Eastern Orthodoxy

Eastern Orthodoxy (or Eastern Orthodox Christianity) is one of the three main branches of
Christianity, alongside Catholicism and Protestantism.[1][2]

Like the Pentarchy of the first millennium, the mainstream (or "canonical") Eastern Orthodox Church is
organised into autocephalous churches independent from each other. In the 21st century, the number of
mainstream autocephalous churches is seventeen; there also exist autocephalous churches unrecognized by
those mainstream ones. Autocephalous churches choose their own primate. Autocephalous churches can
have jurisdiction (authority) over other churches, some of which have the status of "autonomous" which
means they have more autonomy than simple eparchies.

Many of these jurisdictions correspond to the territories of one or more modern states; the Patriarchate of
Moscow, for example, corresponds to Russia and some of the other Post-Soviet states.[3] They can also
include metropolises, bishoprics, parishes, monasteries, or outlying metochions corresponding to diasporas
that can also be located outside the country where the primate resides (e.g., the case of the Ecumenical
Patriarchate of Constantinople whose canonical territory is located partly in northern Greece and the east);
sometimes they overlap (the case of Bessarabia where the jurisdictions of the patriarchs of Bucharest and of
Moscow overlap).

The spread of Eastern Orthodoxy began in the eastern area of ​the Mediterranean Basin within Greek
culture. Its communities share an understanding, teaching and offices of great similarity, with a strong sense
of seeing each other as parts of one Church.

Every Eastern Orthodox Christian sees their year punctuated by the liturgical calendar of the church on
which they depend.

Eastern Orthodoxy believes that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only and not "from the Father
and the Son" (Filioque).[4]

Contents
Theology
Trinity
Sin, salvation, and the incarnation
Resurrection of Christ
Christian life
Virgin Mary and other saints
Eschatology
Bible
Holy tradition and the patristic consensus
Territorial expansion and doctrinal integrity
Liturgy
Church calendar
Church services
Music and chanting
Traditions
Monasticism
Icons and symbols
Icons
Iconostasis
Cross
Art and architecture
Local customs
Holy mysteries (sacraments)
Baptism
Chrismation
Holy Communion (Eucharist)
Repentance (Confession)
Marriage
Holy orders
Distribution
See also
References
Citations
Sources
Tertiary reference works
Further reading

Theology

Trinity

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in the Trinity, three distinct, divine persons (hypostases), without
overlap or modality among them, who each have one divine essence (ousia, Greek: οὐσία)—uncreated,
immaterial, and eternal.[5] These three persons are typically distinguished by their relation to each other.
The Father is eternal and not begotten and does not proceed from any, the Son is eternal and begotten of the
Father, and the Holy Spirit is eternal and proceeds from the Father.[6] Orthodox doctrine regarding the
Trinity is summarised in the Nicene Creed.[7]

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe in a monotheistic conception of God (God is only one), which is both
transcendent (wholly independent of, and removed from, the material universe) and immanent (involved in
the material universe).[6] In discussing God's relationship to his creation, Eastern Orthodox theology
distinguishes between God's eternal essence, which is totally transcendent, and his uncreated energies,
which is how he reaches humanity.[6] The God who is transcendent and the God who touches mankind are
one and the same.[6] That is, these energies are not something that proceed from God or that God produces,
but rather they are God himself: distinct, yet inseparable from God's inner being.[8] This view is often
called Palamism.
In understanding the Trinity as "one God in three persons", "three persons" is not to be emphasised more
than "one God", and vice versa. While the three persons are distinct, they are united in one divine essence,
and their oneness is expressed in community and action so completely that they cannot be considered
separately. For example, their salvation of mankind is an activity engaged in common: "Christ became man
by the good will of the Father and by the cooperation of the Holy Spirit. Christ sends the Holy Spirit who
proceeds from the Father, and the Holy Spirit forms Christ in our hearts, and thus God the Father is
glorified." Their "communion of essence" is "indivisible". Trinitarian terminology—essence, hypostasis,
etc.—are used "philosophically", "to answer the ideas of the heretics", and "to place the terms where they
separate error and truth."[9] The words do what they can do, but the nature of the Trinity in its fullness is
believed to remain beyond man's comprehension and expression, a holy mystery that can only be
experienced.

Sin, salvation, and the incarnation

When Eastern Orthodox Christians refer to fallen nature they are not
saying that human nature has become evil in itself. Human nature is still
formed in the image of God; humans are still God's creation, and God
has never created anything evil, but fallen nature remains open to evil
intents and actions. It is sometimes said among the Eastern Orthodox
that humans are "inclined to sin"; that is, people find some sinful things
attractive. It is the nature of temptation to make sinful things seem the
more attractive, and it is the fallen nature of humans that seeks or
succumbs to the attraction. Eastern Orthodox Christians reject the
Augustinian position that the descendants of Adam and Eve are actually
guilty of the original sin of their ancestors.[10]

Since the fall of man, then, it has been mankind's dilemma that no
human can restore his nature to union with God's grace; it was
necessary for God to effect another change in human nature. The
Eastern Orthodox believe that Christ Jesus was both God and Man
absolutely and completely, having two natures indivisibly: eternally John of Damascus
begotten of the Father in his divinity, he was born in his humanity of a
woman, Mary, by her consent, through descent of the Holy Spirit. He
lived on earth, in time and history, as a man. As a man he also died, and went to the place of the dead,
which is Hades. But being God, neither death nor Hades could contain him, and he rose to life again, in his
humanity, by the power of the Holy Spirit, thus destroying the power of Hades and of death itself.[11]

Through Christ's destruction of Hades' power to hold humanity hostage, he made the path to salvation
effective for all the righteous who had died from the beginning of time—saving many, including Adam and
Eve, who are remembered in the Church as saints.[12]

Resurrection of Christ

The Eastern Orthodox Church understands the death and resurrection of Jesus to be real historical events,
as described in the gospels of the New Testament.

Christian life
Church teaching is that Eastern Orthodox Christians, through baptism,
enter a new life of salvation through repentance whose purpose is to
share in the life of God through the work of the Holy Spirit. The
Eastern Orthodox Christian life is a spiritual pilgrimage in which each
person, through the imitation of Christ and hesychasm,[13] cultivates
the practice of unceasing prayer. Each life occurs within the life of the
church as a member of the body of Christ.[14] It is then through the fire
of God's love in the action of the Holy Spirit that each member
becomes more holy, more wholly unified with Christ, starting in this
life and continuing in the next.[15][16] The church teaches that
everyone, being born in God's image, is called to theosis, fulfillment of
the image in likeness to God. God the creator, having divinity by
nature, offers each person participation in divinity by cooperatively
accepting His gift of grace.[17]

The Eastern Orthodox Church, in understanding itself to be the Body A 17th-century Russian Orthodox
of Christ, and similarly in understanding the Christian life to lead to the icon of the Resurrection
unification in Christ of all members of his body, views the church as
embracing all Christ's members, those now living on earth, and also all
those through the ages who have passed on to the heavenly life. The church includes the Christian saints
from all times, and also judges, prophets and righteous Jews of the first covenant, Adam and Eve, even the
angels and heavenly hosts.[18] In Eastern Orthodox services, the earthly members together with the
heavenly members worship God as one community in Christ, in a union that transcends time and space and
joins heaven to earth. This unity of the Church is sometimes called the communion of the saints.[19]

Virgin Mary and other saints

The Eastern Orthodox Church believes death and the separation of

body and soul to be unnatural—a result of the Fall of Man. They
also hold that the congregation of the church comprises both the
living and the dead. All persons currently in heaven are considered
to be saints, whether their names are known or not. There are,
however, those saints of distinction whom God has revealed as
particularly good examples. When a saint is revealed and ultimately
recognised by a large portion of the church a service of official
Our Lady of Tinos is the major
recognition (glorification) is celebrated.
Marian shrine in Greece

This does not "make" the person a saint; it merely recognises the
fact and announces it to the rest of the church. A day is prescribed
for the saint's celebration, hymns composed and icons created. Numerous saints are celebrated on each day
of the year. They are venerated (shown great respect and love) but not worshipped, for worship is due God
alone (this view is also held by the Oriental Orthodox and Catholic churches). In showing the saints this
love and requesting their prayers, the Eastern Orthodox manifest their belief that the saints thus assist in the
process of salvation for others.

Pre-eminent among the saints is the Virgin Mary (commonly referred to as Theotokos or Bogoroditsa:
"Mother of God"). In Eastern Orthodox theology, the Mother of God is the fulfillment of the Old
Testament archetypes revealed in the Ark of the Covenant (because she carried the New Covenant in the
person of Christ) and the burning bush that appeared before Moses (symbolising the Mother of God's
carrying of God without being consumed).[20]
The Eastern Orthodox believe that Christ, from the moment of his
conception, was both fully God and fully human. Mary is thus
called the Theotokos or Bogoroditsa as an affirmation of the
divinity of the one to whom she gave birth. It is also believed that
her virginity was not compromised in conceiving God-incarnate,
that she was not harmed and that she remained forever a virgin.
Scriptural references to "brothers" of Christ are interpreted as kin,
given that the word "brother" was used in multiple ways, as was
the term "father". Due to her unique place in salvation history,
Mary is honoured above all other saints and especially venerated
for the great work that God accomplished through her.[21]

The Eastern Orthodox Church regards the bodies of all saints as

holy, made such by participation in the holy mysteries, especially
the communion of Christ's holy body and blood, and by the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit within the church. Indeed, that
persons and physical things can be made holy is a cornerstone of
the doctrine of the Incarnation, made manifest also directly by God
in Old Testament times through his dwelling in the Ark of the The Theotokos of Vladimir, one of
Covenant. Thus, physical items connected with saints are also the most venerated of Orthodox
regarded as holy, through their participation in the earthly works of Christian icons of the Virgin Mary
those saints. According to church teaching and tradition, God
himself bears witness to this holiness of saints' relics through the
many miracles connected with them that have been reported throughout history since biblical times, often
including healing from disease and injury.[22]

Eschatology

Eastern Orthodox Christians believe that when a person dies the soul
is temporarily separated from the body. Though it may linger for a
short period on Earth, it is ultimately escorted either to paradise
(Abraham's bosom) or the darkness of Hades, following the
Temporary Judgment. Orthodox do not accept the doctrine of
Purgatory, which is held by Catholicism. The soul's experience of
either of these states is only a "foretaste"—being experienced only by
the soul—until the Final Judgment, when the soul and body will be
reunited.[23][24]

The Eastern Orthodox believe that the state of the soul in Hades can
be affected by the love and prayers of the righteous up until the Last
Judgment.[25] For this reason the Church offers a special prayer for the
dead on the third day, ninth day, fortieth day, and the one-year
anniversary after the death of an Eastern Orthodox Christian. There Last Judgment: 12th-century
are also several days throughout the year that are set aside for general Byzantine mosaic from Torcello
commemoration of the departed, sometimes including nonbelievers. Cathedral
These days usually fall on a Saturday, since it was on a Saturday that
Christ lay in the Tomb.[24]

The Eastern Orthodox believe that after the Final Judgment:

All souls will be reunited with their resurrected bodies.

 All souls will fully experience their spiritual state.
Having been perfected, the saints will forever progress towards a deeper and fuller love of
God, which equates with eternal happiness.[24]

Bible

The official Bible of the Eastern Orthodox Church contains the

Septuagint text of the Old Testament, with the Book of Daniel given in
the translation by Theodotion. The Patriarchal Text is used for the
New Testament.[26][27] Orthodox Christians hold that the Bible is a
verbal icon of Christ, as proclaimed by the 7th ecumenical council.[28]
They refer to the Bible as holy scripture, meaning writings containing
the foundational truths of the Christian faith as revealed by Christ and
the Holy Spirit to its divinely inspired human authors. Holy scripture
forms the primary and authoritative written witness of holy tradition
and is essential as the basis for all Orthodox teaching and belief.[29]

Once established as holy scripture, there has never been any question David glorified by the women of
that the Eastern Orthodox Church holds the full list of books to be Israel from the Paris Psalter,
venerable and beneficial for reading and study,[30] even though it example of the Macedonian art
informally holds some books in higher esteem than others, the four (Byzantine) (sometimes called
gospels highest of all. Of the subgroups significant enough to be the Macedonian Renaissance)
named, the "Anagignoskomena" (ἀναγιγνωσκόμενα, "things that are
read") comprises ten of the Old Testament books rejected in the
Protestant canon,[31] but deemed by the Eastern Orthodox worthy to be read in worship services, even
though they carry a lesser esteem than the 39 books of the Hebrew canon.[32] The lowest tier contains the
remaining books not accepted by either Protestants or Catholics, among them, Psalm 151. Though it is a
psalm, and is in the book of psalms, it is not classified as being within the Psalter (the first 150 psalms).[33]

In a very strict sense, it is not entirely orthodox to call the holy scripture the "Word of God". That is a title
the Eastern Orthodox Church reserves for Christ, as supported in the scriptures themselves, most explicitly
in the first chapter of the gospel of John. God's Word is not hollow, like human words. "God said, 'let there
be light'; and there was light."[34]

Eastern Orthodoxy does not subscribe to the Protestant doctrine of sola scriptura. The church has defined
what Scripture is; it also interprets what its meaning is.[35] Christ promised: "When He, the Spirit of truth,
has come, He will guide you into all truth".[36]

Scriptures are understood to contain historical fact, poetry, idiom, metaphor, simile, moral fable, parable,
prophecy and wisdom literature, and each bears its own consideration in its interpretation. While divinely
inspired, the text still consists of words in human languages, arranged in humanly recognisable forms. The
Eastern Orthodox Church does not oppose honest critical and historical study of the Bible.[37]

Holy tradition and the patristic consensus

"That faith which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all", the faith taught by Jesus to the
apostles, given life by the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, and passed down to future generations without additions
and without subtractions, is known as holy tradition.[38][39] Holy tradition does not change in the Eastern
Orthodox Church because it encompasses those things that do not change: the nature of the one God in
Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, the history of God's interactions with his peoples, the Law as given to
the Israelites, all Christ's teaching as given to the disciples and Jews and recorded in scripture, including the
parables, the prophecies, the miracles, and his own example to humanity in his extreme humility. It
encompasses also the worship of the church, which grew out of the worship of the synagogue and temple
and was extended by Christ at the last supper, and the relationship between God and his people which that
worship expresses, which is also evidenced between Christ and his disciples. It includes the authority that
Christ bestowed on his disciples when he made them apostles.[40]

Holy tradition is firm, even unyielding, but not rigid or legalistic; instead, it lives and breathes within the
church.[41] For example, the New Testament was entirely written by the early church (mostly the apostles).
The whole Bible was accepted as scripture by means of holy tradition practised within the early church.
The writing and acceptance took five centuries, by which time the holy scriptures themselves had become
in their entirety a part of holy tradition.[42] But holy tradition did not change, because "that faith which has
been believed everywhere, always, and by all" remained consistent, without additions, and without
subtractions. The historical development of the Divine Liturgy and other worship services and devotional
practices of the church provide a similar example of extension and growth "without change".[43]

Besides these, holy tradition includes the doctrinal definitions and statements of faith of the seven
ecumenical councils, including the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed, and some later local councils,
patristic writings, canon law, and icons. Not all portions of holy tradition are held to be equally strong.
Some—the holy scriptures foremost, certain aspects of worship, especially in the Divine Liturgy, the
doctrines of the ecumenical councils, the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed—possess a verified authority
that endures forever, irrevocably. However, with local councils and patristic writings, the church applies a
selective judgement. Some councils and writers have occasionally fallen into error, and some contradict
each other.[37]

In other cases, opinions differ, no consensus is forthcoming, and all are free to choose. With agreement
among the Church Fathers, though, the authority of interpretation grows, and full patristic consensus is very
strong. With canon law (which tends to be highly rigorous and very strict, especially with clergy) an
unalterable validity also does not apply, since canons deal with living on earth, where conditions are always
changing and each case is subject to almost infinite variation from the next.[37]

By tradition, the Eastern Orthodox Church, when faced with issues that are larger than a single bishop can
resolve, holds a local council. The bishops and such others as may attend convene (as St. Paul called the
Corinthians to do) to seek the mind of the church.[44] A council's declarations or edicts then reflect its
consensus (if one can be found). An ecumencial council is only called for issues of such import or difficulty
or pervasiveness that smaller councils are insufficient to address them. Ecumenical councils' declarations
and canons carry binding weight by virtue of their representation across the whole church, by which the
mind of the church can be readily seen. However, not all issues are so difficult as to require an ecumenical
council to resolve. Some doctrines or decisions, not defined in a formal statement or proclaimed officially,
nevertheless are held by the church unshakably and unanimously without internal disturbance, and these,
also reflecting the mind of the church, are just as firmly irrevocable as a formal declaration of an ecumenical
council. Lack of formality does not imply lack of authority within holy tradition.[37]

Territorial expansion and doctrinal integrity

As the church increased in size through the centuries, the logistic dynamics of operating such large entities
shifted: patriarchs, metropolitans, archimandrites, abbots and abbesses, all rose up to cover certain points of
administration.[45]

Liturgy
Church calendar

Lesser cycles also run in tandem with the annual ones. A weekly
cycle of days prescribes a specific focus for each day in addition to
others that may be observed.[46]

Each day of the Weekly Cycle is dedicated to certain

special memorials. Sunday is dedicated to Christ's
Resurrection; Monday honors the holy bodiless
powers (angels, archangels, etc.); Tuesday is dedicated
to the prophets and especially the greatest of the
prophets, St. John the Forerunner and Baptist of the
Lord; Wednesday is consecrated to the Cross and
recalls Judas' betrayal; Thursday honors the holy
apostles and hierarchs, especially St. Nicholas, Bishop Fresco of Basil the Great, in the
of Myra in Lycia; Friday is also consecrated to the church of Saint Sophia, Ohrid. The
Cross and recalls the day of the Crucifixion; Saturday saint is shown consecrating the Gifts
is dedicated to All Saints, especially the Mother of during the Divine Liturgy which bears
God, and to the memory of all those who have his name.
departed this life in the hope of resurrection and eternal
life.

Church services

Music and chanting

For the composition of religious chant, the Octoechos, an eight-

tone (mode) system, analogous to the Gregorian modes in the West,
and to other ancient Christian musical systems, is used. Byzantine
music is microtonal.

Northern Slavs, however, have used simpler tonal systems evolved

through the sundry local types of Znamenny chant; today Western
music, often with four-part harmony, and the "tones" are simply
sets of melodies.
Chanters singing on the kliros at the
There are numerous versions and styles that are traditional and Church of St. George, Patriarchate of
Constantinople
acceptable and these vary a great deal between cultures.[47]

Traditions

Monasticism

The Eastern Orthodox Church places emphasis and awards a high level of prestige to traditions of
monasticism and asceticism with roots in Early Christianity in the Near East and Byzantine Anatolia. The
most important centres of Christian Orthodox monasticism are Saint Catherine's Monastery in the Sinai
Peninsula (Egypt) and Mount Athos in Northern Greece.
 All bishops are monks; if a man who is not a monk is elected a
bishop, he must be tonsured a monk before he may be consecrated.
Customarily, also, a man must either be a monk or be married to be
ordained.

Icons and symbols

Saint Catherine's Monastery (6th Icons

century), Sinai Peninsula, Egypt
Aspects of the iconography
borrow from the pre-Christian
Roman and Hellenistic art. Henry Chadwick wrote, "In this instinct
there was a measure of truth. The representations of Christ as the
Almighty Lord on his judgment throne owed something to pictures of
Zeus. Portraits of the Mother of God were not wholly independent of a
pagan past of venerated mother-goddesses. In the popular mind the
saints had come to fill a role that had been played by heroes and
deities."[48]

Icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the
inside structure completely.[49] Most Eastern Orthodox homes have an
area set aside for family prayer, usually an eastern facing wall, where
are hung many icons. Icons have been part of Orthodox Christianity
Modern icon depicting
since the beginning of the church.[50]
Constantine XI Palaiologos, last
emperor of the Roman
Iconostasis (Byzantine) Empire

An iconostasis, also called the templon, is a wall of icons and

religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a
church. Iconostasis also refers to a portable icon stand that can be
placed anywhere within a church. The modern iconostasis evolved
from the Byzantine templon in the 11th century. The evolution of
the iconostasis probably owes a great deal to 14th-century
Hesychast mysticism and the wood-carving genius of the Russian
Orthodox Church.
Iconostasis of the Romanian People's
The first ceiling-high, five-leveled Russian iconostasis was Salvation Cathedral
designed by Andrey Rublyov in the cathedral of the Dormition in
Vladimir in 1408.

Cross

The small top crossbar represents the sign that Pontius Pilate nailed above Christ's head. It often is inscribed
with an acronym, "INRI", Latin for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews" or "INBI", Greek Ἰησοῦς ὁ
Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεύς τῶν Ἰουδαίων for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"; however, it is often
replaced or amplified by the phrase "The King of Glory" in order to answer Pilate's statement with Christ's
affirmation, "My Kingdom is not of this world".[51]
Other crosses associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church are the
more traditional single-bar crosses, budded designs, the Greek
cross, the Latin cross, the Jerusalem cross (cross pattée), Celtic
crosses, and others.[52] A common symbolism of the slanted foot
stool is The foot-rest points up, toward Heaven, on Christ's right
hand-side, and downward, to Hades, on Christ's left. "Between two
thieves Thy Cross did prove to be a balance of
righteousness:
wherefore one of them was dragged down to Hades by the
weight
of his blasphemy [the balance points downward], whereas the
other was lightened of his transgressions unto the comprehension of
theology [the balance points upward]. O Christ God, glory to
Thee."[53] Another Eastern Orthodox cross which is worn in gold
is an outer budded cross with an inner Three Bar Cross. The Greek cross
inscription Jesus Christ in Greek: IC (Iesous) on the left side bar
and XC (Xhristos) on the right side bar, with a sun on the top of the
cross. There is also typically an inscription on the back in Church
Slavonic: "спаси и сохрани", "Spasi i Sokhrani", "Save and
Protect". This cross is known as the Saint Olga Cross.[54]

Art and architecture

The Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity on New York

City's Upper East Side is the largest Eastern Orthodox Christian
church in the Western Hemisphere.[55]

Local customs

Locality is also expressed in regional terms of churchly jurisdiction,

which is often also drawn along national lines. Many Orthodox
churches adopt a national title (e.g. Albanian Orthodox, Bulgarian
Orthodox, Georgian Orthodox, Greek Orthodox, Romanian
Russian Orthodox cross
Orthodox, Russian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Ukrainian
Orthodox, etc.) and this title can identify which language is used
in services, which bishops preside, and which of the typica is
followed by specific congregations. In the Middle East,
Orthodox Christians are usually referred to as Rum ("Roman")
Orthodox, because of their historical connection with the
Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.[56]

Holy mysteries (sacraments)

Those things which in the West are often termed sacraments or
sacramentals are known among the Eastern Orthodox as the An illustration of the traditional interior of
"sacred mysteries". While the Roman Catholic Church numbers an Orthodox church.
seven sacraments, and many Protestant groups list two (baptism
and the Eucharist) or even none, the Eastern Orthodox do not
limit the number. However, for the sake of convenience, catechisms often speak of the seven great
mysteries. Among these are Holy Communion (the most direct connection), baptism, Chrismation,
confession, unction, matrimony, and ordination. But the term also properly applies to other sacred actions
such as monastic tonsure or the blessing of holy water, and involves
fasting, almsgiving, or an act as simple as lighting a candle, burning
incense, praying or asking God's blessing on food.[57]

Baptism

Baptism is the mystery which transforms the old and sinful person into a
new and pure one; the old life, the sins, any mistakes made are gone and a
clean slate is given. Through baptism a person is united to the Body of
Christ by becoming a member of the Eastern Orthodox Church. During
the service, water is blessed. The catechumen is fully immersed in the
water three times in the name of the Trinity. This is considered to be a
death of the "old man" by participation in the crucifixion and burial of Shards of pottery vases on
Christ, and a rebirth into new life in Christ by participation in his the street, after being thrown
resurrection.[58] from the windows of nearby
houses. A Holy Saturday
Properly, the mystery of baptism is administered by bishops and priests; tradition in Corfu.
however, in emergencies any Eastern Orthodox Christian can baptise.[59]

Chrismation

Chrismation (sometimes called confirmation) is the mystery by

which a baptised person is granted the gift of the Holy Spirit
through anointing with Holy Chrism.[60][61] It is normally given
immediately after baptism as part of the same service, but is also
used to receive lapsed members of the Eastern Orthodox
Church.[62] As baptism is a person's participation in the death and An Eastern Orthodox baptism
resurrection of Christ, so Chrismation is a person's participation in
the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.[63]

A baptised and chrismated Eastern Orthodox Christian is a full member of the church and may receive the
Eucharist regardless of age.[63]

Anointing with chrism substitutes for the laying-on of hands described in the New Testament.[64]

Holy Communion (Eucharist)

Communion is given only to baptised and chrismated Eastern

Orthodox Christians who have prepared by fasting, prayer and
confession. The priest administers the gifts with a spoon, called a
"cochlear", directly into the recipient's mouth from the chalice.[65]
From baptism young infants and children are carried to the chalice
to receive holy communion.[63]

Repentance (Confession)
Eucharistic elements prepared for
the Divine Liturgy
There are many different practices regarding how often Eastern
Orthodox Christians should go to confession. Some Patriarchates
advise confession before each reception of Holy Communion, others advise confessing during each of the
four fasting periods (Great Lent, Nativity Fast, Apostles' Fast and Dormition Fast), and there are many
additional variants.[66]

Marriage

From the Orthodox perspective, marriage is one of the holy

mysteries or sacraments. As well as in many other Christian
traditions, for example in Catholicism, it serves to unite a
woman and a man in eternal union and love before God, with
the purpose of following Christ and his Gospel and raising up
a faithful, holy family through their holy union.[67][68] The
church understands marriage to be the union of one man and
one woman, and certain Orthodox leaders have spoken out
strongly in opposition to the civil institution of same-sex
marriage.[69][70]
The wedding of Tsar Nicholas II of Russia.

Jesus said that "when they rise from the dead, they neither
marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven"
(Mk 12:25). For the Orthodox Christian this passage should not be understood to imply that Christian
marriage will not remain a reality in the Kingdom, but points to the fact that relations will not be "fleshy",
but "spiritual".[71] Love between wife and husband, as an icon of relationship between Christ and Church,
is eternal.[71]

The church does recognise that there are rare occasions when it is better that couples do separate, but there
is no official recognition of civil divorces. For the E. Orthodox, to say that marriage is indissoluble means
that it should not be broken, the violation of such a union, perceived as holy, being an offense resulting
from either adultery or the prolonged absence of one of the partners. Thus, permitting remarriage is an act
of compassion of the church towards sinful man.[72]

Holy orders

Widowed priests and deacons may not remarry and it is

common for such members of the clergy to retire to a
monastery (see clerical celibacy). This is also true of widowed
wives of clergy, who do not remarry and become nuns when
their children are grown. Only men are allowed to receive holy
orders, although deaconesses had both liturgical and pastoral
functions within the church.[73]

In 2016, the Patriarchate of Alexandria decided to reintroduce

the order of deaconess.[74][75] In February 2017, Patriarch Eastern Orthodox subdeacon being
Theodoros II consecrated five women to be deacons within the ordained to the diaconate. The bishop has
Patriarchate of Alexandria.[76] placed his omophorion and right hand on
the head of the candidate and is reading
the Prayer of Cheirotonia.
Distribution
Eastern Orthodoxy is the predominant religion in the world's largest country, Russia (77%),[77][78][79]
where roughly half the world's Eastern Orthodox Christians live. The religion is also heavily concentrated
in the rest of Eastern Europe, where it is the majority religion in Ukraine (65.4%[80]–77%),[81] Romania
(82%),[82] Belarus (48%[83]–73%[84]), Greece (95%–
98%),[82] Serbia (97%),[82] Bulgaria (88%),[82] Moldova
(93%),[82] Georgia (84%),[82] North Macedonia (65%),[82]
Cyprus (89%)[82] and Montenegro (72%);[82] it is also
predominant in the disputed territories of Abkhazia, South
Ossetia and Transnistria.
Eastern Orthodox population by country
Significant minorities are present in several European
countries: Bosnia and Herzegovina (31%),[82] Latvia (18%),
Estonia (14%), Albania (7%),[85] Lithuania (4%), Croatia (4%), Slovenia (2%), and Finland (1.5%). In the
former Soviet republics of Central Asia, Eastern Orthodoxy constitutes the dominant religion in northern
Kazakhstan, representing 23.9% of the population of the region,[86] and is also a significant minority in
Kyrgyzstan (17%), Turkmenistan (5%), Uzbekistan (5%), Azerbaijan (2%),[82] and Tajikistan (1%). In
much of the Middle East, the majority of the local Orthodox Christian community has emigrated to the
West due to discrimination from the Muslim Arab majority. The most significant remaining Eastern
Orthodox populations are in Lebanon (8%),[87] Syria (5–8% prior to the 2011 civil war), Israel
(2%),[88][89] which is the only country in the region where the Christian population continues to grow and
is home to adherents to all major denominations of Orthodox Christianity,[90] West Bank (also known as
Judea and Samaria) (0.5%–1.5%)[91] and Jordan (over 1%).

See also
Orthodoxy
Eastern Orthodox theology
Eastern Orthodox liturgical calendar
Revised Julian calendar
Western Rite Orthodoxy
Russian Orthodox cross
List of Eastern Orthodox saints

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Further reading
Adeney, Walter F. (1908). The Greek and Eastern Churches (https://archive.org/download/gr
eekeasternchu00aden/greekeasternchu00aden.pdf) (PDF). New York: Charles Scribner's
Sons.
Buxhoeveden, Daniel; Woloschak, Gayle, eds. (2011). Science and the Eastern Orthodox
Church (https://books.google.com/books?id=5wKiAgAAQBAJ) (1st ed.). Farnham: Ashgate.
ISBN 9781409481614.
Dvornik, Francis (1948). The Photian Schism: History and Legend (https://archive.org/detail
s/photianschism0000dvor). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
 Erickson, John H. (1991). The Challenge of Our Past: Studies in Orthodox Canon Law and
Church History (https://books.google.com/books?id=XgRrh2M08p0C). Crestwood, NY: St.
Vladimir's Seminary Press. ISBN 9780881410860.
Erickson, John H. (1992). "The Local Churches and Catholicity: An Orthodox Perspective"
(http://heinonline.org/HOL/LandingPage?handle=hein.journals/juristcu52&div=35). The
Jurist. 52: 490–508.
Fairbairn, Donald (2002). Eastern Orthodoxy through Western Eyes (https://books.google.co
m/books?id=eKYM6FVxYKIC). Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press.
ISBN 9780664224974.
FitzGerald, Thomas (2007). "Eastern Christianity in the United States" (https://books.google.
com/books?id=fHtSuvaVAAoC). The Blackwell Companion to Eastern Christianity. Malden,
MA: Blackwell Publishing. pp. 269–279. ISBN 9780470766392.
Hussey, Joan M. (1986). The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire (https://books.googl
e.com/books?id=ERnZAAAAMAAJ). Oxford: Clarendon Press. ISBN 9780198269014.
Krindatch, Alexei D. ed., Atlas of American Orthodox Christian Churches (Holy Cross
Orthodox Press, 2011) online (http://www.coptics.info/Books/AtlasAmericanOrthodoxChurch
esSample.pdf).
Lossky, Vladimir (1957). The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church (https://books.google.
com/books?id=11cJAQAAIAAJ) (1. ed.). London: J. Clarke. ISBN 9780227675366.
Mascall, Eric Lionel (1958). The Recovery of Unity: A Theological Approach (https://archive.
org/details/recoveryofunityt0000masc). London: Longmans.
McGuckin, John Anthony (2008). The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to its History,
Doctrine, and Spiritual Culture (https://books.google.com/books?id=jxbZAAAAMAAJ)
(1. ed.). Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN 9781405150668.
McGuckin, John Anthony, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity (htt
ps://books.google.com/books?id=N3y2wwEACAAJ). Vol. 1. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
McGuckin, John Anthony, ed. (2011). The Encyclopedia of Eastern Orthodox Christianity (htt
ps://books.google.com/books?id=_jYsAQAAMAAJ). Vol. 2. Malden, MA: Wiley-Blackwell.
ISBN 9781405185394.
Obolensky, Dimitri (1974) [1971]. The Byzantine Commonwealth: Eastern Europe, 500–
1453 (https://books.google.com/books?id=RlBoAAAAMAAJ). London: Cardinal.
ISBN 9780351176449.
Ostrogorsky, George (1956). History of the Byzantine State (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=Bt0_AAAAYAAJ). Oxford: Basil Blackwell.
Paraskevas, J. E.; Reinstein, F. (1969). The Eastern Orthodox Church: A Brief History.
Washington: El Greco Press.
Runciman, Steven (1968). The Great Church in Captivity: A Study of the Patriarchate of
Constantinople from the Eve of the Turkish Conquest to the Greek War of Independence (htt
ps://books.google.com/books?id=WxsrAAAAIAAJ) (1st ed.). Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press. ISBN 9780521071888.
Scouteris, Constantine, A Brief Outline of the Orthodox Church, Ἐκκλησιαστικός Φάρος, 65
(2004), pp. 60–75. (http://www.orthodoxresearchinstitute.org/articles/misc/scouteris_orthodo
x_church.htm)

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