel. Alan G. Padgett. Introducing Christianity. 2 September 2013. 2003. Orbis Books. 978-1-60833-134-5. 7. The Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches are the oldest with roots going back to the earliest Christian groups..
18. Book: Benjamin Jerome Hubbard. John T. Hatfield. James A. Santucci. An Educator's Classroom Guide to America's Religious Beliefs and Practices. 2 September 2013. 2007. Libraries Unlimited. 978-1-59158-409-4. 63. The Orthodox Church traces its origins to the churches founded by the apostles in the Middle East and the Balkans in the first century..
19. Book: Robert L. Plummer. Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Anglicanism. 2 September 2013. 6 March 2012. Zondervan. 978-0-310-41671-5. 128. Catholicism holds that if a Church claims to be Christian, then it must be able to show that its leaders-its bishops and its presbyters (or priests)- are successors of the apostles. That is why the Catholic Church accepts Eastern Orthodox ordinations and sacraments as valid, even though Eastern Orthodoxy is not in full communion with Rome..
20. Book: William A. Dyrness. Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen. Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church. 2 September 2013. 25 September 2009. InterVarsity Press. 978-0-8308-7811-6. 244. This connection is apparent through the historical succession of bishops of churches in a particular geographic locale and by fidelity to the teachings of the apostles (cf. Acts 2:42) and life as it developed in the patristic tradition and was articulated by the seven ecumenical councils..
21. Book: Heidi Campbell. Heidi A Campbell. When Religion Meets New Media. 2 September 2013. 22 March 2010. Routledge. 978-0-203-69537-1. 13. There are three branches within Christianity: Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and Protestant. ... The Christian church draws its lineage and roots from the time of Jesus Christ and the apostles in CE 25–30 and the birth of the Church at Pentecost in ....
22. Book: Wendy Doniger. Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions. 2 September 2013. January 1999. Merriam-Webster. 978-0-87779-044-0. 309. EASTERN ORTHODOXY, one of the major branches of CHRISTIANITY, characterized by its continuity with the apostolic church, its liturgy, and its territorial churches..