Eastern Orthodox Church Feast of the Epiphany [January 19]

Photo Credit: Taken during the
Divine Liturgy and Exhibit of Icons in Salamanca Spain, January 2015.

E

astern Orthodox Church is a large body of our Christian brothers and sisters who keep the faith and practices according to the first seven ecumenical councils which took place during the first millennium. The word orthodox, i.e., “right believing,” has been the traditional designation of these communities or individuals in contrast to those who were declared "Anathema sit" meaning "Let him or her be anathema, banned or excommunicated"—a term applied to heretics and all dissenters of what is generally accepted.

The official designation of the church in Eastern Orthodox liturgical or canonical texts is “the Orthodox Catholic Church.” Although Eastern Orthodoxy is closely linked historically with the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium (Constantinople), the broad English words used like “Eastern” or “Greek Orthodox” are to be accompanied always with an updated knowledge of Church history then and now. For example from the Council of Chalcedon in 451 to the late 20th century, the Oriental Orthodox churches fell out of communion with the Roman Catholic Church and later the Eastern Orthodox Church because of a perceived difference in doctrine regarding the divine and human natures of Jesus. However, this changed seventy years ago in 1950s when both churches independently began dialogue with the Oriental Orthodox churches and resolved many of the ancient Christological disputes.

Justinian I and Constantine the Great with
Mary and Child Jesus, 9th century

If we have St. Peter's Basilica that stands for the Roman Catholic Church, Hagia Sophia Basilica is for the Eastern Orthodox Church. It used to be the biggest Christian church throughout the first millennium or during the golden eras of the Eastern Roman Empire and Byzantium (Constantinople). I wrote an earlier post about this massive structure where the famous Theotokos Mosaic can be found.