Orthodox Christianity
After several questions regarding the blog photos of the girls' baptism, it appears many of you are not familiar with the orthodox church; and really before this trip all I knew was that they had the priests with long beards and black robes. So I have found a fairly easy to understand explanation of the religion below for those of you who are interested.
FYI - We are heading back to the United States later tonight but I have many photos and information to share with you about Macedonia and the trip so stay tuned. And please pray this trip is much less dramatic than the first.
The Orthodox Church, also officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church[note 1] and commonly referred to in English speaking countries as the Eastern Orthodox Church,[note 2] is the world's second largest Christian communion, estimated to number between 225 and 300 million members.[2] It is considered to have been established by Jesus Christ and his Apostles almost 2,000 years ago. The Church is composed of several self-governing ecclesial bodies, each geographically and nationally distinct but theologically unified. Each self-governing (or autocephalous) body, often but not always encompassing a nation, is shepherded by a synod of bishops whose duty, among other things, is to preserve and teach the Apostolic and patristic traditions and related Church practices. All Orthodox bishops trace their lineage back to the Apostles through the process of Apostolic Succession, in the same manner as the Roman Catholic, Oriental Orthodox and some other churches.
The Orthodox Church traces its development back through Byzantine and Roman empires, to the earliest church established by St. Paul and the Apostles. It clings tenaciously to its ancient traditions and practices, believing in growth without change (see below). In non-doctrinal matters the church had occasionally shared from local Greek, Slavic, and Middle Eastern traditions, among others, in turn shaping the cultural development of these nations.
Orthodox Christians believe that the ultimate goal of every Christian is to become like God, to love perfectly, to become “Little Christs” within Jesus Christ. This process is called theosis or deification.[3]
The Biblical text used by the Orthodox includes the Greek Septuagint and the New Testament. It includes the Deuterocanonical Books, which are generally rejected by Protestants, and a few texts that are not in the Western canon. Orthodox accept scripture as the inspired Word of God, believing scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit to its authors, speakers and editors. Orthodox Christians also utilize icons as focal points when venerating the Saints, in their daily worship while rejecting three-dimensional statuary. It should be fully understood that the icon is not venerated. But is a device to identify with the consciousness of the person represented therein. This is not idolatry, as the icon is used only as a means of identification of a God created person.
The Orthodox Church traces its development back through Byzantine and Roman empires, to the earliest church established by St. Paul and the Apostles. It clings tenaciously to its ancient traditions and practices, believing in growth without change (see below). In non-doctrinal matters the church had occasionally shared from local Greek, Slavic, and Middle Eastern traditions, among others, in turn shaping the cultural development of these nations.
Orthodox Christians believe that the ultimate goal of every Christian is to become like God, to love perfectly, to become “Little Christs” within Jesus Christ. This process is called theosis or deification.[3]
The Biblical text used by the Orthodox includes the Greek Septuagint and the New Testament. It includes the Deuterocanonical Books, which are generally rejected by Protestants, and a few texts that are not in the Western canon. Orthodox accept scripture as the inspired Word of God, believing scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit to its authors, speakers and editors. Orthodox Christians also utilize icons as focal points when venerating the Saints, in their daily worship while rejecting three-dimensional statuary. It should be fully understood that the icon is not venerated. But is a device to identify with the consciousness of the person represented therein. This is not idolatry, as the icon is used only as a means of identification of a God created person.
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