Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America churches are mostly associated with a particular cultural heritage with membership to a particular local parish becoming part of a spiritual family. The Greek Orthodox faith experience cannot be appreciated by individuals outside the Orthodox Church. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believes one must experience their culture from the inside of the membership of the church, to understand fully.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America churches believe they have their beginning with Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. They do not believe there is a need for a human teacher, a group, a code of conduct or a religious philosophy. They believe their origin is in the Apostolic Community that was called into existence by Jesus Christ. They believe the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Churches has maintained a direct and unbroken stability within the church of Christ that was born in the Pentecost experience.
They do not restrict their membership to any specific section of the world, culture, race, creed, or class which allows open membership for all people. A period of instruction is given to anyone who wants to become a member in the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Churches and then a Service of Reception is held. For those who are not a converted Christian, a confession of faith must be declared, and they must be Baptized, Chrismated or Anointed. The reception of the Holy Communion is a consummation of union with the church.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America Churches was once considered an immigrant Church. Today they are considered one of the four main faiths in America. They are no longer exclusively the religion of the Hellenes, or Greeks, and have been committed to the Ecumenical Movement in an attempt to unite Christians together.
The Patriarchate of Constantinople inspired the movement for unity around 1920. The Patriarchate of Constantinople was a co-founder of the World Council of Churches in 1948.
History
The city of Constantinople fell to the Muslims in 1453, bringing to an end the Byzantine Empire. Along with the City of Constantinople, Jerusalem, Alexandria, and Antioch also came under the political control of Islam. The Ottoman Empire ruled and Christians were their captives. Christians were forced to pay high taxes, imprisoned, thrown out of their churches and their lands, and murdered. Churches, monasteries, and schools were closed and destroyed. When Greece was liberated in 1821 some of the violence against the Christians ended to a lesser degree.
The decline of Byzantium gave prosperity to the Church in Russia until the Bolshevik revolution of 1917. The Orthodox Church was threatened with political atheists. Many of the Russian churches were closed and an attempt to eliminate all Orthodox Christianity from Russia. There was devastating persecution for the Orthodox Christians in Russia until around 1943 when the government permitted some churches to exist to a lesser degree. Many of the survivors of the Orthodox Church migrated to other countries.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America appeared in America around the 1890 and 1914. It came from the Greek mainland, and the Greek islands around the Aegean Sea, Cyprus, Constantinople, and Asia Minor. The Holy Synod of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople sent Orthodox priests. Because there was no central organization to unite the Holy Synod of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, each priest retained their relationship with their Synod.
There was a period of misunderstanding between the Holy Synod of Greece and the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople as to which had control of the American churches. The Founding Tome of 1922 was established the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of North and South America. They were under the supervision of the Archbishop Alexander and the Patriarchate of Constantinople.
The Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem
The Greek Orthodox Churches consists of a family of Churches who acknowledge the Honorary Primacy of the Patriarch of Constantinople. The parishes in Jerusalem are predominantly Arabic speaking. The Greek Orthodox Patriarchate considers itself to be the Mother Church of Jerusalem and they believe the right to make this claim comes from the Council of Chalcedon in 451.
The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem is the custodian of many of the holy sites in Jerusalem. They jointly share the responsibility of maintaining the holy sites with the Roman Catholic Church, oriental churches of the Egyptian Coptic’s and the Armenian Orthodox Christians. The permanent residence in Jerusalem for the Greek Orthodox Churches were established in 1845; however the Brotherhood of the Holy Sepulcher has safeguarded the prominence of the Orthodox Church in the Holy Lands and has preserved the Hellenistic character of the Patriarchate since 1662.
The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is also called the Church of the Resurrection. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is within the walled Old City of Jerusalem. The place where the Church rests is revered as Golgotha, the Hill of Calvary. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher where the New Testament describes the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ and the Sepulcher is where Jesus was buried. The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the headquarters of the Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem and the Catholic Archpriest of the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher.
The Patriarch of Jerusalem is the leader of the Guards of the Holy Sepulcher. The brotherhood is those belonging to the Patriarchate and includes the Metropolitans, Archbishops, Bishops, Archmandrites, Priests, Monks and Deacons. It is a monastic community in the monastery of the St. Constantine and St. Helena in Jerusalem. The Guards of the Holy Sepulcher are responsible as safe keepers and maintainers of the Holy Pilgrimages as they guide the Orthodox Christians and defend their faith in the Holy Land.
(The Religious and Military Order of Knights of the Holy Sepulcher of Jerusalem is the Catholic counterpart of the Guards of the Holy Sepulcher. The Catholic Knights are devoted to defending Jerusalem and the Holy Sepulcher against any adversaries. They give reverence for the Sacred Tomb of Jesus Christ as the holiest of all holy places in Jerusalem. It was the Emperor Constantine who built the great Church on its present day site and is still believed to be the site where Christ was buried. An interesting list of well-known Knights would include: Ronald Reagan, George Bush, Norman Schwarzkopf, Colin Powell, Caspar Weinberger, Tom Foley, Bob Hope, and Charleston Heston.)
Belief
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believes the Holy Bible is not a systematic book containing the expressions of faith in symbols or confessions; in other words, it is not used as a literal, complete and ordered account of God’s Word. They believe the Holy Bible contains beliefs in Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit and his Father. (Note: They do not believe Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit are separate, but rather contained within each other, thus always mentioned together.)
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe their origin is in the Apostolic Community, called into being with Jesus Christ, brought to life by the Holy Spirit, and not with any human teacher, or group, nor do they base their code of conduct on religious philosophy based on man. They believe there is no determined number of Sacraments.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe the whole life of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese Church fulfills the ministry of Jesus Christ and the connection between Christ and His Church is revealed in the images from the Scriptures that declare Christ is the Head of the Church and the Church is His Body. They further believe Christ is the Bridegroom and the Church is His bride. To the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America the Church does not exist independently from Christ.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believes Jesus Christ is the same today as He was yesterday and the same two thousand years ago. They believe Jesus Christ revealed the Holy Trinity, and that His Church continues, even today, to reveal them. They believe Jesus Christ reconciled all humanity to the Father and the Church continues to be the medium for reconciliation by the word and action throughout the whole world.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe the Holy Spirit blesses individuals with different gifts and vocations in their lives. They believe the commitment men make in their lives should always be to build upon worship of God and the concern for others. They believe worship is central in the life of the Church, men prayers and the Holy Eucharist, which should be their center focus. They believe this will bring men closer to God and they in turn will receive the fruits of the Spirit which will enable them to give responsible service to others in the name of Christ. They believe the love of God and the love of neighbors are the same and should be undivided.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America think believers become united with Christ at Baptism and are nurtured by Christ at every Eucharist. They believe the Holy Spirit acts in the Church and through the Church in order to bring to fulfillment the works of Christ.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe the Apostles reprimanded people to believe in Jesus Christ as Savior, stating it was necessary for the Church to maintain these sayings as a symbol and confession of faith for those people wanting to be baptized.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe the Holy Eucharist is the most important in the worship experience and they refer to it as the Sacrament of Sacraments. They believe the Holy Eucharist is the celebration of the Death and Resurrection of Christ, which is offered each Sunday and Holy days. They believe their participation in the Body and the Blood of the Christ also provides the believer the opportunity to carry Christ to the world. They believe the Holy Gifts are transfigured into the first fruits of the New Creation where ultimately God will be all in all.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe Baptism is a Sacrament which encompasses the believer into the Church. They believe it is through Baptism the Body of Christ is introduced into the life of the believer to the life of the Holy Trinity. They believe water is a natural symbol for cleansing and for the newness of life. They believe in immersing the person in water three times in the name of the Holy Trinity, which causes the believer to die to the old ways of sin and be born to a new life in Christ. They believe Baptism is a public connection with the Death and Resurrection of Christ.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe in infant Baptism. They believe Baptism is a Sacrament that bears witness to the action of God; it is God who chooses a child to be an important member of His people. They believe from the day a child receives Baptism that they are then expected to mature in the life of the Spirit and should be supported through their family and through the church.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe the Sacrament of Chrismation or Confirmation should follow the Baptism. They believe Christ was enlivened by the Spirit, and the preaching of the Apostles strengthened by the Spirit, therefore each Orthodox Christian is believed to be sanctified by the Holy Spirit. They believe the Confirmation is the Sacrament which imparts the Spirit in the lives of the believing Orthodox Christian.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe the Sacrament of Chrismation is a sealing of the Holy Spirit. The Priest anoints certain parts of the body with Holy Oil after it is blessed by the Bishop. They believe it is a sign of consecration and of strengthen as well as giving each person certain gifts and talents and also reminds the newly Baptized person their bodies are valuable and are engaged in the process of salvation.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe in the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick called Holy Unction. They believe oil is used as a sign of the presence, strength and forgiveness of God. The priest anoints the body of a sick or dying person with Holy Oil after the reading of seven Epistle lessons, seven Gospel lessons, and offering of seven prayers all devoted to healing.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe Confession is the Sacrament that ensures sins are forgiven and their relationship to God and to others are restored and strengthened. They believe the Church members have a responsibility to each other and a responsibility to God. Because sin alienates people from God and fellow human beings, the church teaches the remorseful confession to God and to receive forgiveness by God. The priest of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America is the sacramental witness who represents Christ and His people. They do not believe the priest is a judge, but rather one who heals and guides.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe it is through ordination that sets men apart from those who have been chosen from within the Church for special services to the Church. They believe each man is called by God through the Holy Spirit to become pastors, teachers, or a person who has the responsibility of being the representative of the parish before the Altar, all believed to be living icons of Christ among His people. They believe the process of ordination of people begins with the local congregation, and that Bishops alone act in the name of the universal Church and are the only one who can complete the act of ordination. They believe it is the Bishops who ordinates with the invocation of the Holy Spirit and the laying on of his hands on the person who is being ordained.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe there are three major orders that require a special ordination. The Bishop, whom they believe to be the successor of the Apostles, the Priest and Deacon, whom they believe acts in the name of the bishop have different pastoral responsibilities with only a Bishop given authority to ordain. The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America consents to marriage for men before ordination, but once they are ordained, they may not marry.
The Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America believe Marriage is a Sacrament where a man and a woman are publicly joined as husband and wife. The newly joined husband and wife are also joined with God and the Church. They do not view Marriage as a legal contract and there are no vows spoken in the Sacrament of Marriage. They believe marriage to be an eternal vocation of the Kingdom where husbands and wives are called by the Holy Spirit to share their Christian life together that they may grow closer to God and become the persons they are meant to be. The husband and wife do exchange rings during the Marriage Service and are crowned with “crowns of glory and honor” this is to denote the establishment of a new family under God. Toward the end of the Marriage Service the husband and wife drink from a common cup that denotes the wedding of Cana and symbolizes the couple sharing their burdens and joys of their new life together.
Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne “Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:.” Becker Bible Studies Library Jan 2006.<https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2713,>.
APA Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006, January) “Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:.” Becker Bible Studies Library. Retrieved from https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2713,.
Chicago Style Citation:
Holstein, Joanne (2006) “Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America:.” Becker Bible Studies Library (January), https://guidedbiblestudies.com/?p=2713, (accessed).
