Eastern Orthodox Church

The Eastern Orthodox Church is in reality a separate groups of Churches, such as the Russian Orthodox Church, Orthodox Church of America, Greek Orthodox Church, Bulgarian Orthodox Church, plus others. All divisions of the Eastern Church recognize and tolerate one another. There are approximately 225 Million who current practical and pastoral center is the Patriarchate at Constantinople.

Other names of the Eastern Orthodox Church include the Oriental Church, the Christian Church of the East, the Orthodox Catholic Church, or the Graeco-Russian Church. In many practical and cultural ways, the constituent national bodies are more comparable to distinct religious bodies. They display differences in various customs and imagery. But the different regional churches certainly form a single church in a doctrinal sense. Although the church at Constantinople is called the "first among equals," in a very real sense it is the highest seat of leadership for the entire Orthodox Church, and the archbishop there is the spiritual head of this worldwide organization.

There are independent Orthodox Churches that are not recognized as a part of the Eastern Orthodox Church, even though they are in line doctrinally with the Eastern Church. "Lesser Oriental" Monophysite bodies such as the Coptic or Ethiopian Orthodox churches are not included with this number.

The Orthodox name was chosen because of its meaning, "right believer," this is the claim of the Orthodox Church. How "Orthodox" became the proper name of the Eastern Church it is difficult to say. It was used at first, long before its schism with Rome, especially in the East, not with any idea of opposition against the West, but rather as the antithesis to the Eastern heretics.

The Orthodox, who, as the result of the schisms of Photius (ninth cent.) and Cerularius (eleventh cent.), are not in communion with the Roman Catholic Church.

The Church within the Empire There were several doctrinal disputes from the 4th century onwards. Some of them led to the calling of Ecumenical councils to try to resolve them. The Church in Egypt (Patriarchate of Alexandria) split into two groups following the Council of Chalcedon (451 A.D.) Eventually this led to each group having its own Pope. Those that remained in communion with the other patriarchs were called "Melkites" (the king's men, because Constantinople was the city of the emperors).

There was a similar split in Syria. Those who disagreed with the Council of Chalcedon are sometimes called "Oriental Orthodox" to distinguish them from the Eastern Orthodox, who accepted the Council of Chalcedon. The Oriental Orthodox are also sometimes referred to as "monophysites", "non-Chalcedonians", or "anti-Chalcedonians", although today the Oriental Orthodox Church denies that it is monophysite and prefers the term "miaphysite", to denote the "joined" nature of Jesus. The term Pope is simply an affectionate term for the lead bishop in a major patriarchate. Any of the original Patriarchs of Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, Rome, or Alexandria can be called Pope as it is not an official title. The more common term today is Patriarch in order to distinguish them from the Pope in Rome who is not an Orthodox bishop.

The Eastern Orthodox Church, as far as I can search on the internet have no mission groups who specialize in reaching them. There are organizations that are reaching into their "territory," but none that we have found that targets them specifically. Pray the Lord of harvest to raise up such a group that would graciously desire to reach the Orthodox "Christians" with the Gospel of Free Grace.

Copyright 2006 by Brad Garrison

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