Orthodox Christians

Examples of Orthodox Christians in the following topics:

• Naming of the Byzantine Empire

  • Although the people living in the Eastern Roman Empire referred to themselves as Romans, they were distinguished by their Greek heritage, Orthodox Christianity, and their regional connections.
  • Christianity became more important in daily life, although the culture's pagan Roman past still exerted an influence.
  • Constantine I (r. 324–337) reorganised the empire, made Constantinople the new capital, and legalised Christianity.
  • Thus, although the Roman state continued and Roman state traditions were maintained, modern historians distinguish Byzantium from ancient Rome insofar as it was centred on Constantinople, oriented towards Greek rather than Latin culture, and characterised by Orthodox Christianity.
  • The name millet-i Rûm, or "Roman nation," was used by the Ottomans through the 20th century to refer to the former subjects of the Byzantine Empire, that is, the Orthodox Christian community within Ottoman realms.

• Vladimir I and Christianization

  • Vladimir I ruled from 980 to 1015 and was the first Kievan Rus' ruler to officially establish Orthodox Christianity as the new religion of the region.
  • According to the limited documentation from the time, the envoys that came back from Constantinople reported that the festivities and the presence of God in the Christian Orthodox faith were more beautiful than anything they had ever seen, convincing Vladimir of his future religion.
  • The next day the residents of Kiev who appeared were baptized in the river while Orthodox priests prayed.
  • A Christian representation of Vladimir I, who was the first Rus' leader to officially bring Christianity to the region.
  • Outline the shift from pagan culture to Orthodox Christianity under the rule of Vladimir I

• Ecumenism

  • Within this particular context, ecumenism refers to the idea that Christians should literally unify under a single Christian church.
  • The Oriental Orthodox and Eastern Orthodox churches are two distinct bodies of local churches.
  • Despite many disagreements over ecumenism and how to approach interfaith dialogue, there exists a sizable group of Orthodox Christians who are vehemently opposed to any kind of interfaith dialogue, whether with other Christian denominations or with religions outside Christianity.
  • In the Eastern Orthodox world, the monastic community of Mount Athos has voiced its concerns regarding the ecumenist movement.
  • They do not want the Orthodox church to play a part in this more general movement.

• Byzantium's Legacy

  • Byzantium has been often identified with absolutism, orthodox spirituality, orientalism and exoticism, while the terms "Byzantine" and "Byzantinism" have been used as metaphors for decadence, complex bureaucracy, and repression.
  • The Byzantines also preserved and copied classical manuscripts, and they are thus regarded as transmitters of the classical knowledge, as important contributors to the modern European civilization, and as precursors of both the Renaissance humanism and the Slav Orthodox culture.
  • The modern-day Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian church in the world.
  • During the Byzantine Renaissance of the Macedonian Dynasty, art and literature flourished, and artists adopted a naturalistic style and complex techniques from ancient Greek and Roman art, mixing them with Christian themes.
  • Distribution of Eastern Orthodox Christians in the world by country as of 2012.

• The Christian Church

  • The Christian Church is the assembly of followers of Jesus Christ; in Christianity, a church is the building where its members meet.
  • The Christian Church is the assembly or association of followers of Jesus Christ.
  • The Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodoxy each claim to be the original Christian Church.
  • The Eastern Orthodox Church bases its claim primarily on its traditions and beliefs of the original Christian Church.
  • Members of Churches of Christ believe that Jesus founded only one church, that the current divisions between Christians are not God's will—the only basis for restoring Christian unity is the Bible.

• The Fourth Crusade

  • Crusades were fought for many reasons: to capture Jerusalem, recapture Christian territory, or defend Christians in non-Christian lands; as a means of conflict resolution among Roman Catholics; for political or territorial advantage; and to combat paganism and heresy.
  • On a popular level, the First Crusade unleashed a wave of impassioned, pious Catholic fury which was expressed in the massacres of Jews that accompanied the crusades and the violent treatment of the "schismatic" Orthodox Christians of the east.
  • The Fourth Crusade is considered to be one of the final acts in the Great Schism between the Eastern Orthodox Church and Roman Catholic Church, and a key turning point in the decline of the Byzantine Empire and Christianity in the Near East.
  • One factor in the crusaders' decline was the disunity and conflict among Latin Christian interests in the eastern Mediterranean.
  • The Greek population, reacting to the Latin conquest, believed that the Byzantine civilization that revolved around the Orthodox faith would be more secure under Ottoman Islamic rule.

• Religious Denominations

  • Christianity has different denominations such as Protestantism and Catholicism, among others.
  • The term describes various Christian denominations (for example, Eastern Orthodox, Anglicanism, and the many varieties of Protestantism).
  • The term also describes the four branches of Judaism (Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist), and describes the two main branches of Islam (Sunni and Shia).
  • In a similar but different vein, ecumenism mainly refers to initiatives aimed at greater Christian unity or cooperation.
  • Within this particular context, the term ecumenism refers to the idea of a Christian unity in the literal meaning: that there should be a single Christian Church.

• Constantine

  • The first Roman emperor to claim conversion to Christianity, Constantine played an influential role in the proclamation of the Edict of Milan in 313, which decreed tolerance for Christianity in the empire.
  • Historians remain uncertain about Constantine's reasons for favoring Christianity, and theologians and historians have argued about which form of Early Christianity he subscribed to.
  • Some scholars question the extent to which he should be considered a Christian emperor: "Constantine saw himself as an 'emperor of the Christian people.'
  • In 313, Constantine and Licinius issued the Edict of Milan decriminalizing Christian worship.
  • He is revered as a saint and isapostolos in the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Church for his example as a "Christian monarch."

• The Crusades

  • The Crusades were a series of military conflicts conducted by Christian knights for the defense of Christians and for the expansion of Christian domains between the 11th and 15th centuries.
  • Crusades were fought for many reasons—to capture Jerusalem, recapture Christian territory, or defend Christians in non-Christian lands; as a means of conflict resolution among Roman Catholics; for political or territorial advantage; and to combat paganism and heresy.
  • Christianity had spread throughout Europe, Africa, and the Middle East in Late Antiquity, but by the early 8th century Christian rule had become limited to Europe and Anatolia after the Muslim conquests.
  • Tolerance, trade, and political relationships between the Arabs and the Christian states of Europe waxed and waned.
  • To the east of Europe lay the Byzantine Empire, composed of Christians who had long followed a separate Orthodox rite; the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches had been in schism since 1054.

• The Reconquista

  • Under his son, other Christian cities were subjected to numerous raids.
  • Medieval Spain was the scene of almost constant warfare between Muslims and Christians.
  • Faced with the choice of death, conversion, or emigration, many Jews and Christians left.
  • The Taifa kingdoms lost ground to the Christian realms in the north.
  • The Councils of Toledo debated creed and liturgy in orthodox Catholicism, and the Council of Lerida in 546 constrained the clergy and extended the power of law over them under the blessings of Rome.