Orthodox Christianity 800 CE - 1800 CE

1. Orthodox Christianity800 CE - 1800 CE By: Rana Rezvan, Tyler Keely, and Michael Downing

2. The Orthodox Church Exteriors of some Orthodox Churches Exterior of an Orthodox Church in Russia

3. The Orthodox Church Cont. The Eastern Orthodox Church is celebrating Easter. At Jerusalem's Holy Sepulcher Church, believed to be the site of the burial of Jesus Christ, an Easter Saturday's Holy Fire service was held. The Transfiguration of the Orthodox Church in Lviv, Ukraine Interior of an Orthodox Church in Lviv, Ukraine Interior of an Orthodox Church in Aswan, Egypt Interior of an Orthodox Church in Helsinki, Finland

4. Spread of Orthodox Christianity Areas occupied by Orthodox Christians Map of early spread of Christianity

5. Spread of Orthodox Christianity This map shows the spread of Christianity over a certain time period, and it also shows where it went from one place to the next. This picture shows the different types of Christianity and when they broke off of the undivided church.

6. The Orthodox Christian Cross The Sign of the CrossOrthodox Christians make the sign of the Cross in their liturgical worship, their  prayers, and their everyday lives.The right hand is held with the thumb meeting the first two fingers, to signify the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The last two fingers are curled into the palm to represent the two natures of Our Lord Jesus Christ who is God and Man.The right hand is thus taken to the forehead, to the stomach, to the right shoulder, and to the left shoulder as a prayer that the mind, the heart, and the strength of our bodies may be used to the glory of God.

7. Chronology • 301 CE- The Kingdom of Armenia becomes the first state to adopt Christianity as its official religion. • 313 CE- The Edict of Milan is issued by Emperor Constantine, which legalized Christianity in the Roman Empire. • 325 CE- Constantine calls the First Ecumenical Council at Nicaea to condemn the Arian heresy, which had taught that the Son was inferior to the Father. The First Council of Nicaea resulted in the first Christian doctrine, called the Creed of Nicaea. • 381 CE- The Second Ecumenical Council is held at Constantinople where the text of the Nicene Creed is published. • 431 CE- The Third Ecumenical Council at Ephesus condemns the Nestorian heresy and approves the honor of the Virgin Mary as Theotokos (God-Bearer or Mother of God). The Nestorians go into exile in the Persian Empire and become the Assyrian Orthodox Church of the East. • 451 CE- The Fourth Ecumenical Council at Chalcedon condemns the Monophysite heresy and confirms that Christ had both a divine and a human nature. The Armenian, Coptic, Ethiopian, and Syrian Orthodox Churches would remain Monophysite; the Greek Orthodox Church and the Western Church adopted the Chalcedonian or Dyophysite position. This Council also gives Constantinople equal standing with "Old" Rome. • 730 CE- Byzantine Emperor Leo III bans the idolization of images and relics (objects of religious significance), which begins the first period of Iconoclasm. • 787 CE- The Seventh Ecumenical Council, the Second Council of Nicaea, reestablishes the idolization of images. • 800 CE- The first emperor since Constantine, Charlemagne Emperor of the West is crowned by Pope Leo III. • 815 CE- Emperor Leo V calls a council again banning images; this begins the second period of Iconoclasm. • 843 CE- Byzantine Empress Theodora reestablishes the idolization of images on the First Sunday of Lent, which became known as the Sunday of Orthodoxy. • 862 CE- Byzantine Emperor Michael III sends Constantine and his brother Methodius to Moravia to teach Christianity to the Slavs. They translated the Bible and other religious writings into Old Church Slavonic. These "Apostles to the Slavs" also had the support of the Popes of Rome, Hadrian II and John VIII. • 867 CE- Rivalry between Greek and Latin missionaries to Bulgaria causes Photius to hold a council that dethrones Pope Nicholas III and attacks Western notions of papal primacy and many Western practices. The Eastern church now dates the East-West split from this event (the Photian Schism).

8. Chronology Cont. • 869 CE- Emperor Basil I, who had murdered Michael III, seeks papal support by dethroning Photius and bringing back Ignatius. A council held in support of Ignatius is considered by the West to be the Eighth Ecumenical Council (Constantinople IV). • 877-880 CE- Ignatius dies, and Photius is restored as Patriarch. • 988 CE- Russia becomes a Christian nation. • 1054 CE- Western Cluniac monks take over Greek monasteries in southern Italy, Byzantine Patriarch Michael Caerularius reacts by closing Latin churches in Constantinople. Pope Leo IX sends Cardinal Humbert (considered an expert on Eastern Christianity) to Constantinople to work things out. Not knowing Leo IX had died, Humbert cuts off Patriarch Michael in Leo's name. The Western church dates the East-West split from this event (the Great Schism). • 1261 CE- Emperor Michael Palaeologus conquers Constantinople for the Byzantines. • 1439 CE- Byzantine Emperor John VIII, who was hoping for Western military aid against the Turks, travels to Italy and negotiates a reunion of the Eastern and Western Churches at the Council of Florence. When he returns East, leaders of the Greek Orthodox Church refuse to accept the reunion. • 1448 CE- The Russian Orthodox Church declares its independence from Constantinople and elects its first native-born Russian bishop, Jonas I. • 1589 CE- Patriarch Jeremias II of Constantinople raises Metropolitan Job of Moscow to the rank of Patriarch of Moscow and of all Russia, making him the head of the largest Orthodox church. Moscow comes to be called "the Third Rome.“ • 1596 CE- At the Union of Brest-Litovsk, a few million Ukrainian and Byelorussian Orthodox Christians, who were living under Polish rule, leave the Russian Orthodox Church and recognize the Pope of Rome without giving up their Byzantine liturgy and customs. This was the beginning of what is known as the Uniate, Eastern Rite Catholic, or Greek Catholic Church. • 1652-1680: Patriarch Nikon of Moscow revises liturgical books to bring them into allegiance with the Greek Orthodox liturgy. Those against this reform were excluded from the Russian Orthodox Church and become known as Old Believers, which are now divided into several sects.

9. Spread/Impact of Orthodox Christianity Eastern Europe/Middle East

10. Spread/Impact of Orthodox Christianity Cont. Eurasia

11. Orthodox Christianity’s Change Over Time • Christianity started with all but one church. Now, it has many different denominations and ways to worship. • The Great Schism changed Orthodox Christianity forever. • It divided the eastern orthodox and Roman Catholic churches (1054 C.E.). • It also created opportunity of the formations of new denominations of Christianity. • Christianity in its early stages had 7 heavens with the supreme god at the top. Now, there is one heaven. • The Great Schism- Greek/Eastern Orthodoxy has remained similar in many ways. • Reasons of the separation of the churches were: • Differences in the nature of the holy spirit. • Date of the Easter celebration. • Eastern Orthodox was more philosophical but Roman Catholic was more legal-minded.

12. Comparisons:Orthodox/ Protestant/ Roman Catholic

13. Christianity in Today’s World • Today in the world, there are an estimated 2.1 billion Christians. • 33% of religious people in the world today practice Christianity or a type of Christianity. • Christianity is the largest world religion. • There are 38 counted Christian groups practiced in the world today. These include (Catholic, Protestant, Baptists, etc.). • Today Jesus is celebrated as the son of God and the Lord and Savior on holidays such as Christmas and Easter. • Architecture from Byzantine times is used to design elegant churches and cathedrals. • Religious artwork like that in Eastern Europe can still be seen at Christian worship centers around the world.

14. Division of Assignments: • Spread and Impact of element on regions (P.I.R.A.T.E.S.) – Tyler Keely • Chronology for given timeframes for element. – Rana Rezvan • Maps, charts, and images that visually help presentation of element and help explain it. - Michael Downing, Rana Rezvan helped • Analyses that explain the change and comparative nature of the element to other like elements. – Analyses: Michael Downing Comparison: Rana Rezvan • Role that the element plays in today’s world. – Tyler Keely