CONTENTS

1. Orthodoxy.

2. One Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church.

3. Who founded the Orthodox Church?

4. Where is Christian Doctrine clearly expressed?

5. What are the sources of Orthodox Doctrine?

 

ORTHODOXY

(Orthodoxy - Greek word which means "right belief ")

It is authentic Christianity, preached by our Lord Jesus Christ, transmitted by the Apostles to His successors and to the faithful, and preserved zealously in its purity by the Orthodox Church through the centuries.

It is the fair and certain doctrine, understood, without reduction nor additions, in the Sacred Scriptures, the Tradition, and in the Seven Ecumenical Councils.

It is the doctrine taught and preached by the Orthodox Church for the glorification of God and the salvation of our souls through Our Lord Jesus Christ.

It calls itself ORTHODOXY, the doctrine that observes the teachings of our Lord Jesus Christ, respected and transmitted by the Orthodox Church.

One Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church

The Orthodox Church is the society, based on the faith of the twelve Apostles and the Christian fiduciary offices which are joined together by Doctrine, the Laws of God, and the Sacraments.

The authentic doctrine of our Lord Jesus Christ and the original church of the Apostles, Orthodoxy was practiced in the first century of Christianity in Palestine and the cities of Jerusalem, Damascus and Antioch. Built upon the sacraments, the church obeys the commandments and proceeds according to the life of the Grace that Christ bequeathed us through His death. It believes in the eternal life, observes the teachings of the Seven Ecumenical Councils, and is uniformly transmitted by His shepherds, the bishops and orthodox priests, who continue the work of the Apostles.  It recognizes Our Lord Jesus Christ as the only leader of the church and continues to bring His work of love and salvation to all.  It teaches the truths in which we should hold steadfastly so that we might be sanctified.

The Oriental Orthodox Church unites the four characteristics that distinguish it as the True Church:  Single, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic.  For the last twenty centuries, the unaltered doctrine  and sacraments have been shepherded by successors of the Apostles.  The Orthodox mission originates from the fact she believes and teaches the true doctrine of Christ. The primary seat of honor of the Church is held by the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

Who founded the Orthodox Church?

The Holy, Catholic Apostolic Church was established by Our Lord Jesus Christ, through the twelve Apostles, in the city of Jerusalem, when the Holy Spirit went down in form of fire on the day of Pentecost. The Virgin Mary, the congregated Apostles, and the disciples constituted the first Christian Community of believers in Our Lord Jesus Christ (Acts :13-15). It was the first divinely instituted Church for salvation of man. Christ remains with His Church until the end of time. He is its one and only supreme authority. After Jerusalem, the Word was disseminated by the Apostles throughout the neighboring countries. It was in Antioch that the followers of Jesus were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).

Where is Christian doctrine clearly expressed?

The basis of the true Christian doctrine is seated in the First Ecumenical Council, called together in the year 325 by Constantine, the Great Emperor of Constantinople and all the East, in the city of Nicea. There, 318 Priests composed the "Creed" or Symbol of the Faith, that briefly and clearly expresses our beliefs and Christian doctrine. This Creed was completed in the last articles of the Ecumenical Council of Constantinople in the year 381 and is known as the Nicene-Constantinople Creed or Symbol the Faith.

What are the sources of Orthodox Doctrine?

There are two main sources of the Orthodox Faith: the Sacred Writings and Saints. The revelations given by God to mankind on what must be believed and practiced to please Him and to obtain His eternal salvation rests solely in these two sources. The Church is the only interpreter of His revelations. The Bible is the Word of God disclosed to man through the patriarchs, prophets of the Old Testament, and the Apostles in the New Testament.