Is Orthodox the oldest form of Christianity?

Answer 1

Catholicism is indeed the oldest form of Christianity. This can be verified by what is commonly known as "apostolic succession". The apostles appointed men to oversee regions of churches. These are the first bishops and their association with the apostles is well known to secular historians. The Church development within the first 400 years is well documented eventhough the Church was greatly oppressed. The catecombs of Rome tell some of this story too. Addition: Christianity, simply defined, is the beliefs and practices of christians. As such, Protestant, Orthodox, Catholic, and many other churches have their roots in the apostles and the churches they founded. Catholicism is defined as the faith, practice, and system of the Catholic church. Many of these practices, such as appointment of saints, praying to saints as intercessors between man and God, papal authority, and confession to and absolution by priests, were not practiced by the apostles or any of the churches they founded. == The Catholic Church is the original form of Christianity preserved in its entirety and developed according to its doctrine and philosophy. Catholics are Christians who adhere to the institution, doctrines and hierarchy established and constructed by Jesus Christ during His ministry and commissioned before His ascension. The term "Catholic" came about as an adjective to describe the Christian Church due to its successful spread throughout the world - it was the Church's most distinguishable mark and a proof heresies could not duplicate as they were often regional and could not spread. Since the Church schism, the sides identified as Orthodox/Catholic, the term "Catholic" has become a word used to identity the Church in opposition to the Orthodox and in modern times, as a title to distinguish it further from the many schismatic and heretical branches and sects that have developed through the centuries and especially since the Protestant Revolution. Such things as the cult of certain saints, sacramental and jurisdictional orders, the sacraments, Marian devotion, liturgy and ritual, and oral tradition existed and were transmitted and practiced from the inception of Christianity. The early Church's views and teachings are evinced in the images painted in the catacombs, the recorded policies and politics of the times and nations, and the vast writings and testimonies of the early Christians such as Tertullian, Origen, Ignatius of Antioch, Iraeneus of Lyons, Justin Martyr, Polycarp, the Didache, the Apocrypha, etc. As well, the early heresies, by their deviation, highlight and illustrate Church belief. Irenaeus, a bishop of the second century and direct disciple of St. John through Polycarp, wrote this in his introduction to his work "Against the Heresies" in opposition to the Gnostics: "On the other hand, the psychics [i.e. Christians not initiated in the Gnostic Mysteries] are trained in psychic teaching, those men who are made firm through works and mere faith and do not have perfect Gnosis. These men, they say, are we who belong to the church. That is why good behaviour is necessary for us, and otherwise we cannot be saved, but they are definitely saved not by works but because they are spiritual by nature. Just as what is material cannot share in salvation, for it is not receptive of it, they say; so again what is spiritual cannot undergo perishability, whatever acts it experiences. For as gold deposited in mud does not lose its beauty but persrves its own nature because mud cannot harm gold, so they themselves, they say, no matter what material acts they experience, cannot be harmed or lose the spiritual substance." IRENAEUS "Against the Hersies" 6.2 This paragraph could be taken almost verbatim as a refutation of Protestantism, which began 1350 years after this was written. Indeed, Protestantism claims the same kind of gnosis, that of private interpretation, as the Gnostic who held they alone truly knew what scripture meant and not the legitimate Church. In another place Irenaeus sets forth what basically became the Nicene Creed and speaks on oral Tradition: "The church, dispersed throughout the world to the ends of the earth, received from the apostles and their disciples the faith in one God the Father Almighty, "who made heaven and earth and sea and all that is in them" (Exodus 20:11), and in one Christ Jesus, the Son of God, incarnate for our salvation, and in the Holy Spirit. who through the prophets predicted the dispensations of God: the coming, the birth from the Virgin, the passion, the resurrection from the dead, and the ascension of the beloved Jesus Christ our Lord in the flesh into the heavens, and his coming from the heavens in the glory of the Father to "recapitulate all things" (Eph. 1:10)...The church, having received this preaching and this faith, as we have just said, though dispersed in the whole world, diligently guards them as living in one house, believes them as having one soul and one heart (Acts 4:32), and consistently preaches, teaches and hands them down as having one mouth. For if all the languages in the world are dissimilar, the power of the tradition is one and the same. The churches founded in Germany believe and hand down no differently, nor do those among the Iberians, among the Celts, in the Orient, in Egypt or in Libya, or those established in the middle of the world. As the sun, God's creature, is one and the same in the whole world, so the light, the preaching of truth, shines everywhere and illuminates all men who wish to come to the knowledge of truth. And none of the rulers of churches, however gifted he may be in eloquence, will say anything different - for no one is above the Master (Matt. 10:24) - nor will one weak in speech damage the tradition. Since the faith is one and the same, he who can say much about it does not add to it nor does he who says little diminish it." IRENAEUS "Against the Hersies" 10.1-2 Irenaeus goes on to illustrate apostolic succession, Marian devotion, liturgy, who belongs to the Church, etc. And he is not alone; the early Christian writers are replete with teachings that are blatantly Catholic. Protestantism is not actually a novelty but unwittingly mirrors the many ancient heresies the Church resisted in the early ages. The Orthodox/Catholic question is really a political question between the Church as manifest in the East and West. Due to language and culture differences and the discoordinate developments and degenerations of the two, things naturally became difficult. The waxing East came to resent having to wait on the word of a bishop in Rome, especially. With difficulty in communication the question between the two halves of Christendom became one of authority and jurisdiction and not belief (the whole "filioque" debate turned out a problem of difficult translation and short tempers based on the above). Utlimately, the East claimed that there were patriarchs that had to work in concordance with one another while the West claimed that Rome was superior to all and had been so since Christ choose Peter above his fellows. The result was a break, and one half of Christendom fell into schism and thus became paralysed in time, unable to continue until reunited with the half in the right. Of course, both halves claimed to be in the right. Catholics point to the early Christian Church as their basis, as they always pointed to Rome as the centre of Christendom with allegiance to Peter and his line as tantamount to being of the Church.

Answer 2

Yes, Greek Orthodoxy is a form of Christianity. All of the books of the New Testament were originally written in Greek. In many Greek Orthodox parishes throughout the world, readings from both an Epistle and a Gospel are read both in the original Greek and also in a translation into the local language.

Orthodoxy, whether Greek or otherwise (Russian, Orthodox Church of America, and so on) is a very pure form of Christianity. Orthodox beliefs are expressed in the Nicean Creed. Churches labeled 'Greek Orthodox' can be found "within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity," and had their origins in assemblies formed in the Balkans and adjacent areas by apostles and disciples during the first century.

Although at one time co-existing with the larger 'Western Orthodox Christianity' of Roman Catholicism, the Eastern Church officially separated itself in 1054 AD, in what is termed The Great Schism.

Please note that 'Eastern Church' should not be confused with the Holy Apostolic Church of the East.

Answer 3

There are various Orthodox Churches. Two of the most famous are the Russian Orthodox Church and the Greek Orthodox Church. These organisations are generally regarded by Christians and non-Christians alike as Christian organisations. On the other hand, the term orthodox is also used to describe some Jews, who are generally not regarded as Christians by both Christians and non-Christians. Another word for the term orthodox is approved or perhaps conventional, so the term only sometimes has religious connotations.

Answer 4

AnswerThe Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches are equally old, being the inheritors of the Church split by the Great Schism of 1054. Arguably the same applies to the Coptic Church and the Assyrian Orthodox Churches, which also broke awy, somewhat earlier.

Whether or not the former Church, now known to some scholars as the Catholic-Orthodox Church, was the very first branch of Christianity is something still being debated by scholars. Certainly, there were Gnostic Christians from very early times, and this branch of Christianity flourished until the fourth century, when Constantine adopted the Catholic-Orthodox Church and began the persecution of Christians who did not adhere to the dogma of his Church. Some scholars talk of a 'proto-Christianity' that could have already existed at the time attributed to Jesus. The Apostle Paul seems to have preached a spiritual Jesus and does not seem to have been aware of Jesus of Nazareth. He also talked of those who preached a 'different Christ', demonstrating that by the 40s and probably even earlier, there were already differences as to what Christianity really meant.

Scholars are not in a position to say what was the oldest form of Christianity.

Answer 5

AnswerThe Roman Catholic and Orthodox Churches are equally old, being the inheritors of the Church split by the Great Schism of 1054.

Whether or not the former Church, now known to some scholars as the Catholic-Orthodox Church, was the very first branch of Christianity is something still being debated by scholars. Certainly, there were Gnostic Christians from very early times, and this branch of Christianity flourished until the fourth century, when Constantine adopted the Catholic-Orthodox Church and began the persecution of Christians who did not adhere to the dogma of his Church. Some scholars talk of a 'proto-Christianity' that could have already existed at the time attributed to Jesus. The apostle Paul seems to have preached a spiritual Jesus and does not seem to have been aware of Jesus of Nazareth. He also talked of those who preached a 'different Christ', demonstrating that by the 40s and probably even earlier, there were already differences as to what Christianity really meant.

Scholars are not in a position to say what was the oldest form of Christianity.

Answer 6

Orthodox is not a religion, the word orthodox itself is more of a description, used to name a denomination within a faith. The main types of orthodox would be orthodox Jews or orthodox Christians. Orthodox normally means those particular people believe they are the correct ones while the others are wrong.

Answer 7

Yes, it was established by Jesus Christ on Pentecost in the year 33 AD.

Answer 8

No, Christianity is a different entity.