Orthodox Christianity is the faith that conforms to the early ecumenical creeds and confessions. Orthodox Christianity follows the teachings of Christ, the Apostles, and the early church fathers. Christians
are followers of Jesus Christ, who was born circa 6 to 4 BC. Christ (the Messiah or Anointed One) is the Savior prophesied in Old Testament Scripture. He called twelve Disciples (the Apostles) to spread the Gospel (Good News) that Jesus offers eternal life to those who believe in Him. Jesus performed many miracles and taught with wisdom and authority, even foretelling his own death and resurrection. After his resurrection, Jesus told his followers to wait to receive the Spirit of God. Ten days after Jesus ascended
back to His Father in heaven, the Holy Spirit came upon the followers, and they miraculously began to speak in various languages. Jews from surrounding countries had gathered in Jerusalem fora Feast, and they were amazed to hear these disciples of Christ speaking in various languages they could understand. The Apostle Peter
then preached to these Jews, and about three thousand people were baptized. The early church grew in size as the Apostle Paul and his coworkers spread the Gospel to Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, and Rome.
In the fourth Century, the Emperor Constantine made Christianity the state religion of the Roman Empire. In 1054 the Patriarch of Constantinople led the Eastern Church in splitting from the Roman Church. Today these two bodies are the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. A portion of the Roman Catholics protested against church doctrines and practices in the sixteenth century. This Protestant Reformation led to various denominations of churches known under the umbrella term Protestants Today the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church (comprised of national churches, and Protestant Churches all share the orthodox Christian faith. These branches of the Church
do not agree on all doctrines, but they do share the faith expressed in the Nicene Creed (see
Creeds in the training module on Theology.
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