"Our religion is not like a garment that we might change according to the circumstances; it is part and parcel of our bones and blood and personality ... If you try to force your will upon us we are ready to suffer and to be tortured and even to die. However, you should know in advance that there is no power on earth which can force us to change our religion because our covenant is not with man but with the Almighty God."
-St. Vartan Mamigonian of Armenia addressing the Persians, 451 A.D.
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The Eucharist Saints and their Veneration Infant Baptism |
I am an Orthodox Christian. Orthodox Christianity is the most common Christian faith in Russia, Greece, Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, Albania, and the Middle East. When immigrants from these countries came to America in large numbers, they brought their faith with them. Consequently, a given city will have several Orthodox bishops, each from their own jurisdiction. I am a member of The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America. Our origins are in the Hellenistic world of the first century AD. The entire text of the New Testament that has come down to us was written in Greek, along with many important writings of the early Church Fathers (St. Ignatius of Antioch, St. Justin Martyr, and St. Clement of Alexandria, among many others.) These early bishops, clergy, monks, and laymen passed down their writings and teachings to the early persecuted Christian communities as Christianity spread to Syria, Egypt, and Armenia. Finally, with the conversion of the Roman Emperor Constantine, Christianity became the favored faith of the Roman Empire and the faith was allowed to thrive like never before. Also, since the capitol of the empire was moved to Constantinople, suddenly the Greek-speaking world became the center of the Roman Empire and, by extension, the Greek Churches. Over the centuries, much of our faith was articulated in the Seven Ecumenical Councils which took place between 325 A.D. and 787 A.D. Most of these councils dealt with who the person of Christ was in regards to being both man and God. I really feel that these should be required readings for those concerned with questions regarding the person of Christ and traditional Christianity taught through the ages, along with the writings of the early Church Fathers. Not surprisingly, the Bible was one of the first things to be placed on the WWW when it came into widespread use. The are several Orthodox sites on the web, including The Orthodox Page. Also, check out my list of Christian links on the net to find more links about Orthodoxy.
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