An Introduction to Oriental Orthodoxy

 

     Hello all. After my last two posts I have received requests to write a more detailed post explaining St. Cyril's Christology. St. Cyril was the Archbishop of Alexandria and taught a form of Christology that became known as Monophysitism. As explained earlier, this is a belief that Christ possesses only one nature. In the Western Church and among the Eastern Orthodox there is a belief that Jesus Christ is one person who consists fully of a divine nature and fully of a human nature. Monophysitism believes that Christ only possesses one united  nature. This nature is the result of the divine and human natures becoming united. Thus, there is one person, Jesus Christ, and this person has only one, united, nature.      St. Cyril wrote an Epistle where he highlights his Christology. He writes that the Word (Jesus Christ), consisting of the same substance of the Father, came to earth and was born in the flesh. Thus, Jesus is fully divine while also existi...

      Today, many churches around the world are working towards developing communion with the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Most of the Oriental Orthodox Churches are members of the World Council of Churches where they work towards Christian unity with other church bodies from around the world. The Oriental Orthodox also have established bilateral relations with the Eastern Orthodox which has enabled the two to grow much closer together- though they are still not in communion at this time. (Osthathios)     In 2014, the Anglican Communion signed an agreement with the Oriental Orthodox Churches that stated that they were in full agreement in regard to their Christology. The statement mentions that they have reached a "mutual understanding." (Office) In 2017, the two communions released another statement that affirmed their mutual agreement regarding "the procession and work of the Holy Spirit." (Office) Thus, their Pneumatology (understanding of the Holy Spirit) is ...

      The Ge'ez language is a language used in Ethiopia. It is also the liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church. Ethiopians have been using the language for over two millennia. It is distantly related to the Sabaean language which was brought to ancient Ethiopia by travelers from Arabia. Ethiopian Christians developed the Ge'ez alphabet in the 300s and have continued to use it in their liturgy. Ge'ez fell out of common usage sometime before the 1200s. Ge'ez was later developed into a new language that closely resembles its origins- Amharic. Amharic is now the national vernacular of Ethiopia and is commonly spoken by most of its citizens ("Inscribing Meaning").     Ge'ez is an extremely artistic language. Ethiopian Christians would often combine Ge'ez letters with images in order to produce ecclesiastical art. These art forms possess a powerful aesthetic and are used by Ethiopian Christians as objects of devotion and even healing. Examples ...

      Coptic Christians have historically viewed monasticism- or living a religious life separated from secular society, with great favorability. Monastic life- living as a monk or nun- was, and still is, held in high esteem. There is much respect for all monastics, from past to present.  There is not much information available about the beginning of Coptic (Egyptian) monasticism as it began somewhere in the beginning of the 300s. However, the massive growth of monasticism throughout Egypt throughout the fourth century finds its roots in the rapid growth of Christianity in the region. The Holy See of Alexandria soon developed to the point where it controlled the churches in Egypt. However, we lack information as to how the church grew and became organized. St. Athanasius would soon relate the life of St. Antony who is considered as one of the forerunners of the monastic movement in Egypt. Even if he was not the first monk, he was the first influential and most p...

       Alexandria, Egypt was extremely important in the early centuries of the Christian Church. It was the seat of the largest theological school in the world at that time and produced great thinkers such as Clement of Alexandria and Origen. Alexandria was known as the "pride of Africa" and was considered by some to be larger than Rome and Antioch. The city was also the intellectual center of the Mediterranean throughout the first centuries AD (Oliver, 01).     Alexandria was home to the most prestigious catechetical school in the world at that time. It only increased in status after the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple in 70 AD. Many Jews who would later become known as Christians fled to Alexandria and started a school to develop and project Christian thought. Alexandria was originally founded by Alexander the Great who promoted religious tolerance. Thus, from Alexander's reign all the way up to the first centuries AD, many religions and cults we...

     The early Christian Church was undivided until the Council fo Chalcedon in 451 AD. All churches were in communion with one another. However, there was considerable differences between them. These churches spoke different languages and thought using different frameworks. Initially, the Western and Eastern Churches were united. Eventually, the Eastern Churches would become divided. Going one way would be the Byzantine Church, still in union with the West until 1054 AD, and the "monophysite churches which chose to go in their own separate direction. The Fourth Ecumenical Council, also known as the Council of Chalcedon, occurred in 451 AD and led to this split in Eastern Christianity. The council drafted and affirmed the Definition of Faith  which was opposed by the "monophysite" churches that would make up Oriental Orthodox Christianity. The Oriental Orthodox Churches thought that the Chalcedonian Definition  had strayed from Christian orthodoxy concerning Chr...

      This is the final church from the Oriental Orthodox Communion that I will be introducing individually. The Malankara Church originated in south-west India. The Apostle St. Thomas was preaching there and began to develop churches throughout the region. St. Thomas first arrived in the region in 52 AD and stayed for 20 years where he converted several priestly families to the Christian faith. Seven churches were established by St. Thomas. From the 200s and onwards, St. Thomas' Christian followers, known as Kerala Christians, began to develop trade relations, as well as spiritual relations, with the churches present in the Persian Empire. The Church had influential power over the cultural and social traditions of the Indian sub-continent. It was heavily influential. From the beginning of its foundation, the Indian Church of the Apostle Thomas controlled its apostolic traditions as well as its administration with great independence. The church had a firm existence until ...

     In the first century, the unified Armenian Church was started through the preaching of St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew, two of the apostles of Christ. They founded the first Christian communities in the country. In 301 AD, Armenia adopted Christianity as the state religion. The center of the Armenian Church was the Mother See of Etchmiadzin, which was, and still is, located near the capital city called Yerevan. The Armenian Church bases all doctrine on the Bible, Holy Tradition, and the decisions of the first three ecumenical councils- Nicaea, Constantinople, and Ephesus. The church bases its Christology, or doctrine concerning Christ, on the definition set forth in the Council of Ephesus. Jesus is presented as "one in the nature of the incarnate word." The Council of Chalcedon (451) is not accepted nor any council thereafter. The Church has also rejected the teachings set forth by Nestorius and Eutyches (WCC). This is fascinating because Eutyches promoted the belie...

      The Armenian Apostolic Church (Cilicia) dates all the way back to the apostles. St. Thaddeus and St. Bartholomew were the first preachers to enter Armenia in the 50s-100s AD. These two preachers were apostles of Jesus Christ and were the first to bring the Christ's teachings to Armenia. However, Christianity in Armenia was heavily persecuted just as it was throughout the Roman Empire. However, in 301 AD, Christianity became the state religion due to the leadership of Gregory the Illuminator and King Tiridates III. It is known historically as being the first nation to claim Christianity as its state religion. The church was originally based in Holy Etchmiadzin but had to move to various cities throughout Armenia over the course of history due to war and political upheaval (WCC).      Throughout the course of World War I, 1.5 million Armenians were murdered in mass genocide by the Turkish government. In 1921, a second wave of massacres took place which ...

       Christianity developed in the land of Eritrea, located on east coast of the African continent, through the exchange of ideas that often occurs when traders and visitors arrive in a location. Traders and visitors would travel to and from the Middle East where they would teach and learn about Christianity. Most of this interaction occurred through the port of Adulis which was located on the Red Sea. Ancient ruins of prayer houses can still be found in this region. The Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church came into existence in 329 AD through the leadership of St. Frumentius (also known as Abba Selama). St. Frumentius was the first bishop of the church and was assigned to this post by St. Athanasius who was the Patriarch of Alexandria.      The church was traditionally governed with more of an episcopal polity (think archbishops, bishops, priests, and deacons) but now is run by a the "supreme body of the holy synod." This governing body exists as coun...

       The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, founded in 328 AD, has been using the largest Biblical canon in the Christian world throughout its existence. The Bible is one of the great foundations of Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo faith alongside Holy Tradition. The Bible is used alongside the Apostolic Tradition which has been passed down through ecclesiastical leaders over the course of centuries. A majority of the books were written in the Geez language, an ancient Ethiopian language, and this language is still used today when reading scripture and participating in worship. In total, the Ethiopian Tewahedo church places 46 books in the Old Testament and 35 book in the New Testament. This leads to a total of 81 books being included in the Ethiopian canon. The Ethiopian version of the Old Testament was translated from the Septuagint which is the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures.      As Christians, we should be thankful to the Ethiopian Church fo...

 The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church (EOTC) is based in Ethiopia. The church serves almost 39 million members. The country of Ethiopia was introduced to Christianity through the Ethiopian Eunuch baptized by Philip in Acts 8. The church in Ethiopia was finally organized at the synodal level in 328 AD. The first bishop was Frumentius who was raised in the palace of Axum and consecrated by Athanasius in Alexandira before returning to lead the church. Great saints would later travel to Ethiopia to introduce monasticism, translated scripture, and Monophysism. The language used by the EOTC is Geez, an Ethiopian language. The church has suffered greatly throughout the centuries- from Muslim empires to Jesuit missionaries. The last great persecution occurred under Benito Mussolini who invaded Ethiopia from 1935-1940. The church has historically included 81 canonical books in its Bible, the largest canon used throughout the Church Universal. I will be posting a separate blog post shortly...

 The Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate is based in Antioch and traces its lineage back to the Church of Antioch and the theological school of thought that resided there in the first several centuries of the common era. There are about 1.4 million members of this church who reside all over the world, but mainly in Syria. According to the Church's tradition, Peter founded the Holy See of Antioch in 37 AD. Peter presided over the Antioch Church until his journey to Rome. Missionaries from the church traveled all over the world to India, China, and Mongolia among others. The church grew increasingly and reached its height in the 13th century. However, it suffered greatly at the hands of Mongol invaders in the 14th century. It furthered suffered persecution under the Ottoman Turks. After centuries of the Holy Seat being vacant, the Catholicate of the Syrian Church of the East was re-established in 1965 in India. Throughout the years, the Holy Seat has moved from India and eventually resided ...

In today's post, I would like to introduce you to the Coptic Orthodox Church. According to St. Gregory the Theologian Coptic Orthodox Church in America, the Coptic Church is ancient . The Coptic Orthodox Church was founded in Alexandria, Egypt by Saint Mark, the Apostle of Christ. Mark preached to the Egyptians between 60-70 AD. The word "Coptic" comes from the ancient Egyptian word hekaptah  which meant "Egypt" and so "Coptic" just means "Egyptian." The Coptic Church is the Egyptian Church. The Coptic Church claims to have preserved the orthodox Christian Faith in "its earliest and purest form." This Faith has been handed down through the generations and is "unaltered and true to the Apostolic doctrines and patterns or worship" (St. Gregory). The word "orthodox" means "correct belief." Thus, the Coptic Church believes it possesses the purest and most true form of Christian belief. The Coptic Church in ...

 Hello! My name is Mr. Summers and I started this blog to introduce more people, especially parishioners in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America, to the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Most individuals have heard of Eastern Orthodoxy but have never encountered Oriental Orthodoxy. According to the World Council of Churches, the family of Oriental Orthodox Churches are comprised of the Armenian, Syrian, Coptic, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Indian Churches. Historically, they have been referred to as pre-Chalcedonian, Monophysite, Lesser Eastern, or Ancient Oriental Churches (WCC). These Churches are known to have rejected the Council fo Chalcedon, which convened in 451, and the  Definition of Faith  it produced. These churches thus created their own branch of the Christian Church based on their notion of Monophysism. Monophysism stated that Christ had "one nature" and not "two natures" as defined by Chalcedon. Mono means "one" and physis means " nature....