Greek Orthodoxy

There are two: 1) The Holy Bible, and 2) The Holy Tradition.

The Orthodox Church views the Holy Bible as being very important, and equal with the Holy Tradition (ie. the unwritten and oral traditions of Jesus Christ and the Church). The Holy Scriptures are a collection of Books of the New Testament that came out of the Holy Tradition of the Early Christian Church. The Bible did not just appear out of thin air, it was revealed by God and later put together by the holy Fathers of the Orthodox Church.

At the time when Jesus Christ established His Church in Jerusalem in 33 AD, there was no Bible. There were only the Old Testament scriptures. So for the first few centuries of its existence, the Church had no New Testament Scriptures at all, and for at least the first 500 years, there was no printed Bible as we have today. Most people could not even read or write and there was certainly no printing press at that time. The people would hear the Scriptures and hold the traditions they were taught by the priests and bishops at that time (2 Thess 2:15). Christ says, "blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it" (Luke 11:28).

Orthodox Christians believe in the doctrines taught in the Nicene Creed (without the "filoque" - "and the son" illicitly added in the west. Summarized:

* One God, expressed in the Holy Trinity

. Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth

. Jesus Christ, only-begotten Son of God, true God who for our salvation took on human flesh, was crucified and resurrected, and is now in heaven. He will return as mankind's judge.

. The Holy Spirit, the creator and giver of life, proceeds from the Father, and spoke through the prophets.

* One Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church ["catholic" meaning "believing that which is believed by Christians everywhere"].

* The resurrection of all [and judgement].

* Eternal life [for those who pass the judgement].

All Orthodox christians go to church on Sundays.

If by 'Greek Orthodox' you mean the Eastern Orthodox Faith (of which Greek Orthodoxy is a part) then it began in the year 33 AD.

If you are referring to the Church of Greece, then it began in the year 1850. However, Orthodox Christianity existed in Greece since New Testament times (from St Paul's travels to Athens) and for most of its history, Greece came under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.

The name "Greek Orthodox" should not be used to describe the whole Eastern Orthodox Church. People who are Greek and Orthodox belong to the same Orthodox Christian Faith. There is no nationality in the Orthodox Church. It is open to people of all backgrounds, races and cultures.

The Orthodox Church is not a denomination. The Orthodox Church is the original Christian church, founded by Jesus Christ and His apostles. "Denominations" are the Christian groups which trace their histories back to splitting off from the Orthodox faith.

True, the Orthodox Church has historically always taught and preached in the local language of the people (as this is a requirement of the Bible) and has done so for many centuries, especially during the height of the Byzantine Empire. Unfortunately, this has not happened as much in recent decades, due to the political and economic decline of many traditionally Orthodox nations.

Those who follow the Julian (Old Calendar) celebrate Christmas on 7 January.

Those who follow the Gregorian (New Calendar) celebrate Christmas on 25 December.

Generally speaking, most Greek churches now use the New Calendar, while the Russians and Serbians continue to use the original Julian Calendar.

Armenians celebrate Christmas on January 6.

I'm not sure about the Greek Orthodox's Church perspective, but the divorced Roman Catholic woman is still technically in the sacrament of marriage with the man, until it is nullified by the Catholic Church.

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a Christian church. All Christian churches share the belief that Jesus Christ is God, born on Earth as a man, and that salvation, or freedom from sin, is to be attained by following Christ as one's personal Lord and Saviour.

Just as doctrine varies among other Christian churches, the Orthodox Church has doctrine that sets it apart. Some notable points are the Orthodox perspectives on the meaning of salvation, the concept of heaven and hell, and whether the Bible is to be interpreted literally.

If you would like to investigate the differences between Eastern Orthodoxy and other Christian churches such as Catholicism and various Protestant denominations, a wealth of information is available at the Orthodox Church of America's website, which you will find in the related links section.

Generally, the answer is no, if the marriage is going to take place in a church. An Orthodox Christian is responsible for raising the children, if any, in the Orthodox Faith, even in cases of mixed marriages, so a non-religious person may not be comfortable with that. However, there are exceptions, and it may be best to check with your local Eastern Orthodox priest or bishop about any specific requirements they may have.

No

They wear Vestments while conducting the Divine Liturgy and the Sacraments.

No, but they can become nuns or serve God in many other ways. The place of women in the Orthodox Chuch is very important and should not be underestimated, but this does not extend to becoming priests. The reason for this is because the Orthodox Church follows the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Bible and the practices of the Holy Apostles. When Jesus chose people for His Ministry on earth, He called twelve male disciples to go and preach to the whole world. Then they chose another 70 male disciples, and so on for over 2,000 years. This is also in keeping with the Old Testament practice of choosing men to become priests of the Temple and rabbis of synagogues. So from this we conclude that Christ has called certain men (but not all men) to become His Priests. He could have chosen women, such as His own Mother, or Mary Magdalene, but did not. We are in no position to say that Christ was wrong in doing this, because Christ is God, and therefore He is without sin and makes no mistakes. This does not in any way mean that women are inferior to men. On the contrary, women were given the same possibility of salvation as men, for the first time in history by Jesus Christ. Baptism in Christ now enabled both males and females to be equally saved (Galatians 3:27-28). Christ also broke many of the social Jewish customs of that time, for example, by speaking with the Samaritan woman by the well, which was not permitted for any Jew to do. So Christ elevated women to the same status as men, but maintained their different roles in society. In other words, women are seen as equal, but different. In the Orthodox Church, the highest place that any human being has ever reached, was achieved by a woman, not a man. The Virgin Mary was the only human being to be elevated to the second highest position in Heaven! Second only to God Himself. After God, comes the Virgin Mary, and then the highest male,who was John the Baptist, and then the Apostles and others. So the highest position that any male on earth has ever reached was achieved by the Prophet St John the Bapstist, but even he is lower in status and importance than the Virgin Mary. Therefore any male or female can achieve greatness in the Church and become a great saint, but no one else can or ever will be able to reach the heights of the Virgin Mary, a woman, who achieved the highest place of any other human being on earth. Yet, the Virgin Mary did not have to become a priest in order to do this! God has given men and women different roles, and this is something that we humans cannot change. For example, God gave women the possibility of bearing children, which is a great blessing. But God did not give this same blessing to men. Does this mean that God has discrimination against men? Of course not! Men simply have to accept that only women can give birth to children. Both men and women can achieve salvation equally, by believing in God and being baptised (Mark 16:16) and by doing good works (James 2:14). Many men and women have become saints and martyrs in this way, and many more will be saved. Being a priest, or bishop, or monk or nun, still requires correct faith and good works, as it does for lay people. After all, the Virgin Mary was only a lay person, but she remained pure and faithful to God. She was a human being like any other woman on earth, yet she became higher than all other men and women and priests and bishops who have ever lived! So being a priest does not bring anyone salvation. In fact, it comes with a very heavy burden and responsibility: to preach correct doctrine. Just look at the example of the famous priest from Alexandria called Arius, who was declared to be a heretic by the church for preaching false doctrines (Arianism) about Christ. Also, Nestorius, who was Patriarch of Constantinople, was also condemned as a heretic for preaching fasle dogmas (Nestorianism), not to mention the betrayal of Christ by Judas Iscariot, who was one of the original Twelve Apostles. So do not think that being a priest or bishop or a disciple will automatically bring you any special blessing or greater benefit than you have now. Sometimes, it can even cause our downfall.

No they are not although both are apostolic churches, the Eastern Orthodox hold that Church Doctrine cannot change without the decision of an Ecumenical Council, as with the seven recognized Ecumenical Councils of the first millennium of the Church. Catholics, however, believe that the Pope can define new Church doctrine without consultation with the rest of the Church and, when he defines new teaching, Catholics believe the Pope is infallible.

Jesus. The Orthodox Church traces itself right back to the Apostles. The Orthodox Church is known to directly descend from The Apostles who were given the right to preach the Word of God through Jesus Christ.

The Eastern Orthodox Church believes in the Immaculate Conception of Jesus Christ's birth by the Blessed Virgin Mary, but it does not accept the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary's birth.

95% of Greeks belong to the Greek orthodox church; the rest are members of other Christian groups or are Muslims

The Christian Church began on the day of Pentecost within the period of 30 through 33 A.D. The church consisted of 120 members. The 12 Apostles were the leaders with Peter as the primary spokesman. The church grew by leaps and bounds. The Apostles defined their primary role as teachers. The congregation elected leadership over things that involved their own matters (Acts 6). The Apostles appointed leaders in new churches (Titus 1). Historically, different patterns existed. St. Nicholas was elected bishop by a local congregation. Clement of Rome criticized the Church at Corinth for throwing out the church leadership by holding an election and deviating from the established pattern.

The current system more or less became established at the Council of Nicaea in 325 A.D. That council created part of the Nicene Creed. More important, it established the form of organization for the church. That was the point where the procedures of the Orthodox Church were first standardized. The Conference of Constantinople would change the Nicene Creed to the form we use today.

At 800 A.D. Charlemagne made the Roman Catholic Church the official church of his empire. The Roman Church adjusted to the new political situation. At that point, the two branches of Christianity began to split. The laity started losing its influence within the church organization. In 1054 the split became complete.

Yes, according to an agreement reached between the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Alexandria and the Coptic Orthodox Church in 2001. Actually, prior to this agreement, a Greek Orthodox person could still have married a Coptic Orthodox person, but for the marriage to be recognized by both Churches it would have had to be performed twice (once in each Church). The agreement obligates each Church to recognize the validity of a marriage performed in the other Church.

Eastern Orthodox Lent in 2010 begins on 15 February and ends on 4 April (Easter Day).

To be "an orthodox Christian" means to have the right or correct opinion about Christian doctrine.

However, who is entitled to judge that? One approach is for an individual person to decide who he or she will trust to give them the right opinion. Another approach is for an individual to independently assess what is the right opinion about any particular issue.

For Catholics, orthodoxy lies in the Catholic Church itself, and in the end result, in the Pope. Catholics believe that both the Bible and tradition are authoritative.

For Protestants, the Bible stands above all other authorities, and every doctrine has to be measured solely against what the Bible says. Since the Bible was not written as a doctrinal manifesto, it is necessary to read the Bible and then to form a judgement on each issue to determine what is the right opinion. This means that there is some diversity in Protestant opinions on a number of issues of Christian doctrine, while retaining a large measure of agreement around the central doctrines of the faith.

There is also a very old part of the Church that describes itself as "Orthodox." So we have a Greek Orthodox Church and its daughter churches, such as the Russian Orthodox Church. In these churches there is great confidence placed in the decisions of the Ecumenical Councils, particularly the councils held at Nicea, Constantinople, Ephesus and Chalcedon, held in the fourth and fifth centuries. Catholics and most Protestants also have confidence in the decisions of these councils.

There are two other main branches of this self-described "Orthodox" part of the Church. Each branch differs in its respective attitude to the councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon. On one hand, there is the Syrian Orthodox Church, and the other independent churches who are associated with it, such as the Coptic Orthodox Church and the Armenian Apostolic Church. They formally reject the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon. On the other hand, there is the Church of the East. It formally rejects the decisions of the Council of Ephesus. Yet these differences go back a long way, and relate to questions that were hotly contested at the time, even though these churches believe that the underlying issues are capable of being expressed in different (but less controversial) terms on which almost all Christians would agree.

Orthodox Easter is the date when Eastern Orthodox Christians throughout the world celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. This year, Orthodox Easter is on 27 April 2008, according to the Julian Calendar. The Western Christians (Catholics and Protestants) now use the Gregorian Calendar to calculate their Easter. Orthodox Easter is also known as 'Pascha' in Greek, and has continued to be celebrated in the same way by Orthodox Christians for over 2,000 years.

They are the Three Graet Hierarchs :Basil the Grate known as Basil of Caesarea,Gregory the Theologian known also as Gregory of Nazianzus ,and John the Chrysostom.Patrons also of Letters and pupils.