Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Roman Catholic Eastern Rite Churches preserve many elements from the earliest form of Christianity.

The original sacred language of Christianity was Greek, not Latin. All of the books of the New Testament were written or preserved in Greek. The first eight Councils of the Church were all held in Greek territory under the patronage of the Roman Emperor, whose capital was in Constantinople after 325 AD.

Liturgical Year

• Twelve Great Feasts, apart from Pascha (the death and resurrection of Jesus), which is above and beyond all other feasts, form the basis of the Orthodox liturgical year, which begins on September 1. Each feast is preceded by a time of fasting.

The Twelve Great Feasts celebrate major historical events in the lives of Jesus Christ or the Theotokos (Greek, "Mother of God"). Of these, three are in the Paschal Cycle:

• Palm Sunday (the Sunday before Pascha)
• Ascension (forty days after Pascha)
• Pentecost (fifty days after Pascha)

The other Great Feasts are on the Fixed Cycle:

• The Nativity of the Theotokos (8 September)
• The Elevation of the Holy Cross (14 September)
• The Presentation of the Theotokos (21 November)
• The Nativity of the Lord (25 December)
• The Theophany (Epiphany) of the Lord (6 January)
• The Presentation of the Lord (2 February)
• The Annunciation (25 March)
• The Transfiguration (6 August)
• The Dormition (Falling Asleep) of the Theotokos (15 August)

Links

• Wikipedia, "Orthodox Christianity."
• Wikipedia, "Eastern Orthodox Church."
• Wikipedia, "Oriental Orthodox."
• Wikipedia, "Western Rite Orthodoxy."
• Catholic Encyclopedia, "Orthodox Church."
• Wikipedia, "Eastern Orthodox views on contraception."