Two thousand years of unbroken faith — from the Apostles in Jerusalem to parishes across America. An overview of the Orthodox Christian Church through the ages.
Become Orthodox →The Church has her origin with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit, not with a human teacher, or group, nor a code of conduct or religious philosophy. Orthodoxy believes that the Church has her origin in the Apostolic Community called into being by Jesus Christ, and enlivened by the Holy Spirit.
The Feast of Pentecost, which is celebrated fifty days after Easter, commemorates the "outpouring" of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles and marks the beginning of the mission of the Church to the world. The Orthodox Church believes that she has maintained a direct and unbroken continuity of love, faith, and order with the Church of Christ born in the Pentecost experience.
The earliest Church did not confine itself to the land of Judea but took very seriously the command of Our Lord to go into the whole world and preach the Gospel. Within only a few years after the Resurrection, colonies of Christians sprung up in the major cities of the Roman Empire.
While the early Church received many converts from Judaism and the pagan religions, the world in which the Gospel was proclaimed was, in the words of St. Paul, "heartless and ruthless." With only a few intervals of peace, the Church was persecuted throughout the Empire for nearly three hundred years. Thousands upon thousands of Christians were martyred.
The beginning of the fourth century marked a new stage. Emperor Constantine the Great granted Christians freedom of worship in 313 AD. The Church received imperial support, and the evils which had characterized the old Roman Empire were greatly reduced in Christian Byzantium.
The fourth through tenth centuries saw the authoritative content of the New Testament determined, the Services of Worship given formal framework, and the great Church Fathers develop the teachings of Christianity. The fundamental doctrines of the Church were proclaimed and defended by the Seven Ecumenical Councils, gathering Bishops from throughout the world to affirm the authentic teachings on the Incarnation and the Holy Trinity.
The Great Schism is the title given to the separation between the Western Church (Roman Catholic) and the Eastern Church (Orthodox), which took place in the eleventh century. The two traditions had maintained unity despite differences in theological expression, liturgical practices, and views of authority.
By the ninth century, however, differences were intensified by political circumstances, cultural clashes, papal claims, and the introduction of the Filioque phrase into the Nicene Creed. In 1054 official charges known as Anathemas were exchanged. The Orthodox Church believes that the two principal reasons for the continued schism are the papal claims of universal jurisdiction and infallibility, as well as the meaning of the Filioque. In 1965 the mutual lifting of the Anathemas of 1054 by Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI marked the beginning of renewed dialogue.
In 1453 the City of Constantinople fell to the invading Muslims, bringing the Byzantine Empire to an end. Throughout the Ottoman Empire, Christians came to be treated as second-class citizens. Thousands of Christians suffered martyrdom. Patriarchs were deposed and murdered. Churches, monasteries, and schools were closed and destroyed.
After the decline of Byzantium, the Church in Russia thrived for nearly 500 years — until the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. Most churches were closed, and a policy was inaugurated to eliminate Christianity from Russia. In the years between the two World Wars, Orthodox Christians in Russia suffered devastating persecution. Yet, despite injustices and indignities, the Faith survived.
Throughout the past two hundred years the Orthodox Church in the Western Hemisphere has been developing as a valuable presence and distinctive witness. In the United States, Orthodoxy has been recognized as one of the four major faiths, with more than five million members grouped into more than a dozen ecclesiastical jurisdictions.
Many believe that Orthodoxy in America has the potential for true renewal, creative development, and missionary activity which can contribute greatly to American life. Saint Nina Orthodox Mission in Orlando is part of this living witness — the ancient faith, alive and growing in Central Florida.
The same faith proclaimed by the Apostles on Pentecost is proclaimed every Sunday at Saint Nina Orthodox Mission. Come and experience the living Tradition of the Church.
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