2. The Flavors of Christianity (3)

There are estimated to be 250 million Eastern (or Greek) Orthodox Christians today. The Orthodox Church is centered upon four ancient patriarchates with special positions of honor and authority: Alexandria , Antioch , Jerusalem , and Constantinople .  The churches extend across Eastern Europe, Slavic countries, and the eastern Mediterranean . While each church in each country is self-governing, the churches also communicate with one another in various ways. In the USA the Eastern Orthodox Church has as many as four million members.[9]

In many ways, from the Biblical Christian view, the Eastern Orthodox Church stands close to the Roman Catholic Church as we can see in the following overview: [10]

• The Church is in authority of Scripture. As with the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church considers itself to possess sole authority over the Scriptures. Believers are to listen to and obey the church’s official interpretation of the Bible. Since there is no single office like the papacy, the Orthodox Church depends upon Ecumenical Councils. They believe that the Spirit of God, living in the church, guides the decisions of the bishops and preserves them from error.
• Apostolic Succession.  Like Roman Catholics, the Orthodox members believe in the apostolic succession of their bishops; however, all bishops share equally in this succession.
• Salvation and Sacraments. The Orthodox Church observes the same seven sacraments as Roman Catholics only with differences as to interpretation and emphasis. The Eucharist is central to all Orthodox belief. They believe the actual body and blood of Christ are present in the elements of the bread and the wine. Baptism forgives original sin, with regular confessions required for personal sins. Priests will hear the confession and often give advice or assign penance. They believe salvation is attained through the work of deification (“theosis,” become like God). Christ’s death on the cross and God’s grace are the means to enable man to “become God, to obtain theosis.”
• Veneration of saints and icons. The Orthodox members pray to the saints, particularly Mary, because these people have achieved deification. They stress that saints, including Mary, are not mediators but intercessors, and praying to them is not worship but veneration. An important part of the Orthodox tradition is their use of icons as a symbol of Christ, the apostles, Mary, or a saint.