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The
Christian Orthodox Faith
§ Our faith in Christ as
the Savior, Redeemer, and Benefactor of our souls, we hold by God's
grace, in the fullness of
Orthodox Christian teaching. The teaching of the Orthodox Church
is
summarized in the Nicene Creed, the Holy Scriptures, and the dogmas
agreed upon
at the seven Oecumenical Councils of the Church. Every Sunday, we sing
the
Nicene Creed:
"I believe
in one God, the Father Almighty, Maker of heaven and earth, and of all
things visible and invisible.
"And in one
Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten, begotten of the
Father before all ages; Light of Light: true God of true God; begotten,
not made; of one essence with the Father, by Whom all things were made;
Who for us men, and for our salvation, came down from heaven, and was
incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became man; And
was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was
buried; And arose again on the third day according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;
And shall come again, with glory, to judge both the living and the
dead; Whose kingdom shall have no end.
"And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the
Giver of Life; Who proceedeth from the Father; Who with the Father and
the Son together is worshipped and glorified; Who spake by the
prophets. In One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church. I confess one
baptism for the remission of sins. I look for the resurrection of the
dead, And the life of the age to come. Amen."
The Eastern Orthodox Church is the very Church founded
by Christ in His Blood,
spread by the holy Apostles and strengthened by the witness of the
ancient (and
modern) Martyrs and Fathers. Our faith was passed down to us, like a
treasured
inheritance, from the days of the Apostles--without distortion or
change. Thus
the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith today remains a testament, unique
in the
whole world, to the faith of the original Christian believers of
apostolic times. Here
is a timeline which shows the unbroken progression of our Church from
the year 33 A.D. to the present:
§ Timeline of
Church
History by Fr. Hieromonk Aidan (Keller), .pdf file
Finally, here is an
online book about the Orthodox Church and its history, showing how
other
Christian bodies came into being and the major developments in the
Orthodox Church historically. The book covers from the first century
A.D. to the close of the 20th century.
§ Pocket
Church History for
Orthodox Christians by Fr. Hieromonk Aidan (Keller),
Russian
Orthodox Church Outside Russia
§ The
Rudder or Pedalion--Book of Canons of the Holy Orthodox Church
by
Sts. Agapius and Nicodemus of Mt. Athos, published in Greek in 1802,
English
translation by D. Cummings published 1957. With notes by Apostolos
Makrakis. DOCUMENT REMOVED AT THE REQUEST OF ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN
EDUCATIONAL SOCIETY, HOLDER OF THE COPYRIGHT.
Caution about The
Rudder: The above book was crafted by the bishops of old to
guide the clergy in applying the practices and customs of the Orthodox
Church, which can sometimes vary slightly from nation to nation. It
should not be misused by untrained persons as a way to judge others and
condemn them. Secondly, Apostolos Makrakis was a controversial figure
in the
Greek Orthodox Church (19th century). The notes attributed to him which
appear in this English edition are scarcely authoritative
in or of themselves.
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Austin's Russian Orthodox Church: http://www.orthodoxaustin.org.
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