Eastern Orthodox Religion Reading Worksheet

1. What are the two most widely known Orthodox traditions? ______

2. What beliefs do Orthodox Christians and members of other Christian Churches share? ______

3. How does the Orthodox Christian Church differ from other Christian Churches? ______

4. What is the meaning of the word “orthodox”? From what language does it takes its meaning? ______

5. Where did Eastern Orthodoxy spread? ______

6. Where and when was the doctrine of the Christian Church established? ______

7. When did Eastern and Western Christian traditions begin to split? When is the split generally considered to have become final? ______

8. Over how many years did this take place? ______

9. Which tradition believed that the Church should use local language? ______

10. Where were the five great patriarchal sees located? ______

11. Name some differences between Eastern Orthodoxy and western Christianity. ______

12. Why do Orthodox Christians repeat the Jesus prayer many times a day? ______13. What is the purpose of fasting in the Eastern Orthodox tradition? ______

14. When are the four main fasting periods? ______

15. What are the seven Principle Mysteries or sacraments of the Eastern Orthodox tradition? ______

16. Which sacrament comes first? ______

17. Which sacrament is closely linked with the feast of Pentecost? Why? ______

18. What is the name for the Eucharist in the Eastern Orthodox tradition? How is it received? ______

19. What do Eastern Orthodox communicants believe about the Eucharist? ______

20. What are the rules about marriage that pertain to priests and bishops in the Eastern Orthodox Church? ______

21. Which sacrament has two faces, according to Sergius Bulgakov? What are they? ______22. What is the purpose of icons? How are they described? ______

23. How does an iconographer prepare to paint an icon? ______

24. What is the name of the solid screen that separated the main body of an Eastern Orthodox Church from the sanctuary? (Look up what a sanctuary is if you don’t know the term) ______

25. When did the Patriarchate of Constantinople abandon the Julian calendar and adopt the Gregorian calendar? ______

26. When is the Julian calendar still used? Why? ______

27. When does the orthodox calendar begin and end? ______

28. When is Christmas celebrated by orthodox Christians? ______

29. Name at least one feature of Orthodox Christmas that differs from the western celebration of Christmas ______

30. How did the term Greek Orthodox come into general use? ______

31. Where is the center of Orthodox monasticism located? ______32. Who was the Regent of Kiev who was baptized in Constantinople in 957? (This question’s answer is not found on the website but in your textbook) ______

33. How many members does the Russian Orthodox Church have today according to this BBC website? ______

34. What question would you like to ask our visitor, Father Paul, tomorrow as a result of your reading about the Greek Orthodox Church?