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Differences Between the Orthodox, Protestant & Catholic Churches

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Orthodox & Catholic Unity until 1054 AD Protestant Church is born in 1517 AD – a reaction to Catholic distortions Orthodox = Catholic = Protestant = Ortho – right, correct, true Catholic is defined and In 1517, Martin Luther lead Doxa – glorification used as being a “universal” a reformation of the Roman •Correct Worship/ Right Church. Catholic Church and ended Belief in 1648. In the Creed: “Catholic” is In “protest” against the defined as “wholeness, Roman Catholic Church complete as having everything” included -indulgences, simony (buying & selling “Kaqolikh from Kaq olou means, first of all, the inner wholeness and church positions), integrity of the Church’s life…. The purgatory, first Christians when using the words ‘Catholic Church” never meant world-wide Church. This word rather gave prominence to the Orthodoxy of the Church, to the truth of the “Great Church”…it was the idea of integrity and purity that was expressed.” (Florovsky) What is the Church?– Ekklesia – to be called out, assembly "The Church is Christ's work on earth; it is the image and abode of His blessed Presence in the world. .The Holy Spirit descended on the Church . .He lives and abides ceaselessly in the Church." (Florovsky, "The Catholicity of the Church." Sobornost: London , 1934) Outside the Church there is no salvation "Outside the Church there is no salvation, because salvation is the Church. For salvation is the revelation of the way for everyone who believes in Christ's name. This revelation is only to be found in the Church. In the Church, as in the Body of Christ. .the head completes the body and the body is completed by the Head." (Florovsky, p. 38) “Does it therefore follow that anyone who is not visibly within the Church is necessarily damned? Of course not; still less does it follow that everyone who is visibly within the Church is necessarily saved. As Augustine wisely remarked: "How many sheep there are outside (the Church), how many wolves within!" (Homilies on John, 45, 12) While there is no division between a "visible" and an "invisible Church", yet there may be members of the Church who are not visibly such, but whose membership is known to God alone. If anyone is saved, he must in some sense be a member of the Church; in what sense, we cannot always say (Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Chruch).” For 300 years, the Church with a definite structure (i.e., Bishops, Presbyters and Deacons) existed without a "New Testament" as we know it today. The New Testament came about as a witness to the "Truth" as it was being revealed in the Church through its members united in Christ. "It is the traditional teaching of the Orthodox Church that the Bible is the scripture of the Church, that it has its proper meaning only within the life and experience of the people of God, that it is not a thing-in-itself which can be isolated from its organic context within the Church community, in which and for which and from which it exists." (Hopko) THE HISTORY OF HOLY SCRIPTURE I. THE ORAL PERIOD - 33 AD-50 AD II. THE WRITTEN PERIOD - 50 AD-100 AD A.) The Epistles of St. Paul III. THE GOSPELS A.) Mark: 70 AD Matthew and Luke & John: The end of the first century THE BIBLE IN ORTHODOXY "There emerges in Orthodox tradition the position that the Bible is the record of truth not the truth itself, according to the Church Fathers the Truth itself is God alone." Fr. Ted Stylianopoulos Orthodox Catholic Protestant 27 books- NT 27 books - NT 27 Books -NT 49 Old Testament 46 OT Books 39 OT Books 39 OT books in common Catholic Old Testaments with RC & Protestants include 1st and 2nd Maccabees, Baruch, Tobit, Judith, The Protestants reject the Wisdom of Solomon, Sirach deuterocanonicals as not The additional books are (Ecclesiasticus), additions to known as Esther, and the stories of being inspired scripture Deuterocanonical i.e. a Susanna and Bel and the Dragon and term them as which are included in Daniel. second canon of scripture Apocrypha Orthodox Old Testament The Orthodox Church also includes these plus 1st and 2nd has “Apocryphal” books Esdras, Prayer of Manasseh, from the NT era which are Psalm 151 and 3rd Maccabees. regarded as useful for edification but not doctrine ie. Gospel of James ORTHODOX Catholic Protestant At the time the Christian In 382. A.D. Pope The Old Testament material Bible was being formed, a Damascus I, had St. according to official canon Greek translation (300-100 Jerome translate the Bible of Judaism rather than the BC) of Jewish Scripture, into Latin – the Vulgate Septuagint. called the Septuagint (the (common translation). work of 70 Jewish The books that were Scholars) , was in common He translated from removed supported such use and Christians adopted Septuagint Greek into Latin things as it as the Old Testament of but later translated the • Prayers for the dead (Tobit the Christian Bible. Most entire OT from the Hebrew. 12:12; 2 Maccabees 12:39- New Testament quotes from 45) the Old Testament are • Purgatory (Wisdom 3:1-7) based upon the Septuagint. • Intercession of saints in heaven (2 Maccabees 15:14) • Intercession of angels (Tobit 12:12-15) ORTHODOX Catholic Protestant "We can say that Scripture is a God- Sacred Scripture and Sola Scriptura – scripture inspired image of Truth, but not Truth itself. If we declare Sacred Tradition (i.e. alone Scripture to be self-sufficient, we teachings handed down only expose it to subjective, from Christ and the apostles arbitrary interpretation, thus cutting to the present) both are to Scripture alone is the it away from its sacred source. Scripture is given to us in Tradition. be considered sources of only infallible guide and The Church, as the body of Christ, divine revelation. the final authority on stands mystically first and is fuller than scripture." (Florovsky) matters of Christian faith There is one source of Tradition and scripture are and practice - One of the divine revelation – Tradition interpreted by the foundational principles of is “the life of the Holy Spirit magisterium (bishops) or Protestantism. in the Church (Lossky).” teaching authority of the Scripture forms the oral church. part, and the writings of saints, decisions of ecumenical councils, icons, etc., are also part of it. ORTHODOX Catholic Protestant Hierarchal with the highest authority Hierarchal with the highest There is a wide variety of resting in a synod of bishops. The authority resting in the Pope. understanding of the Trinity provides the model of church priesthood. order. Christ is the “High Priest” Most believe in the “Royal Bishops = “over-seers” Bishops, priests and deacons Priesthood” of all believers but Priest = The presiding one not a continuation of the priesthood of Christ. Deacon = servants All clergy are male and celibate Bishops – celibacy required – No “hierarchy” but orders of exclusively male clergy are present for the good of church order. Priesthood – married, celibacy optional, must be married prior to ordination, exclusively male Deaconate – male and female but the female deaconate is not currently active. ORTHODOX Catholic Protestant Apostolic Succession teaches Apostolic Succession teaches This idea is by most that there is a tracing of that there is a tracing of rejected but they do ordinations back to one of the ordinations back to one of the emphasize continuity of original twelve disciples. The original twelve disciples. teaching with that of the Church of Constantinople apostles. claims, St. Andrew as the first The Church of Rome Patriarch. connected claims of primacy to an apostolic connection with St. Secondly, for the Church to be Peter – “You are Peter and on “apostolic” is also has to have this rock I will build my Church” the teachings, faith, doctrine, ecclesial order of the church through out the ages. Metropolitan Gerasimos of the Metropolis of San Francisco California, Oregon, Hawaii, Washington, Nevada, Arizona 150,000 Members 67 Parishes Archbishop Demetrios, Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, New York WWW.GOARCHORG 540 Parishes 800 Clergy 1.5 Million Members The Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholemew – Constantinople, Istanbul, Turkey, Mt. Athos, Northern & Western Europe, North & South America, Australia & New Zealand, Southeast Asia Other Patriarchates: Patriarch of Alexandria - Africa Patriarch of Antioch – Syria, Lebanon, Iraq & Iran Patriarch of Jerusalem – Palestine, Jordan, Arabia, St. Sinai Patriarch of Moscow – Russia Patriarch of Serbia – Patrairch of Romania – Patriarch of Bulgaria Autocephalous Churches Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, Czech Lands, Slokavia, Georgia “Our teaching is in accordance with the Eucharist, and the Eucharist, in turn, confirms our teaching (St. Irenaeus of Lyons).” ORTHODOX Catholic Protestant The invisible Christ is made present “Each community, each local A divorce between the visible through the visible unity of the community is but a part, a member church on earth and the bishop and the people: the Head of a universal organism; and it invisible church in heaven. and the Body. participates in the Church only through its belonging to the “whole.” “…the church of God abiding in They interpret the term every place: to the local church, to Consequently, the need for a “Catholic Church” to mean the the community led by a bishop and universal head becomes a reality. – general Church not Roman having, in communion with him, the Pope of Rome. Catholic some substitute the fullness of the Church.” word “Christian” for “Catholic” (Schmemann) The Pope is the “Vicar of Christ” he is the visible head of the church on Eucharistic Ecclesiology – the earth, he has has universal power Each congregation is Eucharist manifests the whole over the Church and Councils i.e. independent and self-ruled. Church, her “catholicity.” In the he can speak infalable Eucharist the Church is realized as the Body of Christ.
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