Orthodox Christianity

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The term Orthodox Christianity may refer to:

• Eastern Christianity: Any Christian tradition tracing its origins to the East (the Balkans, Asia Minor, the Middle East, Eastern Europe, etc.) including the Eastern Catholic churches. This usage is generally considered improper although it is not uncommon.
• The Eastern Orthodox Church: the Eastern Christian churches of Byzantine tradition that adhere to the seven Ecumenical Councils.
• The Oriental Orthodox Churches: the Eastern Christian churches adhering to the teachings of only the first three Ecumenical Councils (plus the Second Council of Ephesus).
• Any Christian faith that adheres to the teachings of one or more of the Ecumenical Councils of the Church of the Roman Empire, especially contrasted to Arianism and doctrines outlawed as heresies in the late Roman Empire. In this context, Orthodox Christianity can refer to both modern Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Depending on one's perspective many Protestant Churches and the Oriental Orthodox Churches may also be included.
• Any particular Christian faith believed by its followers to be correct by comparison to other faiths. In this sense every Church considers its own faith orthodox.

Note: The Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches are not in communion and do not represent a unified religious tradition. As such, the term Orthodox Christianity when used to refer to these two Churches collectively refers more to a common Byzantine influence than to doctrinal matters.

External links

• http://saints.iveron.org - The Encyclopedia of Orthodox Saints - Orthodox Saints Index
• http://www.greekorthodox.org.au - Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Saints of the day

See also

• Eastern Christianity, which includes the above and other eastern churches
• List of Oriental Orthodox Churches
• List of Byzantine Orthodox Churches
• Oriental Orthodoxy
• Eastern Orthodoxy
• Eastern Catholic Churches
• Old Believers, a movement containing a large number of Eastern Orthodox denominations, which broke from the Russian Orthodox Church in the 17th century:
• Russian Orthodox Old-Rite Church
• Orthodoxy, the correct theological or doctrinal observance of religion
• Western Orthodoxy, which is a term usually used to describe parishes that are (Eastern) Orthodox in doctrine and use rites dating from, or developed from rites dating from, the pre-11th century church as it existed in the west, and of which the Orthodox consider themselves to be the continuation. The term is also used by some church bodies associated with the Old Catholic Church, Continuing Anglican Movement, and Liberal Catholic Church.
• Orthodox Catholic Church

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Last updated on Monday March 03, 2008 at 18:50:18 PST (GMT -0800)
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