[Philosophy] Orthodox Christiananity: Who We Are and What We Believe

[Raglan]

Author: Zenith Darksea
Original Thread: Orthodox Christianity: Who We Are and What We Believe

Orthodox Christianity: Who We Are and What We Believe

It has been some time since I last posted on the subject of Orthodoxy, and I see that there are now several Orthodox Christian members posting on this forum and people who are discussing Orthodoxy. Therefore I decided that it would be a good idea to write a brief introduction to the subject for those who are interested. If you would like to ask questions or discuss any points, please do.

Needless to say this is a very, very extensive subject, and I have gone over many subjects quite briefly. I shall be happy to expand upon any individual point, however.


Who We Are

Orthodoxy Today

You have probably heard of the 'Greek Orthodox' and the 'Russian Orthodox'. In proper terms, these are both a part of the Orthodox Church, often referred to as the 'Eastern Orthodox Church', since it is mostly based in Eastern Europe, Russia, Africa and the Middle East. The most concentrated Orthodox Christian populations are to be found in Greece, Russia, Byelorussia, Ukraine, Estonia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Moldova, Syria, Israel, Egypt, Ethiopia and various other countries. There are also significant Orthodox minorities in nearby countries such as Finland, Poland etc. This is a result of many historical factors, especially the dominance of the Roman Catholic and later the Protestant Churches in Western Europe and the Americas and the Islamic conquest of the Middle East and South-Eastern Europe.

Despite the widespread (and misleading) use of names like 'Greek' and 'Russian' Orthodox, the Orthodox Church is not based on any ethnicity or culture, but is a single Christian communion that transcends nationality. Although certain factors such as language and musical style are varied to suit different cultures (for obvious reasons), the beliefs and core practices of the Orthodox Church are universal and common to every country. The Orthodox Church is a missionary Church and actively attempts to spread the Christian message beyond traditionally Orthodox countries. For example, Russian missionaries in the 19th century spread Orthodox Christianity across central Asia and into China, Japan and even Alaska and the Eastern seaboard of North America as far as San Francisco. In the modern day there are large Orthodox missionary efforts in the USA, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, several African countries and many others that may be surprising. For instance, a large Orthodox cathedral was recently opened in Havana in Cuba.

Although most Orthodox Christians are to be found in the above countries, there are increasing numbers of Orthodox Christians in other areas, especially the United States of America, Western Europe, Australia and the Far East. Although the initial Orthodox populations of such countries were usually immigrants, in the modern day there are extremely large numbers of converts to Orthodoxy. For example, a recent census revealed that 51% of laity and 56% of clergy in the Orthodox Church in America (OCA) are converts, including Metropolitan Jonah Paffhausen, the senior hierarch of the OCA. There are perhaps as many as 6,000,000 Orthodox Christians in the United States of America, though no exact figure can be given.


Orthodox History

The history of the Orthodox Church is closely woven into that of the Roman Catholic Church, since both came from the same origins. Briefly, the Christian Church created in the 1st century AD remained in the most part a united whole (with some small splinter groups that are even hinted at in the New Testament) and spread through the Middle East and the Mediterranean world. This spread was aided by the growth of the Roman Empire, which meant that Christians could travel from one end of Europe to the other without ever having to cross political or economic boundaries. As the Christian Church grew there came to be larger theological controversies such as those concerning the Holy Trinity and the natures of Christ. In order to make clear what the orthodox belief of the Church was and so combat newly created heresies the Church held a series of seven great Ecumenical ('universal') Councils (ending in AD 787), to which all the bishops of the Church were invited. On the basis of Christ's promise that the Holy Spirit would guide the Church "into all truth", Orthodox Christians believe that these Ecumenical Councils express the orthodox doctrine of the Christian Church. The Roman Catholic Church also accepts these Ecumenical Councils, though it also accepts 13 other, later Councils as Ecumenical; the Orthodox do not accept these later 13, since they did not represent the Orthodox world.

In the Middle Ages the Christians of Western and Eastern Europe (broadly speaking) grew increasingly divided. There were various issues at stake, though these all focused on the claim of the Roman Pope to be the ultimate leader of the Church and so dictate beliefs and practices to the rest of the Church. The Eastern Christians did not accept this claim and so the Church became divided into 'Latin' Christianity under the Pope (today called the Roman Catholic Church) and the Orthodox East which did not (and does not) have any single head or equivalent to the Roman Pope. This schism was effectively sealed by the Fourth Crusade, in which Crusaders attacked Orthodox Christians and sacked the great Orthodox Christian city of Constantinople, capital of the Byzantine Empire. Though the Pope initially forbade this attack, afterwards he retrospectively endorsed it. Towards the end of the Middle Ages the Muslim Turks conquered the Byzantine Empire and much of South-Eastern Europe, while the Mongols controlled much of Russia. As a result, the Orthodox were largely cut off from the rest of Europe and were not affected by the Protestant reformation. In recent centuries many Orthodox gradually regained their independence; first Muscovy united the Russians under its power, and in the 19th century Greece and the Balkan nations freed themselves from the Islamic Ottoman Empire.


What We Believe

The website www.orthodoxwiki.org summarises the Orthodox Christian belief thus:

Orthodox Christianity is the life in faith of the Orthodox Church, inseparable from that concrete, historic community and encompassing its entire way of life. The Orthodox Christian faith is that faith "handed once to the saints" (Jude 3), passed on in Holy Tradition to the apostles by Jesus Christ, and then handed down from one generation to the next, without addition or subtraction.

The sole purpose of Orthodox Christianity is the salvation of every human person, uniting him to Christ in the Church, transforming him in holiness, and imparting eternal life. This is the Gospel, the good news, that Jesus is the Messiah, that he rose from the dead, and that we may be saved as a result.

The Source of the Orthodox Faith

In brief, the source of Orthodox Christian belief is God. This has been gradually revealed and demonstrated over the years, beginning with the Jewish Patriarchs and Prophets, who produced what we today call the Old Testament. Then God became man, born of the Virgin Mary, and revealed the fulfilment of this faith to his disciples the Apostles. After the creation of the Christian Church at Pentecost in the 1st century AD, the Apostles passed on the Christian faith to their disciples, who passed it on to their disciples, and so forth. At a very early date (approx. AD 40 - 120) these Apostles and their disciples wrote many different texts on their experiences and the Christian religion, some of which (but not all) were believed to be of divine inspiration. In the 4th century the bishops of the Church officially proclaimed (NOTE: they did not decide) that these were canonical and so they became what we know as the 'New Testament'. Down the years the traditional belief of the Church was officially proclaimed in the Seven Ecumenical Councils. As the nun Mother Thekla of the Monastery of the Assumption in Great Britain has said, Orthodox belief is always fulfilment, never innovation.

Many people today believe that the Orthodox derive their beliefs from traditions as opposed to the Bible. In fact this is a false choice. As noted above, Orthodox belief comes originally from God, and this has been passed down through the years as what is referred to as the 'Holy Tradition' ('traditio' in Latin means an act of passing something on). The Bible is a part of Holy Tradition - the most important part, perhaps, but only a part. Some object to this and insist that Christian belief can only be derived from the Bible (i.e. the Old and New Testaments together), and nothing else. However, this is rather illogical, considering that Christians existed before the Bible did. The New Testament texts were not completed until approx. AD 120, and the 'Bible' was never circulated as a single book until several hundred years later. It stands to reason then that the earliest Christians did not derive their beliefs from the Bible (which did not exist at first) but rather from the teachings passed on to them by Christ and the Apostles. This is even borne out by Biblical texts such as:

So then, brothers, stand firm and hold to the traditions we passed on to you, whether by word of mouth or by letter.
2 Thessalonians 2:15

The Core Beliefs of Orthodox Christianity

Not all Orthodox Christian beliefs are what you might call 'official' dogma. The Orthodox Church recognises that while there are many things that a person must believe to be an Orthodox Christian, there are also other things that it considers to be matters of personal opinion and not essential to salvation, since they have not been clearly stated by God. For example, whether or not the creation story of Genesis is a literal historical narrative is seen as a matter of personal opinion. While some accept it as such, many notable Orthodox Christians of the past (such as St Augustine in his On the Literal Interpretation of Genesis) have preferred to say that it is not a literal historical narrative but rather a story that conveys a spiritual history of mankind. Other examples of matters of opinion include Purgatory - the idea originated in the Roman Catholic Church and most Orthodox do not accept it; however, the Orthodox Church does not say that a person cannot accept it.

Nonetheless, there are certain strictly defined beliefs to which a person must subscribe to be Orthodox. These are set out in the Nicene Creed, the official statement of Orthodox faith named after the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea. It runs thus:

I believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of Heaven and of Earth and of all things visible and invisible.
And I believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, light of light, true God of true God, begotten not made, being of one essence with the Father, through whom all things were made; who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven and was made incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man; who was crucified also for us under Pontius Pilate and suffered and was buried, and on the third day rose again, according to the Scriptures, and ascended into Heaven, and is seated at the right hand of the Father, and He shall come again to judge both the living and the dead; his kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father; who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped glorified; who spoke by the Prophets.
And I believe in One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. I acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come. Amen.

God

Orthodox Christians believe that God is a Holy Trinity, three persons who share one divine essence: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (like some other Orthodox beliefs this seems paradoxical to human understanding, and yet we accept that God has revealed Himself thus). There never was nor will be a time when any of the Trinity did not exist. God is not an impersonal concept or force, but rather a real God who interacts with mankind on a personal level. The source and unity of the Trinity is the Father; the Son is begotten from the Father, and the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father.

The Son, Jesus Christ, was begotten eternally before time by the Father and without a mother; He was begotten in time by the Ever-Virgin Mary and took on human nature in the years roughly around AD 0. Jesus Christ has both human and divine natures at the same time. He is not half-God and half-man or any other combination, but is rather fully human and fully divine in perfect unity but without confusion.

N.B. Mary is thus called Theotokos or 'Mother of God', since she gave birth to God in His human flesh. The Virgin Mary however is a human like any other and only mother of God's human nature, not His divine nature. This is important to note, since many people, especially Muslims, mistakenly believe that the Orthodox view Mary as a sort of fourth member of the Trinity.

Fall and Salvation

As expressed in the creation story in Genesis, God created mankind (expressed principally via the character of Adam) in order to enter into immortal communion with Him. At first Adam was neither mortal nor immortal but had free will to obey or disobey God. Adam was essentially like a child, and if he were to grow up in obedience to God then he would attain immortality. However, Adam wanted to be Godlike and so ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thus introducing death into the world by his sin. While Roman Catholics and many Protestants believe in Original Sin, by which guilt for Adam's since is passed down through every generation, Orthodox do not. We believe that we have inherited the effects of Adam's sin (mortality and culpability), but we only have the capacity to be guilty for our own sins.

However, God became man in the person of Jesus Christ; by His sacrifice on the cross He expiated the guilt of human sin and by His resurrection on the third day He destroyed the power of death. God thus offers mankind the opportunity to wash away the guilt of any wrongdoings committed through our free will and to be immortally united to His divine energies. The ultimate aim of salvation is thus to be united in eternal communion with God. The achievement of Jesus' death and resurrection is summarised in this Orthodox hymn of Easter:

"Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and to those in the tombs He has given life."

Salvation and the Church

God then has given mankind the opportunity to be saved, and yet God has not taken away our free will. God does not force anyone to be saved. God loves us, and if we are to truly love God in return then our love must be freely given; otherwise it is not true love. It is by the Grace of God alone that man is saved. We must choose to accept God's Grace. Once we have done this we are baptised (in the process of which we undergo the same spiritual death and resurrection as Christ did) and then we become members of Christ's body, the Church, and regularly participate in Christ through the Holy Eucharist. Orthodox believe that the Eucharist does truly impart the Body and Blood of Christ to participants, even if the materials are not chemically changed (though I have never put the Eucharist under a microscope...).

Our lifetimes are often long, however, and our will remains free throughout our life. We do not believe in the doctrine of "once saved, always saved." Often we may and do choose to reject God again, and so we must make a constant effort to strive towards God. Many Protestants confuse this with salvation by works, however this is incorrect. To truly have faith in God we must have a faith that is acted out in daily life - if we are not willing to put our words into action, then we are not being honest. Thus Orthodox Christians believe that we must live within the framework of the Church and act according to the commandments in order to continually strengthen our faith in God.


Further Reading

This post has not covered every subject, nor has it covered everything in great depth. For more detailed information, you can visit these websites:

Orthodox Wiki
Introduction to the Orthodox Church
Orthodox Theology
'The Orthodox Faith' by Fr Thomas Hopko
Orthodoxy compared to Protestantism and Catholicism
Monachos.net Orthodox Discussion Forum

And let's not forget the now classic book The Orthodox Church by Timothy Ware.