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Greek Orthodox Church

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This article is about the term. For the Eastern Orthodox Church in Greece, seeEastern Orthodoxy in Greece.For the main independent Eastern Orthodox church in Greece, seeChurch of Greece.For other uses, seeGreek Orthodox Church (disambiguation).

Greek Orthodox Church(Greek:Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἐκκλησία,Ellinorthódoxi Ekklisía,IPA:[elinorˈθoðoksiekliˈsia]) is a term that can refer to any one of three classes of Christian churches, each associated in some way withGreek Christianity,Levantine Arabic-speaking Christiansor more broadly the rite used in theEastern Roman Empire.

The broader meaning refers to "theentire body of Orthodox (Chalcedonian) Christianity,sometimes also called 'Eastern Orthodox', 'Greek Catholic', or generally 'the Greek Church'".[1]

A second, narrower meaning refers to "any of severalindependentchurches within the worldwide communion of(Eastern) Orthodox Christianitythat retain the use of theGreek languagein formalecclesiastical settings".In this sense, the Greek Orthodox Churches are theEcumenical Patriarchate of Constantinopleand its dependencies, the Patriarchates ofAlexandria,AntiochandJerusalem,theChurch of Greeceand theChurch of Cyprus.[1]

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

Etymology

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Historically, the term "Greek Orthodox" has been used to describe all Eastern Orthodox churches, since the term "Greek" can refer to the heritage of theByzantine Empire.[2][3][4]During the first eight centuries of Christian history, most major intellectual, cultural, and social developments in theChristian Churchtook place in the Byzantine Empire or itssphere of influence,[4][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 throughoutEastern 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 theSlavicand 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 toGreekor 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

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The Greek Orthodox churches are descendants of churches which theApostlesfounded in theBalkansand theMiddle Eastduring the first century A.D.,[16][17][18][19][20][21][22]as well as maintainers of many ancient church traditions.[22]

Churches

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See also

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References

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  1. ^abDemetrios [Trakatellis] (2010). "Orthodox Churches, Eastern: Greek Orthodox Church and Its Theology". In Patte, Daniel (ed.).The Cambridge Dictionary of Christianity.Cambridge University Press. p. 895.ISBN978-0-521-52785-9.
  2. ^Boyd, Kelly (August 8, 1999).Encyclopedia of Historians and Historical Writing.Taylor & Francis.ISBN9781884964336– via Google Books.
  3. ^Edwin Pears,The Destruction of the Greek Empire and the Story of the Capture of Constantinople by the Turks,Haskell House, 1968
  4. ^abMillar, Fergus (2006).A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II (408-450).University of California Press. p.279 pages.ISBN0-520-24703-5.
  5. ^Tanner, Norman P.The Councils of the Church,ISBN0-8245-1904-3
  6. ^The Byzantine legacy in the Orthodox Churchby 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,byDonald Attwater- 1962
  9. ^J Meyendorff,Byzantine Theology: Historical Trends and Doctrinal Themes(1987)
  10. ^Joan Mervyn Hussey,The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire,1990
  11. ^Vlasto, A. P. (1970).The Entry of the Slavs into Christendom: An Introduction to the Medieval History of the Slavs.Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.ISBN0521074592.OCLC637411069.
  12. ^Pantev, Andrey Lazarov (2000).Българска история в европейски контекст(in Bulgarian). IK "Khristo Botev".ISBN9544456708.OCLC45153811.
  13. ^"Greek Orthodox and Russian Orthodox - Questions & Answers".oca.org.Retrieved2022-10-23.
  14. ^Saloutos, Theodore (1973).""The Greek Orthodox Church in the United States and Assimilation."".The International Migration Review.7(4): 395–407.doi:10.2307/3002553.JSTOR3002553.
  15. ^US State Dept 2022 report
  16. ^Janet Saltzman Chafetz; Helen Rose Ebaugh (18 October 2000).Religion and the New Immigrants: Continuities and Adaptations in Immigrant Congregations.AltaMira Press. p. 155.ISBN978-0-7591-1712-9.Retrieved2 September2013.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. ^Sally Bruyneel; Alan G. Padgett (2003).Introducing Christianity.Orbis Books. p. 7.ISBN978-1-60833-134-5.Retrieved2 September2013.The Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic Churches are the oldest with roots going back to the earliest Christian groups.
  18. ^Benjamin Jerome Hubbard; John T. Hatfield; James A. Santucci (2007).An Educator's Classroom Guide to America's Religious Beliefs and Practices.Libraries Unlimited. p. 63.ISBN978-1-59158-409-4.Retrieved2 September2013.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. ^Robert L. Plummer (6 March 2012).Journeys of Faith: Evangelicalism, Eastern Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Anglicanism.Zondervan. p. 128.ISBN978-0-310-41671-5.Retrieved2 September2013.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. ^William A. Dyrness; Veli-Matti Kärkkäinen (25 September 2009).Global Dictionary of Theology: A Resource for the Worldwide Church.InterVarsity Press. p. 244.ISBN978-0-8308-7811-6.Retrieved2 September2013.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. ^Heidi Campbell(22 March 2010).When Religion Meets New Media.Routledge. p. 13.ISBN978-0-203-69537-1.Retrieved2 September2013.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. ^abWendy Doniger (January 1999).Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of World Religions.Merriam-Webster. p. 309.ISBN978-0-87779-044-0.Retrieved2 September2013.EASTERN ORTHODOXY, one of the major branches of CHRISTIANITY, characterized by its continuity with the apostolic church, its liturgy, and its territorial churches.

Further reading

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  • 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)onlineArchived2020-08-01 at theWayback Machine
  • 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)
  • McGuckin, John Anthony(ed.).The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.Vol. 2 vols. (Wiley-Blackwell, 2011).
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