The History of the Orthodox
Church
ISOS LESSON II
FALL 2003
SOURCES OF CHURCH
HISTORY

HOLY SCRIPTURE

HOLY TRADITION

SERVICE BOOKS OF THE CHURCH ---
SAINTS LIVES

THE HISTORIC RECORD
EARTHLY MINISTRY OF OUR
LORD

FROM THE ANNUNCIATION TO THE
ASCENSION.

WITNESSED TO BY THE EVANGELISTS IN
THE GOSPELS.

THE ACCOUNTS OF THE LIFE OF JESUS
SPOKEN IN THE VOICES OF THOSE WHO
SHARED THE EVENTS .
THE APOSTOLIC AGE

BEGINS IN THE BOOK OF ACTS.

STARTS WITH THE BIRTH OF THE CHURCH ON
EARTH.

ENDS WITH THE DEATH OF ST. JOHN THE
THEOLOGIAN ON THE ISLAND OF PATMOS.

TELLS THE STORY OF THE SPREAD OF THE
NASCENT CHURCH.
PENTECOST
THE AGE OF THE APOSTOLIC
FATHERS

WORK OF THE APOSTLES CARRIED ON BY
THOSE WHO HAD “SAT AT THEIR FEET”
THE CHURCH CONTINUES TO DEVELOP
THE OFFICES AND FORM WE RECOGNIZE
TODAY.
 EARLY DEFENSE OF CHURCH TEACHINGS
AGAINST HERESIES BY THE APOLOGISTS.


PERSECUTIONS OF THE CHURCH BEGIN.
CHRIST THE GREAT HIIGH PRIEST
FORMATIVE CENTURIES

IMPACT OF CHRISTIAN HERESIES, THE
CHURCH BEGINS TO DEFEND ITSELF AND
TO DEAL WITH THE LAPSED.

THE CHURCH SPREADS AND BECOMES AN
URBAN SOCIAL FORCE.

THE CANON OF SCRIPTURE WAS
DEVELOPING INTO A FORM AND ORDER
WE WOULD RECOGNIZE.
THE AGE OF THE GREAT
COUNCILS
THE CHURCH DEFINES ITSELF
4TH - 9TH
CENTURIES

THE EDICT OF MILAN – THE END OF
PERSECUTIONS.

EACH GREAT COUNCIL WAS CALLED TO
CONFRONT SPECIFIC HERESIES OR TO
SETTLE THE SPECIFIC QUESTIONS.
1.
WHO WAS JESUS ?
2.
WHAT IS THE NATURE OF THE HOLY TRINITY ?
3.
HOW DOES HUMANITY RELATE TO GOD ?
FIRST ECUMENICAL COUNCIL
325 - NICAEA

ANSWERED THE HERESY OF ARIUS

“Jesus was created. Not of the same essence of the
Father, The Spirit was also created… the Holy Trinity
was not of one essence”.
 The
Champions of Orthodoxy included the
Fathers of the 1st Ecumenical Council.
St. Athanasios, St. Spyridon, and St. Nicholas.

THE FIRST PART OF OUR CREED WAS
ADOPTED, DATE OF EASTER DISCUSSED, AND
THE PRIMACY OF THE APOSTOLIC SEES -
Rome, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem
PERIOD PEOPLE AND EVENTS

FATHERS OF THE CHURCH:
THE THREE HIERARCHS: THEOLOGY,
LEARNING, LITURGIES and CHURCH
PRACTICES.

THE MONASTIC FATHERS AND MOTHERS
SPIRITUAL GUIDES, HELPED TO
DEVELOPE THE MONASTIC SYSTEM
CONSTANTINOPLE I
(381)

REAFIRMED NICEA I, COMPLETED THE
CREED.

TOPIC WAS THE HOLY SPIRIT AND THE
TRININARIAN RELATIONSHIPS.

CONSTANTINOPLE “The New Rome” GIVEN
RANK SECOND TO ROME.
COUNCIL OF
CHALCEDON (451)


REAFIRMS and FURTHER DEFINES THE COUNCIL
OF EPHESUS.
XC IS HOMOOUSIOS WITH BOTH GOD AND MAN.
FULLY GOD AND FULLY MAN NEVER MIXED,
CONFUSED OR DEMINISHED.

RESULTS IN THE MONOPHYSITE SCHISM

OTHER CANONS DEAL WITH POSITION OF
CONSTANTINOPLE AND ROME.
LATER EVENTS AND
DEVELOPMENTS
DEATH OF THE BESSED AUGUSTINE
OF HIPPO.
 EXPANTION OF THE LITURGICAL
RITES – ST. ROMANOS THE MELODIST.
 THE REIGN OF JUSTINIAN.
 THE INSERTION OF THE FILIOQUE BY
THE CHURCH OF SPAIN.

RAVENA
COUNCIL OF CONSTANTINOPLE III
( 680 – 681 6TH
COUNCIL)
CONDEMNED THE TEACHINGS OF SERGIOS
AND HONORIOS , MONOTHELYTISM.
 CHAMPIONS OF ORTHODOXY – ST.
MAXIMOS THE CONFESSOR and ST.
MARTIN, POPE OF ROME.
 OTHER SIGNIFICANT PERSONS – ST. JOHN
CLIMAKOS, and ST. ANDREW OF CRETE.


ISLAM IS FOUNDED 622.
SEVENTH and EIGHTH
CENTURIES

AGE OF ICONOCLASM – LASTED
ABOUT 120 YEARS IN TWO PHASES.

CHAMPIONS OF THE FAITH ST. JOHN
OF DAMASCUS, ST. THEODORE THE
STUDITE, THE ICONDULIC PATRIARCHS, STS. IRENE and THEODORA.
NICEAE II 787
THE HUMANITY OF CHRIST WAS
REAFFIRMED.
 THE PROTOTYPE IN ICONS ARE TO
BE VENERATE; WORSHIP RESERVED
FOR GOD ALONE.
 THE POTENTIAL OF CREATION IS
UNDERLINED
 RESTORATION OF IMAGES NOT
REALIZED UNTIL 843.

THE AGE OF PHOTIOS

THE PHOTIAN SCHISM

THE SLAVIC MISSION

THE LITURGICAL EXPANSION OF THE
GREAT FAST
THE SPREAD of the FAITH

BULGARIA and KIEV

TIES to CONSTANTINOPLE.

MOSLEM CONQUEST CONTINUE.
THE GREAT SCHISM
1054 ESTRANGEMENT NEARLY
COMPLETE.
 SEPARATION SEALED WITH THE
FOURTH CRUSADE.
 ORTHODOXY SPREADS IN THE
NORTH.
 COUNCIL OF LYONS “ FALSE UNION”
 SERBIAN CHURCH BECOMES
INDEPENDENT.

FIGURES OF NOTE 14TH CENTURY
GREGORY PALMAS VS. BARLAAM
 ST. ANDRE RUBLEV
 ST. SERGIUS OF RADONEZH
 ST. CLEMENT OF OCHRID
 ST. NICHOLAS CABASILAS

THE OTTOMAN CONQUEST
CONSTANTINOPLE FALLS 1453
 BEGINNING OF PERIODS OF
REPRESSION AND RELAXATION.
 INCREASED CONCENTRATION OF
AUTHORITY IN THE PATRIARCH.
 LOSS OF INSTITUTIONS.
 THE NEW MARTYRS

16 TH CENTURY
IVAN THE TERRIBLE
 UNIATE MOVEMENT - UNION OF
BREST LITOVSK.
 PROTESTANT REFORMATION–
PATRIARCH JERMIAH II REACTION.
 CATHOLIC COUNCIL OF TRENT.

17TH
CENTURY
CYRIL LUKARIS - CALVANIST
INFLUENCE.
 PETER MOGILA – WESTERN
INFLUENCE.
 “OLD BELIEVERS SCHISM.
 PETER THE GREAT “WESTERNIZES”
THE CHURCH OF RUSSIA.
 SERBIAN AND BULGARIAN CHURCHES
FORCED INTO CONSTANTINOPLE’S
SPHERE OF INTEREST BY TURKS.

18TH CENTURY

MOUNT ATHOS LEADS REVIVAL OF
LEARNING AND BUDDING NATIONAL
IDENTITY.
RUSSIAN MISSIONARY ACTIVITY IN
ALASKA. 1794.
 SAINT AUGUSTINE COLONY IN FLA.
1768.

19TH CENTURY
BEGINNING OF THE NATIONALISTIC FURVOR
IN THE ORTHODOX LANDS OF THE OTTOMAN
EMPIRE. GREEK WAR FOR INDEPENDENCE.
 TURKISH REACTION.
 RUSSIAN SPIRITUAL RENEWAL.
 BEGINNING OF THE GREAT IMMIGRATION.
NEW ORLEANS 1864, GALVESTON TX,
1864.

20TH CENTURY
GROWTH OF ALL JURISDICTIONS IN
AMERICA.
 WESTERN EUROPE
 AUSTRALIA
 COMMUNISM AND FREEDOM LATE IN
THE CENTURY.
 FOUNDATION OF HOLY CROSS AND
ST. VLADIMIRS.

SUPPLEMENTAL BIBLIOGRAPHY
Yannaras, C. (1991) Elements of Faith: An Introduction to Orthodox Theology
(Alphavtari ths pisths), trans. by K. Schram, T&T Clark, Edinburgh.
Ware, K. (1997) The Orthodox Church, New Edition, Penguin Books, London.
Hopko, T. (1973) The Orthodox Faith: vol. 3 - Bible and Church History, An
Elementary Handbook on the Orthodox Church, DRE - OCA, Crestwood
NY.
Pelikan, J. (1977) The Spirit of Eastern Christendom (600 -1700) - vol. 2, The
Christian Tradition - in 5 Volumes - A History of the Development of
Doctrine, University of Chicago Press, Chicago/London.
Hussey, J. M. (1990) The Orthodox Church in the Byzantine Empire, Clarendon
Press, Oxford, UK.