Orthodoxy is a Christian denomination. Orthodoxy

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Orthodoxy

Orthodoxy is the name of the Christian faith, to which the Russian, Greek, Serbian, Montenegrin, Romanian, Slavic churches in the Austrian dominions, Greek and Syrian in the Typian dominions (patriarchates of Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria and Jerusalem), and Absinian belong at present.

The name P. - orJodoxia - is first found among Christian writers of the 2nd century, when the first formulas of the teaching of the Christian Church appear (by the way, in Clement of Alexandria), and means the faith of the entire church, in contrast to the diversity of heretics - heterodoxy (eterodoxia). Later, the word P. means the totality of dogmas and institutions of the church, and its criterion is the unchanging preservation of the teachings of I. Christ and the Apostles, as set out in Holy Scripture, Holy Tradition and in the ancient symbols of the universal church. The name “orJodoxuV”, “Orthodox”, remained with the Eastern Church since the separation from its Western Church, which adopted the name of the Catholic Church. In a general, nominal sense, the names “orthodoxy” and “orthodox” are now often adopted by other Christian denominations; for example, there is “orthodox Lutheranism,” which strictly follows Luther’s creed.

A penchant for abstract thinking about objects of a higher order and the ability for subtle logical analysis were the innate properties of the Greek folk genius. Hence it is clear why the Greeks recognized the truth of Christianity more quickly and easily than other peoples and perceived it more holistically and deeply.

Starting from the 2nd century. educated and scientific people are joining the church in ever-increasing numbers; Since that time, the church has established scientific schools, in which secular sciences are also taught, modeled on pagan schools. Among the Greek Christians there are a mass of scientists for whom the dogmas of the Christian faith replaced philosophemes ancient philosophy and became the subject of equally diligent study. The heresies that arose, starting from the end of the 1st century, intensified to combine the newly emerged Christian teaching either with Greek philosophy or with elements of various Eastern cults, aroused extraordinary energy of thought in the theologians of the Eastern Church. In the 4th century. in Byzantium, the whole society and even the common people were interested in theology, discussing dogmas in markets and squares, just as rhetoricians and sophists had previously argued in city squares. While dogmas were not yet formulated in symbols, there was a relatively large scope for personal judgment, which led to the emergence of new heresies. Then the ecumenical councils appear on the stage (see). They did not create new beliefs, but only clarified and expressed in brief and precise expressions the faith of the church, in the form in which it existed from the beginning: they protected the faith, which was preserved by the church society, the church in its entirety.

The decisive vote at the councils belonged to the bishops or their authorized deputies, but both clergy and ordinary laymen had the right of an advisory vote (jus consultationis), especially philosophers and theologians, who even took part in the council debates, proposed objections and helped the bishops with their instructions. “With us,” say the Eastern Patriarchs in a letter to Pope Pius IX (1849), “neither patriarchs nor councils could introduce anything new, because our guardian of piety is the body of the church itself, that is, the church people, who always wants to keep his faith unchanged and consistent with the faith of his fathers.”

Thus, the Orthodox East built a majestic edifice of Christian doctrine. In 842, on the occasion of the final restoration of icon veneration, the Rite II was compiled in Constantinople, performed annually on the week of Orthodoxy (see XX, 831). The anathematisms of this rite constitute P.’s formula as the faith of the church (pistiV thV ekklhsiaV). Until the 11th century. all christian world constituted one universal church. The Western Church at the ecumenical councils took an active part in protecting the ancient faith of the church and in the creation of symbolic church teaching; minor ritual and canonical differences did not separate it from the eastern one. Only from the 11th century. Some local Western opinions - not only liturgical, like the doctrine of unleavened bread, but also dogmatic, like the doctrine of the filioque, caused a division between the Eastern and Western churches. In subsequent times, the peculiar teaching of the Western Church about the extent and nature of the power of the Roman bishop caused a final break between the Orthodox and Western churches. Around the time of the division of churches, new peoples - Slavic, including the Russian people - entered the Orthodox Church.

And in Rus' there were moments of the same strong aspiration of society towards theology, as in Byzantium, in the centuries of councils: in the time of Joseph of Volotsky, later - in the time of the Likhuds, in Moscow and other cities, and in houses, and on the streets, and in all in public places, everyone reasoned and argued about questions of faith, at that time excited by heresies. “Since the establishment of the rank of P. in the Eastern Church. says one Russian theologian, P. means in essence nothing more than obedience or obedience to the church, which already contains all the teaching necessary for a Christian. as a son of the church, so that in unconditional trust in the church, the Orthodox Christian finds final peace of spirit in firm faith in the unconditional truth of that which he can no longer help but recognize as truth, about which there is no longer any need to reason and there is no possibility of doubt.”

For scientific theology, the Orthodox Church provides its members with wide scope; but in its symbolic teaching it gives the theologian a fulcrum and a scale with which it recommends that any religious reasoning be conformed, in order to avoid contradiction with “dogmas”, with the “faith of the church.” In this sense, P. does not deprive anyone of the right to read the Bible (as Catholicism deprives the laity of this right) in order to extract from it more detailed information about the faith of the church; but it recognizes the need to be guided by the interpretative works of St. the fathers of the church, by no means leaving the understanding of the word of God to the personal understanding of the Christian himself, as Protestantism does. P. does not elevate human teaching, which is not contained in Holy Scripture and Tradition, to the level of taking into account the revealed of God, as is done in the papacy; it does not derive new dogmas from the previous teachings of the church through inference (like the Catholic filioque). does not share the Catholic opinion about the superior human dignity of the personality of the Mother of God (Catholic teaching about her “immaculate conception”), does not attribute merits beyond their due to the saints, much less does not assimilate divine infallibility to a person, even if it were the Roman high priest himself; Only the church in its entirety is recognized as infallible, insofar as it expresses its teaching through ecumenical councils. P. does not recognize purgatory, since he teaches that satisfaction for the truth of God for the sins of people has already been brought once and for all through the suffering and death of the Son of God. By accepting the seven sacraments, P. “learns the due significance of our bodily nature, as an integral part of the human being, sanctified by the incarnation of the Son of God,” and in the sacraments he sees not only signs of grace, but grace itself; in the sacrament of the Eucharist he sees the true body and true blood of Christ, into which bread and wine are transubstantiated.

The grace of God, according to the teachings of P., acts in man, contrary to the opinion of the Reformers, not irresistibly, but in accordance with his free will; our own good deeds are credited to us, although not in themselves, but by virtue of the assimilation of the Savior’s merits by the faithful. Orthodox Christians pray to deceased saints, believing in the power of their prayers before God; They venerate the incorruptible remains of saints (relics) and icons. Not approving of the Catholic teaching on church authority, P. recognizes, however, the church hierarchy with its grace-filled gifts, and allows a significant share of participation in church affairs on the part of the laity, in the rank of church elders, members of church fraternities and parish trustees (see A.S. Pavlov, “On the participation of the laity in church affairs,” Kazan, 1866). The moral teaching of Orthodoxy also has significant differences from Catholicism and Protestantism. It does not give relief to sin and passion, like Catholicism (in indulgences); it rejects the Protestant doctrine of justification by faith alone, requiring every Christian to express faith in good works.

In the relationship of the church to the state, P. does not want to rule over it, like Catholicism, or submit to it in its internal affairs, like Protestantism; it strives to maintain complete freedom of activity, leaving intact the independence of the state in the sphere of its power, blessing any of its activities that are not contrary to the teachings of the church, generally acting in the spirit of peace and harmony, and in certain cases accepting help and assistance from the state. Two very important questions have not yet been finally resolved either in the symbolic teaching of Orthodoxy. church, nor in theological science. Firstly, the question of an ecumenical council. Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow (died 1867) thought that an ecumenical council was possible at the present time, but not otherwise than under the condition of the preliminary reunification of the Eastern and Western churches. Much more widespread is the opposite opinion, according to which the Orthodox Church is inherent in its entirety with all the jurisdiction, not only canonical, but also dogmatic, which it possessed from the very beginning.

Councils of the Russian Church, at which the Eastern Patriarchs were also present (for example, the Moscow Council of 1666-67) can rightly be called ecumenical (see the letter of A. S. Khomyakov to the editor of "L" union Chretienne, in the second volume of his cit., on the meaning of the words “catholic” and “conciliar”), This was not done only “out of humility” of the Orthodox Church, and not at all out of recognition of the impossibility of an ecumenical council after the division of the Eastern and Western churches.

True, in the times following the seven ecumenical councils, external historical. the conditions of the Orthodox East were not favorable for the prosperity of religious thought and for the convening of ecumenical councils: some of the Orthodox peoples were becoming obsolete, others were just beginning to live a historical life. The difficult political circumstances in which the Orthodox East has hitherto found itself still leave it little opportunity for the activity of religious thought. Nevertheless, there are many new facts in the history of Orthodoxy that testify to the continuing law-making activity of the church: these are the messages of the Eastern patriarchs about the Orthodox faith, written in response to requests from Western churches and which received symbolic meaning. They resolve many important dogmatic issues of church teaching: about the church, about divine providence and predestination (against the Reformed), about Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, etc. These messages were compiled at local councils, but were approved by all Eastern churches.

Another important question, which is hitherto unresolved either in the symbolic teaching of the Orthodox Church or in its scientific theology, relates to how to understand from the Orthodox point of view the doctrine of the development of dogmas, so widespread in the West. Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow was against the term “development of dogmas,” and his authority greatly influenced our theology. “In some of your student works,” he wrote to Innocent, the rector of the Kiev academy, in 1836, “they say that the dogmas developed over several centuries, as if they were not taught by Jesus Christ, the apostles and the holy books, or abandoned secretly small seed.

The councils defined known dogmas and, by definition, protected them from newly emerging false teachings, but did not develop dogmas again” (“Christian Reading,” 1884). “After 1800 years of existence of the Christian Church, a new law is given for its existence - the law of development,” he wrote regarding the Anglican Palmer’s petition for reunification with the Orthodox Church. Recalling the anathema to which the Apostle Paul subjects even an angel from heaven who would preach the gospel differently than how the faith of Christ is preached in the Holy Scriptures, Metropolitan. Filaret said: “When they propose the development of dogmas, it is as if they were saying to the apostle: take back your anathema; we must evangelize even more, according to the newly discovered law of development. They want to subordinate the divine matter to the law of development taken from trees and grass! And if they want to apply the work of development to Christianity, how can they not remember that development has a limit? According to A. S. Khomyakov, the movement in the field of dogmatic teaching, which existed in the 4th century. and expressed both in the activities of ecumenical councils and in the scientific and theological works of individual church fathers (Athanasius, Basil the Great, two Gregori, etc.). seems not to be a development of dogmas, but an analytical development of Orthodox dogmatic terminology, which is quite consistent with the words of Vasily Vel. : “dialectics is a fence for dogmas.”

In the same sense, Rev. Filaret, Archbishop. Chernigovsky, in his “Dogmatic. Theology": "the human word only gradually grows to the height of revealed truths." The formulation of the church faith in new symbols - not to abolish the previous ones, but for a more complete clarification of dogmas, to the extent of the spiritual maturity of church society and the development of the needs of the believing mind in it - is possible and necessary, but, from P.’s point of view, not in a speculative sense, but in the sense of the genetic derivation of a dogma, to what extent it can serve as an object of logical perception.

Dogma in itself is the direct teaching of I. Christ and the apostles and most closely constitutes the object of immediate faith; the conciliar symbol, as well as the statement of faith of the church fathers, authorized by the councils, are already forms of development of dogma, which they put into a logical formula. Even more, the concept of the development of dogmas in Orthodoxy is related to the science of theology, the starting point of which is a priori. It is difficult to agree with the opinion that denies the development of dogmas, which does not want to see the facts of such development even in the symbols of the ecumenical councils, for one thing only: that Christ himself calls his teaching a seed (Luke VIII, 11) and a mustard seed, which is even the slightest, when and it will increase, more than all the potions there is (Matt. XIII, 31).

Dogmas, in their content, are “thoughts of the mind of God” (words of Rev. Philaret of Chernigov). but they are expressed in the words of human language; perceived by memory and faith, they become, in the formulas of the councils, acceptable to the mind and produce the same fruit as the mustard seed produces, in the parable of Christ. In both cases, the process is the same - genetic development.

The limit of this development of religious consciousness and knowledge is indicated by the Apostle: it must continue until all believers become perfect men, to the extent of the age of the fulfillment of Christ (Eph. VI, 13) and when God is all in all. The symbols of cathedrals have the meaning of indisputability; but they, according to the fair remark of F. G. Turner, are not adequate to the dogmas, since they present them only to the extent of understanding the spiritual development of believers. In addition, in conciliar reasoning, various kinds of evidence, comparisons, etc. do not constitute symbolic teaching, although they represent high authority. According to prof. I. V. Cheltsova, “they can be correct or incorrect, although what they prove does not cease to be the infallible teaching of revelation.

No matter where these proofs are borrowed from and no matter who they present them - by individuals or councils, even ecumenical councils - their nature is always the same, human, not divine, and represents only a certain degree of understanding of the revealed truths of faith accessible to man.” The discussion on the development of the dogmas of Archpriest A.V. Gorsky is worthy of attention: “when a dogma is considered as a divine thought, in itself, it is united and unchangeable, in itself complete, clear, defined. But when it is considered as a divine thought, assimilated or assimilated by the human mind, then its external massiveness necessarily increases with the passage of time. It is attached to various relationships of a person, meets with one or another of his thoughts, and, coming into contact, explains them and is himself explained by them; contradictions and objections bring him out of a calm state and force him to manifest his divine energy.

New discoveries of the human mind in the field of truth, its gradually increasing experience, add new clarity to it. What was once possible to doubt now becomes certain, decided. Each dogma has its own sphere, which grows over time and comes into closer contact with other parts of Christian dogma and with other principles lying in the human mind; All sciences, the more each one touches dogma, benefit from it in accuracy, and a complete, rigorous system of knowledge becomes possible. Here is the course of development of dogma! To the naked eye it is a star, appearing as a point; the more he later peered at it with artificial aids, he noticed its enormity, began to discern features in it and found out its relationship to others, and various stars became one system for him. Dogmas are the same.”

Since 1884, a controversy has occurred in our literature between two groups of young theologians, caused by the research of Vl. S. Solovyova: “On the dogmatic development of the church” (“Orthodox Review”, 1885); Solovyov himself and Mr. Christie belong to the first (Orthodox Review, 1887), to the other - Messrs. Stoyanov (“Faith and Reason”, 1886) and A. Shostin (“Faith and Reason”, 1887). The first two allow for the objective development of dogma, that is, the development of dogma, as dogma, carried out by the church itself, at councils, under the guidance of an extraordinary influx of grace; In their opinion, one should recognize as dogmas not only the truths taught by I. Christ, but also those formulas of Christian teaching that were taught by ecumenical councils. Opponents of Vl. S. Solovyov assimilates to him and Mr. Christie the name of speculative theologians, on the example of Protestant ones, and resolves the controversial issue on the basis of the concept of dogma set forth in the courses of dogmatic theology by Metropolitan. Macaria. archbishop Philaret of Chernigov and Bishop. Arseny, refusing to call the definitions of ecumenical councils dogmas, since these definitions are already the fruit of reflection and the subject of mental perception, and not just a sense of faith, and are not textually found in (in the Scriptures, constituting only formulas of dogmas. Generally speaking, P., preserving and while protecting dogmas as objects of faith, at the same time does not at all eliminate the symbolic development and scientific disclosure of the doctrine of faith.

Detailed presentation Orthodox teaching see " Dogmatic Theology Metropolitan Macarius (1883) and in “Dogmatic Theology” by Bishop. Sylvester (Kyiv, 1889 - 91); briefly - in the symbolic books of the Orthodox Church, namely in the “Orthodox Confession of Faith” Met. Peter Mogila and in the “Long Orthodox Catechism” by Met. Philaret, as well as in the letters of the Eastern patriarchs to the West. Christian societies. See “Works” by A. S. Khomyakov (vol. II, “Theological Works”, M., 1876); “Historical. and critical experiments" prof. N.I. Barsova (St. Petersburg, 1879; art. “ New method"); Overbeck's articles on the meaning of Orthodoxy in relation to the West. religions (“Christian Reading”, 1868, II, 1882, 1883, 1 - 4, etc.) and “Orthodox Review”, (1869, 1, 1870, 1 - 8); Goette, “Fundamentals of Orthodoxy” (“Faith and Reason”, 1884, 1, 1886, 1); archim. Fedor, “On Orthodoxy in relation to modernity” (St. Petersburg, 1861); prot. P. A. Smirnov, “On Orthodoxy in general and in particular in relation to the Slavic peoples” (St. Petersburg, 1893); “Collected spiritual and literary works” prot. I. Yakhontov (vol. II, St. Petersburg, 1890, article “On the Orthodoxy of the Russian Church”); N. I. Barsov, “The Question of the Religiosity of the Russian People” (St. Petersburg, 1881).

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How well do you know your faith, its traditions and saints, as well as the position of the Orthodox Church in modern world? Test yourself by reading the TOP 50 interesting facts about Orthodoxy!

We present to your attention the first part of our collection of interesting facts.

1. Why “Orthodoxy”?

Orthodoxy (Talka from Greek ὀρθοδοξία - orthodoxy. Literally " correct judgment“,” “correct teaching” or “correct glorification” is the true teaching about the knowledge of God, communicated to man by the grace of the Holy Spirit present in the One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church.

2. What do Orthodox Christians believe?

Orthodox Christians believe in one God-Trinity: Father, Son and Holy Spirit, who has one essence, but at the same time three hypostases.

Orthodox Christians, professing faith in the Holy Trinity, base it on the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed without additions or distortions and on the dogmas of faith established by meetings of bishops at seven Ecumenical Councils.

“Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in Spirit and Truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God’s glorification of man, a true servant of God, by bestowing upon him the grace of the All-Holy Spirit. The Spirit is the glory of Christians (John 7:39). Where there is no Spirit, there is no Orthodoxy,” wrote Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov).

3. How is the Orthodox Church organized?

Today it is divided into 15 autocephalous (fully independent) Local Orthodox Churches, which have mutual Eucharistic communion with each other and constitute a single body of the Church founded by the Savior. At the same time, the founder and head of the Church is the Lord Jesus Christ.

4. When did Orthodoxy appear?

In the 1st century, on the day of Pentecost (the descent of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles) 33 years from the Nativity of Christ.

After the Catholics fell away from the fullness of Orthodoxy in 1054, in order to distinguish themselves from the Roman Patriarchate, which accepted some doctrinal distortions, the Eastern patriarchates adopted the name “Orthodox”.

5. Ecumenical Councils and Pan-Orthodox Council

A Pan-Orthodox Council is scheduled to take place at the end of June 2016. Some people mistakenly call it the Eighth Ecumenical Council, but this is not so. Ecumenical councils have always dealt with significant heresies that threatened the existence of the Church, which is not planned now.

In addition, the Eighth Ecumenical Council had already taken place - in Constantinople in 879 under Patriarch Photius. However, since the Ninth Ecumenical Council did not take place (and the previous Ecumenical Council is traditionally declared to be the subsequent Ecumenical Council), then this moment There are officially seven ecumenical councils.

6. Female clergy

In Orthodoxy it is impossible to imagine a woman as a deacon, priest or bishop. This is not due to discrimination or disrespect for women (an example of this is the Virgin Mary, revered above all saints). The fact is that a priest or bishop at a divine service represents the image of the Lord Jesus Christ, and he became human and lived his earthly life as a man, which is why he cannot be represented by a woman.

The deaconesses known in the Ancient Church were not female deacons, but catechists who talked with people before Baptism and performed other functions of clergy.

7. Number of Orthodox Christians

Data from mid-2015 indicate that there are 2,419 million Christians in the world, of which 267-314 million belong to Orthodoxy.

In fact, if we take away 17 million schismatics of various persuasions and 70 million members of the Ancient Eastern Churches (who do not accept the decisions of one or more Ecumenical Councils), then 180-227 million people around the world can be considered strictly Orthodox.

8. What types of Orthodox Churches exist?

There are fifteen Local Orthodox Churches:

• Patriarchate of Constantinople
• Patriarchate of Alexandria
• Patriarchate of Antioch
• Jerusalem Patriarchate
• Moscow Patriarchate
• Serbian Patriarchate
• Romanian Patriarchate
• Bulgarian Patriarchate
• Georgian Patriarchate
• Cypriot Orthodox Church
• Greek Orthodox Church
• Polish Orthodox Church
• Albanian Orthodox Church
• Czechoslovak Orthodox Church
• Orthodox Church of America

Within the Local Churches there are also Autonomous Churches with varying degrees of independence:

• Sinai Orthodox Church IP
• Finnish Orthodox Church KP
• Japanese Orthodox Church MP
• Chinese Orthodox Church MP
• Ukrainian Orthodox Church MP
• Ohrid Archdiocese SP

9. Five largest Orthodox Churches

The largest Orthodox Church in the world is the Russian Church, numbering 90-120 million believers. The following four Churches in descending order are:

Romanian, Hellenic, Serbian and Bulgarian.

10. The most Orthodox states

The most Orthodox state in the world is... South Ossetia! In it, 99% of the population consider themselves to be Orthodox (more than 50 thousand people out of more than 51 thousand people).

Russia, in percentage terms, is not even in the top ten and is at the bottom of the dozen most Orthodox states in the world:

Greece (98%), Transnistrian Moldavian Republic (96.4%), Moldova (93.3%), Serbia (87.6%), Bulgaria (85.7%), Romania (81.9%), Georgia( 78.1%), Montenegro (75.6%), Ukraine (74.7%), Belarus (74.6%), Russia (72.5%).

11. Large Orthodox communities

In some “non-traditional” countries for Orthodoxy there are very large Orthodox communities.

So, in the USA it is 5 million people, in Canada 680 thousand, in Mexico 400 thousand, in Brazil 180 thousand, in Argentina 140 thousand, in Chile 70 thousand, in Sweden 94 thousand, in Belgium 80 thousand, in Austria 452 thousand, in Great Britain 450 thousand, Germany 1.5 million, France 240 thousand, Spain 60 thousand, Italy 1 million, 200 thousand in Croatia, 40 thousand in Jordan, 30 thousand in Japan, 1 million Orthodox each in Cameroon, Democratic Republic Congo and Kenya, 1.5 million in Uganda, more than 40 thousand in Tanzania and 100 thousand in South Africa, as well as 66 thousand in New Zealand and more than 620 thousand in Australia.

12. State religion

In Romania and Greece, Orthodoxy is the state religion, the Law of God is taught in schools, and the salaries of priests are paid from the state budget.

13. All over the world

Christianity is the only religion represented in all 232 countries of the world. Orthodoxy is represented in 137 countries of the world.

14. Martyrdom

Throughout history, more than 70 million Christians have become martyrs, with 45 million of them dying in the 20th century. According to some reports, in the 21st century, every year the number of those killed for faith in Christ increases by 100 thousand people.

15. “Urban” religion

Christianity initially spread precisely through the cities of the Roman Empire, coming to rural areas 30-50 years later.

Today, the majority of Christians (64%) also live in cities.

16. "Religion of the Book"

The basic doctrinal truths and traditions of Christians are written in the Bible. Accordingly, in order to become a Christian, it was necessary to master literacy.

Often, previously unenlightened peoples received, along with Christianity, their own writing, literature and history and the associated sharp cultural upsurge.

Today, the proportion of literate and educated people among Christians is higher than among atheists and representatives of other faiths. For men, this share is 88% of the total number, and for women - 81%.

17. Amazing Lebanon

The country, in which about 60% of the inhabitants are Muslims and 40% are Christians, has managed without religious conflicts for more than a thousand years.

According to the Constitution, Lebanon has its own special political system- confessionalism, and from each confession there is always a strictly specified number of deputies in the local parliament. The President of Lebanon must always be a Christian and the Prime Minister a Muslim.

18. Orthodox name Inna

The name Inna was originally a masculine name. It was worn by a disciple of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called - a Christian preacher of the 2nd century, who, together with the preachers Rimma and Pinna, was brutally killed by the pagan ruler of Scythia and received the status of a martyr. However, having reached the Slavs, the name gradually transformed into a feminine one.

19. First century

By the end of the 1st century, Christianity spread throughout the entire territory of the Roman Empire and even crossed its borders (Ethiopia, Persia), and the number of believers reached 800,000 people.

By this same period, all four canonical Gospels were written down, and Christians received their self-name, which was first heard in Antioch.

20. Armenia

The first country to adopt Christianity as a state religion was Armenia. Saint Gregory the Illuminator brought the Christian faith to this country from Byzantium at the beginning of the 4th century. Gregory not only preached in the Caucasus countries, but also invented the alphabet for the Armenian and Georgian languages.

21. Shooting rockets is the most orthodox game

Every year on Easter in the Greek town of Vrontados on the island of Chios there is a missile confrontation between two churches. The goal of their parishioners is to hit the bell tower of the opposing church, and the winner is determined the next day by counting the number of hits.

22. Where on Orthodox cross crescent?

Some people mistakenly believe that it appeared during the Christian-Muslim wars. Allegedly, “the cross defeats the crescent.”

In fact, this is an ancient Christian symbol of an anchor - a reliable support in the stormy sea of ​​everyday passions. Anchor crosses were found back in the first centuries of Christianity, when not a single person on Earth had ever heard of Islam.

23. Most big bell in the world

In 1655, Alexander Grigoriev cast a bell weighing 8 thousand poods (128 tons), and in 1668 it was raised to the belfry in the Kremlin.

According to eyewitness accounts, at least 40 people were required to swing the tongue of the bell, which weighed more than 4 tons.

The miracle bell rang until 1701, when during one of the fires it fell and broke.

24. Image of God the Father

The image of God the Father was prohibited by the Great Moscow Council back in the 17th century on the grounds that God “is never seen in the flesh.” However, there are quite a few iconographic images where God the Father is represented as a handsome old man with a triangular halo.

In the history of literature there have been many works that became world bestsellers, interest in which lasted for years. But time passed, and interest in them disappeared.

And the Bible, without any advertising, has been popular for almost 2000 years, being today the No. 1 bestseller. The daily circulation of the Bible is 32,876 copies, that is, one Bible is printed every second in the world.

Andrey Szegeda

In contact with

In 395, the Roman Empire fell to the onslaught of barbarians. As a result of this, the once powerful state fell apart into several independent entities, one of which was Byzantium. Despite the fact that the Christian Church continued to remain united for more than six centuries, the development of its eastern and western parts continued in various ways, which predetermined their further breakup.

Separation of two related churches

In 1054, the Christian Church, which had existed for a thousand years by that time, split into two branches, one of which was the Western Roman Catholic Church, and the other was the Eastern Orthodox Church, with its center in Constantinople. Accordingly, the teaching itself, based on Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, received two independent directions - Catholicism and Orthodoxy.

The formal schism was the result of a long process that included both theological disputes and attempts by the popes to subjugate the Eastern churches. Nevertheless, Orthodoxy is the full result of the development of the general Christian doctrine, which began in apostolic times. She considers the entire sacred history from the giving of the New Testament by Jesus Christ to the moment of the Great Schism as her own.

Literary sources containing the basics of religious doctrine

The essence of Orthodoxy comes down to the confession of the apostolic faith, the foundations of which are set out in the Holy Scriptures - the books of the Old and New Testaments, as well as in the Holy Tradition, which includes the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, the works of the church fathers and the lives of saints. This should also include liturgical traditions that determine the order of church services, the performance of all kinds of rituals and sacraments that Orthodoxy includes.

Prayers and chants for the most part are texts taken from the patristic heritage. These include those included in church services and those intended for cell (home) reading.

The truth of Orthodox teaching

According to the apologists (followers and preachers) of this doctrine, Orthodoxy is the only true form of confession of the Divine teaching given to people by Jesus Christ and further developed thanks to his closest disciples - the holy apostles.

In contrast, according to Orthodox theologians, other Christian denominations - Catholicism and Protestantism with all their branches - are nothing more than heresies. It is appropriate to note that the word “Orthodoxy” itself is a translation from Greek, where it literally sounds like “correct glorification.” We are talking, of course, about glorifying the Lord God.

Like all Christianity, Orthodoxy formulates its teachings in accordance with the decrees of the Ecumenical Councils, of which there have been seven in the entire history of the church. The only problem is that some of them are recognized by all confessions (varieties of Christian churches), while others are recognized by only one or two. For this reason, the Creeds - statements of the main provisions of the doctrine - sound different for everyone. This, in particular, was one of the reasons why Orthodoxy and Catholicism took different historical paths.

Document expressing the fundamentals of faith

Orthodoxy is a doctrine, the main provisions of which were formulated by two Ecumenical Councils - the Nicene Council, held in 325, and the Constantinople Council, in 381. The document they adopted was called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed and contains a formula that has been preserved in its original form to this day. It should be noted that it is this formula that mainly separates Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since the followers of the Western Church accepted this formula in a slightly modified form.

The Orthodox Creed consists of twelve members - sections, each of which succinctly, but at the same time, succinctly and exhaustively sets out the dogma accepted by the church on a particular issue of doctrine.

The essence of the doctrine of God and the Holy Trinity

The first member of the Creed is dedicated to salvation through faith in the One God the Father, who created heaven and earth, as well as the entire visible and invisible world. The second and together with the eighth confess the equality of all members of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit, point to their consubstantiality and, as a consequence, to the same worship of each of them. The equality of all three hypostases is one of the main dogmas professed by Orthodoxy. Prayers to Holy Trinity are always addressed equally to all Her hypostases.

Doctrine of the Son of God

The subsequent members of the Creed, from the second to the seventh, are dedicated to Jesus Christ - the Son of God. In accordance with Orthodox dogma, He is characterized by a dual nature - Divine and human, and both of its parts are combined in Him not together, but at the same time not separately.

According to Orthodox teaching, Jesus Christ was not created, but born of God the Father before the beginning of time. It should be noted that in this statement, Orthodoxy and Catholicism disagree and take irreconcilable positions. He acquired his earthly essence by becoming incarnate as a result of the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary through the mediation of the Holy Spirit.

Orthodox understanding of Christ's sacrifice

The fundamental element of Orthodox teaching is faith in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus Christ, made on the cross for the salvation of all people. Despite the fact that all of Christianity speaks about it, Orthodoxy understands this act in a slightly different way.

As the recognized fathers of the Eastern Church teach, Jesus Christ, having accepted human nature, was damaged original sin Adam and Eve, and having embodied in her everything inherent in people, except their sinfulness, with his torment he cleansed her and delivered her from the curse. By his subsequent resurrection from the dead, He set an example of how, cleansed from sin and reborn, human nature able to withstand death.

Having thus become the first person to gain immortality, Jesus Christ opened a path for people by following which they could avoid eternal death. Its stages are faith, repentance and participation in the performance of the Divine sacraments, the main of which is the communion of the flesh and blood of the Lord, which has since taken place during the liturgy. Having tasted the bread and wine converted into the body and blood of the Lord, a believer perceives part of His nature (hence the name of the rite - communion), and inherits after his earthly death eternal life in the sky.

Also in this part, the ascension of Jesus Christ and His second coming are declared, after which the Kingdom of God, prepared for all professing Orthodoxy, will triumph on earth. This must happen unexpectedly, since only the One God knows about specific dates.

One of the contradictions between the Eastern and Western Churches

The eighth article of the Creed is entirely dedicated to the life-giving Holy Spirit, who comes only from God the Father. This dogma also caused theological disputes with representatives of Catholicism. In their opinion, the Holy Spirit is exuded equally by God the Father and God the Son.

Discussions have been going on for many centuries, but the Eastern Church and Russian Orthodoxy in particular take an unchanged position on this issue, dictated by the dogma adopted at the two Ecumenical Councils discussed above.

About the Heavenly Church

The ninth clause talks about the fact that the Church, established by God, is in its essence one, holy, catholic and apostolic. Some clarification is required here. In this case, we are not talking about an earthly administrative-religious organization created by people and in charge of conducting divine services and performing the sacraments, but about a Heavenly one, expressed in the spiritual unity of all true followers of Christ’s teaching. It was created by God, and since for Him the world is not divided into the living and the dead, its members are equally those who are alive today and those who have long completed their earthly journey.

The Heavenly Church is one, since God Himself is one. It is holy because it was sanctified by its Creator, and it is called apostolic because its first servants were the disciples of Jesus Christ - the holy apostles, whose succession in the priesthood is passed on from generation to generation until the present day.

Baptism is the path to the Church of Christ

According to the eighth member, one can join the Church of Christ, and therefore inherit eternal life, only by undergoing the rite of Holy Baptism, the prototype of which was revealed by Jesus Christ himself, once immersed in the waters of the Jordan. It is generally accepted that the grace of the other five established sacraments is also implied here. The eleventh and twelfth members, completing the Creed, declare the resurrection of all deceased Orthodox Christians, and their eternal life in the Kingdom of God.

All of the above commandments of Orthodoxy, adopted as religious dogmas, were finally approved at the Second Ecumenical Council in 381 and, in order to avoid distortion of the doctrine, remain unchanged to this day.

Today, more than 226 million people around the globe profess Orthodoxy. With such a wide coverage of believers, the teaching of the Eastern Church is inferior to Catholicism in the number of its followers, but superior to Protestantism.

The Ecumenical (universal, embracing the whole world) Orthodox Church, traditionally headed by the Patriarch of Constantinople, is divided into local, or, as they are otherwise called, autocephalous churches. Their influence is limited to the boundaries of any one state or province.

Orthodoxy came to Rus' in 988 thanks to the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir, who with his rays banished the darkness of paganism. Nowadays, despite the formal separation of religion from the state, proclaimed almost a century ago, its followers are the overwhelming number of believers in our country, and it is on it that the basis of the spiritual life of the people is built.

The Day of Orthodoxy, which supplanted the Night of Unbelief

The religious life of the country, revived after decades of national atheism, is gaining strength every year. Today the church has at its disposal all the achievements of modern technological progress. To promote Orthodoxy, not only printed publications are used, but also various media resources, among which the Internet occupies an important place. One example of its use to improve the religious education of citizens is the creation of such portals as “Orthodoxy and Peace”, “Predaniye.ru”, etc.

Work with children is also taking on a wide scale these days, especially relevant in view of the fact that few of them have the opportunity to become familiar with the fundamentals of faith in the family. This situation is explained by the fact that parents who grew up in the Soviet and post-Soviet periods were themselves raised, as a rule, as atheists, and do not even have basic concepts about faith.

To educate the younger generation in the spirit of Orthodoxy, in addition to traditional Sunday school classes, we also organize all kinds of events. These include children's holidays that are gaining popularity, such as “Orthodoxy Day”, “Light of the Christmas Star”, etc. All this allows us to hope that soon the faith of our fathers will regain its former power in Russia and become the basis of spirituality. the unity of its people.

Orthodoxy (from “correct glorification of God”) is one of the largest areas of Christianity and the world. After the split of the Christian Church in 1054 into two branches - eastern (Greek) and western (Roman or Latin) - it completely inherited Byzantine religious traditions. Formed in the east of the Roman Empire in the 1st millennium AD, in the 11th century it separated from the Western Christian model and took organizational form.

The religious basis of the Orthodox religion

The religious basis of the Orthodox religion includes:
1. Holy Scripture - Bible ( Old Testament And New Testament), apocrypha (sacred texts not included in the Bible).
2. Sacred tradition - the decisions of the first seven ecumenical councils (Roman Catholics recognize the subsequent ones) and the works of the church fathers of the 2nd - 8th centuries, such as Athanasius of Alexandria, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John of Damascus, John Chrysostom.

The main tenets of Orthodoxy

The main tenets of Orthodoxy:
- the idea of ​​salvation through confession of faith,
- the idea of ​​the trinity of God (God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit),
- the idea of ​​incarnation,
- the idea of ​​redemption,
- the idea of ​​the resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ.
All dogmas were formulated in 12 paragraphs and approved at the first two Ecumenical Councils of 325 and 382. The Church declared them absolutely true, indisputable, eternal, communicated to man by God himself.

The basis of the cult of Orthodoxy

The Orthodox cult is based on seven main rituals and sacraments:
- baptism. Symbolizes the acceptance of a person into the bosom of the Christian church and means spiritual birth. It is carried out by immersing a person in water three times (in honor of God the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit)
- communion (Eucharist). It symbolizes communion with God through the rite of communion - eating the body and blood of Christ, that is, bread and wine.
- repentance (confession). Symbolizes the recognition of one’s sins before Jesus Christ, who, through the lips of a priest, absolves them.
- Confirmation. Symbolizes the preservation of the spiritual purity received at baptism.
- marriage. It is performed in the temple during the wedding, when the newlyweds are given farewell to a long and happy life together in the name of Jesus Christ.
- Blessing of oil (unction). Symbolizes the descent of the grace of God on the sick. It consists of anointing his body with wooden oil (oil), which is considered sacred.
- priesthood. It consists of the bishop transferring to the new priest a special grace that he will possess throughout his life.

The main divine service in Orthodoxy is called liturgy (from the Greek “worship”), at which the sacrament of communion (Eucharist) is celebrated. Worship in Orthodoxy is longer than in other Christian denominations, since they include a large number of rituals. In most Orthodox Churches, services are conducted in the national language, in the Russian Orthodox Church - in Church Slavonic.

In Orthodoxy it is given great importance holidays and fasting.

The most revered holiday is Easter. The 12 most significant holidays of Orthodoxy: the Lord, the Presentation, the Annunciation, the Transfiguration, the Theotokos, the Entry into the Temple of the Mother of God, the Dormition of the Mother of God, Trinity (Pentecost), the Entry of the Lord into, the Ascension of the Lord, the Exaltation of the Cross of the Lord and the Nativity of Christ.

There are four fasts (multi-days) in Russian Orthodoxy: before Easter, before the day of Peter and Paul, before the Dormition of the Virgin Mary and before the Nativity of Christ.

Church hierarchy in Orthodoxy

The church hierarchy originates from the Christian apostles, ensuring continuity through a series of ordinations. Only men are ordained. The priesthood has 3 degrees: bishop, presbyter and deacon. There is also an institution of monasticism - the so-called black clergy. There is no single center for world Orthodoxy. Now there are 15 autocephalous (independent) churches: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cypriot, Hellenic (Greek), Albanian, Polish, Czech lands and Slovakia, American and Canadian.

Orthodoxy in the world

Orthodoxy is professed by approximately 220-250 million people, which is one tenth of the entire Christian population of the planet. Orthodox believers make up the majority or a significant part in countries such as:
- - 99.9% - 11291.68 thousand people.
- - 99.6% - 3545.4 thousand people.
- Romania - 90.1% - 19335.568 thousand people.
- Serbia - 87.6% - 6371.584 thousand. people
- - 85.7% - 6310.805 thousand people.
- - 78.1% - 3248 thousand people.
- - 75.6% - 508.348 thousand people.
- Belarus - 74.6% - 7063 thousand people.
- - 72.5% - 103563.304 thousand people.
- Macedonia - 64.7% - 1340 thousand people.
- - 69.3% - 550 thousand people.
- - 58.5% - 26726.663 thousand people.
- Ethiopia - 51% - 44,000 thousand people.
- Albania - 45.2% - 1440 thousand people.
- - 24.3% - 320 thousand people.

Peoples professing Orthodoxy

Among the peoples professing Orthodoxy, the following prevail:
- East Slavs(Russians, Ukrainians).
- Southern Slavs (Bulgarians, Macedonians, Serbs, Montenegrins).
- Greeks, Romanians, Moldovans, Abkhazians.

Many peoples living in Russian Federation: Nenets, Komi, Udmurts, Mordovians, Mari, Karelians, Vepsians, Chuvashs, Yakuts, Koryaks, Chukchi.

Relations between Orthodox Churches and the state

The relationship between Orthodox Churches and the state develops differently everywhere. Over its long history, the Orthodox Church existed in different countries under different political regimes. It was dominant as in the Byzantine or Russian empires, it was persecuted, as in the times of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, in the Balkans during the time of Turkish rule. Today Orthodoxy is the state religion only in (according to Article 3 Section II of the Greek Constitution). The canons prohibit persons of holy orders from “entering into public administration,” that is, from holding government positions. Orthodox priests can give advice to politicians, but they themselves should not be members of secular structures.

The attitude of Orthodox churches to other religions

The relationship of the Orthodox churches to other religions was also quite complex. The Primates of the Orthodox Churches, who gathered for a solemn joint service in Bethlehem on January 7, 2000, issued the following statement: “We are addressed to other great religions, especially to the monotheistic religions of Judaism and Islam, with a readiness to create favorable conditions for dialogue with them in order to achieve peaceful coexistence of all peoples... The Orthodox Church rejects religious intolerance and condemns religious fanaticism, wherever it comes from."

However, significant difficulties exist in the relations of specific religious organizations. For example, there is still some tension in relations between the Russian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate and the Vatican. Also, local Orthodox Churches do not recognize the so-called autocephalous Churches, which are not recognized by the local churches of world Orthodoxy. It's about, for example, about such organizations as: Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kiev Patriarchate); Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; Montenegrin Orthodox Church; Belarusian Autocephalous Orthodox Church; Macedonian Orthodox Church.

The attitude of Orthodoxy to business

The attitude of Orthodoxy towards business is expressed rather conditionally. The position of the Church on the economy in general and on entrepreneurship in particular is not as clearly expressed as, for example, in Islam or Protestantism. The goal of an Orthodox person’s life is, first of all, the salvation of the soul, and not the production and sale of material assets. But, in general, Orthodoxy has nothing against enrichment if:
1. Business is of a production nature and is perceived by the entrepreneur himself as a creative process;
2. Business is accompanied by work as a creative and educational process;
3. A businessman gives generously to charity.

In Orthodoxy, wealth itself does not have a blessing; it is possible only if it is used righteously.

The attitude of Orthodoxy to medicine and

The attitude of Orthodoxy towards medicine and science is typical of most traditional Orthodox church organizations, that is, very cautious. Previously, openly obscurantist views prevailed, based on the thesis that “everything is a consequence of sin, and it is possible to be cured only by cleansing oneself.” Over time, the attitude of Orthodox Christians to medicine changed and, as a result, evolved to the recognition of medical feats. Some innovative areas, such as cloning or Genetic Engineering, are perceived sharply negatively by Orthodox Christians. More recently (in the 30-40s of the twentieth century), the Russian Orthodox Church actively disapproved of research in the field of nuclear energy and even the construction of the metro.

(from grsch. - “orthodoxy”) developed as the eastern branch of Christianity after the division of the Roman Empire and, taking shape after the division of churches in 1054, became widespread mainly in Eastern Europe and in the Middle East.

Features of Orthodoxy

The formation of religious organizations is closely related to the social and political life of society. Christianity will not be an exception, which is especially evident in the differences between its main directions - Catholicism and Orthodoxy. At the beginning of the 5th century. The Roman Empire split into Eastern and Western. The Eastern was a single state, while the Western was a fragmented conglomerate of principalities. In conditions of strong centralization of power in Byzantium, the church immediately turned out to be an appendage of the state, and the emperor actually became its head. Stagnation social life Byzantium and the control of the church by a despotic state determined the conservatism of the Orthodox Church in dogma and ritual, as well as a tendency towards mysticism and irrationalism in its ideology. In the West, the church gradually took a central place in society and became an organization seeking dominance in all spheres of society, including politics.

Difference between Eastern and Western Christianity was also due to the peculiarities of the development of spiritual culture. Greek Christianity focused its attention on ontological and philosophical problems, while Western Christianity focused on political and legal issues.

Since the Orthodox Church was under the protection of the state, its history is connected not so much with external events as with the formation of religious doctrine. The basis Orthodox doctrine laid down Holy Bible(Bible - Old and New Testament) and Holy Tradition (decrees of the first seven Ecumenical and local councils, the works of the church fathers and canonical theologians) At the first two Ecumenical Councils - Nicaea (325) and Constantinople (381) the so-called Symbol of faith, briefly outlining the essence of Christian doctrine. It recognizes the trinity of God - the creator and ruler of the Universe, the existence the afterlife, posthumous retribution, the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, who opened the possibility for the salvation of humanity, on whom lies the stamp of original sin.

Fundamentals of Orthodoxy

The Orthodox Church declares the fundamental provisions of faith to be absolutely true, eternal and unchangeable, communicated to man by God himself and incomprehensible to reason. Keeping them intact will be the first responsibility of the church. It is impossible to add anything or subtract any provisions, because the later dogmas established by the Catholic Church are about the descent of the Holy Spirit not only from the Father, but also from the Son (filioque), about the immaculate conception of not only Christ, but also the Virgin Mary , about the infallibility of the Pope, about purgatory - Orthodoxy regards them as heresy.

Personal salvation of believers is made dependent on the zealous fulfillment of the rituals and instructions of the church, due to which there is an introduction to Divine grace transmitted to a person through the sacraments: baptism in infancy, anointing, communion, repentance (confession), marriage, priesthood, consecration of oil (unction). The sacraments are accompanied by rituals, which, together with services, prayers and religious holidays, form the religious cult of Christianity. It is important to know that Orthodoxy attaches great importance to holidays and fasting.

Organization of the Orthodox Church

Unlike Catholicism, in Orthodoxy there is no single spiritual center, a single head of the church. In the process of development of Orthodoxy, 15 autocephalous(from Greek auto- "myself", kephale- “head”) of independent churches, 9 of which are governed by patriarchs, and the rest by metropolitans and archbishops. Except for the above, there are autonomous churches are relatively independent of autocephaly in matters of internal governance.

Autocephalous churches are divided into exarchates, vicariates, dioceses(districts and regions) led by bishops and archbishops, deanery(merging several parishes) and parishes created at each temple. Patriarchs And metropolitans are elected at local councils for life and lead the life of the church together with Synod(a collegial body under the Patriarchate, which consists of senior church officials who are members of it on a permanent and non-permanent basis)

Today there is three autonomous Orthodox churches: Sinai (jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Jerusalem), Finland (jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople), Japan (jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate) The limits of independence of autonomous churches are determined by an agreement with the autocephalous church that granted it autonomy. The heads of autonomous churches are elected by local councils and are subsequently approved by the patriarch of the autocephalous church. A number of autocephalous churches have missions, deaneries, metochions under other Orthodox churches.

The Orthodox Church is characterized by hierarchical management principle, i.e. appointment of all officials from above and consistent submission the lower clergy to the higher. All clergy are divided into higher, middle and lower, as well as black (monastic) and white (rest)

The canonical dignity of Orthodox churches is reflected in the official list - “ Diptych of Honor." According to this list, churches are located in a certain order.

Constantinople Orthodox Church. It has another name - the Ecumenical Church or the Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Patriarch of Constantinople is considered ecumenical, but he does not have the right to interfere in the activities of other churches. It arose after Emperor Constantine moved the capital from Rome to the small Greek city of Byzantium, which was then renamed Constantinople. After the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453, the residence of the Orthodox Patriarch was moved to the city of Phanar, which became the Greek quarter of Istanbul. In 1924, the Church of Constantinople switched from the Julian calendar to the Gregorian calendar. Under its jurisdiction there is a monastery complex that includes 20 monasteries. The head of the Church of Constantinople has the title Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch. Followers of the Church of Constantinople live in many countries around the world.

Alexandria Orthodox Church. Another name is the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. Its founder is considered to be the Apostle Mark. Originated in the 30s. I century AD In the 5th century a schism occurred in the church, as a result of which a Coptic Church. WITH 1928 The Gregorian calendar was adopted. The head of the Alexandrian Church has the title Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, with residence in Alexandria. The jurisdiction of the church extends throughout Africa.

Antiochian Orthodox Church founded in the 30s of the 1st century. AD in Antioch, the third largest city of the Roman Empire. The history of this church is connected with the activities of the Apostle Paul, as well as with the fact that the disciples of Christ were called Christians for the first time on Syrian soil. John Chrysostom was born and educated here. In 550 the Antiochian Church was divided into Orthodox and Jacobite. The current head of the Antiochian Church bears the title Patriarch of Antioch and all the East, with residence in Damascus. There are 18 dioceses under jurisdiction: in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and other countries.

Jerusalem Orthodox Church, which also has another name - the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. According to legend, the Jerusalem Church in the first years of its existence was headed by relatives of the family of Jesus Christ. The head of the church bears the title of Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem with residence in Jerusalem. Divine services are performed in monasteries in Greek, and in parishes in Arabic. In Nazareth, services are performed in Church Slavonic. The Julian calendar was adopted.

It is important to note that one of the functions of the church is the preservation of holy places. Jurisdiction extends to Jordan and areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority.

Russian Orthodox Church

Georgian Orthodox Church. Christianity began to spread in Georgia in the first centuries AD. Received autocephaly in the 8th century. In 1811 Georgia became part of Russian Empire, and the church became part of the Russian Orthodox Church with the rights of an exarchate. In 1917, at the meeting of Georgian priests, a decision was made to restore autocephaly, which remained under Soviet rule. The Russian Orthodox Church recognized autocephaly only in 1943.

The head of the Georgian Church bears the title Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta and Tbilisi with residence in Tbilisi.

Serbian Orthodox Church. Autocephaly was recognized in 1219. The head of the church bears the title Archbishop of Pecs, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovakia, Patriarch of Serbia with residence in Belgrade.

Romanian Orthodox Church. Christianity penetrated into the territory of Romania in the 2nd-3rd centuries. AD In 1865, the autocephaly of the Romanian Orthodox Church was proclaimed, but without the consent of the Church of Constantinople; in 1885 such consent was obtained. The head of the church bears the title Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlahia, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church with residence in Bucharest.

Bulgarian Orthodox Church. Christianity appeared on the territory of BULGARIA in the first centuries of our era. In 870 the Bulgarian Church received autonomy. The status of the church has changed over the centuries depending on the political situation. The autocephaly of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church was recognized by Constantinople only in 1953, and the patriarchate only in 1961.

The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church bears the title Metropolitan of Sofia, Patriarch of All BULGARIA with residence in Sofia.

Cypriot Orthodox Church. The first Christian communities on the island were founded at the beginning of our era by St. the apostles Paul and Do not forget that Barnabas. Widespread Christianization of the population began in the 5th century. Autocephaly was recognized at III Ecumenical Council in Ephesus.

The head of the Church of Cyprus bears the title Archbishop of New Justiniana and all Cyprus, his residence is in Nicosia.

E.yada (Greek) Orthodox Church. According to legend, the Christian faith was brought by the Apostle Paul, who founded and established Christian communities in a number of cities, and St. John the Theologian preached the “Revelation” on the island of Patmos. The autocephaly of the Greek Church was recognized in 1850. In 1924, it switched to the Gregorian calendar, which caused a schism. The head of the church bears the title Archbishop of Athens and all Hellas, with residence in Athens.

Athens Orthodox Church. Autocephaly was recognized in 1937. At the same time, due to political reasons, contradictions arose, and the final position of the church was determined only in 1998. The head of the church bears the title of Archbishop of Tirana and all Albania with his residence in Tirana. The peculiarities of this church include the election of the clergy with the participation of the laity. The service is performed in Albanian and Greek.

It is worth saying - the Polish Orthodox Church. Orthodox dioceses have existed on the territory of Poland since the 13th century. However, for a long time they were under the jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate. After gaining Polish independence, they left the subordination of the Russian Orthodox Church and formed the Polish Orthodox Church, which was recognized as autocephalous in 1925. Russia accepted autocephaly It is worth saying that the Polish Church only in 1948.

Divine services are conducted in Church Slavonic. At the same time, recently it is increasingly used Polish language. The head of the Polish Orthodox Church bears the title of Metropolitan. Do not forget that Warsaw and the whole Wormwood with residence in Do not forget that Warsaw.

Czechoslovakian Orthodox Church. The mass baptism of the people on the territory of modern Czech Republic and Slovakia began in the second half of the 9th century, when the Slavic enlighteners Cyril and Methodius arrived in Moravia. For a long time, these lands were under the jurisdiction catholic church. Orthodoxy was preserved only in Eastern Slovakia. After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, an Orthodox community was organized. Further developments led to division within the country's Orthodoxy. In 1951, the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church asked the Russian Orthodox Church to accept it under its jurisdiction. In November 1951, the Russian Orthodox Church granted it autocephaly, which the Church of Constantinople approved only in 1998. After the division of Czechoslovakia into two independent states, the church formed two metropolitan provinces. The head of the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church bears the title Metropolitan of Prague and Archbishop of the Czech and Slovak Republics with residence in Prague.

American Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy came to America from Alaska, where from the end of the 18th century. The Orthodox community began to operate. In 1924, a diocese was formed. After the sale of Alaska to the United States, Orthodox churches and land remained the property of the Russian Orthodox Church. In 1905, the center of the diocese was transferred to New York, and its head Tikhon Belavin elevated to the rank of archbishop. In 1906, he raised the question of the possibility of autocephaly for the American Church, but in 1907 Tikhon was recalled, and the issue remained unresolved.

In 1970, the Moscow Patriarchate gave autocephalous status to the metropolis, which was called the Orthodox Church in America. The head of the church has the title Archbishop. Do not forget that he is the Metropolitan of Washington, Metropolitan of All America and Canada, with his residence in Syosset, near New York.