OUR HISTORY

The Church has her origin with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, not with a

human teacher, or group, nor a code of conduct or religious philosophy.

Orthodoxy believes that the Church has her origin in the Apostolic

Community called into being by Jesus Christ, and enlivened by the Holy

Spirit. The Feast of Pentecost, which is celebrated fifty days after Easter,

commemorates the "outpouring" of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and

marks the beginning of the mission of the Church to the world. The Orthodox

Church believes that she has maintained a direct and unbroken continuity of

love, faith, and order with the Church of Christ born in the Pentecost

experience.

The Time of Persecution

The earliest Church, which is described in the Epistles and the Acts of the

Apostles, did not confine itself to the land of Judea. She took very seriously

the command of Our Lord to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel.

The words of Christ and the event of His saving Death and Resurrection were

destined not only for the people of the first century and the Mediterranean

world of which they were a part, but also for persons in all places and in every

age. Within only a few years after the Resurrection, colonies of Christians

sprung in the major cities of the Roman Empire.

While the early Church received many converts from Judaism and the pagan

religions, the world in which the Gospel was proclaimed was, in the words of

St. Paul, "heartless and ruthless" With only a few intervals of peace, the

Church was persecuted throughout the Empire for nearly three hundred

years. The faith and love expressed by the Christians were viewed as a threat

to the religion and political policies of the Empire. Thousands upon thousands

of Christians were martyred.

The Time of Growth

The beginning of the fourth century marked a new stage in the development

of the Church. After centuries of vicious persecution at the direction of the

Roman Emperors, an Emperor of Rome became a Christian. This was

Constantine the Great, who in the year 313 granted Christians freedom of

worship. The Edict was a recognition that the Church not only had survived

the persecutions but also had become a significant force in the Empire. From

that time onward, the Church and the Empire began a very close and

mutually beneficial relationship. Not only did the Church receive imperial

support, but also the evils which had characterized the old Roman Empire

were greatly reduced in Christian Byzantium. The Church was truly a leaven

of the society of which it was a part. The fourth through the tenth centuries

were a significant period for the Church" internal development. The

authorative content of the New Testament was determined. The Services of

Worship received a formal framework. The Teachings of Christianity were

developed by great pastors and theologians who are known as the "Fathers"

of the Church. It was also a period of missionary activity. Among the most

important was the evangelization of the Slavs by Saints Cyril and Methodius.

However, the period was not without struggle. The Byzantine Empire was

constantly on guard against the neighboring Persians and Muslims. The

Church itself was frequently afflicted with many grave schisms and heresies.

For example, serious schisms took place in the years 431 and 451. Among the

greatest heresies was Arianism, which taught that Christ was not truly God.

This heresy plagued the Church and brought havoc to the Empire for nearly a

century.

The fundamental doctrines of the Church were proclaimed and defended by

the Seven Ecumenical Councils. These Synods, which are known by the

names of the cities in which they were convened, included Bishops from

throughout the world, who came to affirm the authentic teachings on the

Incarnation and the Holy Trinity. The Councils did not create new doctrines,

but in a particular place and time, they proclaimed what the Church always

believed and taught. The counciliar and collegial expression of Church life

and authority which was manifest at the Ecumenical Councils and other

synods of the early Church continue to be an important aspect of Orthodox

Christianity.

The Ecumenical Councils also sanctioned the organization of the Church

about the five great ecclesiastical centers of Rome, Constantinople,

Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. The Archbishops of these cities came to

be known as Patriarchs. They presided over the synod of bishops in a

particular area. Since the early Church was not monolithic, each center had

its own theological style, customs, and liturgical traditions. Yet, all shared in

the unity of the faith. However, a primacy of honor was accorded the Bishop

of Rome, from early times. The Second Ecumenical Council (381) gave

Constantinople a position of honor by stating, "The Bishop of Constantinople

shall have the prerogative of honor after the Bishops of Rome, because

Constantinople is New Rome."

The Great Schism

The Great Schism is the title given to separation between the Western

Church (the Roman Catholic) and the Eastern Church, (the Orthodox), which

took place in the eleventh century. Relations between the two great

traditions of the East and the West had often been strained since the fourth

century. Yet, unity and harmony was maintained in spite of differences in

theological expression, liturgical practices, and views of authority. By the

ninth century, however, legitimate differences were intensified by political

circumstances, cultural clashes, papal claims, and the introduction in the

West of the Filioque phrase into the Nicene Creed. The Filioque affirms that

the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son. Both the papal claims

and the Filioque were strongly repudiated by the East.

Although it is difficult to date the exact year of the schism, in the year 1054

official charges, known as Anathamas, were exchanged. The Crusades, and

especially the sack of the city of Constantinople by the western crusaders in

1204, can be considered the final element in the process of estrangement

and deepening mistrust.

From that period onward, the Western Church, centered about the Pope of

Rome, and the Eastern Church, centered about the Patriarch of

Constantinople, went their separate ways. Although there were attempts to

restore communion in the years 1274 and 1439, there was no lasting unity

achieved. While political, cultural, and emotional factors have always been

involved, the Orthodox Church believes that the two principal reasons for

the continued schism are the papal claims of universal jurisdiction and

infallibility, as well as the meaning of the Filioque.

For nearly 500 years the two traditions lived in formal isolation from each

other. Only, since the early 1960  have steps been taken to restore the

broken unity. Most significant has been the mutual lifting of the Anathamas

of 1054 by the late Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI in 1965.

Time of Struggle

In the year 1453, the City of Constantinople fell to the invading Muslims.

With its capital, the Byzantine Empire came to an end; and the vast lands of

Asia Minor fell subject to non-Christians. The great ecclesiastical cities of

Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem, which had come under the political

control of Islam centuries earlier, were now joined by Constantinople.

Throughout the Ottoman Empire, Christians came to be treated as second-

class citizens who paid heavy taxes and wore distinctive dress. The life of the

Orthodox Church in the Balkan and Asia Minor continued, but under much

duress. Thousands of Christians suffered martyrdom. Patriarchs were

deposed and murdered. Churches, monasteries, and schools were closed and

destroyed. Only with the liberation of Greece in 1821, did some of the

brutality come to an end. However, there were a series of vicious massacres

at the beginning of this century. And, even today, Christians are denied their

basic human rights in parts of Asia Minor.

After the decline of Byzantium, the Church in Russia thrived for nearly 500

years. However, with the Bolshevik revolution of 1917, Orthodoxy found

itself confronted with the beliefs and political policies of militant atheists.

Most churches were closed; and a policy was inaugurated to eliminate

Christianity from Russia, a land which was steeped in Orthodoxy since the

tenth century. In the years between the two World Wars, Orthodox

Christians in Russia suffered much cruel and devastating persecution. Only

since 1943 have there been modifications in government policy which have

permitted the Church some degree of existence.

Today, in many of the lands which were once the pride and glory of Eastern

Christendom, the Orthodox Church struggles amid great obstacles and

persecution. It has been observed that in recent centuries there have been

more martyrs than during the great persecutions of the early Church. Yet,

despite injustices and indignities, the Faith survives.

Time of Renewal and Reconciliation

Throughout the past two hundred years the Orthodox Church in the

Western Hemisphere has been developing as a valuable presence and

distinctive witness. For example, in the United States, Orthodoxy has been

recognized as one of the four major faiths. She has more than five million

members, who are grouped into more than a dozen ecclesiastical

jurisdictions. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese, which is the largest, has

about 500 parishes and operates church schools, parochial schools, an

orphanage, a college, and a graduate theological school. Many believe that

Orthodoxy in America has the potential for true renewal, creative

development, and missionary activity which can contribute greatly to

American life.

From the beginning of this century, the Orthodox Church has been

committed to the Ecumenical Movement. This quest for Christian unity is the

boldest attack on division since the early centuries of the Church. The

Patriarchate of Constantinople not only inspired the movement for unity

with an encyclical in 1920, but also was one of the co-founders of the World

Council of Churches in 1948. The cause of Christian unity was a special

concern of the late and beloved Patriarch Athenagoras. He labored greatly to

promote a renewed sense of collegiality among the various Orthodox

Churches, as well as to inaugurate a true dialogue with the Roman Catholic

Church. In the year 1968, the Patriarch looked toward the future and

declared: May the Lord of mercy send as soon as possible to our holy Eastern

and Western Churches the grace of celebrating the Divine Eucharist anew

and of communicating again together... The common chalice stands out

luminously on the horizon of the Church.

Source: Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of

America, http://www.goarch.org/ourfaith/ourfaith7052.