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Orthodox Churches

drapetomaniac

Premium Member
Premium Member
I was going to post this in response to Number 10 on the "Catholic Perspectives" thread.

Orthodox churches and the Roman Orthodox church were one branch and split. Rome has the right to believe their Orthodox is the absolute truth. And of course those other split ones may claim they are the only true one as well. But that doesn't change the historical fact that the other churches have the same ancestry and work in council together for centuries. The focus on "started by Jesus" of course is a purposeful statement, but the churches still worked together. Jesus, of course, commission his apostles to "go forth" so they were also extensions of his church.

Orthodox and Apostolic church history has some interesting turns. Not many know of the Indian (Malankara) Orthodox Church. This church is said to be founded by the Apostle Thomas.

The Ethiopian church ties its origins back to Phillip the Evangelist, Act 8:27. (Not an Apostle, but an example of the early church) They are an example of a peaceful non-colonial adoption of Christianity as a nation very early on. They also have the largest canon in orthodoxy with 81 books, including the book of Enoch.

Of course the Coptic Church was started by Mark and founded monasticism (monks).

The Syrian Orthodox church (Acts 11:26) is another Apostolic church that played a strong role in Christianity's foundations.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Syriac_Orthodox_Church#Apostolic_foundation

Here's a good summary by an Orthodox church in Austin (Started in the 30s by Lebanese Christians)
http://www.sainteliaschurch.org/oorth.html
 

BryanMaloney

Premium Member
In the Middle East, the Eastern and Oriental Orthodox are quite close, although Rome is also on generally good terms with the Oriental Orthodox over there, too. That being said, local authorities have traditionally played off the Roman/Uniate, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox divisions. Likewise colonial powers would make payments and threats to make sure that their "side" had some kind of favored status. Today, though, there's a lot less on-the-ground hostility, particularly since certain extremists don't distinguish whose church buildings they're burning down or not.

What I find disheartening is that, in the USA, it is presumed that places like Ethiopia and India are innately "pagan" countries, and the only Christianity in either of them has been and had to be imported from Western countries, with appropriate Western cultural trappings. Likewise, it is assumed that Arab is identical to Muslim, when there have been Christian Arabs for centuries longer than there have been Muslim Arabs. I knew someone who actually asked an Arab man when he had converted when she found out he was Christian. She was floored when he informed her that his family has been Christian for over 1,000 years. In her mind, there was no way any Arab Christian could have been brought up in more generations of Christianity than her entire denomination had existed through.
 

BroBook

Premium Member
IMO, if we suppose that Jesus is alive, he wouldn't like all these East-West Schisms.
My brother "I" am thoroughly convinced that JESUS/YESHAU is alive and well , the reason for so many different understandings "I"
think is simple the wheat is growing with the weeds and the Gardner has been assured , by THE BOSS" I know what must be done" somewhere IT says that while the servants were asleep the enemy crept in unawares , in closing TRUTH thrown to the ground will rise!!!WWEA


Bro Book
M.W.U.G.L. Of Fl: P.H.A.
Excelsior # 43
At pensacola
 
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