Orthodox Christianity

Where it came from

Shares its origins with the Western church; the two formally divided in 1054 over papal authority and the wording of the creed. It developed into several self-governing churches — Russian, Greek, Romanian, Serbian, Ethiopian and others — united in faith, independent in administration.

What it holds

• Authority: Scripture and Tradition together, with special weight on the first seven ecumenical councils
• Salvation: understood as theosis — a lifelong growing union with God's life
• Baptism: infants, usually by triple immersion, followed immediately by chrismation
• Eucharist: Christ is truly present, described without Western philosophical terms
• Governance: self-governing churches of equal standing, with no universal papacy
• Icons: treated as the gospel in images — venerated, not worshipped

What a service is like

Called the Divine Liturgy. It is long (often 1.5–2 hours), sung throughout, filled with incense and icons. In some churches the congregation stands the whole time. A first visit feels markedly different from Western worship — which is exactly the ancient form it has deliberately kept.

How it relates to others

Very close to Catholicism in sacraments and bishops, divided over papal authority and the filioque clause. More distant from Protestantism. The national Orthodox churches are branches of one family, not separate religions.

Common questions