The difference between Christians and Orthodox. Fundamental differences between Orthodoxy and Christianity

How did the separations happen?

The Orthodox Church has preserved intact the truth that the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to the apostles. But the Lord Himself warned His disciples that from among those who would be with them there would appear people who would want to distort the truth and muddy it with their own inventions: Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravenous wolves.(Matt. 7:15).

And the apostles also warned about this. For example, the Apostle Peter wrote: you will have false teachers who will introduce destructive heresies and, denying the Lord who bought them, will bring upon themselves quick destruction. And many will follow their depravity, and through them the path of truth will be reproached... Having left the straight path, they have gone astray... the darkness of eternal darkness is prepared for them(2 Pet. 2, 1-2, 15, 17).

Heresy is understood as a lie that a person follows consciously. The path that Jesus Christ opened requires dedication and effort from a person so that it becomes clear whether he really entered this path with firm intention and love for the truth. It is not enough to just call yourself a Christian; you must prove with your deeds, words and thoughts, with your whole life, that you are a Christian. He who loves the truth, for its sake, is ready to renounce all lies in his thoughts and his life, so that the truth may enter into him, cleanse and sanctify him.

But not everyone embarks on this path with pure intentions. And their subsequent life in the Church reveals their bad mood. And those who love themselves more than God fall away from the Church.

There is a sin of action - when a person violates the commandments of God by deed, and there is a sin of mind - when a person prefers his lie to the Divine truth. The second is called heresy. And among those who called themselves Christians at different times, there were both people devoted to the sin of action, and people devoted to the sin of the mind. Both people resist God. Either person, if he has made a firm choice in favor of sin, cannot remain in the Church and falls away from it. Thus, throughout history, everyone who chose sin left the Orthodox Church.

The Apostle John spoke about them: They left us, but they were not ours: for if they were ours, they would have remained with us; but they came out, and through this it was revealed that not all of us(1 Jn. 2 , 19).

Their fate is unenviable, because the Scripture says that those who surrender heresies... will not inherit the Kingdom of God(Gal. 5 , 20-21).

Precisely because a person is free, he can always make a choice and use freedom either for good, by choosing the path to God, or for evil, by choosing sin. This is the reason that false teachers arose and those who believed them more than Christ and His Church arose.

When heretics appeared, introducing lies, the holy fathers of the Orthodox Church began to explain to them their errors and called on them to abandon fiction and turn to the truth. Some, convinced by their words, were corrected, but not all. And about those who persisted in lies, the Church pronounced its judgment, testifying that they were not true followers of Christ and members of the community of the faithful founded by Him. This is how the apostolic council was fulfilled: After the first and second admonition, turn away from the heretic, knowing that such a one has become corrupted and sins, being self-condemned(Tit. 3 , 10-11).

There have been many such people in history. The most widespread and numerous of the communities they founded that have survived to this day are the Monophysite Eastern Churches (they arose in the 5th century), the Roman Catholic Church (which fell away from the Ecumenical Orthodox Church in the 11th century) and Churches that call themselves Protestant. Today we will look at how the path of Protestantism differs from the path of the Orthodox Church.

Protestantism

If any branch breaks off from a tree, then, having lost contact with the vital juices, it will inevitably begin to dry out, lose its leaves, become fragile and easily break at the first onslaught.

The same is evident in the life of all communities that separated from the Orthodox Church. Just as a broken branch cannot retain its leaves, so those who are separated from true church unity can no longer maintain their inner unity. This happens because, having left God’s family, they lose touch with the life-giving and saving power of the Holy Spirit, and that sinful desire to resist the truth and put themselves above others, which led them to fall away from the Church, continues to operate among those who have fallen away, turning already against them and leading to ever new internal divisions.

So, in the 11th century, the Local Roman Church separated from the Orthodox Church, and at the beginning of the 16th century, a significant part of the people already separated from it, following the ideas of the former Catholic priest Luther and his like-minded people. They formed their own communities, which they began to consider as the “Church”. This movement is collectively called Protestants, and their separation itself is called the Reformation.

In turn, Protestants also did not maintain internal unity, but began to divide even more into different currents and directions, each of which claimed that it was the real Church of Jesus Christ. They continue to divide to this day, and now there are already more than twenty thousand of them in the world.

Each of their directions has its own peculiarities of doctrine, which would take a long time to describe, and here we will limit ourselves to analyzing only the main features that are characteristic of all Protestant nominations and which distinguish them from the Orthodox Church.

The main reason for the emergence of Protestantism was a protest against the teachings and religious practices of the Roman Catholic Church.

As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) notes, indeed, “many misconceptions have crept into the Roman Church. Luther would have done well if, having rejected the errors of the Latins, he had replaced these errors with the true teaching of the Holy Church of Christ; but he replaced them with his own errors; Some of Rome’s misconceptions, very important ones, were fully followed, and some were strengthened.” “The Protestants rebelled against the ugly power and divinity of the popes; but since they acted on the impulse of passions, drowning in depravity, and not with the direct goal of striving for the holy Truth, they did not turn out to be worthy to see it.”

They abandoned the erroneous idea that the Pope is the head of the Church, but retained the Catholic error that the Holy Spirit comes from the Father and the Son.

Scripture

Protestants formulated the principle: “Scripture only,” which means that they recognize only the Bible as its authority, and they reject the Holy Tradition of the Church.

And in this they contradict themselves, because the Holy Scripture itself indicates the need to honor the Holy Tradition coming from the apostles: stand and keep the traditions that you were taught either by word or by our message(2 Thess. 2 , 15), writes the Apostle Paul.

If a person writes some text and distributes it to different people, and then asks them to explain how they understood it, then it will probably turn out that someone understood the text correctly, and someone incorrectly, putting their own meaning into these words. It is known that any text has possible different variants understanding. They may be true, or they may be wrong. The same is true with the text of Holy Scripture, if we tear it away from Holy Tradition. Indeed, Protestants think that Scripture should be understood the way anyone wants. But this approach cannot help to find the truth.

Here is how Saint Nicholas of Japan wrote about this: “Japanese Protestants sometimes come to me and ask me to explain some passage of Holy Scripture. “But you have your own missionary teachers—ask them,” I tell them. “What do they answer?” - “We asked them, they say: understand as you know; but I need to know the true thought of God, and not my personal opinion”... It’s not like that with us, everything is light and reliable, clear and solid - because we are apart from the Sacred We also accept the Holy Tradition from the Scriptures, and the Holy Tradition is the living, uninterrupted voice... of our Church from the time of Christ and His Apostles to this day, which will be until the end of the world. The whole of Holy Scripture is based on it.”

The Apostle Peter himself testifies that no prophecy in Scripture can be resolved by oneself, for prophecy was never pronounced by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke it, being moved by the Holy Spirit(2 Pet. 1 , 20-21). Accordingly, only holy fathers, moved by the same Holy Spirit, can reveal to man a true understanding of the Word of God.

Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition form one inseparable whole, and have been so from the very beginning.

Not in writing, but orally, the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to the apostles how to understand the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament (Luke 24:27), and they taught the same thing orally to the first Orthodox Christians. Protestants want to imitate the early apostolic communities in their structure, but in the early years the early Christians had no New Testament scriptures at all, and everything was passed on from mouth to mouth, like tradition.

The Bible was given by God for the Orthodox Church; it was in accordance with the Holy Tradition that the Orthodox Church at its Councils approved the composition of the Bible; it was the Orthodox Church, long before the appearance of Protestants, that lovingly preserved the Holy Scriptures in its communities.

Protestants, using the Bible, which was not written by them, not collected by them, not preserved by them, reject the Holy Tradition, and thereby close to themselves the true understanding of the Word of God. Therefore, they often argue about the Bible and often come up with their own, human traditions that have no connection either with the apostles or with the Holy Spirit, and fall, according to the word of the apostle, into empty deception, according to human tradition..., and not according to Christ(Col. 2:8).

Sacraments

Protestants rejected the priesthood and sacred rites, not believing that God could act through them, and even if they left something similar, it was only the name, believing that these were only symbols and reminders of those left in the past historical events, and not a holy reality in itself. Instead of bishops and priests, they got themselves pastors who have no connection with the apostles, no succession of grace, as in the Orthodox Church, where every bishop and priest has the blessing of God, which can be traced from our days to Jesus Christ Himself. The Protestant pastor is only a speaker and administrator of the life of the community.

As Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov) says, “Luther... passionately rejecting the lawless power of the popes, rejected the legal one, rejected the episcopal rank itself, the consecration itself, despite the fact that the establishment of both belonged to the apostles themselves... rejected the Sacrament of Confession, although all Holy Scripture testifies that it is impossible to receive remission of sins without confessing them.” Protestants also rejected other sacred rites.

Veneration of the Virgin Mary and saints

The Most Holy Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the human race of the Lord Jesus Christ, prophetically said: from now on all generations will please Me(OK. 1 , 48). This was said about the true followers of Christ - Orthodox Christians. And indeed, from then until now, from generation to generation, all Orthodox Christians have revered Holy Mother of God Virgin Mary. But Protestants do not want to honor and please her, contrary to Scripture.

The Virgin Mary, like all the saints, that is, people who have walked to the end along the path of salvation opened by Christ, have united with God and are always in harmony with Him.

The Mother of God and all the saints became the closest and most beloved friends of God. Even a person, if his beloved friend asks him for something, will definitely try to fulfill it, and God also willingly listens and quickly fulfills the requests of the saints. It is known that even during his earthly life, when they asked, He certainly responded. So, for example, at the request of the Mother, He helped the poor newlyweds and performed a miracle at the feast to save them from shame (John 2:1-11).

Scripture reports that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living, for with Him all are alive(Luke 20:38). Therefore, after death, people do not disappear without a trace, but their living souls are maintained by God, and those who are holy retain the opportunity to communicate with Him. And Scripture directly says that departed saints turn to God with requests and He hears them (see: Rev. 6:9-10). Therefore, Orthodox Christians venerate the Most Holy Virgin Mary and other saints and turn to them with requests that they intercede with God on our behalf. Experience shows that many healings, deliverances from death and other help are received by those who resort to their prayerful intercession.

For example, in 1395, the great Mongol commander Tamerlane with a huge army went to Russia to capture and destroy its cities, including the capital, Moscow. The Russians did not have enough strength to resist such an army. Orthodox residents of Moscow began to earnestly ask the Most Holy Theotokos to pray to God to save them from the impending disaster. And so, one morning Tamerlane unexpectedly announced to his military leaders that they needed to turn the army around and go back. And when asked about the reason, he answered that at night in a dream he saw a great mountain, on the top of which stood a beautiful shining woman, who ordered him to leave the Russian lands. And, although Tamerlane was not an Orthodox Christian, out of fear and respect for the holiness and spiritual power of the appeared Virgin Mary, he submitted to Her.

Prayers for the dead

Those Orthodox Christians who during their lifetime were unable to overcome sin and become saints do not disappear after death either, but they themselves need our prayers. Therefore, the Orthodox Church prays for the dead, believing that through these prayers the Lord sends relief for the posthumous fate of our deceased loved ones. But Protestants do not want to admit this either, and refuse to pray for the dead.

Posts

The Lord Jesus Christ, speaking about his followers, said: the days will come when the Bridegroom will be taken away from them, and then they will fast in those days(Mark 2:20).

The Lord Jesus Christ was taken away from His disciples the first time on Wednesday, when Judas betrayed Him and the villains captured Him to take Him to trial, and the second time on Friday, when the villains crucified Him on the Cross. Therefore, in fulfillment of the words of the Savior, Orthodox Christians have observed fasting every Wednesday and Friday since ancient times, abstaining for the sake of the Lord from eating animal products, as well as various kinds entertainment.

The Lord Jesus Christ fasted for forty days and nights (see: Matt. 4:2), setting an example for His disciples (see: John 13:15). And the apostles, as the Bible says, with worshiped the Lord and fasted(Acts 13:2). Therefore, Orthodox Christians, in addition to one-day fasts, also have multi-day fasts, of which the main one is Lent.

Protestants deny fasting and fast days.

Sacred images

Anyone who wants to worship the true God should not worship false gods, which are either invented by people or by those spirits who have fallen away from God and become evil. These evil spirits often appeared to people in order to mislead them and distract them from worshiping the true God to worship themselves.

However, having commanded the construction of the temple, the Lord, even in these ancient times, also commanded that images of cherubim be made in it (see: Ex. 25, 18-22) - spirits who remained faithful to God and became holy angels. Therefore, from the very first times, Orthodox Christians made sacred images of saints united with the Lord. In the ancients underground catacombs, where in the 2nd-3rd centuries Christians persecuted by pagans gathered for prayer and sacred rites, they depicted the Virgin Mary, the apostles, and scenes from the Gospel. These ancient sacred images have survived to this day. In the same way, in modern churches of the Orthodox Church there are the same sacred images, icons. When looking at them, it is easier for a person to ascend in soul to prototype, concentrate your efforts on prayer appeal to him. After such prayers in front of holy icons, God often sends help to people, and miraculous healings often occur. In particular, Orthodox Christians prayed for deliverance from Tamerlane’s army in 1395 at one of the icons of the Mother of God - the Vladimir icon.

However, Protestants, due to their error, reject the veneration of sacred images, not understanding the difference between them and between idols. This stems from their erroneous understanding of the Bible, as well as from the corresponding spiritual mood - after all, only someone who does not understand the difference between a saint and an evil spirit can fail to notice the fundamental difference between the image of a saint and the image of an evil spirit. evil spirit.

Other differences

Protestants believe that if a person recognizes Jesus Christ as God and Savior, then he already becomes saved and holy, and no special works are needed for this. And Orthodox Christians, following the Apostle James, believe that Faith, if it does not have works, is dead in itself(James 2 , 17). And the Savior Himself said: Not everyone who says to Me: “Lord! Lord!” will enter the Kingdom of Heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in Heaven(Matt. 7:21). This means, according to Orthodox Christians, that it is necessary to fulfill the commandments that express the will of the Father, and thus prove one’s faith by deeds.

Also, Protestants do not have monasticism or monasteries, but Orthodox Christians do. The monks work zealously to fulfill all the commandments of Christ. And in addition, they take three additional vows for the sake of God: a vow of celibacy, a vow of non-covetousness (not having their own property) and a vow of obedience to a spiritual leader. In this they imitate the Apostle Paul, who was celibate, non-covetous and completely obedient to the Lord. The monastic path is considered higher and more glorious than the path of a layman - a family man, but a layman can also be saved and become a saint. Among the apostles of Christ there were also married people, namely, the apostles Peter and Philip.

When Saint Nicholas of Japan was asked at the end of the 19th century why, although the Orthodox in Japan have only two missionaries, and the Protestants have six hundred, nevertheless, more Japanese converted to Orthodoxy than to Protestantism, he replied: “It’s not about the people, but in teaching. If a Japanese, before accepting Christianity, thoroughly studies it and compares it: in the Catholic mission he recognizes Catholicism, in the Protestant mission he recognizes Protestantism, we have our teaching, then, as far as I know, he always accepts Orthodoxy.<...>What is this? Yes, that in Orthodoxy the teaching of Christ is kept pure and whole; We did not add anything to it, like Catholics, and did not subtract anything, like Protestants.”

Indeed, Orthodox Christians are convinced, as Saint Theophan the Recluse says, of this immutable truth: “What God has revealed and what He has commanded, nothing should be added to it, nor anything taken away from it. This applies to Catholics and Protestants. Those are adding everything, but these are subtracting... The Catholics have muddied the apostolic tradition. The Protestants set out to correct the matter - and made it even worse. Catholics have one pope, but Protestants have one pope, no matter the Protestant.”

Therefore, everyone who is truly interested in the truth, and not in their own thoughts, both in past centuries and in our time, certainly finds their way to the Orthodox Church, and often, even without any effort from Orthodox Christians, God Himself leads such people to the truth. As an example, here are two stories that happened recently, the participants and witnesses of which are still alive.

US case

In the 1960s in the American state of California, in the cities of Ben Lomon and Santa Barbara large group young Protestants came to the conclusion that all the Protestant Churches known to them cannot be the real Church, since they assume that after the Apostles the Church of Christ disappeared, and it was supposedly revived only in the 16th century by Luther and other leaders of Protestantism. But such a thought contradicts the words of Christ that the gates of hell will not prevail against his Church. And then these young people began to study the historical books of Christians, from the earliest antiquity, from the first century to the second, then to the third, and so on, tracing the continuous history of the Church founded by Christ and His apostles. And so, thanks to their many years of research, these young Americans themselves became convinced that such a Church is the Orthodox Church, although none of the Orthodox Christians communicated with them or instilled in them such thoughts, but the history of Christianity itself testified to them this truth. And then they came into contact with the Orthodox Church in 1974, all of them, more than two thousand people, accepted Orthodoxy.

Case in Benin

Another story happened in West Africa, in Benin. In this country there were no Orthodox Christians at all, most of the inhabitants were pagans, a few professed Islam, and some were Catholics or Protestants.

One of them, a man named Optat Bekhanzin, suffered a misfortune in 1969: his five-year-old son Eric became seriously ill and suffered from paralysis. Bekhanzin took his son to the hospital, but doctors said that the boy could not be cured. Then the grief-stricken father turned to his Protestant “Church” and began attending prayer meetings in the hope that God would heal his son. But these prayers were fruitless. After this, Optat gathered some close people at his home, persuading them to pray together to Jesus Christ for Eric’s healing. And after their prayer a miracle happened: the boy was healed; it strengthened the small community. Subsequently, more and more miraculous healings occurred through their prayers to God. Therefore everything went to them more people- both Catholics and Protestants.

In 1975, the community decided to form itself as an independent church, and the believers decided to pray and fast intensely in order to find out the will of God. And at that moment, Eric Bekhanzin, who was already eleven years old, received a revelation: when asked what they should call their church community, God answered: “My Church is called the Orthodox Church.” This greatly surprised the Benin people, because none of them, including Eric himself, had ever heard of the existence of such a Church, and they did not even know the word “Orthodox.” However, they called their community the "Orthodox Church of Benin", and only twelve years later were they able to meet Orthodox Christians. And when they learned about the real Orthodox Church, which has been called that way since ancient times and dates back to the apostles, they all together, consisting of more than 2,500 people, converted to the Orthodox Church. This is how the Lord responds to the requests of all who truly seek the path of holiness leading to the truth, and brings such a person to His Church.

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). The concept of heresy and schism.

St. Hilarion. Christianity or Church.

Saint Ignatius (Brianchaninov). Lutheranism.

How is Catholicism different from Orthodoxy? When did the division of the Churches occur and why did this happen? How should an Orthodox person react to all this correctly? We tell you the most important things.

The separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism is a great tragedy in the history of the Church

The division of the United Christian Church into Orthodoxy and Catholicism happened almost a thousand years ago - in 1054.

The One Church consisted, as the Orthodox Church still does, of many local Churches. This means that the Churches, for example, the Russian Orthodox or the Greek Orthodox, have some external differences in themselves (in the architecture of churches; singing; the language of services; and even in how certain parts of the services are conducted), but they are united in the main doctrinal issues, and there is Eucharistic communion between them. That is, a Russian Orthodox can receive communion and confess in a Greek Orthodox church and vice versa.

According to the Creed, the Church is one, because the head of the Church is Christ. This means that there cannot be several Churches on earth that would have different creed. And it was precisely because of disagreements in doctrinal issues that in the 11th century there was a division into Catholicism and Orthodoxy. As a consequence of this, Catholics cannot receive communion and confession in Orthodox churches and vice versa.

Catholic Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception Holy Virgin Maria in Moscow. Photo: catedra.ru

What are the differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism?

Today there are a lot of them. And they are conventionally divided into three types.

1. Doctrinal differences- because of which, in fact, the split occurred. For example, the dogma of the infallibility of the Pope among Catholics.
2. Ritual differences. For example, Catholics have a different form of Communion from us or the vow of celibacy (celibacy) that is obligatory for Catholic priests. That is, we have fundamentally different approaches to some aspects of the Sacraments and Church life and they may complicate the hypothetical reunification of Catholics and Orthodox. But they were not the reason for the split and they are not the ones preventing us from reuniting again.
3. Conditional differences in traditions. For example - org A we are in temples; benches in the middle of the church; priests with or without beards; different shape priests' vestments. In other words, external features that do not at all affect the unity of the Church - since some similar differences are found even within the Orthodox Church in different countries. In general, if the difference between Orthodox and Catholics were only in them, the United Church would never have been divided.

The division between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, which occurred in the 11th century, became for the Church, first of all, a tragedy, which was and is acutely experienced by both “us” and Catholics. Over the course of a thousand years, attempts at reunification were made several times. However, none of them turned out to be truly viable - and we will also talk about this below.

What is the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy - why did the Church actually divide?

Western and Eastern Christian Churches - such a division has always existed. The Western Church is conditionally the territory of modern Western Europe, and later - all the colonized countries of Latin America. The Eastern Church is the territory of modern Greece, Palestine, Syria, and Eastern Europe.

However, the division we are talking about was conditional for many centuries. Too different peoples and civilizations inhabit the Earth, so it is natural that the same teaching in different parts of the Earth and countries could have some characteristic external forms and traditions. For example, the Eastern Church (the one that became Orthodox) has always practiced a more contemplative and mystical lifestyle. It was in the East in the 3rd century that the phenomenon of monasticism arose, which then spread throughout the world. The Latin (Western) Church has always had an image of Christianity that is outwardly more active and “social.”

In the main doctrinal truths they remained common.

Venerable Anthony the Great, founder of monasticism

Perhaps disagreements that later became insurmountable could have been noticed much earlier and “agreeed upon.” But in those days there was no Internet, there were no trains and cars. Churches (not only Western and Eastern, but simply separate dioceses) sometimes existed on their own for decades and rooted certain views within themselves. Therefore, the differences that caused the division of the Church into Catholicism and Orthodoxy turned out to be too deep-rooted at the time of the “decision making”.

This is what the Orthodox cannot accept in Catholic teaching.

• the infallibility of the Pope and the doctrine of the primacy of the Roman throne
• changing the text of the Creed
• doctrine of purgatory

Papal infallibility in Catholicism

Each church has its own primate - head. In Orthodox Churches this is the patriarch. The head of the Western Church (or the Latin Cathedra, as it is also called) was the pope, who now presides over the Catholic Church.

The Catholic Church believes that the Pope is infallible. This means that any judgment, decision or opinion that he voices before the flock is the truth and law for the entire Church.

The current Pope is Francis

According to Orthodox teaching, no person can be higher than the Church. For example, an Orthodox patriarch, if his decisions go against the teachings of the Church or deep-rooted traditions, may well be deprived of his rank by decision of a council of bishops (as happened, for example, with Patriarch Nikon in the 17th century).

In addition to the infallibility of the pope, in Catholicism there is a doctrine of the primacy of the Roman throne (Church). Catholics base this teaching on an incorrect interpretation of the words of the Lord in a conversation with the apostles in Caesarea Philippi - about the alleged superiority of the Apostle Peter (who later “founded” the Latin Church) over the other apostles.

(Matt 16:15–19) “He says to them: Who do you say that I am? Simon Peter answered and said: You are the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Then Jesus answered and said to him, Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven; and I say to you: you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it; And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”.

You can read more about the dogma of papal infallibility and the primacy of the Roman throne.

The difference between Orthodox and Catholics: the text of the Creed

The different text of the Creed is another reason for the disagreement between Orthodox and Catholics - although the difference is only one word.

The Creed is a prayer that was formulated in the 4th century at the First and Second Ecumenical Councils, and it put an end to many doctrinal disputes. It states everything that Christians believe.

What is the difference between the texts of Catholics and Orthodox? We say that we believe “And in the Holy Spirit who proceeds from the Father,” and Catholics add: “...from “the Father and the Son who proceeds...”.”

In fact, the addition of just this one word “And the Son...” (Filioque) significantly distorts the image of the entire Christian teaching.

The topic is theological, difficult, and it’s better to read about it right away, at least on Wikipedia.

The doctrine of purgatory is another difference between Catholics and Orthodox

Catholics believe in the existence of purgatory, but Orthodox Christians say that nowhere - not in any of the books of the Holy Scriptures of the Old or New Testaments, and even in none of the books of the Holy Fathers of the first centuries - is there any mention of purgatory.

It is difficult to say how this teaching arose among Catholics. However, now the Catholic Church fundamentally proceeds from the fact that after death there is not only the Kingdom of Heaven and hell, but also a place (or rather, a state) in which the soul of a person who died in peace with God finds himself, but is not holy enough to find himself in Paradise. These souls, apparently, will definitely come to the Kingdom of Heaven, but first they need to undergo purification.

Orthodox Christians view the afterlife differently than Catholics. There is Heaven, there is hell. There are ordeals after death in order to strengthen oneself in peace with God (or to fall away from Him). There is a need to pray for the dead. But there is no purgatory.

These are the three reasons why the difference between Catholics and Orthodox is so fundamental that a division of the Churches arose a thousand years ago.

At the same time, over 1000 years of separate existence, a number of other differences arose (or took root), which are also considered to be what distinguishes us from each other. Something concerns external rituals - and this may seem to be quite a serious difference - and something concerns external traditions that Christianity acquired here and there.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism: differences that don't really separate us

Catholics receive communion differently than we do - is that true?

Orthodox Christians partake of the Body and Blood of Christ from the chalice. Until recently, Catholics received communion not with leavened bread, but with unleavened bread - that is, unleavened bread. Moreover, ordinary parishioners, unlike clergy, received communion only with the Body of Christ.

Before talking about why this happened, it should be noted that this form of Catholic Communion in Lately no longer the only one. Now in Catholic churches other forms of this Sacrament also appear - including the “familiar” one for us: Body and Blood from the chalice.

And the tradition of Communion, different from ours, arose in Catholicism for two reasons:

1. Regarding the use of unleavened bread: Catholics proceed from the fact that in the time of Christ, Jews at Easter did not break leavened bread, but unleavened bread. (The Orthodox proceed from the Greek texts of the New Testament, where, when describing the Last Supper, which the Lord celebrated with his disciples, the word “artos” is used, meaning leavened bread)
2. Regarding parishioners receiving Communion only with the Body: Catholics proceed from the fact that Christ abides equally and fully in any of the parts of the Blessed Sacrament, and not only when they are united. (The Orthodox are guided by the text of the New Testament, where Christ directly speaks about His Body and Blood. Matthew 26:26–28: “ And while they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take, eat: this is My Body.” And taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them and said, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”»).

They sit in Catholic churches

Generally speaking, this is not even a difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy, since in some Orthodox countries- for example, in Bulgaria - it is also customary to sit, and in many churches there you can also see a lot of benches and chairs.

There are many benches, but this is not Catholic, but Orthodox church- in NYC.

There is an org in Catholic churches A n

An organ is a part musical accompaniment services. Music is one of the integral parts of the service, because if it were otherwise, there would be no choir, and the entire service would be read. Another thing is that we Orthodox Christians are now accustomed to just singing.

In many Latin countries, an organ was also installed in churches, because it was considered a divine instrument - its sound was so sublime and unearthly.

(At the same time, the possibility of using the organ in Orthodox worship was also discussed in Russia at the Local Council of 1917-1918. A supporter of this instrument was the famous church composer Alexander Grechaninov.)

Vow of celibacy among Catholic priests (Celibacy)

In Orthodoxy, a priest can be either a monk or a married priest. We are quite detailed.

In Catholicism, any clergyman is bound by a vow of celibacy.

Catholic priests shave their beards

This is another example of different traditions, and not of any fundamental differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Whether a person has a beard or not does not in any way affect his holiness and does not say anything about him as a good or bad Christian. It’s just that in Western countries it has been customary for some time to shave the beard (most likely, this is the influence of the Latin culture of Ancient Rome).

Nowadays no one forbids shaving beards and Orthodox priests. It’s just that a beard on a priest or monk is such an ingrained tradition among us that breaking it can become a “temptation” for others, and therefore few priests decide to do it or even think about it.

Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh is one of the most famous Orthodox pastors XX century. For some time he served without a beard.

Duration of services and severity of fasts

It so happened that over the past 100 years the Church life of Catholics has become significantly “simplified” - so to speak. The duration of services has been shortened, fasts have become simpler and shorter (for example, before communion it is enough not to eat food for only a few hours). Thus, the Catholic Church tried to reduce the gap between itself and the secular part of society - fearing that excessive strictness of the rules might scare away modern people. Whether this helped or not is difficult to say.

The Orthodox Church, in its views on the severity of fasts and external rituals, proceeds from the following:

Of course, the world has changed a lot and it will now be impossible for most people to live as strictly as possible. However, the memory of the Rules and strict ascetic life is still important. “By mortifying the flesh, we free the spirit.” And we must not forget about this - at least as an ideal to which we must strive in the depths of our souls. And if this “measure” disappears, then how to maintain the required “bar”?

This is only a small part of the external traditional differences that have developed between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

However, it is important to know what unites our Churches:

• Availability Church Sacraments(communion, confession, baptism, etc.)
• veneration of the Holy Trinity
• veneration of the Mother of God
• veneration of icons
• veneration of holy saints and their relics
• common saints for the first ten centuries of the Church's existence
• Holy Bible

In February 2016, the first ever meeting between the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church and the Pope (Francis) took place in Cuba. An event of historical proportions, but there was no talk of the unification of the Churches.

Orthodoxy and Catholicism - attempts to unite (Union)

The separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism is a great tragedy in the history of the Church, which is acutely experienced by both Orthodox and Catholics.

Several times over 1000 years, attempts were made to overcome the schism. The so-called Unions were concluded three times - between the Catholic Church and representatives of the Orthodox Church. They all had the following in common:

• They were concluded primarily for political rather than religious reasons.
• Each time these were “concessions” on the part of the Orthodox. As a rule, in the following form: the external form and language of the services remained familiar to the Orthodox, but in all dogmatic disagreements the Catholic interpretation was taken.
• Having been signed by some bishops, they were, as a rule, rejected by the rest of the Orthodox Church - the clergy and the people, and therefore turned out to be essentially unviable. The exception is the last Union of Brest-Litovsk.

These are the three Unions:

Union of Lyons (1274)

She was supported by the emperor of Orthodox Byzantium, since unification with Catholics was supposed to help restore the shaken financial position empires. The union was signed, but the people of Byzantium and the rest of the Orthodox clergy did not support it.

Ferraro-Florentine Union (1439)

Both sides were equally politically interested in this Union, since the Christian states were weakened by wars and enemies (the Latin states - by the crusades, Byzantium - by the confrontation with the Turks, Rus' - by the Tatar-Mongols) and the unification of states on religious grounds would probably help , everyone.

The situation repeated itself: the Union was signed (although not by all representatives of the Orthodox Church who were present at the council), but it remained, in fact, on paper - the people did not support the unification on such conditions.

Suffice it to say that the first “Uniate” service was performed in the capital of Byzantium in Constantinople only in 1452. And less than a year later it was captured by the Turks...

Union of Brest (1596)

This Union was concluded between Catholics and the Orthodox Church of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth (the state that then united the Lithuanian and Polish principalities).

The only example where the union of Churches turned out to be viable - albeit within the framework of just one state. The rules are the same: all services, rituals and language remain familiar to the Orthodox, however, at the services it is not the patriarch who is commemorated, but the pope; The text of the Creed is changed and the doctrine of purgatory is accepted.

After the division of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth, part of its territories was ceded to Russia - and along with it a number of Uniate parishes were ceded. Despite the persecution, they continued to exist until the middle of the 20th century, until they were officially banned by the Soviet government.

Today on the territory Western Ukraine There are Uniate parishes in the Baltic States and Belarus.

The separation of Orthodoxy and Catholicism: how to deal with this?

We would like to give a short quote from the letters of Orthodox Bishop Hilarion (Troitsky), who died in the first half of the 20th century. Being a zealous defender of Orthodox dogmas, he nevertheless writes:

“Unfortunate historical circumstances tore the West away from the Church. Over the centuries, the church's perception of Christianity has gradually become distorted in the West. The teaching has changed, life has changed, the very understanding of life has retreated from the Church. We [the Orthodox] have preserved the church's wealth. But instead of lending to others from this unexpendable wealth, we ourselves in some areas still fell under the influence of the West with its theology alien to the Church.” (Letter five. Orthodoxy in the West)

And here is what Saint Theophan the Recluse answered to one woman a century earlier when she asked: “Father, explain to me: none of the Catholics will be saved?”

The saint replied: “I don’t know whether Catholics will be saved, but I know one thing for sure: that without Orthodoxy I myself will not be saved.”

This answer and the quote from Hilarion (Troitsky) perhaps very accurately indicate that correct attitude Orthodox man to such a misfortune as the division of the Churches.

Read this and other posts in our group at

Orthodoxy is not Christianity. How historical myths appeared

The Greek-Catholic Orthodox (Right Faithful) Church (now the Russian Orthodox Church) began to be called Orthodox Slavic only on September 8, 1943 (approved by Stalin’s decree in 1945). What then was called Orthodoxy for several millennia?

“In our time, in modern Russian vernacular in official, scientific and religious designation, the term “Orthodoxy” is applied to anything related to the ethnocultural tradition and it is necessarily associated with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Christian religion ( Judeo-Christian religion – ed.).

To a simple question: “What is Orthodoxy,” any modern person, without hesitation, will answer that Orthodoxy is the Christian faith that has been accepted Kievan Rus during the reign of Prince Vladimir the Red Sun from the Byzantine Empire in 988 AD. And that Orthodoxy, i.e. The Christian faith has existed on Russian soil for more than a thousand years. Historical scientists and Christian theologians, in support of their words, declare that the earliest use of the word Orthodoxy on the territory of Rus' is recorded in the “Sermon on Law and Grace” of the 1037-1050s of Metropolitan Hilarion.

But was it really so?

We advise you to carefully read the preamble to federal law on freedom of conscience and religious associations, adopted on September 26, 1997. Please note the following points in the preamble: “Recognizing the special role Orthodoxy in Russia...and further respecting Christianity , Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and other religions..."

Thus, the concepts of Orthodoxy and Christianity are not identical and carry within them completely different concepts and meanings.

Orthodoxy. How historical myths appeared

It is worth thinking about who participated in the seven councils of Christian ( Judeo-Christian - ed.) churches? Orthodox holy fathers or still Orthodox holy fathers, as indicated in the original Word on Law and Grace? Who and when made the decision to replace one concept with another? And was there ever any mention of Orthodoxy in the past?

The answer to this question was given by the Byzantine monk Belisarius in 532 AD. Long before the baptism of Rus', this is what he wrote in his Chronicles about the Slavs and their ritual of visiting the bathhouse: “Orthodox Slovenians and Rusyns are wild people, and their life is wild and godless, men and girls lock themselves together in a hot, heated hut and wear out their bodies... »

We will not pay attention to the fact that for the monk Belisarius the usual visit to the bathhouse by the Slavs seemed something wild and incomprehensible; this is quite natural. Something else is important for us. Pay attention to how he called the Slavs: Orthodox Slovenians and Rusyns.

For this one phrase alone we must express our gratitude to him. Since with this phrase the Byzantine monk Belisarius confirms that the Slavs were Orthodox for many hundreds ( thousands – ed.) years before their conversion to Christianity ( Judeo-Christian – ed..) faith.

The Slavs were called Orthodox because they RIGHT was praised.

What is "RIGHT"?

Our ancestors believed that reality, the cosmos, is divided into three levels. And this is also very similar to the Indian division system: Upper world, Middle World and Lower World.

In Rus' these three levels were called:

>The highest level is the level of Government orEdit.

>The second, middle level isReality.

>And lowest level- ThisNav. Nav or Non-reality, unmanifested.

>Peace Ruleis a world where everything is right orideal higher world.This is a world where ideal beings with higher consciousness live.

> Reality- this is ours, the manifest, obvious world, the world of people.

>And peace Navi or do not appear, unmanifest is the negative, unmanifested or lower or posthumous world.

The Indian Vedas also speak of the existence of three worlds:

>The upper world is a world where energy dominates goodness.

>The middle world is covered passion.

>The lower world is immersed in ignorance

Christians have no such division. The Bible is silent about this.

Such a similar understanding of the world gives similar motivation in life, i.e. it is necessary to strive for the world of Rule or Goodness. And in order to get into the world of Rule, you need to do everything correctly, i.e. according to God's law.

Words such as “truth” come from the root “rule.” Is it true- what gives the right. “Yes” is “to give,” and “rule” is “highest.” So, “truth” is what gives the truth. Control. Correction. Government. Right Not right. Those. The roots of all these words are this “right”. “Right” or “rule”, i.e. highest beginning. Those. The point is that real management should be based on the concept of Rule or supreme reality. And real governance should spiritually elevate those who follow the ruler, leading his wards along the paths of rule.

>Details in the article:Philosophical and cultural similarities of Ancient Rus' and Ancient India" .

Substitution of the name "Orthodoxy" is not "Orthodoxy"

The question is, who and when on Russian soil decided to replace the terms orthodoxy with Orthodoxy?

This happened in the 17th century, when Moscow Patriarch Nikon instituted church reform. The main goal of this reform by Nikon was not to change the rituals of the Christian Church, as it is interpreted now, where everything supposedly comes down to replacing the two-fingered sign of the cross with a three-fingered one and walking the procession in the other direction. The main goal of the reform was the destruction of dual faith on Russian soil.

Nowadays, few people know that before the reign of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich in Muscovy, dual faith existed on Russian lands. In other words, the common people professed not only orthodoxy, i.e. Greek Rite Christianity, which came from Byzantium, but also the old pre-Christian faith of their ancestors ORTHODOXY. This was what most worried Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich Romanov and his spiritual mentor, Christian Patriarch Nikon, for the Orthodox Old Believers lived by their own principles and did not recognize any authority over themselves.

Patriarch Nikon decided to put an end to dual faith very in an original way. To do this, under the guise of reform in the church, allegedly due to the discrepancy between the Greek and Slavic texts, he ordered to rewrite all liturgical books, replacing the phrases “orthodox Christian faith” with “Orthodox Christian faith.” In the Chetiy Menaia that have survived to this day, we can see the old version of the entry “Orthodox Christian Faith.” This was Nikon’s very interesting approach to the matter of reform.

Firstly, there was no need to rewrite many ancient Slavic, as they said then, charati books, or chronicles, which described the victories and achievements of pre-Christian Orthodoxy.

Secondly, life during the times of dual faith and the very original meaning of Orthodoxy were erased from the memory of the people, because after such a church reform, any text from liturgical books or ancient chronicles could be interpreted as the beneficial influence of Christianity on Russian lands. In addition, the patriarch sent out a reminder to Moscow churches about using the three-finger sign of the cross instead of the two-finger sign.

Thus began the reform, as well as the protest against it, which led to a church schism. The protest against Nikon's church reforms was organized by the patriarch's former comrades, archpriests Avvakum Petrov and Ivan Neronov. They pointed out to the patriarch the arbitrariness of his actions, and then in 1654 he organized a Council at which, as a result of pressure on the participants, he sought to carry out a book review of ancient Greek and Slavic manuscripts. However, for Nikon, the comparison was not with the old rituals, but with the modern Greek practice of that time. All the actions of Patriarch Nikon led to the fact that the church split into two warring parts.

Supporters of the old traditions accused Nikon of a trilingual heresy and indulgence in paganism, as Christians called Orthodoxy, that is, the old pre-Christian faith. The split spread throughout the country. This led to the fact that in 1667 a large Moscow council condemned and deposed Nikon, and anathematized all opponents of the reforms. Since then, adherents of new liturgical traditions began to be called Nikonians, and adherents of old rituals and traditions began to be called schismatics and persecuted. The confrontation between the Nikonians and the schismatics at times led to armed clashes until the tsarist troops came out on the side of the Nikonians. To avoid large-scale religious war Some of the higher clergy of the Moscow Patriarchate condemned some provisions of Nikon’s reforms.

In liturgical practices and government documents the term Credibility began to be used again. For example, let us turn to the spiritual regulations of Peter the Great: “...And as a Christian Sovereign, he is the guardian of orthodoxy and all piety in the Holy Church...”

As we see, even in the 18th century, Peter the Great was called the Christian sovereign, the guardian of Orthodoxy and piety. But there is not a word about Orthodoxy in this document. It is not in the editions of the Spiritual Regulations of 1776-1856.

Education of the Russian Orthodox Church

Based on this, the question arises: when did the term Orthodoxy begin to be officially used by the Christian Church?

The fact is that in the Russian Empire did not have Russian Orthodox Church. The Christian Church existed under a different name - “Russian Greek Catholic Church”. Or as it was also called “Russian Orthodox Church of the Greek Rite”.

Christian church called The Russian Orthodox Church appeared during the reign of the Bolsheviks.

At the beginning of 1945, by order of Joseph Stalin in Moscow under the leadership responsible persons a local council was held from the State Security of the USSR Russian church and a new Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus' was chosen.

It should be mentioned that many Christian priests, those who did not recognize the power of the Bolsheviks left Russia and beyond its borders they continue to profess Christianity of the Eastern Rite and call their church nothing more than Russian Orthodox Church or Russian Orthodox Church.

In order to finally move away from well crafted historical myth and to find out what the word Orthodoxy really meant in ancient times, let us turn to those people who still keep the old faith of their ancestors.

Having received their education in Soviet times, these pundits either do not know or carefully try to hide from ordinary people, that even in ancient times, long before the birth of Christianity, Orthodoxy existed in the Slavic lands. It covered not only the basic concept when our wise ancestors glorified the Rule. And the deep essence of Orthodoxy was much larger and more voluminous than it seems today.

The figurative meaning of this word also included the concept of when our ancestors The right was praised. But it was not Roman law or Greek law, but ours, our native Slavic law.

It included:

>Clan Law, based on the ancient cultural traditions, laws and foundations of the Family;

>Communal law, creating mutual understanding between various Slavic clans living together in one small settlement;

>Copper law that regulated the interaction between communities living in large settlements, which were cities;

>Vese law, which determined the relationships between communities living in different cities and settlements within the same Vesi, i.e. within one area of ​​settlement and residence;

>Veche law, which was adopted at a general gathering of all the people and was observed by all clans of the Slavic community.

Any Right from the Tribal to the Veche was organized on the basis of the ancient Laws, the culture and foundations of the Family, as well as on the basis of the ancient commandments Slavic gods and instructions of ancestors. This was our native Slavic Right.

Our wise ancestors commanded to preserve it, and we preserve it. Since ancient times, our ancestors glorified the Rule and we continue to glorify the Rule, and we preserve our Slavic Right and pass it on from generation to generation.

Therefore, we and our ancestors were, are and will be Orthodox.

Substitution on Wikipedia

Modern interpretation of the term ORTHODOX = Orthodox, appeared on Wikipedia only after this resource switched to funding from the UK government. In fact, Orthodoxy is translated as rightVerie, Orthodox is translated as orthodox.

Either, Wikipedia, continuing the idea of ​​​​the “identity” Orthodoxy = Orthodoxy, should call Muslims and Jews Orthodox (for the terms Orthodox Muslim or Orthodox Jew are found throughout world literature) or still admit that Orthodoxy = Orthodoxy and in no way relates to Orthodoxy, just like the Christian Church Eastern rite, called since 1945 - the Russian Orthodox Church.

Orthodoxy is not a religion, not Christianity, but a faith

Any Indian follower Vedanta knows that his religion, together with the Aryans, came from Rus'. And modern Russian is their ancient Sanskrit. It’s just that in India it changed to Hindi, but in Russia it remained the same. Therefore, Indian Vedism is not fully Russian Vedism.

Russian nicknames of gods Vyshen (Rod) And Kryshen (Yar, Christ) became the names of Indian gods Vishnu And Krishna. The Encyclopedia is cunningly silent about this.

Witchcraft is an everyday understanding of Russian Vedism, including elementary skills of magic and mysticism. “Fight against witches” in Western Europe in the 15th-16th centuries. was a struggle with Slavic women who prayed to the Vedic gods.

The Russian god corresponds to the Christian God the Father Genus, but not at all Jehovah-Yahweh-Sabaoth, who among the Masons is the god of darkness and death of Rus' Mary. Myself Jesus Christ on many Christian icons is designated as Yar and his mother Maria- How Mara.

The word "devil" has the same root as Virgo. This is the prince of darkness, Masonic hosts, which is otherwise called Satan. There are also no “servants of God” in the Vedic religion. And only the desire of the West to belittle Russian Vedism and force Russians to abandon their gods, in which Russians believed for hundreds of thousands of years, led to the fact that Russian Christianity became more and more pro-Western, and the followers of Russian Vedism began to be considered “servants of the devil.” In other words, in the West they turned all Russian concepts inside out.

After all, the concept "Orthodoxy" originally belonged to Russian Vedism and meant: “The government was praised”.

Therefore, early Christianity began to call itself "true believers", however this term was then transferred to Islam. As you know, Christianity has the epithet “Orthodox” only in Russian; on the rest it calls itself “orthodox,” that is, “orthodox.”

In other words, modern Christianity has secretly appropriated the Vedic name, which is deeply rooted in the Russian consciousness.

The functions of Veles, to a much greater extent than Saint Blaise, were inherited by Saint Nicholas of Myra, nicknamed Nicholas the Wonderworker. (See the result of the study published in the book: Uspensky B.A.. Philological research in the field of Slavic antiquities.. - M.: Moscow State University, 1982 .)

By the way, on many of his icons it is written in implicit letters: MARY LIK. Hence the original name of the area in honor of the face of Mary: Marlykian. So in fact this bishop was Nicholas of Marlikiy. And his city, which was originally called “ Mary"(that is, the city of Mary), is now called Bari. There was a phonetic replacement of sounds.

Bishop Nicholas of Myra - Nicholas the Wonderworker

However, now Christians do not remember these details, hushing up the Vedic roots of Christianity. For now Jesus in Christianity is interpreted as the God of Israel, although Judaism does not consider him a god. But Christianity says nothing about the fact that Jesus Christ, as well as his apostles, are different faces of Yar, although this is read on many icons. The name of the god Yara is also read on Shroud of Turin .

At one time, Vedism reacted very calmly and brotherly to Christianity, seeing in it simply a local outgrowth of Vedism, for which there is a name: paganism (that is, an ethnic variety), like Greek paganism with another name Yara - Ares, or Roman, with with the name Yara - Mars, or with the Egyptian, where the name Yar or Ar was read in reverse side, Ra. In Christianity, Yar became Christ, and Vedic temples made icons and crosses of Christ.

And only over time, under the influence of political, or rather geopolitical reasons, Christianity was opposed to Vedism, and then Christianity saw manifestations of “paganism” everywhere and waged a struggle with it not to the stomach, but to the death. In other words, he betrayed his parents, his heavenly patrons, and began to preach humility and submission.

>Details in the article:V.A. Chudinov - Proper education .

Secret writing on Russian and modern Christian icons

Thus Christianity within ALL Rus' was adopted not in 988, but in the interval between 1630 and 1635.

The study of Christian icons made it possible to identify sacred texts on them. Explicit inscriptions cannot be included among them. But they absolutely include implicit inscriptions associated with Russian Vedic gods, temples and priests (memes).

On the old Christian icons of the Virgin Mary with the baby Jesus there are Russian inscriptions in runes, saying that they depict the Slavic Goddess Makosh with the baby God Yar. Jesus Christ was also called HOR OR HORUS. Moreover, the name CHOR on the mosaic depicting Christ in the Church of Christ Choir in Istanbul is written like this: “NHOR”, that is, ICHOR. The letter I used to be written as N. The name IGOR is almost identical to the name IHOR OR CHORUS, since the sounds X and G could transform into each other. By the way, it is possible that the respectful name HERO came from here, which later entered many languages ​​practically unchanged.

And then the need to disguise Vedic inscriptions becomes clear: their discovery on icons could entail accusing the icon painter of belonging to the Old Believers, and for this, Nikon reform, could be punished by exile or death.

On the other hand, as is now becoming obvious, the absence of Vedic inscriptions made the icon a non-sacred artifact. In other words, it was not so much the presence of narrow noses, thin lips and large eyes that made the image sacred, but it was precisely the connection with the god Yar in the first place and with the goddess Mara in the second through reference implicit inscriptions that added magic and magic to the icon wonderful properties. Therefore, icon painters, if they wanted to make an icon miraculous, and not a simple piece of art, were obliged to supply any image with the words: FACE OF YAR, MIM OF YAR AND MARA, TEMPLE OF MARA, YAR TEMPLE, YAR Rus', etc.

Nowadays, when persecution on religious charges has ceased, the icon painter no longer risks his life and property by applying implicit inscriptions to modern icon paintings. Therefore, in a number of cases, namely in the cases of mosaic icons, he no longer tries to hide this kind of inscription as much as possible, but transfers them to the category of semi-explicit.

Thus, using Russian material, the reason was revealed why explicit inscriptions on icons moved into the category of semi-explicit and implicit: the ban on Russian Vedism, which followed from reforms of Patriarch Nikon . However, this example gives rise to the assumption of the same motives for masking obvious inscriptions on coins.

This idea can be expressed in more detail as follows: once upon a time the body of a deceased priest (mime) was accompanied by a funeral golden mask, on which there were all the corresponding inscriptions, but not very large and not very contrasting, so as not to destroy aesthetic perception masks. Later, instead of a mask, smaller objects began to be used - pendants and plaques, which also depicted the face of the deceased mime with corresponding discreet inscriptions. Even later, portraits of mimes migrated to coins. And this kind of image was preserved as long as spiritual power was considered the most significant in society.

However, when power became secular, passing to military leaders - princes, leaders, kings, emperors, images of government officials, not mimes, began to be minted on coins, while images of mimes migrated to icons. At the same time, secular power, being more coarse, began to mint its own inscriptions weightily, roughly, visibly, and obvious legends appeared on coins. With the emergence of Christianity, such explicit inscriptions began to appear on icons, but they were no longer written in the runes of the Family, but in the Old Slavonic Cyrillic script. In the West, the Latin script was used for this.

Thus, in the West there was a similar, but still slightly different motive, why the implicit inscriptions of mimes did not become explicit: on the one hand, aesthetic tradition, on the other hand, the secularization of power, that is, the transition of the function of managing society from priests to military leaders and officials.

This allows us to consider icons, as well as sacred sculptures of gods and saints, as substitutes for those artifacts that acted as carriers of sacred properties before: golden masks and plaques. On the other hand, icons existed before, but did not affect the sphere of finance, remaining entirely within religion. Therefore, their production has experienced a new heyday.

Until 1054, the Christian Church was one and indivisible. The schism occurred due to disagreements between Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cyroularius. The conflict began due to the closing of several Latin churches by the latter in 1053. For this, the papal legates excommunicated Kirularius from the Church. In response, the patriarch anathematized the papal envoys. In 1965, the mutual curses were lifted. However, the schism of the Churches has not yet been overcome. Christianity is divided into three main directions: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism.

Eastern Church

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism, since both of these religions are Christian, is not very significant. However, there are still some differences in teaching, performance of sacraments, etc. We'll talk about which ones a little later. First, let's make a short overview of the main directions of Christianity.

Orthodoxy, called the orthodox religion in the West, is currently practiced by about 200 million people. Approximately 5 thousand people are baptized every day. This direction of Christianity spread mainly in Russia, as well as in some CIS countries and Eastern Europe.

The baptism of Rus' took place at the end of the 9th century on the initiative of Prince Vladimir. The ruler of a huge pagan state expressed a desire to marry the daughter of the Byzantine Emperor Vasily II, Anna. But for this he needed to convert to Christianity. An alliance with Byzantium was extremely necessary to strengthen the authority of Rus'. At the end of the summer of 988, a huge number of Kiev residents were baptized in the waters of the Dnieper.

Catholic Church

As a result of the schism in 1054, a separate denomination arose in Western Europe. Representatives of the Eastern Church called her “Catholicos”. Translated from Greek it means “universal”. The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism lies not only in the approach of these two Churches to some dogmas of Christianity, but also in the history of development itself. The Western confession, compared to the Eastern one, is considered much more rigid and fanatical.

One of the most important milestones in the history of Catholicism was, for example, the Crusades, which brought a lot of grief to the common population. The first of them was organized at the call of Pope Urban II in 1095. The last - the eighth - ended in 1270. The official goal of everyone crusades there was the liberation of the “holy land” of Palestine and the “Holy Sepulcher” from the infidels. The actual one is the conquest of lands that belonged to Muslims.

In 1229, Pope George IX issued a decree establishing the Inquisition - a church court for apostates from the faith. Torture and burning at the stake - this is how extreme Catholic fanaticism was expressed in the Middle Ages. In total, during the existence of the Inquisition, more than 500 thousand people were tortured.

Of course, the difference between Catholicism and Orthodoxy (this will be discussed briefly in the article) is a very large and deep topic. However, in general terms, its traditions and basic concept can be understood in relation to the Church’s relationship with the population. The Western confession has always been considered more dynamic, but also aggressive, in contrast to the “calm” Orthodox one.

Currently, Catholicism is the state religion in most European and Latin American countries. More than half of all (1.2 billion people) modern Christians profess this particular religion.

Protestantism

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism also lies in the fact that the former has remained united and indivisible for almost a millennium. In the Catholic Church in the 14th century. a split occurred. This was connected with the Reformation - revolutionary movement that arose in Europe at that time. In 1526, at the request of German Lutherans, the Swiss Reichstag issued a decree on the right of free choice of religion for citizens. In 1529, however, it was abolished. As a result, a protest followed from a number of cities and princes. This is where the word “Protestantism” comes from. This Christian movement is further divided into two branches: early and late.

At the moment, Protestantism is widespread mainly in the Scandinavian countries: Canada, USA, England, Switzerland, and the Netherlands. In 1948, the World Council of Churches was created. The total number of Protestants is about 470 million people. There are several denominations of this Christian movement: Baptists, Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, Calvinists.

In our time, the World Council of Protestant Churches pursues an active peacemaking policy. Representatives of this religion advocate easing international tension, support the efforts of states to defend peace, etc.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism

Of course, over the centuries of schism, significant differences have arisen in the traditions of the churches. They did not touch upon the basic principle of Christianity - the acceptance of Jesus as the Savior and Son of God. However, in relation to certain events of the New and Old Testaments, there are often even mutually exclusive differences. In some cases, the methods of conducting various kinds of rituals and sacraments do not agree.

The main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism

	Orthodoxy		Catholicism	Protestantism
Control	Patriarch, Cathedral			World Council of Churches, councils of bishops
Organization	Bishops depend little on the Patriarch and are mainly subordinate to the Council		There is a rigid hierarchy with subordination to the Pope, hence the name “Universal Church”	There are many denominations that have created the World Council of Churches. Sacred Scripture is placed above the authority of the Pope
Holy Spirit	It is believed that it comes only from the Father		There is a dogma that the Holy Spirit comes from both the Father and the Son. This is the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism.
	The statement is accepted that man himself is responsible for his sins, and God the Father is a completely impassive and abstract being		It is believed that God suffers because of human sins
Dogma of Salvation	The Crucifixion atoned for all the sins of mankind. Only the firstborn remained. That is, when a person commits a new sin, he again becomes the object of God’s wrath		The person was, as it were, “ransomed” by Christ through the crucifixion. As a result, God the Father changed his anger to mercy regarding original sin. That is, a person is holy by the holiness of Christ himself
	Sometimes allowed		Prohibited	Allowed, but frowned upon
Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary	It is believed that the Mother of God is not free from original sin, but her holiness is recognized		The complete sinlessness of the Virgin Mary is preached. Catholics believe that she was conceived immaculately, like Christ himself. In relation to the original sin of the Mother of God, therefore, there are also quite significant differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism
Assumption of the Virgin Mary into Heaven	It is unofficially believed that this event may have taken place, but it is not enshrined in dogma		The assumption of the Mother of God into heaven in a physical body is a dogma	The cult of the Virgin Mary is denied
	Only liturgy is held		Both a mass and a Byzantine liturgy similar to the Orthodox can be celebrated	The mass was rejected. Divine services are held in modest churches or even in stadiums, concert halls, etc. Only two rites are practiced: baptism and communion
Clergy marriage	Allowed		Allowed only in the Byzantine rite	Allowed
Ecumenical Councils	The decisions of the first seven		Guided by 21 decisions (the last one passed in 1962-1965)	Recognize the decisions of all Ecumenical Councils if they do not contradict each other and the Holy Scriptures
	Eight-pointed with crossbars at the bottom and top		A simple four-pointed Latin cross is used	Not used in religious services. Not worn by representatives of all faiths
	Used in large quantities and equated with Holy Scripture. Created in strict accordance with church canons		They are considered only decoration of the temple. They are ordinary paintings on a religious theme	Not used
Old Testament	Both Hebrew and Greek are recognized		Greek only	Only Jewish canonical
Absolution	The ritual is performed by a priest			Not allowed
Science and religion	Based on the statements of scientists, dogmas never change	Dogmas can be adjusted in accordance with the point of view of official science

Christian cross: differences

Disagreements regarding the descent of the Holy Spirit are the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table also shows many other, albeit not very significant, but still discrepancies. They arose a long time ago, and, apparently, none of the churches expresses any particular desire to resolve these contradictions.

There are also differences in the attributes of different directions of Christianity. For example, the Catholic cross has a simple quadrangular shape. The Orthodox have eight points. The Orthodox Eastern Church believes that this type of crucifix most accurately conveys the shape of the cross described in the New Testament. In addition to the main horizontal crossbar, it contains two more. The top one represents a tablet nailed to the cross and containing the inscription “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” The lower oblique crossbar - a support for Christ's feet - symbolizes the “righteous standard”.

Table of differences between crosses

The image of the Savior on the crucifix used in the Sacraments is also something that can be attributed to the topic “the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.” The western cross is a little different from the eastern one.

As you can see, with regard to the cross there is also a very noticeable difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The table shows this clearly.

As for Protestants, they consider the cross to be a symbol of the Pope, and therefore practically do not use it.

Icons in different Christian directions

So, the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism (the table of comparisons of crosses confirms this) with regard to attributes is quite noticeable. There are even greater differences in these directions in icons. The rules for depicting Christ may differ, Mother of God, saints, etc.

Below are the main differences.

The main difference Orthodox icon from the Catholic is that it is written in strict accordance with the canons established in Byzantium. Western images of saints, Christ, etc., strictly speaking, have nothing to do with the icon. Typically, such paintings have a very broad subject and were painted by ordinary, non-church artists.

Protestants consider icons to be a pagan attribute and do not use them at all.

Monasticism

With regard to leaving worldly life and devoting oneself to serving God, there is also a significant difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism and Protestantism. comparison table, presented above, shows only the main discrepancies. But there are other differences, also quite noticeable.

For example, in our country, each monastery is practically autonomous and subordinate only to its own bishop. Catholics have a different organization in this regard. The monasteries are united into so-called Orders, each of which has its own head and its own charter. These associations may be scattered throughout the world, but nevertheless they always have a common leadership.

Protestants, unlike Orthodox and Catholics, completely reject monasticism. One of the inspirers of this teaching, Luther, even married a nun.

Church Sacraments

There is a difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism in relation to the rules for conducting various kinds of rituals. Both of these Churches have 7 sacraments. The difference lies primarily in the meaning attached to the main Christian rituals. Catholics believe that the sacraments are valid whether a person is in tune with them or not. According to the Orthodox Church, baptism, confirmation, etc. will be effective only for believers who are completely disposed towards them. Orthodox priests even often compare Catholic rites with some pagan magical ritual, acting regardless of whether a person believes in God or not.

The Protestant Church practices only two sacraments: baptism and communion. Representatives of this trend consider everything else superficial and reject it.

Baptism

This main Christian sacrament is recognized by all churches: Orthodoxy, Catholicism, Protestantism. The only differences are in the methods of performing the ritual.

In Catholicism, it is customary for infants to be sprinkled or doused. According to the dogmas of the Orthodox Church, children are completely immersed in water. Recently there has been some movement away from this rule. However, now the Russian Orthodox Church is again returning in this rite to the ancient traditions established by Byzantine priests.

The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism (crosses worn on the body, like large ones, may contain the image of an “orthodox” or “Western” Christ) in relation to the performance of this sacrament is therefore not very significant, but it still exists.

Protestants usually perform baptism with water. But in some denominations it is not used. The main difference between Protestant baptism and Orthodox and Catholic baptism is that it is carried out exclusively for adults.

Differences in the Sacrament of the Eucharist

We have examined the main differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. This refers to the descent of the Holy Spirit and the virginity of the birth of the Virgin Mary. Such significant differences have emerged over centuries of schism. Of course, they also exist in the celebration of one of the main Christian sacraments - the Eucharist. Catholic priests administer communion only with unleavened bread. This church product is called wafers. In Orthodoxy, the sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated with wine and ordinary yeast bread.

In Protestantism, not only members of the Church, but also anyone who wishes, are allowed to receive communion. Representatives of this direction of Christianity celebrate the Eucharist in the same way as the Orthodox - with wine and bread.

Modern relations of the Churches

The split in Christianity occurred almost a thousand years ago. And during this time, churches of different directions failed to agree on unification. Disagreements regarding the interpretation of Holy Scripture, attributes and rituals, as you can see, have persisted to this day and have even intensified over the centuries.

The relations between the two main faiths, Orthodox and Catholic, are also quite ambiguous in our time. Until the middle of the last century, serious tension remained between these two churches. The key concept in the relationship was the word “heresy.”

Recently this situation has changed a little. If earlier the Catholic Church considered Orthodox Christians almost a bunch of heretics and schismatics, then after the Second Vatican Council it recognized the orthodox Sacraments as valid.

Orthodox priests did not officially establish a similar attitude towards Catholicism. But the completely loyal acceptance of Western Christianity has always been traditional for our church. However, of course, some tension between Christian directions still remains. For example, our Russian theologian A.I. Osipov does not have a very good attitude towards Catholicism.

In his opinion, there is a more than worthy and serious difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Osipov considers many saints of the Western Church to be almost crazy. He also warns the Russian Orthodox Church that, for example, cooperation with Catholics threatens the Orthodox with complete subjugation. However, he also repeatedly mentioned that there are wonderful people among Western Christians.

Thus, the main difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is the attitude towards the Trinity. The Eastern Church believes that the Holy Spirit comes only from the Father. Western - both from the Father and from the Son. There are other differences between these faiths. However, in any case, both churches are Christian and accept Jesus as the Savior of mankind, whose coming, and therefore Immortal life inevitable for the righteous.

Catholics and Orthodox - what's the difference? Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism? This article answers these questions briefly in simple words.

Catholics belong to one of the 3 main denominations of Christianity. There are three Christian denominations in the world: Orthodoxy, Catholicism and Protestantism. The youngest is Protestantism, which arose in the 16th century as a result of Martin Luther's attempt to reform the Catholic Church.

The division of the Catholic and Orthodox churches occurred in 1054, when Pope Leo IX drew up an act of excommunication of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the entire Eastern Church. Patriarch Michael convened a council, at which he was excommunicated from the Church and the commemoration of popes in the Eastern churches was stopped.

The main reasons for the division of the church into Catholic and Orthodox:

• different languages ​​of worship ( Greek in the eastern and Latin in the western church)
• dogmatic, ritual differences between eastern(Constantinople) and western(Rome)churches ,
• the Pope's desire to become first, dominant among 4 equal Christian patriarchs (Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem).

IN 1965 Head of the Orthodox Church of Constantinople Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras and Pope Paul VI canceled mutual anathemas and signed Joint Declaration. However, many contradictions between the two churches have unfortunately not yet been overcome.

In the article you will find the main differences in the dogmas and beliefs of the 2 Christian churches - Catholic and Christian. But it is important to understand that all Christians: Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox, are in no way “enemies” of each other, but, on the contrary, brothers and sisters in Christ.

Dogmas of the Catholic Church. Differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy

These are the main dogmas of the Catholic Church, which differ from the Orthodox understanding of the Gospel truth.

• Filioque - dogma about the Holy Spirit. Claims that He comes from both God the Son and God the Father.
• Celibacy is the dogma of celibacy for all clergy, not just monks.
• For Catholics, Sacred Tradition includes only decisions made after the 7 Ecumenical Councils, as well as Papal Epistles.
• Purgatory is the dogma that between hell and heaven there is an intermediate place (purgatory) where atonement for sins is possible.
• Dogma immaculate conception Virgin Mary and her bodily ascension.
• The dogma of the communion of the clergy with the Body and Blood of Christ, and the laity - only with the Body of Christ.

Dogmas of the Orthodox Church. Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

• Orthodox Christians, unlike Catholics, believe that the Holy Spirit comes only from God the Father. This is stated in the Creed.
• In Orthodoxy, celibacy is observed only by monks; the rest of the clergy marry.
• For the Orthodox, the Holy Tradition is the ancient oral tradition, the decrees of the first 7 Ecumenical Councils.
• IN Orthodox Christianity there is no dogma of purgatory.
• In Orthodox Christianity there is no teaching about the overabundance of good deeds of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, and the apostles (“treasury of grace”), which allows one to “draw” salvation from this treasury. This teaching allowed the emergence of indulgences * , which became a stumbling block between Protestants and Catholics. Indulgences deeply angered Martin Luther. He did not want to create a new denomination, he wanted to reform Catholicism.
• Laity and clergy in Orthodoxy Communicate with the Body and Blood of Christ: “Take, eat: this is My Body, and drink of it, all of you: this is My Blood.”

Other useful articles: ? ?

Who are Catholics and in what countries do they live?

The largest numbers of Catholics live in Mexico (about 91% of the population), Brazil (74% of the population), the United States (22% of the population) and Europe (ranging from 94% of the population in Spain to 0.41% in Greece).

You can see what percentage of the population in all countries professes Catholicism in the table on Wikipedia: Catholicism by country >>>

There are more than a billion Catholics in the world. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope (in Orthodoxy - the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople). There is a popular belief about the total infallibility of the Pope, but this is not true. In Catholicism, only the doctrinal decisions and statements of the Pope are considered infallible. The Catholic Church is now led by Pope Francis. He was elected on March 13, 2013.

Both Orthodox and Catholics are Christians!

Christ teaches us love for absolutely all people. And even more so, to our brothers in faith. Therefore, you should not argue about which faith is more correct, but it is better to show your neighbors, helping those in need, a virtuous life, forgiveness, non-judgment, meekness, mercy and love for neighbors.

I hope the article " Catholics and Orthodox - what's the difference? was useful for you and now you know what the main differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy are, what is the difference between Catholics and Orthodox.

I wish everyone to notice the good in life, enjoy everything, even bread and rain, and thank God for everything!

I am sharing with you a useful video WHAT THE MOVIE “AREAS OF DARKNESS” TAUGHT ME:

Return