Orthodox Church History Orthodox Church History Orthodox Church History The Orthodox Church Begins Jesus Christ lived on earth for 33 years. On the third

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Orthodox Church History


The Orthodox Church Begins

• Jesus Christ lived on earth for 33 years. On the third day of his death he arose from his tomb and met with his disciples for forty days straight.

• “He…presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them during forty days and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God” (Acts 1:3)



• “speaking of things pertaining to the kingdom of God.” - SALVATION

• This is most likely the time during which the Apostles were taught about the CHURCH, without which there is no salvation.


The Orthodox Church Begins• “. . .All authority has been given to Me

in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them . . . teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you . . .” (Matthew 28:18-20)

• Christ gave the disciples the following powers:– Teach the truths of the Faith to all

the Nations of the Earth– To perform the Sacraments– To govern the faithful



• “Let a man so account of us, as the ministers of Christ, stewards of the mysteries of God.” (1 Cor. 4:1)

• Christ gave the disciples the following powers:

– Teach the truths of the Faith to all the Nations of the Earth

– To perform the Sacraments– To govern the faithful



• “… whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matthew 18:18)

• Christ gave the disciples the following powers:

– Teach the truths of the Faith to all the Nations of the Earth

– To perform the Sacraments

– To govern the faithful


The Orthodox Church Begins• For forty days he met with his

disciples, and practically none of what He spoke to them is explicitly present in the Bible. At the end of those forty days He told them:

• “You shall receive power…and you shall be witnesses to Me...to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8,9)

• The Holy Spirit & The Great Commission


Five Original Church Communities

As time progressed,

Five communities

Each overseen by a Patriarch (bishop who had administrative authority over other bishops)


Five Original Church Communities

It was ONE CHURCH. No single person spoke for all of Christianity.

If there was a dispute, Bishops from around the Christian world would gather together at an Ecumenical Council to debate and vote.

Ecumenical = governing the whole body of Churches


Chalcedonian vs. Non-ChalcedonionUnified Church until 451 A.D.

• 325 – Nicea– Arian Heresy (Christ was created and not eternal)

• 381 – Constantinople – Established the Holy Spirit is God – Trinity

• 431 – Ephesus - (Christ the human and the Divine essence dwelt in him, so that St. Mary gave birth to a man, and God never suffered, just the human Christ; the word Theotokos was given instead of Christokos (Christ-Bearer)



• 451 – Council of Chalcedon - Miaphysite vs. MonophysiteEutyches, abbot of a large monastery in

Constantinople Over-reaction to Nestorianism, saying that

Christ’s divinity consumed his humanity:

human nature of Christ was essentially obliterated by the Divine, "dissolved like a drop of honey in the sea", and therefore Christ only had the one (mono) nature, that of divinity.


Chalcedonian vs. Non-Chalcedonion

Furthermore, it was Pope Dioscorus who, in defending his Orthodox Faith, gave his famous analogy: “If a piece of iron, heated to white heat, be struck on an anvil, and although the iron and the heat form an indivisible whole, it is the iron which receives the blows and not the white heat. This unity of the iron and the white heat is symbolic of our Savior's Incarnation, whose Divinity never parted from His Humanity, not even for a moment, nor the twinkling of an eye. …


Chalcedonian vs. Non-Chalcedonion… Yet though His Divinity parted not from His Humanity, their union was without mixing or fusion, or change, like unto the union of the iron and white heat. This unity is defined a s ”the One Nature of God the Logos Incarnate" and is synonymous with Saint John's saying, "The Word became flesh. " As for me, I steadfastly uphold the Faith of the Orthodox Church, the one, holy, Universal and Apostolic Church. Neither Eutyches, nor any other person, can make me swerve from this holy Faith.’”



• 451 – Council of Chalcedon - • Miaphysite vs. Monophysite

The Council of Chalcedon determined that Miaphysism – one nature out of two – was the right belief.

The Coptic Church believes the same thing.

So why did we split?



• 451 – Council of Chalcedon -

Why did we split?† Largely Political (Pope of Rome head of all

Churches)

† Once the members assembled, the people from Rome demanded Pope Dioscorus of Alexandria to be banished (maintained separation between Church and State).

† The Coptic Church was misunderstood either unintentionally or just conspiracy.


Great SchismFor about 1000 years – no major schism

Until Great Schism – 1054 A.D. - Papal Infallibility - Filioque(“and [from] the Son”)


PROTESTANT MOVEMENTFor about 1500 years, all Orthodox Churches virtually identical theologically

• However, the Catholic Church began to become internally corrupt.

• The clergy abused the church and their position.

• In 1517, a major PROTEST occurred, aimed at REFORMING the Catholic Church.

• This event is referred to as the “PROTESTANT MOVEMENT” or “REFORMATION”


PROTESTANT MOVEMENTThe PROTESTANT MOVEMENT has led to over 2400 different Protestant Churches



2 TIMOTHY 4:1-5:I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables.

But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.



• If you are Lutheran,

• Church began in 1517

• By an ex-monk of the Catholic Church named Martin Luther



• If you belong to the Church of England,

• Church began 1534

• Founded by King Henry VIII because the Pope of Rome would not grant him a divorce with the right to re-marry.



• If you are Presbyterian,

• Church began 1560

• Founded by John Knox in Scotland.



• If you are Baptist,

• launched in Amsterdam 1606

• you owe the tenets of your religion to John Smyth Church of England nonconformist clergyman and early believer in adult baptism (and for that belief—He separated from the Church of England and became minister of an independent congregation)

Couldn't even find a picture

of this guy



• If you are Methodist, • 1774 in England

• founded by John and Charles Wesley in England

• John Wesley secretly ordained the first ministers. (can you imagine Abouna Eleia or Anba Youssefsecretly ordaining priests behind Pope Shenouda’s back?)

• Used to be a minister in Savannah Georgia before returning to England

J o h n W e s l e y

Charles Wesley



• Mormon (Latter Day Saints)– Joseph Smith – 1829 – NY

• Salvation Army –William Booth – 1865 – London

• Christian Scientist –Mary Baker Eddy – 1879

• Church of the Nazarene Pentecostal Gospel Holiness Church Jehova’s Witnesses –founded by men – within past 100 years


One Holy Universal Orthodox Church• If you are Orthodox Christian,

• Founded in the year 33 A.D.

• by Jesus Christ, the Son of God. It has not changed illegitimatey since that time.

• Our church is now almost 2,000 years old - Church of the Apostles is considered the true "one Holy Catholic [Universal] and Apostolic Church."


Apostolic Succession• There is no salvation outside of The Church

• These Apostles ordained bishops, who ordained others, and that kept happening until the bishops we have today.

• Only those bishops that can trace their ordination to an Apostle have authority to administer the Church Sacraments from God to the People.


Apostolic Succession61 A.D.

1. St. Mark 68 A.D.2. Anianus

338A.D.20. Athanasius

1959116. Kyrollos VI

1971117. Shenouda III

1992Bishop Youssef


Apostolic Succession61 A.D.

1. St. Mark

Although the Orthodox Churches are separated into two groups, for over 1600 years their beliefs and practices have been practically identical. The Oriental (including Coptic) and Eastern Orthodox Churches are currently in the process of reconciliation and reuniting, thereby officially reestablishing the one, ancient Great Church as was originally intended by Jesus Christ.

ONE ORTHODOX CHURCH

FINALLY WE ARE DONE! YAY! WOOHOO!

ANY QUESTIONS?Comments?

GLORY BE TO GOD FOREVER.

Amen.

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