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The Greek Orthodox Church is known also as Eastern Orthodox. Churches called by national names, such as Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, and Romanian Orthodox are branches of the worldwide Orthodox Church.
The Church is Orthodox. Thus, it embodies and proclaims the orthedoxa, that is, the right faith in Christ. There is no compromise. What Christ taught and His disciples interpreted is still so taught and interpreted. Nothing has changed. There is a harmony in all essentials between the present Church and the original Church which secures tranquility and internal balance, thereby preserving the faith from extreme. The regulator of this harmony and continuity is the Lord Himself according to Es own promise (Matt. 28:20; Mark 16:20). The Holy Spirit is with the Church and guides the Church to all the truth (John 14:26).
The term "Orthodox" is not new. It was used by the early Church to distinguish the true faithful from heretics and followers of false teachings. St. Paul speaks indirectly of it when he asserts that in his own time "some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" G Tim. 4" 1). Our Lord warns that there are heretics and false prophets even though they come among us in "sheep's clothing" (Matt. 7:15). The Church is Orthodox then in contrast to heresy and false teaching. The Bible refers to orthodoxy when it teaches against "false prophets" and "false teachers who privily shall bring damnable heresies . . . " (2 Pet. 2: 1; 1 Cor. 11: 19; Titus 3: 10; Galatians 5:20).
The Church is Orthodox because she teaches the right doctrine about God, man, and the world. She proclaims what is right for man's earthly and eternal life. But the word "Orthodox" does not simply designate the true teaching about God; it also suggests the true faith, the true life, and the true worship of the believer. Thus, orthe-doxa implies also orthe-praxe, right faith and right life.
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The Church is Orthodox because she is the original Christian Church. The present Church evidences an unbroken continuity which, by way of the Ecumenical Councils and the Church Fathers, reaches the Apostolic Church and our Lord Himself. Her Orthodoxy is not a static element which makes her a dormant body of creeds and traditions. It is, rather, a living attribute which receives its inspiration from the Holy Scriptures, the Sacred Tradition, and the Fathers of Christianity; that is, it is the work of the Holy Spirit throughout the history of the church. Orthodoxy, then, is a continuous reinterpretation and vibrant communication of the revelation of God.
The Church is Catholic in that her message of salvation in Christ is destined for the whole of mankind, for "God ... desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth" (I Tim. 2"4) and Christ "gave himself as a ransom for all" (I Tim. 2:6). The doors of the Church are opened to all, with no discrimination as to race or nationality or sex. "There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female" (Gal. 3:28). The Church is Catholic because she embraces the totality of truth necessary for man's happiness and salvation. Being the Body of Christ on earth, the Church is what her Head claimed to be, "the way, and the truth" (John 14:6). Christ Himself promised that the Holy Spirit would guide the
Church "Into ail the truth" (John 16: 13 3). Jesus prayed that His Church may be sanctified in the truth (John 17-17). The Church is Catholic because her members inhabit all the world and for her there are no limits of time and space. "Go and teach all nations: was the commandment of the Lord (Matt. 28:19).
The Orthodox Church is also Apostolic. The Church was "built upon the foundation of the apostles. . . Jesus Christ Himself being the cornerstone" (Eph. 2 20). She has remained faithful to the Apostolic faith through the Apostolic succession of her officers and through the Tradition of the Church which has secured her unity with the Ancient Church, a unity the spirit, in faith, and in truth.
The Orthodox Church is not to be confused with the Greek Catholic Church, which is a branch of the Roman Church. In fact, the church of Rome refers to its members as Catholics of the Greek or Byzantine Rite. Greek Catholic alone refers to the Roman branch of Greek liturgical background, which is known also as "Uniate," i.e., in union with Rome.
There are several major differences between the Orthodox and the Roman, including the following:
§ the primacy and the infallibility of the Roman Pope;
§ the filioque clause;
§ the teachings on purgatory;
§ the immaculate conception and
§ the bodily ascension of the Theotokos.
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| All these are rejected by the Orthodox Church. In addition there are other doctrinal, ecclesiastical, and administrative differences between the Orthodox and the Latin Churches. The Greek Orthodox Church recognizes only the primacy of honor to the Bishop of Rome, to Bishop of Constantinople, and then to other Church leaders for historical reasons. The institution of the Roman papacy as it evolved in the West after the ninth century was foreign to the early Church; thus it has never been accepted in the East. The development of the Roman papacy was one of the major causes for the schism between the Latin West and the Greek East, and it continues to be a stumbling block for the reunion of Christendom since it has become an element of the doctrinal teaching of the Roman Catholic faith. This idea of the primacy of the Bishop or Rome, while in harmony with Roman imperial tradition, is alien to the teaching of Christ and the early Church! This claim brought about the final rupture between the Latin West and The Greek East in the 11th century. The acts committed by the institution of the papacy for over four hundred years caused the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century.
Both the New Testament books and the documents of the last first and early second centuries support the Orthodox teaching that the early church was governed by a board or a synod of bishops. Christ entrusted His gospel to the Apostles, and the Apostles "appointed their successors. . . to be bishops ... of those who were to receive the faith," as St. Clement of Rome writes. A work of visions called The Shepherd of Hermas, written in the first half of the 2nd century, speaks again about those "Who rule the church. . . and the presbyters who are set over the Church."
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Another Father of the Church, St. Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage (248-259), points out that "the Episcopal office and the organization of the Church has come down to us so that the Church is founded upon the bishops and every act of the Church is controlled by these same officers." He further emphasizes that all bishops are equal in rank and authority. He adds that "... neither does any of us (bishops) set himself up as a bishop or bishops, nor by tyrannical terror does any Compel his colleague to the necessity of obedience. . . Our Lord Jesus Christ... is the only one that has the power... of preferring us (the bishops) as the government of His Church."
To this very day and forever, the Orthodox Church teaches the Word of God, the sacrifice of Jesus, the value of the Holy Spirit, the importance of man and his relation to God, exactly the same message which was taught by the undivided Church for a thousand years. Nothing has been added, nothing has been deleted following the great schism; thus the same Christ yesterday, today, and tomorrow and forever (Heb. 13:8). The Orthodox Christians today belong to Christ as they try to live in Him in humility, in prayer, and in holiness; they proclaim Christ as He was revealed, understood, and taught in the undivided Church.
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Rev. Demetrios A. Recachinas, Protopresbyter
Booklet
& Web Version Designed by:
- Vicky
Andriotis
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information about obtaining hard copies of this
booklet, please contact:
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Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church
4070 Park Avenue
Bridgeport CT 06604
Church Phone (203) 374-5561
Church Fax (203) 374-5770
E-mail: fatherdemetrios@ holytrinitybridgeport.org
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