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Eastern Christianity Church History: the early church & middle ages eastern christianity Eastern Roman Empire believers developed unique practices leading to a major branch of Christianity. f you are married, you probably wear a wedding ring as a symbol of your marriage. The ring is not the marriage itself, and neither are the two of you—marriage is a bond between you that is more than the two of you. That intangible bond is what I your ring represents. As Christians, we believe we are more than simply creatures of earth—we are spiritual creatures made in the image of God, made to personally know God and his truth. But how do we know and experience those heavenly truths? And what are appropriate ways of representing these truths? Eastern Christianity answered these questions in ways that often strike Westerners as odd, or even wrong. In this lesson, we’ll look at the temperament, thought, and forms of the Eastern Orthodox Church, home to about 10 percent of the world’s Christians. We’ll consider their use of icons (paintings) as an aid to devotion, their speculative theology as expressed in the early creeds they wrote, and their understanding of church leaders and political leaders (the emperors) as a kind of merging of heaven and earth. In particular, their practice of faith raises a question all Christians need to answer one way or another: To what degree does God communicate spiritual reality through physical things? Scripture: Exodus 20:4; John 1:14; Colossians 1:15–20 Based on: The CHRISTIAN HISTORY issue “The 100 Most Important Events in Church History,” including the articles “Vladimir Adopts Christianity” and “The East-West Schism” ©2011 Christianity Today International | ChristianBibleStudies.com 84 Christian History: the early church & middle ages Eastern Christianity Part 1 IDENTIFY THE CURRENT ISSUE Note to leader: Provide each person with the articles included at the end of this study. Ask everyone to read “A Primer on the Spirit of Eastern Christianity” before you begin. In A.D. 330, Emperor Constantine turned the ancient city of Byzantium (modern-day Istanbul, Turkey) into the capital of the Roman Empire, renaming it Constantinople. This established a center of power for the Roman Empire in the East, which eventually became known as the Byzantine Empire. The East was the cradle of the monastic movement, which sprang up in the fourth century. Many of Eastern (and Western) Christianity’s most revered theologians and teachers, such as Basil the Great (c. 330–79), John Chrysostom (c. 347–407), and Gregory of Nazianzus (329–89), were monks. Monasticism remains an important aspect of the Eastern Orthodox Church to this day. Seven ecumenical (all-church) councils were held in cities in the East. Eastern Orthodox Christians believe these seven councils define the essential matters of faith and doctrine. Roman Catholics also adhere to 14 later councils, and most Protestants respect only the first few councils, and then just a few of their rulings. The first councils answered the question of Christ’s nature: Nicaea affirmed that Christ is truly divine—“of one substance” with God the Father (the Arians said Jesus was a creature)—and Chalcedon clarified how Christ is human and divine at the same time. When Justinian I (483–565) became Roman emperor in 527, he tried to reunite the western and eastern sides of the empire. He also commissioned elaborate building projects, including major churches in Ravenna, Italy, and in Constantinople (such as Hagia Sophia), and sought to uniformly apply orthodox teaching and practice throughout his empire. His legal policies (the Justinian Code) attempted to create a truly Christian empire, distinguishing secular and ecclesiastical authority yet connecting them in key ways. The Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) basilica in Constantinople is a marvel of oriental architecture. Its huge dome sits atop a row of windows, making it seem suspended from heaven—an apt image for the Eastern church. The conquering Turks made it into a mosque. Today it stands as a museum. In 726, Emperor Leo III declared the use of icons idolatrous and ordered them destroyed. However, a bitter conflict ensued. The iconoclasts—“image-breakers” who opposed the use of icons—included Leo’s two successors. Those opposing the iconoclasts included the Roman pope, the patriarchs of the major metropolitan churches, and the monks. The seventh general council (Nicaea, 787) supported the use of icons, but fighting over icons continued until about 843, when the East settled on the qualified use of icons. ©2011 Christianity Today International | ChristianBibleStudies.com 85 Christian History: the early church & middle ages Eastern Christianity John of Damascus (c. 675–c. 749) produced The Fount of Knowledge, a treatise summarizing Eastern Orthodox theology. One section, called “The Orthodox Faith,” outlines the teachings of the major Greek Fathers on subjects such as the Trinity, the Incarnation, Creation, images, the sacraments, and Mary. This work has remained in more or less constant use to the present day. In 988, Prince Vladimir of Russia sent emissaries to find true religion. The emissaries were disappointed with what they saw of Islam, Judaism, and Western Christianity, but when they observed the Eastern liturgy practiced in Hagia Sophia, they reported they “did not know whether they were in heaven or on earth.” Vladimir was baptized, as were masses of his subjects. He erected churches and monasteries and adopted Eastern devotional practices. Moscow became the “third Rome” after the fall of Constantinople and the crushing of the Byzantine Empire in 1453. In 1054, the pope in Rome and the patriarch in Constantinople excommunicated each other. The causes stemmed from long-standing differences between the East and the West over matters of culture, language (Latin vs. Greek), political alliances, liturgical practice, and theological emphasis. Fueling the division was a deep suspicion in the Eastern Church that the popes of Rome wished to dominate their affairs. To this day the Eastern churches have no formal connection with Roman Catholics or Protestants. One key disagreement was about whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father only (as the original Nicene Creed had it), or from the Father and the Son (as Western Christians added in the sixth century). In the 600s, Islam became a major threat to Byzantine (Eastern) Christianity and the church suffered losses of territory and adherents. For 700 years, Constantinople itself was repeatedly under threat of falling to the Muslims. Finally, in 1453 it was decisively conquered by the Turks, bringing an end to the Byzantine Empire—but not the Eastern Orthodox Church. Discussion Starters: [Q] Is it idolatrous to incorporate paintings and pictures of Jesus and the saints into our worship? Why or why not? [Q] How do you know and experience spiritual truths? [Q] To what degree does God communicate spiritual reality through physical things? ©2011 Christianity Today International | ChristianBibleStudies.com 86 Christian History: the early church & middle ages Eastern Christianity Part 2 DISCOVER THE ETERNAL PRINCIPLES Teaching Point One: God communicates spiritual reality through physical things. According to Eastern Christianity, if many things in our earthly experience can be sacramental, then the use of the physical senses can be the means of heavenly knowledge. Icons of Jesus, Mary, and saints can lead one devotionally closer to God, because in some mysterious way, the icon is a window to heaven, giving us a glimpse into eternity. They are holy objects and a means of revelation. The possibility that people can naively fall into worshiping icons does not thereby negate their proper use. Church architecture, too, should be a kind of revelation of heavenly reality (for instance, the paintings of Christ seated in heaven as Lord of all in the large domes of Eastern basilicas). Candles, incense, and priestly vestments all help the worshiper worship. [Q] If you had lived during the iconoclastic controversies, would you have been on the side of those who said paintings and icons should be destroyed, or on the side of those who said they could be used devotionally, that they are a means by which God supernaturally gives grace? Why? [Q] How does the second commandment (Exod. 20:4) relate to icons? • How would an Orthodox believer understand the verse? [Q] Are stained-glass windows that show the saints or Jesus any different from icons? • What about stained glass that doesn’t depict people? • What about steeples or other architectural elements? [Q] Defenders of icons say the Incarnation connected the earthly with the heavenly. No one can see God and live, they admit, but they also point out that in Jesus “we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14). Do you agree that the Incarnation justifies using earthly images in prayer and worship? • Is there anything physical or aesthetic that helps you in your spiritual walk or helps you feel closer to God (art, waterfalls or woods, a photo, music, a cross, pilgrimages to the Holy Land to see where Jesus walked)? How do these compare with the use of icons? [Q] What role does the Lord’s Supper or Communion play in your spiritual experience? How important is it that this physical and spiritual act involves your senses of sight, smell, taste, and touch? ©2011 Christianity Today International | ChristianBibleStudies.com 87 Christian History: the early church & middle ages Eastern Christianity Optional Activity: Purpose: To consider the use of icons in worship. Activity: Before your group meets, search the web for Eastern Orthodox icons (for example, www.orthodoximages.com). Print off color copies or assemble them into a PowerPoint display. Discuss with your small group: How might these images enhance worship for Eastern Orthodox Christians? How might they enhance, or detract from, your worship? Are there any physical symbols or images that enhance your worship? Teaching Point Two: God and faith can be mysterious.
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