Orthodoxy (translated from the Greek word "orthodoxy") was formed in the form of the eastern branch of Christianity after the division of the powerful Roman Empire into two parts — Eastern and Western — at the beginning of the fifth century. To the end, this branch took shape after the split of the churches into Orthodox and Catholic in 1054. The formation of various kinds of religious organizations is almost directly related to the political and social life of society. Orthodox churches began to spread mainly in the Middle East and Eastern Europe.
Features of faith
Orthodoxy is based on the Bible and Holy Tradition. The latter provides for the adopted laws of Ecumenical and Local Councils, of which there have been only seven for all time, as well as the works of the holy fathers of the church and canonical theologians. To understand the characteristics of faith, you need to study its origins. It is known that at the first Ecumenical Councils 325 and 381 years. the Creed was adopted, which summarized the whole essence of Christian dogma. The Orthodox churches called all these basic principles eternal, unchanging, incomprehensible to the mind of an ordinary person and communicated by the Lord Himself. Keeping them intact became the main duty of religious leaders.
Orthodox churches
The personal salvation of the human soul depends on the fulfillment of the ritual precept of the Church, thus, communion with the Divine grace is provided through the sacraments: priesthood, anointing, baptism in infancy, repentance, communion, wedding, unholy, etc.
The Orthodox churches hold all these sacraments in worship and prayers, they also attach great importance to religious holidays and fasting, teach the observance of God's commandments, which the Lord himself gave to Moses, and the fulfillment of his covenants described in the Gospel.
The main content of Orthodoxy is in love for one's neighbor, in mercy and compassion, in the refusal to resist evil with violence, which, in general, makes clear universal human standards of life. Emphasis is placed on the transfer of meek suffering sent by the Lord in order to be cleansed of sin, pass the test and strengthen faith. In special veneration with God, the saints of the Orthodox Church: sufferers, beggars, blessed, holy fools, hermits and hermits.
Organization and role of the Orthodox Church
There is no single chapter in a church or spiritual center in Orthodoxy. According to religious history, there are 15 independent autocephalous churches in their administration, of which 9 are headed by patriarchs, and the rest are metropolitans and archbishops. In addition, there are autonomous churches that are independent of autocephaly according to the internal management system. Autocephalous churches , in turn, are divided into dioceses, vicars, deaneries and parishes.
Patriarchs and metropolitans lead the life of the church together with the Synod (under the patriarchy a collegial body of the highest church people), and they are elected for life at the Local Councils.
Control
Orthodox churches are characterized by a hierarchical principle of government. All clergy are divided into lower, middle, higher, black (monasticism) and white (others). The canonical dignity of these Orthodox churches has its official list.
Orthodox churches are divided into universal (world) Orthodoxy, which includes the four most ancient patriarchates: Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem, and the newly formed local churches: Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Romanian, Bulgarian, Cyprus, Hellas, Athens, Polish, Czech and Slovak, American.
Today there are also autonomous churches: the Moscow Patriarchate has Japanese and Chinese, Jerusalem has Sinai, Constantinople has Finnish, Estonian, Cretan and other others that are not recognized by world Orthodoxy, which are considered non-canonical.
History of Russian Orthodoxy
After the baptism in 988 of Kievan Rus by Prince Vladimir, the formed Russian Orthodox Church for a long time belonged to the Patriarchate of Constantinople and was its metropolis. He appointed metropolitans from the Greeks, but in 1051 the Russian Metropolitan Hilarion stood at the head of the Russian Orthodox Church. Before the fall of Byzantium in 1448, the Russian Orthodox Church gained independence from the Patriarchate of Constantinople. The head of the church was Moscow Metropolitan Jonah, and in 1589, for the first time in Russia, his patriarch Job appeared.
The Moscow diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church (it is also called the Moscow Orthodox Church) was created in 1325, today it has more than one and a half thousand churches. 268 chapels belong to the monasteries and parishes of the diocese. Numerous districts of the diocese are united in 1153 parishes and 24 monasteries. In the diocese, in addition, there are three single-faith parishes, completely subordinate to the bishop of the Moscow diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Krutitsky and Kolomensky Yuvinal.