What is the Orthodox faith briefly. Orthodoxy is not Christianity. How historical myths appeared

Creating the world, the Great Creator endowed man with the most unique gift - freedom. Man was created in the image and likeness of God, and freedom is precisely his god-like property.

The Perfect Personality creates an imperfect being, but endows it with this greatest gift. The Lord knew that, using this gift, a person would fall away from Him, but he still left the right to choose. Did God regret that he rewarded a person with this “unbearable” burden? Nothing like this! This is evidenced by all subsequent sacred history, which is literally permeated with evidence of Divine trust.

“When the water of the global flood returned again to the borders of the shores ...” The Lord gives humanity one more chance, again, trusting and not taking away freedom. Abraham was in freedom of choice, because he could not follow the Lord into the space of death (what a feat for an ancient person to leave his native place!). There were no kings for the holy people in God's plan - but when the Jews, following the example of the pagans, decided to have a king for themselves, the Lord did not interfere with this (a reminder, by the way, to Orthodox monarchists who shout with all their mouths about the God-established monarchical system). And these are just a few examples from Scripture.

And finally, the greatest example of freedom, love and trust is the Gospel. God eventually trusts the people of his own Son, whom they ... crucified.

And still, from more than two thousand years of experience of church life, we know that God not only did not take away, but even added freedom to us. And the apostle Paul, who was once a strict zealot of the Law, and then became a man of the spirit, beautifully wrote about this.

From Judaism, which was very captious about external rites, Christianity grew up, which, with its attitude to the freedom of the individual, sharply contrasts with other religious systems. The Church has retained in itself a unique gift - respect for human dignity. And her attitude to the image and likeness of the Almighty cannot be different!

But freedom in the Christian sense is not at all the one that the modern world is screaming about. The freedom of Christians is, ultimately, freedom from sinful passions, freedom to contemplate the Divine. BUT modern man, boasting of his imaginary freedom, in fact, is often a slave to a lot, when the soul is bound by the chains of passions and the shackles of sins, and the likeness of God is trampled into the mud.

True freedom comes when a person joins the Holy Spirit, having passed through the paths of repentance and purification. As the same apostle Paul aptly said: “The Lord is a Spirit; and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” (2 Cor. 3:17). True freedom cannot be acquired without the Holy Spirit!

Freedom of the spirit is a heavy burden

But how is freedom revealed in the Church of Christ in in practical terms? First, the minimum number of fixed rules. Only the foundations of the faith, the so-called dogmas (the most important of which are listed in the Creed), are strictly defined and unchangeable in the Church. Even Holy Bible and that at different times differed both in late insertions and in the presence or absence of certain books in the biblical code. (For example, the Eastern Church did not accept the Apocalypse for a very long time, and the Synodal Bible does not know the Fourth Book of Maccabees, which was included in the oldest manuscripts of the Septuagint).

One of the greatest ascetics of Athos, Gregory of Sinai, defining the boundaries of church institutions, remarked: “Purely confessing the Trinity in God and the duality in Christ – in this I see the limit of Orthodoxy.”

But for the practice of salvation, Christianity offers a lot of everything: ascetic rules, prohibitions, compulsions and actions that serve only one thing - to bring a person closer to God. All this is not imposed in full as something mandatory, but is offered for voluntary and individual perception.

The main thing is not the external rank, but the Lord God, but without much of what the Church has accumulated in its experience, it can be extremely difficult to reach the heavenly palaces. However, all these accumulations are not a goal, but a means, and if the means in a given and specific case does not help (and it cannot be universal!), It means that something needs to be changed in the spiritual life, and not go from year to year. year in a vicious circle.

Not everyone hears through the centuries the words that “He gave us the ability to be ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the spirit, because the letter kills, but the spirit gives life” (2 Corinthians 3:6). And if they do, then this burden is probably heavy - to walk before the Lord in freedom of spirit. Maturity, a responsible approach, prudence, knowledge of the foundations of faith, respect and love for one's neighbor are needed.

The growth of a person in spirit and truth need not necessarily be accompanied by the suppression of all his personal aspirations. Despite this, in modern Russian church reality, freedom is often equated almost with sin. Absolutely Christian concepts, such as "freedom of the individual", " civil rights”, “gender equality”, “freedom of speech”, are interpreted as ideological sabotage by the enemies of the Church and the state. Along with the mention of these terms in certain church (and more often near-church) media, photographs of gay parades, naked feminists with axes and pedophiles are published. As if fundamental civil rights, growing from the depths of Christianity, are limited only by these negative phenomena!

But those times are not far off when we were promised to be shown on TV the “last priest”, and an open confession in the faith meant the path of martyrdom or confession. Yes, somehow I forgot everything ...

"Helping the Repentant"

Freedom of speech began to interfere with us. We somehow began to reject freedom in general, both in ideology and in the construction of personal spiritual growth. The lives of many of our brothers and sisters are tied with chains of various prescriptions, many of which have no basis in Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition. It was precisely these cases that Christ repeatedly spoke about: “He answered and said to them: why do you also transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition?” (Matt. 15:3), “but in vain they worship me, teaching doctrines, the commandments of men” (Matt. 15:9), “and said to them: Is it good that you revoke the commandment of God in order to keep your tradition?” (Mark 7:9), "putting aside the word God's tradition yours, which you installed; and you do many things like this” (Mark 7:13).

This can be clearly demonstrated by some of the brochures from the cycle “To Help the Penitent”, after reading which a Christian runs the risk of falling into one of the most terrible sins - despondency. It is understandable, because how can one not lose heart when one gets the impression that all life is a complete sin and blackness? To what is gleaned from the brochures, the advice of the local young priest is added, and even the old woman in the temple whispers something “to help” - and as a result, the person feels like a kind of Prometheus, chained to the rock of life.

Of course, not all of us are based on Scripture. There is also a legend. But Tradition is Sacred. And this is not a beautiful epithet: the word "sacred" indicates that the tradition is sanctified in the Church by the action of the Holy Spirit. But there is something completely different: certain traditions and ideas that also have the right to exist, but in no way should be perceived as something super-obligatory, eternal and unshakable.

How to determine what is sacred and what is just tradition? Very simple. After all, there is only one Author of Scripture and Tradition - the Holy Spirit. Means, Holy Tradition must always be consistent with, or at least not contradict, Scripture.

"Adepts of severity" and their stranglehold

As an example, let's take the statement that spouses should abstain from intimacy during fasting. What does Scripture say about this? And the Scripture says the following: “Do not deviate from one another, except by agreement, for a time, for the exercise of fasting and prayer, and [then] be together again, so that Satan does not tempt you with your intemperance. However, I said this as a permission, and not as a command” (1 Cor. 7:5).

An ideal example of the Christian attitude to the individual: everything is put in its place, and the maximum degree of freedom is given. But already in the early Church there were adherents of the "hard line". It was for them that two great fathers of the Church (the 4th canon of Dionysius and the 13th canon of Timothy of Alexandria) made an extended comment, confirming the freedom of choice of spouses in this difficult matter. In the monuments of ancient Russian literature - "Instruction of the Novgorod Archbishop Elijah (John) (March 13, 1166)" and "Questions of Kirik" - the practice of mandatory and forced renunciation of married life in great post condemned in every way.

But soon other winds blew, and even now, in private and public conversations, some clergy categorically forbid their family flock to touch each other during fasting. A few years ago, a learned monk, who spoke in the press with the Open Secret that there were no such prohibitions, was subjected to such a barrage of censures that he was forced to justify himself and "soften the form of statements." This is how the "adepts of rigor" hold on to human traditions - with a stranglehold.

In general, the entire intimate sphere of married life is fertile ground for all sorts of conjectures and prejudices. There is a full range of everything: and "sinful postures and types of intimacy." (This is in "a bed with a candle" to the legal spouses! Talmudists stand aside and nervously bite their elbows ...) And "the sinful use of condoms and other non-abortive contraceptives." (Give birth and give birth, while forgetting that we give birth not into biomass, but into the Kingdom of Heaven or into eternal perdition. And that in addition to giving birth, it is also necessary to educate a person as a worthy member of the Church and society. Like many priests, I I know examples of abandonment of children in large families).

If at confession the priest "bites" into the topic intimate life confessor, one has to doubt his spiritual and sometimes mental health.

But it is necessary to keep in mind one more aspect: through twitching the strings of the secret and intimate aspects of a person’s life, one can get a certain access code for manipulating and controlling him - a Pharisaic trick as old as the world, which has nothing to do with the teachings of Christ.

Fashionable sentence for an Orthodox woman

Sometimes our freedom is “pinched” on trifles…

So, one well-known archpriest and preacher recently began to take bread from the hosts of the Fashion Sentence program and came to grips with questions modern fashion. Here, of course, he is far from a pioneer: a well-known theme - women must look like this, men - like this, and children should be just like that, and everything is desirable, to walk in formation.

Some personal stereotypes, ideas, projections, and even deep complexes and desires are pushed through under the guise of church prescriptions. Where neither Christ, nor the apostles, nor the men of the apostles intervened, some modern preachers go out of their way. They will give advice for all occasions, and in the end they will even tell who will be saved and who will not (I'm not kidding!), making a decision for the Lord God. It is truly said: “And it became with them the word of the Lord: commandment upon commandment, commandment upon commandment, rule upon rule, rule upon rule, here a little, there a little, so that they will go and fall on their backs, and be broken, and fall into a net. and they will be caught” (Is. 28:13-14).

In conclusion, I would like to say once again that Christianity is not a chain of endless prohibitions and suppressions. It is a religion of free and voluntary ascent to God. The Lord does not force anyone, does not break through the knee, but desires "that all people be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:4).

“Stay therefore in the freedom which Christ has given us, and do not again be subjected to the yoke of bondage” (Gal. 5:1). Let us, brothers and sisters, carefully and deeply study our faith, pray with zeal, without losing discretion and sanity, respecting and appreciating every person, for a person is the image and likeness of God.

Portal "Orthodoxy and the World" andindependent service "Sreda" hold a series of discussions about parish life. Every week - new topic! We will set everything topical issues different priests. If you want to talk about pain points Orthodoxy, your experience or vision of problems - write to the editor at [email protected]

1. Orthodoxy

Prot. Mikhail Pomazansky:

Orthodoxy - faith and worship of God ... the true teaching of Christ, preserved in the Church of Christ.

The word Orthodoxy (from the Greek “orthodoxy”) literally means “correct judgment”, “correct teaching”, or “correct glorification” of God.

Metropolitan Hierofei (Vlachos) writes:

The term "Orthodoxy" (Greek orthodoxy) consists of two words: right, true (orthos) and glory (doxa). The word "doxa" means, on the one hand, belief, teaching, faith, and on the other hand, doxology. These values ​​are closely related. Correct teaching about God includes correct praise of God, for if God is abstract, then prayer to this God will also be abstract. If God is personal, then prayer takes on a personal character. God has revealed the true faith, the true doctrine. And we say that the doctrine of God and everything that is connected with the salvation of the individual is the Revelation of God, and not the discovery of man.

Orthodoxy is not only a creed, but also a special way of life of a person in the Orthodox Church, which, as a result of communion with God, transforms his whole life and his soul.

St. Ignatius (Bryanchaninov) answers the question like this:

“What is Orthodoxy?

Orthodoxy is true knowledge of God and worship of God; Orthodoxy is the worship of God in spirit and in truth; Orthodoxy is the glorification of God by true knowledge of Him and worship of Him; Orthodoxy is God's glorification of man, the true servant of God, by bestowing on 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. ... Orthodoxy is the teaching of the Holy Spirit, given by God to people for salvation.

Professor SPDA Glubokovsky N.N.:

Orthodoxy ... is a "right confession" - orthodoxy - because it reproduces in itself the entire intelligible object, sees itself and shows it to others in the "correct opinion" of all subject richness and with all its features. ... It considers itself right, or the true teaching of Christ in all its originality and integrity ... Orthodoxy preserves and continues the original apostolic christianity by immediate and uninterrupted succession. In the historical course of Christianity throughout the universe, this is the central stream, coming from the very “fountain of living water” (Rev. 21:6) and not deviating along its entire length until the end of the world.

Prot. Mikhail Pomazansky writes about the "powers and spiritual wealth of Orthodoxy":

“High in prayer, deep in contemplation of God, joyful in achievement, pure in joy, perfect in moral teaching, full in the ways of God’s praise—Orthodoxy…”

Priest Sergiy Mansurov. Essays from Church History

15 unpleasant facts about religion, Orthodoxy and Christianity in general
1. 99% of the Orthodox do not even suspect that Christians, Jews and Muslims believe in one God. His name is Elohim (Allah).
Despite the fact that this god has a name, he does not have a proper name. That is, the word Elohim (Allah) simply means "God".
2. Some Orthodox do not even realize that Christians include all people who believe that Jesus existed. And Catholics, and Protestants, and Orthodox.
But today there is not a single reliable confirmation of the existence of Jesus, but Mohammed was a historical figure.
3. The mythical Jesus was a Jew by faith and a Jew by nationality. Clever Jews, who were haunted by the fact that only the clans of Kogans and Levites rule the Jewish flock, decided to branch off and create their own office, which they later called "Christianity."
4. Any religion has only two things in mind for its existence. They should be remembered, no matter who hangs what noodles on your ears.
The first is enrichment.
The second is habit
Priests of one or another cult enrich themselves. The people are getting used to. Any state supports the main religion, because the church helps to turn people into a herd.
In Christianity, they say so - the flock, that is, the herd. A flock that a shepherd or shepherd tends. The shepherd cuts the wool from the lamb and admonishes before making a kebab out of it.
5. As soon as a person is driven into a herd with the help of religion, herd feelings and herd thoughts appear in him. He ceases to think logically and ceases to use the organs of perception. Everything he sees, hears and says is a set of stamps used in the herd.
6. In 1054, the division of the Christian Church into the Roman Catholic Church in the West with its center in Rome and the Orthodox Church in the East with its center in Constantinople took place.
All the theories and justifications why this happened are not worth a damn (we will return to this later), the main problem was superiority. Who should rule - the pope or the patriarch.
As a result, everyone began to consider himself the main one.
The guys reasoned like this: friendship is friendship, and tobacco is apart. Money account love.
7. In 988 Kyiv prince Vladimir decides to be baptized by the Church of Constantinople. For many centuries, the church has been burning dissent and polytheism in Russia with fire and sword.
Almost completely destroyed all the documents relating to the pre-Christian period.
A whole class of people, who in Russia were called magi, sorcerers, witches, sorcerers, was almost completely destroyed.
That is, the layer of ancient knowledge and skills, the primordial language in which people communicated with nature and the gods, all the experience that the people accumulated over the centuries, was erased from people's memory.
8. It is believed that the veduns (from the Sanskrit word "know", "know") were a kind of conscience of the tribe, its moral and spiritual guide: "co-" + "-message", i.e. "common message", "common knowledge". Conscience is a way of a person's communication with God by comparing his moral standards with the standards of those around him and with the experience of his ancestors.
A people with a conscience did not need such instruments as the state, religion, propaganda, the death penalty.
There is an opinion that in view of the vast territory of the Eurasian continent, the remnants of conscience have been preserved somewhere in the outback of Russia.
Therefore, the genetic memory of Russians sacredly keeps faith in the existence of justice (the root of the "Vedas", by the way) of conscience and truth.
For their evil temper, greed and black cassocks, priesthood in Russia was nicknamed "the crow".
9. The destruction of "conscience" by Christianity in the West occurred much later, it was more total and technological.
The death camps began precisely with the European Inquisition, when sorcerers and witches throughout Europe were identified, recorded, sentenced and burned. All without a trace.
Truth and conscience in the West have been replaced by "law". Western man does not believe in any hypothetical justice, but he believes in the laws, and even adheres to them.
10. First crusade began in 1096, and the last ended in 1444. For 350 years, peaceful Christianity, in the name of Jesus, destroyed countries, cities and entire nations. And this was done, as you probably understand, not only by Catholicism or some Warband. Dozens of tribes that existed on the territory of Muscovy were also forcibly converted to Orthodoxy or wiped off the face of the earth.
11. In foreign sources, the "Orthodox" church is written as "orthodox". We are orthodox guys.
12. In the 1650s - 1660s, the so-called "split" took place in Muscovy. We will not go into too much detail, we will only say that the reason for the church reforms carried out by Patriarch Nikon was only two things - a sharp difference between the church orders in Muscovy and in the Greek church.
In fact, the Moscow church turned into an unauthorized religious organization, striking visiting Greek priests with its savagery. This became especially evident in view of the annexation of Little Russia. Little Russia separated from Poland, recognized Alexei Mikhailovich as its tsar and became part of the Muscovite state as its inseparable part, but the church and ritual practice of the South Russians converged with the then Greek and differed from the Moscow one.
It was necessary to urgently unify all this.
And the second. The main political aspect of the reform was the “Byzantine charm”, that is, the conquest of Constantinople and the revival of the Byzantine Empire with the help and expense of Russia. In this regard, Tsar Alexei wanted to eventually inherit the throne of the Byzantine emperors, and Patriarch Nikon wanted to become the Ecumenical Patriarch.
Like this. Thirst for power. Thirst for superiority.
Thanks to this, the Orthodox flock (remember what the flock means?), led by pastors, hunted schismatics who did not want to rebuild for another three hundred years.
So, perestroika is not only the subversion of Herr Peter and Mikhail Gorbachev.
13. If anyone does not know, I will let you know. The only thing that distinguishes the Catholic Church from the Orthodox is called the filioque (Latin filioque - “and the Son”), an addition to the Latin translation of the Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed, adopted by the Western (Roman) Church in the 11th century in the dogma of the Trinity: on the descent The Holy Spirit is not only from God the Father, but "from the Father and the Son."
That is, the Jewish Elohim in Orthodoxy is the only source of the holy spirit. But Catholics believe that the holy spirit also comes from the Jew Jesus of Nazareth.
Of course, these are formalities, everything always rests on money and power.
14. But here's the problem.
In 1438-1445, the XVII Ecumenical Council, called the Ferrara-Florence Cathedral, takes place. Such councils are called ecumenical because they are attended by representatives of all Christian churches.
The decisions of the ecumenical councils are binding on everyone (like the decisions of the Hague Court) for both Catholics and Orthodox.
At this council, the disagreements between the Western and Eastern churches were discussed for a long time, and in the end a decision was made to unite. The council ended with the signing of the union.
Guess who a few years later denied the decision of the cathedral?
That's right, Muscovy.
15. And what is the point of giving primacy? So we graze our own herd, we are our own bosses, and here the Pope will steer.
Total.
To the two main goals of any religion - the enrichment of the clergy, the obscenity (stupefaction) of the masses, we add a third, empirically identified - the thirst for power.
In Christianity, the most important of the mortal sins is "pride".
The lust for power is what pride is.

(from Greek - "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

Education religious organizations closely connected with the social and political life of society. Christianity will not be an exception, which was especially evident in the differences between its main directions - Catholicism and Orthodoxy. At the beginning of the 5th century The Roman Empire split into East and West. The eastern one was a single state, while the western one was a fragmented conglomerate of principalities. In the 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 the despotic state determined the conservatism of the Orthodox Church in dogma and ritualism, as well as tendencies towards mysticism and irrationalism in its ideology. In the West, the church gradually assumed a central place in society and turned into an organization striving for dominance in all spheres of society, including politics.

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

Since the Orthodox Church was under the auspices of the state, its history is connected not so much with external events as with the formation of dogma. The Orthodox doctrine is based on the Holy Scripture (the Bible - the Old and New Testament) and the Holy Tradition (decisions of the first seven Ecumenical and local councils, the works of the church fathers and canonical theologians). the so-called Symbol of faith, briefly outlining the essence of the Christian doctrine. It recognizes the trinity of God - the creator and ruler of the universe, the existence of the afterlife, the afterlife retribution, the redemptive mission of Jesus Christ, who opened the possibility for the salvation of mankind, on which lies the seal of original sin.

Fundamentals of the doctrine of Orthodoxy

The Orthodox Church declares the main provisions of the faith to be absolutely true, eternal and unchanging, communicated to man by God himself and incomprehensible to reason. Keeping them intact will be the first duty of the church. It is impossible to add anything or remove any provisions, therefore the later dogmas established by the Catholic Church - about the descent of the Holy Spirit not only from the Father, but also from the Son (filioque), about immaculate conception not only Christ, but also the Virgin Mary, about the infallibility of the Roman pope, about purgatory - Orthodoxy considers it a heresy.

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

teaches observance of moral precepts given to man by God through the prophet Moses, as well as the fulfillment of the covenants and sermons of Jesus Christ set forth in the Gospels. Their main content will be the observance of universal norms of life and love for one's neighbor, manifestations of mercy and compassion, as well as the rejection of resistance to evil by violence. Orthodoxy emphasizes the uncomplaining enduring of sufferings sent by God to test the strength of faith and cleansing from sin, on the special veneration of the sufferers - the blessed, the poor, the holy fools, hermits and hermits. In Orthodoxy, a vow of celibacy is given only by monks and higher ranks of clergy.

Organization of the Orthodox Church

Unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy does not have a 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 controlled 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) headed by bishops and archbishops, deanery(merger of 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(collegiate body under the patriarchy, which consists of the highest church officials included in it on a permanent and non-permanent basis)

Today there is three autonomous Orthodox churches: Sinai (jurisdiction of the Jerusalem Patriarchate), Finnish (jurisdiction of the Patriarchate of Constantinople), Japanese (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 with their subsequent approval by the patriarch of the autocephalous church. A number of autocephalous churches have missions, deaneries, courtyards with other Orthodox churches.

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

The canonical dignity of Orthodox churches is reflected in the official list - " diptych of honor. According to the ϶ᴛᴏ list, the churches are arranged in a certain order.

Orthodox Church of Constantinople. It has another name - the Ecumenical Church or the Ecumenical Patriarchate. Patriarch of Constantinople considered universal, but it has no right to interfere with the activities of other churches. It arose after Emperor Constantine moved the capital from Rome to the small Greek city of Byzantium, 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. Under its jurisdiction is the monastery complex, which includes 20 monasteries. The head of the Church of Constantinople has the title of Archbishop of Constantinople - New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch. Followers of the Church of Constantinople live in many countries of the world.

Alexandrian Orthodox Church. Another name is the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria. The apostle Mark is considered its founder. Originated in the 30s. 1st century AD In the 5th century a split occurred in the church, as a result of which a Coptic church. FROM 1928 Gregorian calendar adopted. The head of the Church of Alexandria has the title of Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa, with residence in Alexandria. The church's jurisdiction extends to all of Africa.

Antioch Orthodox Church founded in the 30s of the 1st century. AD in Antioch, the third largest city in the Roman Empire. The history of the ϶ᴛᴏth 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 Church of Antioch bears the title of Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, with residence in Damascus. There are 18 dioceses in the jurisdiction: in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, Iran, Iraq and other countries.

Jerusalem Orthodox Church, which also has a different 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 celebrated in monasteries on Greek and in parishes in Arabic. In Nazareth, worship is celebrated on Church Slavonic. Julian calendar 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 authorities.

Russian Orthodox Church

Georgian Orthodox Church. Christianity began to spread on the territory of Georgia in the first centuries AD. She received autocephaly in the 8th century. In 1811 Georgia became part of Russian Empire, and the church became part of the Russian Orthodox Church as an exarchate. In 1917, at the meeting of Georgian priests, a decision was made to restore autocephaly, which was preserved even under Soviet power. The Russian Orthodox Church recognized autocephaly only in 1943.

Chapter Georgian Church bears the title of 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 of Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovapia, Patriarch of Serbia with residence in Belgrade.

Romanian Orthodox Church. Christianity entered the territory of Romania in the II-III 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 of Archbishop of Bucharest, Metropolitan of Ungro-Vlachia, 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 patriarchy only in 1961.

The head of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church bears the title of 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. apostles Paul and Do not forget that Barnabas. Widespread Christianization of the population began in the 5th century. Autocephaly was recognized at the III Ecumenical Council in Ephesus.

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

E.yadskaya (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 Evangelist preached "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 split. The head of the church bears the title of Archbishop of Athens and all Hellas with residence in Athens.

Athens Orthodox Church. Autocephaly was recognized in 1937. At the same time, for 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 residence in Tirana. The peculiarities of the ϶ᴛᴏth church include the election of the clergy with the participation of the laity. Divine services are performed in Albanian and Greek.

It is worth saying - the Polish Orthodox Church. Orthodox dioceses exist on the territory It is worth saying - Poland since the XIII 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 in 1925 was recognized as autocephalous. 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, in recent times the Polish language is used more and more. The head Worth saying - the Polish Orthodox Church bears the title of Metropolitan Do not forget that Warsaw and the whole Worth saying - Wormwood with a residence in Do not forget that Warsaw.

Czechoslovak Orthodox Church. The mass baptism of the people in 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 of the Catholic Church. Orthodoxy was preserved only in Eastern Slovakia. After the formation of the Czechoslovak Republic in 1918, an Orthodox community was organized. Further development events led to division within the Orthodoxy of the country. In 1951, the Czechoslovak Orthodox Church asked the Russian Orthodox Church to take it into its jurisdiction. In November 1951, the Russian Orthodox Church granted her 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 of 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 plots remain in the ownership 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 withdrawn, and the issue remained unresolved.

In 1970, the Moscow Patriarchate gave autocephalous status to the metropolis, which received the name Orthodox Church in America. The head of the church has the title of Archbishop. Do not forget that the Metropolitan of Washington, the Metropolitan of all America and Canada, with a residence in Syosset, near New York.

To comply with ethical and moral standards in society, as well as to regulate relations between an individual and the state or the highest form of spirituality (Cosmic mind, God), world religions were created. With the passage of time, schisms occurred within every major religion. As a result of this split, Orthodoxy was formed.

Orthodoxy and Christianity

Many people make the mistake of considering all Christians to be Orthodox. Christianity and Orthodoxy are not the same thing. How to distinguish between these two concepts? What is their essence? Now let's try to figure it out.

Christianity is which originated in the 1st century. BC e. waiting for the coming of the Savior. Its formation was influenced by the philosophical teachings of that time, Judaism (polytheism was replaced by one God) and endless military-political skirmishes.

Orthodoxy is just one of the branches of Christianity that originated in the 1st millennium AD. in the Eastern Roman Empire and received its official status after the split of the common Christian church in 1054.

History of Christianity and Orthodoxy

The history of Orthodoxy (orthodoxy) began already in the 1st century AD. This was the so-called apostolic creed. After the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the apostles faithful to him began to preach the teachings to the masses, attracting new believers into their ranks.

In the II-III centuries, orthodoxy was engaged in active opposition to Gnosticism and Arianism. The first rejected the scriptures old testament and interpreted the New Testament in their own way. The second, led by presbyter Arius, did not recognize the consubstantiality of the Son of God (Jesus), considering him to be a mediator between God and people.

The seven Ecumenical Councils, convened with the support of the Byzantine emperors from 325 to 879, helped to remove the contradictions between the rapidly developing heretical teachings and Christianity. The axioms established by the Councils regarding the nature of Christ and the Mother of God, as well as the approval of the Creed, helped to shape the new current into a powerful christian religion.

Not only heretical concepts contributed to the development of Orthodoxy. on the Western and Eastern influenced the formation of new trends in Christianity. The different political and social views of the two empires gave rise to a crack in the unified common Christian church. Gradually, it began to break up into Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic (later Orthodox). The final split between Orthodoxy and Catholicism occurred in 1054, when the Pope of Rome also excommunicated each other from the church (anathema). The division of the common Christian church was completed in 1204, together with the fall of Constantinople.

The Russian land adopted Christianity in 988. Officially, there was no division into Roman yet, but due to the political and economic interests of Prince Vladimir, the Byzantine direction - Orthodoxy - was spread on the territory of Russia.

The essence and foundations of Orthodoxy

The basis of any religion is faith. Without it, the existence and development of divine teachings is impossible.

The essence of Orthodoxy lies in the Symbol of Faith, adopted at the second Ecumenical Council. At the fourth, the Nicene Creed (12 dogmas) was affirmed as an axiom, not subject to any change.

Orthodox believe in God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit (Holy Trinity). is the creator of everything earthly and heavenly. The Son of God, incarnated from the Virgin Mary, is consubstantial and only begotten in relation to the Father. The Holy Spirit proceeds from God the Father through the Son and is revered no less than the Father and the Son. The Creed tells about the crucifixion and resurrection of Christ, pointing to eternal life after death.

All Orthodox belong to one church. Baptism is an obligatory ritual. When it is done, there is liberation from original sin.

Obligatory is the observance of moral standards (commandments), which are transmitted by God through Moses and voiced by Jesus Christ. All "rules of conduct" are based on help, compassion, love and patience. Orthodoxy teaches to endure any hardships of life meekly, to accept them as the love of God and trials for sins, in order to then go to heaven.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism (main differences)

Catholicism and Orthodoxy have a number of differences. Catholicism is a branch of Christian doctrine that arose, like Orthodoxy, in the 1st century. AD in the Western Roman Empire. And Orthodoxy - in Christianity, which originated in the Eastern Roman Empire. Here is a comparison table for you:

	Orthodoxy	Catholicism
Relations with authorities	The Orthodox Church, for two thousand years, was in cooperation with the secular authorities, then in its subordination, then in exile.	The empowerment of the Pope with power, both secular and religious.
the Virgin Mary	The Mother of God is considered the bearer of original sin, because her nature is human.	The dogma of the purity of the Virgin Mary (there is no original sin).
Holy Spirit	The Holy Spirit comes from the Father through the Son	The Holy Spirit proceeds from both the Son and the Father
Attitude towards the sinful soul after death	The soul makes "ordeals". Earthly life determines eternal life.	Existence Doomsday and purgatory, where the purification of the soul takes place.
Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition	Sacred Scripture is part of Sacred Tradition	Equal.
Baptism	Triple immersion (or dousing) in water with communion and chrismation.	Sprinkling and pouring. All ordinances after 7 years.
	6-8-terminal cross with the image of God the conqueror, legs nailed with two nails.	4-pointed cross with God-martyr, legs nailed with one nail.
co-religionists	All brothers.	Each person is unique.
Attitude to rituals and sacraments	The Lord does it through the clergy.	Performed by a clergyman endowed with divine power.

Nowadays, the question of reconciliation between churches is very often raised. But due to significant and minor differences (for example, Catholics and Orthodox cannot agree on the use of leavened or unleavened bread in the sacraments), reconciliation is constantly delayed. A reunion is out of the question in the near future.

The attitude of Orthodoxy to other religions

Orthodoxy is a trend that, having separated from general Christianity as an independent religion, does not recognize other teachings, considering them false (heretical). There can be only one true religion.

Orthodoxy is a trend in religion that is not losing popularity, but on the contrary, is gaining. And yet in modern world quietly coexists in the neighborhood with other religions: Islam, Catholicism, Protestantism, Buddhism, Shinto and others.

Orthodoxy and Modernity

Our time has given freedom to the church and gives it support. Over the past 20 years, the number of believers, as well as those who identify themselves as Orthodox, has increased. At the same time, the moral spirituality that this religion implies, on the contrary, has fallen. A huge number of people perform rituals and attend church mechanically, that is, without faith.

The number of churches and parochial schools visited by believers has increased. Increase external factors only partially affects internal state person.

The Metropolitan and other clergymen hope that after all those who consciously accepted Orthodox Christianity will be able to develop spiritually.