The Eastern Orthodox Church is the ancient, undivided communion of Christians that traces its faith and worship in unbroken continuity to the Apostles and the Christianity of the first millennium. With an estimated 220 million faithful worldwide, it confesses the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed without alteration, celebrates the Divine Liturgy received from the Fathers, and is governed not by a single supreme bishop but by a communion of self-governing churches held together by shared faith, sacraments, and apostolic succession.

If you have arrived at this page, you are probably asking one of three questions. What is the Orthodox Church? How is it different from what I have known as Christianity? Is this where the original Church can be found today? This article will answer all three.

What "Orthodox" Means

The word "Orthodox" comes from the Greek orthodoxos (ὀρθόδοξος), itself a combination of orthos (ὀρθός — "straight, correct, upright") and doxa (δόξα — "belief" or "glory"). The Greek admits both meanings simultaneously, and the Orthodox Church embraces both:

  • Right belief — the Church holds the faith that was, in the words of St. Vincent of Lérins, "believed everywhere, always, and by all" (Commonitorium II.6).
  • Right worship — for the Orthodox, doctrine and worship are inseparable. Lex orandi, lex credendi: the law of prayer is the law of belief. What the Church prays in the Divine Liturgy is what the Church confesses about God.

"Orthodox Christianity" therefore means more than holding correct opinions about God; it means glorifying Him in the manner He has revealed.

The Scriptural Foundation of the Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church understands herself not as a denomination founded later in history, but as the continuation of the Church established by Christ Himself and described in the New Testament.

On Christ founding the Church — "And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18).

On the Church as the Body of Christ — "And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all" (Ephesians 1:22-23).

On the Church as the pillar of truth — "the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar and ground of the truth" (1 Timothy 3:15).

On holding to apostolic Tradition — "Therefore, brethren, stand fast and hold the traditions which you were taught, whether by word or our epistle" (2 Thessalonians 2:15).

On the unity of the faith — "one Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Ephesians 4:5).

On the very name "Christian" — "And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch" (Acts 11:26). Antioch — one of the four ancient Patriarchates of the Orthodox Church — is the historical place where the followers of Christ first bore His name. The communion has never moved.

What the Fathers of the Church Said

The Orthodox Church reads Scripture in the same way the early Christians read it — together with the Holy Tradition handed down through the saints and bishops who lived nearest to the apostolic generation.

St. Ignatius of Antioch (martyred c. 107 AD), one of the earliest post-apostolic bishops and a disciple of St. John the Theologian, wrote on his way to martyrdom: "Wherever the bishop appears, there let the multitude of the people be; just as wherever Jesus Christ is, there is the catholic Church" (Epistle to the Smyrnaeans 8). This is the earliest recorded use of the phrase "the catholic [universal] Church" in Christian literature — and it was written by an Orthodox bishop.

St. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 130-c. 202 AD), defending the Church against the Gnostic heretics, anchored Christian truth in the unbroken succession of bishops from the Apostles: "It is within the power of all, therefore, in every Church, who may wish to see the truth, to contemplate clearly the tradition of the Apostles manifested throughout the whole world" (Against Heresies III.3.1). For Irenaeus, the test of authentic Christianity is whether your bishops can be traced back to the men Christ Himself appointed.

St. Vincent of Lérins (d. before 450), giving what has become the classical Orthodox rule for distinguishing true catholic faith from innovation, wrote: "In the Catholic Church itself we take the greatest care to hold that which has been believed everywhere, always, and by all" (Commonitorium II.6).

St. Athanasius the Great (c. 296-373 AD), the defender of the Nicene faith against Arianism, gave Orthodoxy its great summary of salvation: "For He became man that we might become god" (On the Incarnation §54.3). This is theosis — deification — the transformative union with God that the Orthodox Church holds as the very purpose of the Christian life.

How the Orthodox Church Is Structured

The Orthodox Church is not governed by a single supreme bishop. Christ alone is the Head of His Church (Ephesians 5:23). Under Him, the Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing local churches, each led by its own synod of bishops, who together share one faith, one sacramental life, and full eucharistic communion.

The four ancient Patriarchates of the undivided first millennium remain at the heart of Orthodoxy:

  1. Constantinople (Istanbul) — the Ecumenical Patriarchate, "first among equals"
  2. Alexandria — the see of St. Mark
  3. Antioch — the see of St. Peter, where the disciples were first called Christians
  4. Jerusalem — the Mother Church, the see of St. James the Brother of the Lord

The other autocephalous (self-governing) Orthodox Churches include the Russian Orthodox Church, the Serbian Orthodox Church, the Romanian Orthodox Church, the Bulgarian Orthodox Church, the Georgian Orthodox Church, the Church of Cyprus, the Church of Greece, the Polish Orthodox Church, the Albanian Orthodox Church, the Church of the Czech Lands and Slovakia, and the Orthodox Church in America. Several other churches are autonomous (self-managing under another patriarchate). Together they form one Church confessing one faith.

Within each church, the apostolic hierarchy that Scripture describes is preserved unbroken: bishops (Acts 20:28), presbyters / priests (Acts 14:23), and deacons (Acts 6:1-6). The bishop is the focal point of unity for each local church, with the priests and deacons serving with him.

How the Orthodox Church Worships

The center of Orthodox life is the Divine Liturgy — the Eucharistic celebration in which the faithful are made participants in the life of the Holy Trinity. The most commonly celebrated liturgy is the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, dating substantively to the late 4th and early 5th centuries. On ten specific occasions of the year, the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great is served instead, and during Great Lent on weekdays, the Presanctified Liturgy of St. Gregory the Dialogist is celebrated.

Surrounding the Divine Liturgy is the daily cycle of services — Vespers, Matins (Orthros), the Hours, Compline, the Midnight Office — that, when prayed in monastic communities, sanctifies every hour.

The Orthodox Church recognizes seven Mysteries (Sacraments) as the principal channels through which Christ joins us to His own divine life:

  1. Baptism — initiation by triple immersion into the death and resurrection of Christ
  2. Chrismation — the sealing of the gift of the Holy Spirit, given immediately after Baptism
  3. The Eucharist — receiving the true Body and Blood of Christ
  4. Confession — the Mystery of repentance and absolution
  5. Holy Orders — the ordination of bishops, priests, and deacons
  6. Marriage — the crowning of a man and woman into a single life in Christ
  7. Holy Unction — anointing the sick for healing of body and soul

Beyond these seven, every act of the Church — the blessing of homes, the feast of patron saints, the daily prayers of the family — is part of a sacramental life that aims at the union of the whole person, body and soul, with God.

How the Orthodox Church Differs from Roman Catholicism and Protestantism

For a more thorough treatment, see Why the Christian Church Split into Orthodox and Catholic and Differences Between Non-Denominational Christians and Orthodox Christians. Briefly:

Compared to Roman Catholicism, the Orthodox Church does not accept the universal jurisdiction or infallibility of the Pope of Rome, does not insert the filioque clause into the Creed ("and the Son"), does not teach a created grace distinct from the divine energies, does not dogmatize purgatory, and does not teach the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary as defined by Rome in 1854. The two communions parted formally in 1054 AD over these and related questions.

Compared to Protestantism, the Orthodox Church does not accept sola scriptura — Scripture alone — as the sole rule of faith. Rather, Scripture is read within the Holy Tradition that produced and preserved it. The Orthodox Church retains the historic apostolic succession of bishops, the seven Mysteries, monasticism, the veneration (not worship) of the saints and their icons, and a sacramental understanding of the Eucharist as the true Body and Blood of Christ.

What the Orthodox Church holds in common with all Christians — the Trinity, the Incarnation, the resurrection — is held in a particularly ancient form, expressed through the worship and writings of the undivided Church before the great divisions of the second millennium.

For the Catechumen: Beginning the Journey

If you are reading this and considering becoming Orthodox — or simply trying to understand what you are encountering — here is what an authentic first step looks like.

1. Visit a parish. No book, video, or website (including this one) is a substitute for standing in an Orthodox temple during the Divine Liturgy. Find a local parish through our Find an Orthodox Parish tool. Arrive a few minutes early. Stand in the back if you wish. Watch, listen, breathe the incense, and let the service speak before you try to dissect it.

2. Expect to be overwhelmed. Most first-time visitors describe a kind of beautiful disorientation. The service is long (90-120 minutes for a typical Sunday Liturgy). The chanting may be in a tone you have not heard before. The priest stands with the people, facing the altar — not facing the congregation. Icons cover the walls. People cross themselves, light candles, and venerate the icons. This is not theater. It is the worship of heaven made visible — the same worship described in Revelation 4-5 — and it has been offered in this form for over a thousand years.

3. Speak to the priest. After the service, introduce yourself. Tell him you are interested. Ask if he has time to meet during the week. Orthodox priests are accustomed to seekers and welcome them. There is no script to follow and no recruiting pitch — just a conversation about what brought you and what you are seeking.

4. Become a catechumen. Formal preparation for entry into the Church is called the catechumenate, an ancient institution dating to at least the second century. A catechumen is a "learner" — someone the Church has formally recognized as preparing for Baptism (or Chrismation, if already validly baptized). The length varies — most commonly many months, often a year or more, sometimes longer. There is no rush. Read more in our guides on the catechumenate and the steps to convert.

5. Find a sponsor. A godparent (sponsor) is an Orthodox Christian who will stand with you at your reception and walk alongside your spiritual life. Your priest will help you find one if you don't already have a person in mind.

The most important thing to understand is this: you are not joining an organization. You are entering a life. The doctrines you will learn are not abstractions; they are descriptions of the God who is already drawing you. You are coming home.

Common Questions

Is the Orthodox Church the original Church founded by Christ?

Yes — the Orthodox Church understands herself, and is understood by her sister churches in the East, to be the historical and theological continuation of the Church established by Christ and the Apostles, holding the faith of the seven Ecumenical Councils unbroken from the first millennium.

How is the Orthodox Church different from Catholic?

The major differences are the rejection of universal papal jurisdiction and infallibility, the absence of the filioque in the Creed, and a different understanding of grace, salvation (theosis), and the development of doctrine. Rome and Orthodoxy were one Church until the formal separation in 1054 AD.

Is the Eastern Orthodox Bible different?

The Orthodox Church uses an expanded Old Testament canon (the Septuagint plus the deuterocanonical books) and the same New Testament as Roman Catholics and Protestants. See our guide to the best Bible for Orthodox Christians.

Do Orthodox Christians worship icons?

No. Icons are venerated as windows into heaven and as honorings of the persons they depict, but worship in the absolute sense (latreia) is offered to God alone. The Seventh Ecumenical Council (787 AD) defined this carefully. See Why Orthodox Christian Icons Are Not Like Idols.

How long does it take to convert to Orthodox Christianity?

There is no fixed timeline. Most converts spend at least a year as catechumens. Your parish priest will help discern when you are ready.

Is the Orthodox Church the same as the Greek Orthodox Church?

The Greek Orthodox Church is one Orthodox jurisdiction among many. All Orthodox churches — Greek, Russian, Antiochian, Serbian, Romanian, and others — share the same faith and Eucharist. "Orthodox" describes the whole communion.

Further Reading

  • The Orthodox Church — Metropolitan Kallistos (Timothy) Ware (Penguin, revised editions). The standard one-volume introduction.
  • The Orthodox Way — Metropolitan Kallistos Ware (SVS Press). A complementary volume focused on the spiritual and theological life.
  • For the Life of the World — Fr. Alexander Schmemann (SVS Press). The classic introduction to Orthodox sacramental theology.
  • On the Incarnation — St. Athanasius the Great, translated by John Behr (SVS Press Popular Patristics Series). Where the patristic foundation of Orthodox soteriology is laid out.
  • Beginning to Pray — Metropolitan Anthony Bloom. A short, accessible guide to Orthodox prayer from a master of the spiritual life.