Greek Orthodox Church

Greek Orthodox Church
Flag used by the Orthodox Church in Greece, and the standard of the self-governed monastic state of Mount Athos.
Founder	various
Independence	various
Recognition	Orthodox
Primate	The Patriarchs of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and the Archbishops of Athens, Cyprus, Tirana and Mount Sinai
Headquarters	various, but Constantinople is held in special regard
Territory	Eastern Mediterranean & diaspora
Possessions
Language	Koine Greek
Adherents	23–24 million (about 50% of whom are in Greece)
Website

The name Greek Orthodox Church (Monotonic Greek: Ελληνορθόδοξη Εκκλησία, Polytonic: Ἑλληνορθόδοξη Ἑκκλησία, IPA: [elinorˈθoðoksi ekliˈsia]) is a term referring to the body of several Churches^[1][2][3] within the larger communion of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, whose liturgy is traditionally conducted in Koine Greek,^[4] the original language of the New Testament,^[5][6] and which share a common Greek cultural tradition. The current territory of these Churches more or less covers the areas in the Eastern Mediterranean that used to be a part of the Byzantine Empire. Their origins lie in the ancient Christian Church, and they maintain many traditions practiced in the Ancient Church. Among these traditions are the use of incense, Liturgical Worship, Priesthood, making the sign of the cross, etc. Greek Orthodox Churches, unlike the Catholic Church, have no Bishopric head, such as a Pope, and hold the belief that Christ is the head of the Church. However, they are each governed by a committee of Bishops, called the Holy Synod, with one central Bishop holding the honorary title of "first among equals."

Greek Orthodox Churches are united with each other and with the other Orthodox Churches (i.e. the Russian Orthodox, Ukrainian Orthodox, Serbian Orthodox, Romanian Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox churches) by a common doctrine and a common form of worship, and they see themselves not as separate Churches but as administrative units of one Church (the Orthodox Church). They are notable in their veneration of the Virgin Mary and the Saints, and for their use of the Divine Liturgy on Sundays, which is a standardized worship service dating back to the fourth century A.D. in its current form. The Divine Liturgy of the Orthodox Church was written by Saint John Chrysostom (347–407 A.D.).

Churches [edit]

The churches where the Greek Orthodox term is applicable are:

• The four ancient Patriarchates:
  • The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople,^[7] headed by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople, who is also the "first among equals" of the Eastern Orthodox Communion
    • The four eparchies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople:
      • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain^[8]
      • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Malta^[9]
      • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America^[10]
      • The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia^[11]
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria^[12]
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch^[13]
  • The Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem^[14]

• Two national autocephalous churches:
  • The Church of Greece^[15]
  • The Church of Cyprus^[16][17][18]

• The Orthodox Church of Mount Sinai^[19]
• Orthodox Church of Albania^[20] also known as "Greek Orthodox Church of Albania"^[21][22] led since the collapse of the former Stalinist régime by Archbishop Anastasios, a Greek national, the Church conducts its liturgy in Koine Greek in the areas of Albania populated by the ethnic Greek minority.

History of the term [edit]

Historically, the term Greek Orthodox has also been used to describe all Eastern Orthodox Churches, since "Greek" in "Greek Orthodox" can refer to the Greek heritage of the Byzantine Empire.^[23][24][25] During eight centuries of Christian history most major intellectual, cultural, and social developments in the Christian church took place within the Empire or in the sphere of its influence,^[25][26][27] thus most parts of the liturgy, traditions, and practices of the church of Constantinople were adopted by all, and still provide the basic patterns of contemporary Orthodoxy.^[28][29][30] However, the appellation "Greek" was abandoned by Slavic and other national orthodox churches in connection with their peoples' national awakenings, from as early as the 10th century A.D.^{[31][31][32][32][33]}

See also [edit]

Eastern Christianity portal

References [edit]

External links [edit]

• Media related to Greek Orthodox Church at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Greek Orthodox Christianity Patriarchates Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople Patriarchate of Alexandria Patriarchate of Antioch Patriarchate of Jerusalem Autocephalous and Autonomous churches Church of Greece Church of Crete Church of Cyprus Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania Saint Catherine's Monastery, Mount Sinai Eparchies Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Thyateira and Great Britain Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Italy and Exarchate of Southern Europe Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Australia Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of New Zealand and Exarchate of Oceania