Eastern Orthodoxy

Question 1

Alongside Catholicism and Protestantism, which form of Christianity does Eastern Orthodoxy fall under?

Answer 1

Chalcedonian Christianity (Халкидонско хришћанство) (Council of Chalcedon/Халкидонски Сабор)

Question 2

How is the canonical (mainstream) Eastern Orthodox Church organized?

Answer 2

Into autocephalous churches independent from each other

Question 3

How many mainstream autocephalous Orthodox churches exist in the 21st century?

Answer 3

Seventeen (there also exist autocephalous churches unrecognized by those mainstream ones)

Question 4

Where did the spread of Eastern Orthodoxy begin?

Answer 4

In the eastern area of the Mediterranean Basin (within Byzantine Greek culture)

Question 5

What does it mean if an Eastern Orthodox church is autonomous?

Answer 5

It means they have more autonomy than simple eparchies (An autonomous church is like a kid who can make a lot of their own decisions, while an eparchy is like a kid who has to follow more rules from their parents)

Question 7

What is Chalcedonian Christianity?

Answer 7

Chalcedonian Christianity is a belief that Jesus is both fully God and fully human. This idea was decided a long time ago at a big meeting called the Council of Chalcedon

Question 8

Where do Orthodox Christian believe the Holy Spirit comes from?

Answer 8

They believe it only comes from the Father

Question 9

What is the Filioque?

Answer 9

The Filioque is a phrase meaning “and the Son.” It was added to the Nicene Creed by the Latin Church to say that the Holy Spirit comes from both the Father and the Son

Question 10

What is the Nicene Creed? (Никејски Симбол Вере)

Answer 10

A very old statement made by Christians first in 325 when leaders met in Nicaea to make sure everyone agreed

Question 11

When and where was the Filioque added to the Nicene Creed?

Answer 11

589 at the Third Council of Toledo (Трећи Сабор у Толеду)

Question 12

What is Theosis?

Answer 12

The process of becoming more like God through grace

Question 13

What is the Holy Fire?

Answer 13

On Great Saturday, the day before Orthodox Easter, the “Holy Fire” is said to spontaneously ignite in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (Храм Васкрсења Христовог) in Jerusalem, a revered event in Orthodox Christianity

Question 14

What is an Ecumenical Council/Васељенски сабор?

Answer 14

A big meeting where leaders from all over the Christian Church come together to talk about important matters. They discuss and decide on rules and ideas to help everyone in the Church understand and follow their beliefs better.

Question 15

What was the conclusion of the First Council of Nicaea?

Answer 15

At the First Council of Nicaea, leaders agreed that Jesus is both God and human, created a common statement of faith called the Nicene Creed, and set a standard date for Easter.

Question 16

What did they conclude at The First Council of Constantinople?

Answer 16

At the First Council of Constantinople (381), the leaders affirmed the Nicene Creed, expanded it to include a clearer description of the Holy Spirit, and clarified the divinity of the Holy Spirit

(Constantinople 1: Add Spirit)

Question 17

What did they conclude at the Council of Ephesus in 431/Ефески сабор?

Answer 17

Jesus is both God and human. They also agreed that Mary, Jesus’ mother, can be called the “Mother of God.”

Question 18

What did they conclude at the Council of Chalcedon?

Answer 18

At the Council of Chalcedon, leaders said that Jesus is both fully God and fully human, and they made clear how these two natures are joined together in Him

Question 19

What did they conclude at the Second Council of Constantinople in 553?

Answer 19

At the Second Council of Constantinople in 553, leaders agreed that some old writings were not correct and should not be followed. They also confirmed the decisions made at earlier councils.

(Constantinople 2: Correct and Confirm)

Question 20

What did they conclude at the Third Council of Constantinople from 680 to 681?

Answer 20

At the Third Council of Constantinople, leaders said that Jesus makes choices with both His divine and human sides. So, He uses both His God powers and His human feelings to make decisions

(Constantinople 3: Dual Decisions)

Question 21

What did they conclude at the Second Council of Nicaea?

Answer 21

Ok to use pictures of Jesus and saints

Question 22

In the context of early Christian theology, what is the “Monophysite” doctrine, and how did it differ from the “Dyophysite” doctrine?

Answer 22

The Monophysite doctrine holds that Christ has only one nature, which is divine. The Dyophysite doctrine asserts that Christ has two natures, one divine and one human, coexisting within one person

Question 23

In the context of the Protestant Reformation, what were the main theological differences between Martin Luther and John Calvin, particularly regarding the concept of predestination?

Answer 23

Luther emphasized justification by faith alone and rejected works as necessary for salvation. Calvin developed a more detailed doctrine of predestination, known as “double predestination” which posits that God has already chosen who will be saved and who will be damned