Orthodox Christianity By Abby Hotchkiss, Chad Hoffman, and Haley Miller

Origin -Created between the 1st and 5th centuries C.E. -It was founded in Constantinople, by the Roman-Byzantine Empire. -Became a distinct branch of Christianity after the 11th century “ Great Schism” between Eastern and Western christendom. For centuries the two sides had significantly different religious, cultural, and political views.

What do they believe? -Orthodox Christians believe in the “Holy Trinity”, and that God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit share one divine nature. They believe that God is the father, Jesus is eternally born of God, and the Holy Spirit is one in essence with God. -They also believe that everybody sins, and God forgives all sin. -Another thing that they believe is that there is a second coming. This means that they think Jesus is going to return to “judge the living and the dead”. -Orthodox Christians believe in heaven and hell after death. Beyond time and space, heaven is recognized as God’s throne. Hell is perceived as a place where you are eternally tormented because you willingly do not accept God into your life. -Something else they believe is that God created heaven and earth. They acknowledge that scientists will try to prove them wrong, but they rely on the Bible and the evidence that God supposedly left for them.

What Type of Religion is it? -Orthodox Christianity is thought to be a universal religion. This is because they have a large number of followers, across the globe, and try to appeal to everybody. Although they do still participate in ethnic traditions, they are technically considered universal, but it is a controversial topic for some. -It also has a hierarchical structure because they follow the teachings that are written in the bible, rather than practicing the religion in their own, personal, form.

Hierarchical Structure -The Pope is the elected leader of the Catholic Church. Under him is the Cardinal, which is like the elected “government body” -The Archbishops report to the Cardinal, and the Bishops report to them. The Bishops are responsible for a Diocese, or the main administrators of the church. Bishops supervise all aspects of the church. Every diocese is split into parishes, which are run by priests. Priests, like Bishops, supervise all activities in their parish, and also run them. Pope Cardinal Archbishop Bishop Priest Diocese Parish

Diffusion over Time -First recorded when Jesus set forth in Roman province of Palestine -Spread through contagious diffusion (by missionaries) -The Orthodox Churches sent missionaries to Alaska which was first being explored by Russia, the Russian Orthodox Church sent missionaries to convert the native people and minister to the settlers. As a result, there are small Orthodox churches scattered throughout Alaska and the Pacific northwest today. Years of missionary work has resulted in growing numbers of Orthodox in such places as Uganda. Even China and Japan have had their own Orthodox adherents.

Diffusion Over Time Cont. -Developed through spread across Eastern Roman (Byzantine) empire -Christianity came to dominance through hierarchical diffusion -Once accepted by the emperor, it was widely encouraged -Migrants in the US came from Europe -192 million adherents are dominantly in Eastern Europe & Russia

Distribution Orthodox Christianity is made up of concepts from the Roman and Eastern European teachings in the 5th century. These two branches officially split in 1054, when Pope Leo IX condemned the Patriarch of Constantinople. Orthodox Christians accept the teachings of the 7 sacraments and reject doctrines that the Roman Catholic church added since the 8th century. Below is a picture of Dr. Jeffrey and Caryn Macdonald and their family. They are Orthodox Christian missionaries from Texas, USA.

Sacred Places - One example of a sacred place is the sanctuary of the parish. It is always located on the Eastern end of the church so the worshipers always face the sunrise, which to them symbolizes divine light -Another sacred space is the parishes in general. This is because they are shaped either like a square, to symbolize the cross, or like a rectangle, to symbolize Noah’s arc (a famous bible story) -The Uspenski Cathedral is the largest Orthodox Church in Western Europe.

Questions Who is the elected leader of the Christian Orthodox religion? Where do they believe humans go after death? Who attributes to the distribution of this religion?

Works Cited "What Orthodox Christians Believe." What Orthodox Christians Believe. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec "Library." Eastern Orthodoxy Origins, Eastern Orthodoxy History, Eastern Orthodoxy Beliefs. Web. 2 Dec "Library." Eastern Orthodoxy Origins, Eastern Orthodoxy History, Eastern Orthodoxy Beliefs. Web. 2 Dec "Christianity – Orthodox." Christianity – Orthodox. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec A glimpse into modern-day Orthodox Christianity | The Daily Californian (The Daily Californian) Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, Print.

Works Cited Cont. "Library." Sacred Space. Web. 5 Dec Orthodoxy/Ritual-Worship-Devotion-Symbolism/Sacred-Space?offset=1&max=1 "The Geography of Eastern Orthodoxy." The Geography of Eastern Orthodoxy. Web. 5 Dec