Comparative table of Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Similarities and differences between Catholics and Orthodox

Nika Kravchuk

How is the Orthodox Church different from the Catholic

Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, two branches of Christianity. Both originate from the preaching of Christ and apostolic times, honor the Most Holy Trinity, worship the Mother of God and the saints, have the same sacraments. But there are many differences between these churches.

The most fundamental dogmatic differences, Perhaps there are three.

Symbol of faith. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Catholic Church has the so-called "filioque" - the addition of "and the Son." That is, Catholics claim that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Honoring the Mother of God. Catholics have a dogma about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, according to which the Mother of God did not inherit original sin. The Orthodox Church says that Mary was freed from original sin from the moment of the conception of Christ. Catholics also believe that the Mother of God ascended to heaven, so they do not know such a revered holiday in Orthodoxy of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The dogma of the infallibility of the Pope. The Catholic Church believes that the teaching on matters of faith and morality delivered by the Pope ex cathedra (from the pulpit) is infallible. The Pope is filled with the Holy Spirit, so he cannot make mistakes.

But there are many other differences as well.

Celibacy. In the Orthodox Church there are black and white clergy, the second one is supposed to have families. The Catholic clergy take a vow of celibacy - celibacy.

Marriage. The Catholic Church considers it a sacred union and does not recognize divorce. Orthodoxy allows different circumstances.

Cross sign. Orthodox are baptized with three fingers, from left to right. Catholics - five and from right to left.

Baptism. If in the Catholic Church it is supposed only to water the person being baptized with water, then in the Orthodox Church - to dip with his head. In Orthodoxy, the sacraments of baptism and chrismation are performed at the same moment, while among Catholics, chrismation is performed separately (possibly on the day of the First Communion).

Communion. Orthodox during this sacrament eat bread from leavened dough, and Catholics - from unleavened bread. In addition, the Orthodox Church blesses children to receive communion from the very beginning. early age, and in Catholicism this is preceded by catechesis (teaching the Christian faith), after which there is a big holiday - the First Communion, which falls somewhere in the 10-12th year of a child's life.

Purgatory. The Catholic Church, in addition to hell and heaven, also recognizes a special intermediate place in which the soul of a person can still be cleansed for eternal bliss.

Temple arrangement. In Catholic churches, an organ is installed, there are relatively fewer icons, but there are still sculptures and many places to sit. AT Orthodox churches there are many icons, murals, it is customary to pray while standing (there are benches and chairs for those who need to sit).

Universality. Each of the Churches has its own understanding of universality (catholicity). Orthodox believe that the Universal Church is embodied in each local Church, headed by a bishop. The Catholics specify that this local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church.

Cathedrals. The Orthodox Church recognizes these Ecumenical Councils, while the Catholic Church recognizes 21.

Many are concerned about the question: can both churches unite? There is such an opportunity, but what about the differences that have existed for many centuries? The question remains open.

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Spreading

Catholicism is widespread in Western European (France, Spain, Belgium, Portugal, Italy) and Eastern European (Poland, Hungary, partly Latvia and Lithuania) countries, as well as in states South America where it is practiced by the vast majority of the population. There are also Catholics in Asia and Africa, but the influence of the Catholic religion is not significant here. compared to the Orthodox are a minority. There are about 700 thousand of them. The Catholics of Ukraine are more numerous. There are about 5 million of them.

Name

The word "Catholicism" is Greek origin and in translation means universality or universality. In the modern sense, this term refers to the Western branch of Christianity, which adheres to the apostolic traditions. Apparently, the church was understood as something general and universal. Ignatius of Antioch spoke about this in 115. The term "Catholicism" was officially introduced at the first Council of Constantinople (381). The Christian Church was recognized as one, holy, catholic and apostolic.

Origins of Catholicism

The term "church" began to appear in written sources (letters of Clement of Rome, Ignatius of Antioch, Polycarp of Smyrna) from the second century. The word was synonymous with municipality. At the turn of the second and third centuries, Irenaeus of Lyon applied the word "church" to Christianity in general. For individual (regional, local) Christian communities, it was used with the appropriate adjective (for example, the Church of Alexandria).

In the second century, Christian society was divided into the laity and the clergy. In turn, the latter were divided into bishops, priests and deacons. It remains unclear how the management in the communities was carried out - collegially or individually. Some experts believe that the government was initially democratic, but eventually became monarchical. The clergy were governed by a Spiritual Council headed by a bishop. This theory is supported by the letters of Ignatius of Antioch, in which he mentions bishops as leaders of Christian municipalities in Syria and Asia Minor. Over time, the Spiritual Council became just an advisory body. And only the bishop had real power in a single province.

In the second century, the desire to preserve apostolic traditions contributed to the emergence and structure. The Church was supposed to protect the faith, dogmas and canons of Holy Scripture. All this, and the influence of the syncretism of the Hellenistic religion, led to the formation of Catholicism in its ancient form.

The final formation of Catholicism

After the division of Christianity in 1054 into western and eastern branches, they began to be called Catholic and Orthodox. After the Reformation of the sixteenth century, more and more often in everyday life, the word "Roman" began to be added to the term "Catholic". From the point of view of religious studies, the concept of "Catholicism" covers many Christian communities that adhere to the same doctrine as the Catholic Church, and are subject to the authority of the Pope. There are also Uniate and Eastern Catholic churches. As a rule, they left the power of the Patriarch of Constantinople and became subordinate to the Pope of Rome, but retained their dogmas and rituals. Examples are Greek Catholics, the Byzantine Catholic Church and others.

Basic dogmas and postulates

To understand who the Catholics are, you need to pay attention to the basic postulates of their dogma. The main tenet of Catholicism, which distinguishes it from other areas of Christianity, is the thesis that the Pope is infallible. However, there are many cases when the popes, in the struggle for power and influence, entered into dishonorable alliances with large feudal lords and kings, were obsessed with a thirst for profit and constantly increased their wealth, and also interfered in politics.

The next postulate of Catholicism is the dogma of purgatory, approved in 1439 at the Council of Florence. This teaching is based on the fact that the human soul after death goes to purgatory, which is an intermediate level between hell and paradise. There she can, with the help of various trials, be cleansed of sins. Relatives and friends of the deceased can help his soul cope with trials through prayers and donations. From this it follows that the fate of a person in the afterlife depends not only on the righteousness of his life, but also on the financial well-being of his loved ones.

An important postulate of Catholicism is the thesis of the exclusive status of the clergy. According to him, without resorting to the services of the clergy, a person cannot independently earn God's mercy. A priest among Catholics has serious advantages and privileges compared to an ordinary flock. According to the Catholic religion, only the clergy have the right to read the Bible - this is their exclusive right. Other believers are forbidden. Only editions written in Latin are considered canonical.

Catholic dogma determines the need for systematic confession of believers before the clergy. Everyone is obliged to have his own confessor and constantly report to him about his own thoughts and actions. Without systematic confession, the salvation of the soul is impossible. This condition allows the Catholic clergy to penetrate deeply into the personal life of their flock and control every step of a person. Constant confession allows the church to have a serious impact on society, and especially on women.

Catholic sacraments

The main task of the Catholic Church (the community of believers as a whole) is to preach Christ in the world. The sacraments are considered visible signs of the invisible grace of God. In fact, these are the actions established by Jesus Christ that must be performed for the good and salvation of the soul. There are seven sacraments in Catholicism:

baptism;
chrismation (confirmation);
the Eucharist, or communion (the first communion among Catholics is taken at the age of 7-10 years);
sacrament of repentance and reconciliation (confession);
unction;
sacrament of priesthood (ordination);
sacrament of marriage.

According to some experts and researchers, the roots of the sacraments of Christianity go back to pagan mysteries. However given point view is actively criticized by theologians. According to the latter, in the first centuries AD. e. some rites were borrowed from Christianity by the pagans.

How do Catholics differ from Orthodox Christians?

What is common in Catholicism and Orthodoxy is that in both of these branches of Christianity the church is the mediator between man and God. Both churches agree that the Bible is the main document and doctrine of Christianity. However, there are many differences and disagreements between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.

Both directions agree that there is one God in three incarnations: Father, Son and Holy Spirit (trinity). But the origin of the latter is interpreted in different ways (the Filioque problem). The Orthodox profess the "Symbol of Faith", which proclaims the procession of the Holy Spirit only "from the Father". Catholics, on the other hand, add “and the Son” to the text, which changes the dogmatic meaning. Greek Catholics and other Eastern Catholic denominations have retained the Orthodox version of the Creed.

Both Catholics and Orthodox understand that there is a difference between the Creator and creation. However, according to Catholic canons, the world has a material character. He was created by God out of nothing. There is nothing divine in the material world. While Orthodoxy suggests that the divine creation is the incarnation of God himself, it comes from God, and therefore he is invisibly present in his creations. Orthodoxy believes that it is possible to touch God through contemplation, that is, to approach the divine through consciousness. This is not accepted by Catholicism.

Another difference between Catholics and Orthodox is that the former consider it possible to introduce new dogmas. There is also a doctrine of "good deeds and merit" of Catholic saints and the church. On its basis, the Pope can forgive the sins of his flock and is the vicar of God on Earth. In matters of religion, he is considered infallible. This dogma was adopted in 1870.

Differences in rituals. How are Catholics baptized?

There are also differences in rituals, the design of temples, etc. Even the Orthodox prayer procedure is performed not quite the way Catholics pray. Although at first glance it seems that the difference is in some small things. To feel the spiritual difference, it is enough to compare two icons, Catholic and Orthodox. The first is more like a beautiful painting. In Orthodoxy, icons are more sacred. Many are interested in the question, Catholics and Orthodox? In the first case, they are baptized with two fingers, and in Orthodoxy - with three. In many Eastern Catholic rites, the thumb, index, and middle fingers. How are Catholics baptized? A less common way is to use an open hand with fingers pressed tightly and the thumb slightly bent towards inside. This symbolizes the openness of the soul to the Lord.

The fate of man

The Catholic Church teaches that people are weighed down by original sin (with the exception of the Virgin Mary), that is, in every person from birth there is a grain of Satan. Therefore, people need the grace of salvation, which can be obtained by living by faith and doing good works. The knowledge of the existence of God is, despite human sinfulness, accessible to the human mind. This means that people are responsible for their actions. Every person is loved by God, but in the end the Last Judgment awaits him. Particularly righteous and charitable people are ranked among the Saints (canonized). The Church keeps a list of them. The process of canonization is preceded by beatification (canonization). Orthodoxy also has a cult of the Saints, but most Protestant denominations reject it.

indulgences

In Catholicism, indulgence is the complete or partial release of a person from punishment for his sins, as well as from the corresponding expiatory action imposed on him by a priest. Initially, the basis for receiving an indulgence was the performance of some good deed (for example, a pilgrimage to holy places). Then it was the donation of a certain amount to the church. During the Renaissance, there were serious and widespread abuses, which consisted in the distribution of indulgences for money. As a result, this provoked the beginning of protests and a reform movement. In 1567, Pope Pius V imposed a ban on the issuance of indulgences for money and material resources in general.

Celibacy in Catholicism

Another major difference between the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church is that all the clergy of the latter give the Catholic clergy no right to marry and generally have sexual intercourse. All attempts to marry after receiving the diaconate are considered invalid. This rule was announced during the time of Pope Gregory the Great (590-604), and was finally approved only in the 11th century.

The Eastern churches rejected the Catholic variant of celibacy at Trull Cathedral. In Catholicism, the vow of celibacy applies to all clergy. Initially, small church ranks had the right to marry. They could be dedicated married men. However, Pope Paul VI abolished them, replacing them with the positions of reader and acolyte, which ceased to be associated with the status of a cleric. He also introduced the institution of lifelong deacons (who are not going to advance further in church careers and become priests). These may include married men.

As an exception, married men who converted to Catholicism from various branches of Protestantism, where they had the ranks of pastors, clerics, etc., can be ordained to the priesthood. However, the Catholic Church does not recognize their priesthood.

Now the obligation of celibacy for all Catholic clergy is the subject of heated debate. In many European countries and the United States, some Catholics believe that the obligatory vow of celibacy should be abolished for non-monastic clergy. However, the Pope did not support such a reform.

Celibacy in Orthodoxy

In Orthodoxy, clergymen can be married if the marriage was concluded before ordination to the priestly or deaconate. However, only monks of the small schema, widowed priests or celibates can become bishops. AT Orthodox Church the bishop must be a monk. Only archimandrites can be ordained to this rank. Bishops cannot simply be celibates and married white clergy (non-monastics). Sometimes, as an exception, hierarchal ordination is possible for representatives of these categories. However, before that, they must accept a small monastic schema and receive the rank of archimandrite.

Inquisition

When asked who the Catholics of the medieval period were, one can get an idea by familiarizing themselves with the activities of such an ecclesiastical body as the Inquisition. It was the judicial institution of the Catholic Church, which was intended to combat heresy and heretics. In the twelfth century, Catholicism faced the rise of various opposition movements in Europe. One of the main ones was Albigensianism (Cathars). The popes have placed the responsibility of fighting them on the bishops. They were supposed to identify heretics, try them and turn them over to secular authorities for execution. The highest punishment was burning at the stake. But the episcopal activity was not very effective. Therefore, Pope Gregory IX created a special church body, the Inquisition, to investigate the crimes of heretics. Initially directed against the Cathars, it soon turned against all heretical movements, as well as witches, sorcerers, blasphemers, infidels, and so on.

Tribunal of the Inquisition

Inquisitors were recruited from various members, primarily from Dominicans. The Inquisition reported directly to the Pope. Initially, the tribunal was headed by two judges, and from the 14th century - by one, but it consisted of legal consultants who determined the degree of "heretics". In addition, the court employees included a notary (who certified the testimony), witnesses, a doctor (monitored the defendant's condition during executions), a prosecutor and an executioner. The inquisitors were given part of the confiscated property of heretics, so there is no need to talk about the honesty and fairness of their court, since it was beneficial for them to recognize a person guilty of heresy.

inquisitorial procedure

Inquisitorial investigation was of two types: general and individual. In the first, a large part of the population of any locality was surveyed. At the second time, a certain person was called through the curate. In those cases when the summoned did not appear, he was excommunicated from the church. The man swore an oath to sincerely tell everything he knew about heretics and heresy. The course of the investigation and proceedings were kept in the deepest secrecy. It is known that the inquisitors widely used torture, which was allowed by Pope Innocent IV. Sometimes their cruelty was condemned even by secular authorities.

The accused were never given the names of witnesses. Often they were excommunicated, murderers, thieves, perjurers - people whose testimony was not taken into account even by the secular courts of that time. The defendant was deprived of the right to have a lawyer. The only possible form of defense was an appeal to the Holy See, although it was formally prohibited by bull 1231. People who had once been convicted by the Inquisition could at any moment be brought to justice again. Even death did not save him from the investigation. If the deceased was found guilty, then his ashes were taken out of the grave and burned.

Punishment system

The list of punishments for heretics was established by bulls 1213, 1231, as well as by the decrees of the Third Lateran Council. If a person confessed to heresy and repented already during the process, he was sentenced to life imprisonment. The Tribunal had the right to shorten the term. However, such sentences were rare. At the same time, the prisoners were kept in extremely cramped cells, often shackled, ate water and bread. In the late Middle Ages, this sentence was replaced by hard labor in the galleys. Recalcitrant heretics were sentenced to be burned at the stake. If a person turned himself in before the start of the process over him, then various church punishments were imposed on him: excommunication, pilgrimage to holy places, donations to the church, interdict, different kinds penance.

Fasting in Catholicism

Fasting among Catholics consists in abstaining from excesses, both physical and spiritual. In Catholicism, there are the following fasting periods and days:

Great Lent for Catholics. It lasts 40 days before Easter.
advent. The four Sundays before Christmas, believers should reflect on his forthcoming arrival and be spiritually focused.
All Fridays.
Dates of some major Christian holidays.
Quatuor anni tempora. It translates as "four seasons". it special days repentance and fasting. The believer must fast once every season on Wednesday, Friday and Saturday.
Fasting before communion. The believer must abstain from food one hour before communion.

The requirements for fasting in Catholicism and Orthodoxy are for the most part similar.

Catholics and Orthodox - what's the difference? Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism? In this article - the answers to these questions in short 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 separation of the Catholic and Orthodox churches took place in 1054, when Pope Leo IX drew up an act of excommunication of the Patriarch of Constantinople and the entire Eastern Church. Patriarch Michael, however, convened a council at which they excommunicated and stopped the commemoration of the popes in the Eastern churches.

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

different languages of worship Greek in the east and Latin in the western church)
dogmatic, ceremonial differences between Eastern(Constantinople) and Western(Rome) by churches ,
desire of the Pope to become first, dominant among 4 equal Christian patriarchs (Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem).

AT 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, unfortunately, have not yet been overcome.

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

Doctrine of the Catholic Church. Differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy

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

Filioque is a dogma about the Holy Spirit. He affirms that He proceeds both from God the Son and from God the Father.
Celibacy is the dogma of celibacy for all clergy, not just monks.
For Catholics, only the decisions taken after the 7th Ecumenical Councils, as well as the Papal Epistles, are Holy Tradition.
Purgatory is a dogma that between hell and heaven there is an intermediate place (purgatory) where redemption of sins is possible.
The dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary and her bodily ascension.
The dogma about the communion of the clergy with the Body and Blood of Christ, and the laity - only with the Body of Christ.

Doctrines 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, Holy Tradition is an ancient oral tradition, the decrees of the first 7 Ecumenical Councils.
In Orthodox Christianity there is no dogma about purgatory.
In Orthodox Christianity, there is no teaching about an overabundance of good deeds of the Virgin Mary, Jesus Christ, the apostles (“treasury of grace”), which allows “drawing” salvation from this treasury. It was this doctrine that allowed the appearance of indulgences. * which became a stumbling block between Protestants and Catholics. Indulgences deeply resented Martin Luther. He did not want to create a new denomination, he wanted to reform Catholicism.
Orthodox laity and clergy Communion with the Body and Blood of Christ: “Take, eat: this is My Body, and drink of it all of you: this is My Blood.”

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Who are Catholics, in what countries do they live?

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

What is the percentage of the population in all countries professing Catholicism, you can see in the table on Wikipedia: Catholicism by country >>>

There are over a billion Catholics in the world. The head of the Catholic Church is the Pope of Rome (in Orthodoxy, the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople). There is a popular opinion 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. Now the Catholic Church is headed by Pope Francis. He was elected on March 13, 2013.

Both Orthodox and Catholics are Christians!

Christ teaches us to love 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, help those in need, a virtuous life, forgiveness, non-judgment, meekness, mercy and love for others.

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

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Christianity belongs to one of the world religions along with Buddhism and Judaism. Over a thousand-year history, it has undergone changes that have led to branches from a single religion. The main ones are Orthodoxy, Protestantism and Catholicism. Christianity also has other currents, but usually they are sectarian and are condemned by representatives of generally recognized trends.

Differences between Orthodoxy and Christianity

What is the difference between these two concepts? Everything is very simple. All Orthodox are Christians, but not all Christians are Orthodox. The followers, united by the confession of this world religion, are separated by belonging to its separate direction, one of which is Orthodoxy. To understand how Orthodoxy differs from Christianity, one must turn to the history of the emergence of world religion.

Origins of religions

Christianity is believed to have originated in the 1st century BC. from the birth of Christ in Palestine, although some sources claim that it became known two centuries earlier. The people who preached the belief were waiting for God to come to earth. The doctrine absorbed the foundations of Judaism and the philosophical trends of that time, it was strongly influenced by the political situation.

The preaching of the apostles greatly contributed to the spread of this religion. especially Paul. Many pagans were converted to the new faith, and this process continued for a long time. At the moment, Christianity has the largest number of followers compared to other world religions.

Orthodox Christianity began to stand out only in Rome in the 10th century. AD, and was officially approved in 1054. Although its origin can be attributed already to the 1st century. from the birth of Christ. Orthodox believe that the history of their religion began immediately after the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, when the apostles preached a new creed and attracted everyone to religion large quantity of people.

By II-III centuries. Orthodoxy opposed Gnosticism, which rejected the authenticity of history Old Testament and interpreter New Testament in a different way, which does not correspond to the generally accepted. Also, opposition was observed in relations with the followers of the presbyter Arius, who formed a new trend - Arianism. According to them, Christ did not possess a divine nature and was only an intermediary between God and people.

On the creed of nascent Orthodoxy big influence provided by the Ecumenical Councils supported by a number of Byzantine emperors. Seven Councils, convened over the course of five centuries, established the basic axioms subsequently accepted in modern Orthodoxy, in particular, confirmed the divine origin of Jesus, disputed in a number of teachings. This strengthened the Orthodox faith and allowed more and more people to join it.

In addition to Orthodoxy and small heretical teachings, rapidly fading in the process of developing stronger trends, Catholicism stood out from Christianity. This was facilitated by the split of the Roman Empire into Western and Eastern. Huge differences in social, political and religious views led to the disintegration of a single religion into Roman Catholic and Orthodox, which at first was called Eastern Catholic. The head of the first church was the Pope, the second - the patriarch. Their mutual excommunication of each other from the common faith led to a split in Christianity. The process began in 1054 and ended in 1204 with the fall of Constantinople.

Although Christianity was adopted in Russia in 988, it was not affected by the process of schism. The official division of the church did not take place until several decades later, but at the baptism of Russia, Orthodox customs were immediately introduced, formed in Byzantium and borrowed from there.

Strictly speaking, the term orthodoxy was practically not found in ancient sources; the word orthodoxy was used instead. According to a number of researchers, earlier these concepts were given different meaning(orthodoxy meant one of the Christian directions, and Orthodoxy was almost a pagan faith). Subsequently, they began to attach a similar meaning to them, made them synonyms and replaced one with another.

Fundamentals of Orthodoxy

Faith in Orthodoxy is the essence of all divine teaching. The Nicene Constantinople Creed, drawn up during the convening of the Second Ecumenical Council, is the basis of the doctrine. The ban on changing any provisions in this system of dogmas has been in force since the time of the Fourth Council.

Based on the Creed, Orthodoxy is based on the following dogmas:

Desire to deserve eternal life in paradise after death is the main goal of professing the religion in question. A true Orthodox Christian must follow the commandments handed down to Moses and confirmed by Christ throughout his life. According to them, one must be kind and merciful, love God and neighbors. The commandments indicate that all hardships and hardships must be endured meekly and even joyfully, despondency is one of the deadly sins.

Differences from other Christian denominations

Compare Orthodoxy with Christianity can be done by comparing its main directions. They are closely related to each other, as they are united in one world religion. However, there are huge differences between them on a number of issues:

Thus, the differences between directions are not always contradictory. There are more similarities between Catholicism and Protestantism, since the latter appeared as a result of a split Roman Catholic Church in the 16th century. If desired, the currents could be reconciled. But this has not happened for many years and is not foreseen in the future.

Relation to other religions

Orthodoxy is tolerant of confessors of other religions. However, without condemning and peacefully coexisting with them, this movement recognizes them as heretical. It is believed that of all religions, only one is true; its professing leads to the inheritance of the Kingdom of God. This dogma is contained in the very name of the direction, indicating that this religion is correct, opposite to other currents. Nevertheless, Orthodoxy recognizes that Catholics and Protestants are also not deprived of the grace of God, because, although they glorify Him differently, the essence of their faith is one.

By comparison, Catholics consider the only way to salvation to be the practice of their religion, while others, including Orthodoxy, are false. The task of this church is to convince all dissenters. The Pope is the head of the Christian Church, although this thesis is refuted in Orthodoxy.

Support for the Orthodox Church secular power and their close cooperation led to an increase in the number of followers of the religion and its development. In a number of countries, Orthodoxy is professed by the majority of the population. These include:

In these countries, a large number of churches, Sunday schools, secular educational institutions subjects devoted to the study of Orthodoxy are introduced. Popularization has reverse side: often people who consider themselves Orthodox are superficial in their attitude to the performance of rituals and do not observe the prescribed moral principles.

You can perform rites in different ways and relate to shrines, have different views on the purpose of your own stay on earth, but in the end, everyone who professes Christianity united by faith in one God. The concept of Christianity is not identical with Orthodoxy, but includes it. Keeping moral principles and being sincere in your relationship with the Higher Forces is the basis of any religion.

On the religion of law and the religion of deification - Hierodeacon John (Kurmoyarov).

Today for pretty a large number people interested in history Christian Church, the schism of 1054 between Rome and Constantinople is most often presented as a kind of misunderstanding that arose due to certain foreign policy circumstances and therefore had nothing to do with serious disagreements of a religious and ideological nature.

Alas, we must state with all certainty that such an opinion is erroneous and does not correspond to reality. The Schism of 1054 was the result of a deep divergence between the Christian East and West in understanding the very essence of the Christian faith. Moreover, today we can say with confidence that Orthodoxy and Catholicism are fundamentally different religious worldviews. It is about the essential difference between these two worldviews that we want to talk in this article (1).

Catholicism: the religion of law

Western Christianity, unlike Eastern Christianity, throughout its history thought more in legal and moral categories than in ontological ones.

Metropolitan Sergius (Stragorodsky) in the book " Orthodox teaching about salvation" wrote on this occasion: "Christianity from its very first historical steps collided with Rome and had to reckon with the Roman spirit and the Roman way or way of thinking, while ancient Rome, in fairness, is considered the bearer and spokesman of law, law. Law (jus) was the main element in which all his concepts and ideas revolved: jus was the basis of his personal life, it also determined all his family, social and state relations. Religion was no exception - it was also one of the applications of law. Becoming a Christian, a Roman also tried to understand Christianity from this side - he also sought in it, first of all, legal consistency ... This is how the legal theory got its start, which consists in the fact that the aforementioned analogy of labor and reward is recognized (consciously or unconsciously, openly or under the line) is a true expression of the very essence of salvation and therefore is placed as the main principle of the theological system and religious life, while the teaching of the Church on the identity of virtue and blessedness is left without attention.

Of course, this way of external understanding of salvation at first could not be dangerous for the Church: all its inaccuracies were covered up in abundance by the faith and ardent zeal of Christians; even more. The opportunity to explain Christianity from a legal point of view was in some respects useful to him: it gave faith a kind of scientific form, as if it affirmed it. But that was during the heyday of church life. It was not the same later, when the worldly spirit penetrated the Church, when many Christians began to think not about how they could fulfill the will of God more perfectly, but, on the contrary, about how to fulfill this will more comfortably, with less loss for this world. Then the possibility of a legal formulation of the doctrine of salvation revealed its disastrous consequences. It is not difficult to see what can happen if a person (who, we note, has already lost the ardor of his first zeal for Christ and now hesitates with difficulty between love for God and selfishness) considers his relationship with God from a legal point of view.

The main danger of this point of view is that, with it, a person may consider himself, as it were, entitled not to belong to God with all his heart and mind: in a legal union, such closeness is not expected and is not required; there it is necessary to observe only the external conditions of the union. A person may not love goodness, he may remain the same self-lover, he must only fulfill the commandments in order to receive a reward. This is most conducive to that mercenary, slavish mood, which does good only because of a reward, without inner attraction and respect for it. True, this state of servile good deeds must be experienced by every ascetic of virtue more than once in his earthly life, but this state should never be elevated to the rule, this is only a preliminary stage, while the goal of moral development is perfect, arbitrary good deeds. The legal point of view sins because it sanctifies this preliminary, preparatory state as complete and perfect.

In a legal union, a person stands before the face of God not at all in the position of an unrequited sinner who owes everything to Him: he is inclined to present himself more or less independent, he expects to receive the promised reward not by the grace of God, but as a due for his labors ”(2).

Thus, in Western Christianity, the external affairs of a person acquired “their own special” self-sufficient value - a price, the payment of which was quite enough for personal salvation and justification before God.

As a result, the doctrine of God the Creator appeared as a passionate, anthropomorphic being, a Just Judge who rewards a person with good for good and punishment for evil deeds! In the dogmas of this teaching (strongly reminiscent of the pagan theory of the nature of the divine), God appears before us as a kind of “autocrat, khan, king”, constantly keeping his subjects in fear and demanding from them the strict fulfillment of his commandments-prescriptions.

It was Western legalism, automatically transferred to the theological sphere, that caused the emergence in the Catholic Church of such phenomena as: papal primacy, the doctrine of the overdue merits of saints, the legal concept of atonement, the doctrine of the "two swords", etc.

For the same reason, Western Christianity has distorted the very understanding of the meaning of spiritual life. The true understanding of the doctrine of salvation was lost - they began to see salvation in the satisfaction of the desires of the Most High God (and desires of an exclusively judicial-legal nature), they began to believe that strict observance established rules, regular participation in rites, buying indulgences and making different kind good deeds give a person a certain “guarantee” of achieving eternal bliss!

Orthodoxy: the religion of deification

In fact, in essence, Christianity is not a set of rules or rituals, it is not a philosophical or moral doctrine (although, of course, there are philosophical and ethical components).

Christianity is, first of all, life in Christ! Precisely because: “In the Byzantine tradition, no serious attempt was ever made to develop a system of Christian ethics, and the Church itself was never considered the source of normative, private rules for the conduct of a Christian. Of course, often church authority was accepted as decisive in resolving certain specific subjects of disputes, and then these decisions later became guiding criteria for later similar cases. But, nevertheless, the main trend that formed Byzantine spirituality was a call for perfection and holiness, and not a system of ethical rules” (3).

What is "life in Christ"? How to understand this phrase? And how to reconcile life in Christ with our ordinary sinful life? Most of the philosophical and religious systems existing in the world build their teaching on the assumption that a person is capable of endless spiritual and moral perfection.

In contrast to such “optimistic” (and at the same time naive) ideas about the meaning and purpose of human existence, Christianity asserts that man (in his current state) is an abnormal, damaged, deeply sick being. And this position is not just a theoretical premise, but a banal reality that opens up to any person who finds the courage to impartially look at the state of the surrounding society and, first of all, at himself.

The purpose of man

Of course, initially God created man differently: “St. John of Damascus sees the deepest mystery in the fact that man was created “deified”, gravitating towards union with God. The perfection of primordial nature was expressed primarily in this ability to commune with God, to cling more and more to the fullness of the Divine, which was to permeate and transform all created nature. St. Gregory the Theologian meant precisely this highest ability of the human spirit when he spoke of God blowing into a person with His breath “a particle of His Divinity” – grace that was present in the soul from the very beginning, giving it the ability to perceive and assimilate this energy that adores it. For the human person was called, according to the teaching of St. Maximus the Confessor, “to unite with love created nature with uncreated nature, being in unity and identity the acquisition of grace” (4).

However, seeing himself in glory, seeing himself knowing, seeing himself full of all perfections, a person admitted the idea that he possesses Divine knowledge and that he no longer needs the Lord. This thought excluded man from the realm of the Divine Presence! As a result, the human being was perverted: his life was filled with suffering, bodily he became mortal, and mentally he subordinated his will to base passions and vices, eventually falling to a subnatural, bestial state.

It should be noted: in contrast to Western theology, in the tradition of which the idea of the fall as a legal act dominates (a crime against the commandment of not eating the fruit), in the Eastern tradition, the original sin of a person has always been considered, first of all, as damage to nature, and not as " sin”, in which “all people are guilty” (the Sixth Ecumenical Council defines “sin” as a “sickness of the soul” in Canon 102).

Christ's sacrifice

God could not remain completely indifferent to the tragedy of man. Being by nature His Absolute Good and Absolute Love, He comes to the aid of His perishing creation and sacrifices Himself for the salvation of the human race, for true love is always sacrificial love! Not daring to violate the free will of a person, forcibly lead him to happiness and good, and considering that there may be people who consciously reject the possibility of salvation, God incarnates in our world! The second Hypostasis of the Holy Trinity (God the Word) unites with our (human) nature and heals it (human nature) in Himself through suffering and death on the Cross. It is the victory of Christ over death and the re-creation of the new man in Christ that Christians celebrate on Holy Pascha!

Having accepted the damage of man, becoming a man himself, the Son of God, through the cross and suffering, restored the nature of man in Himself and thereby saved mankind from the fatalism of death as a consequence of separation from God. The Orthodox Church, in contrast to the Catholic Church, which emphasizes the purely legal nature of the atoning sacrifice, unanimously teaches that the Son of God goes to suffering only because of His incomprehensible and sacrificial love: “For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life” (John 3:16).

But the incarnation of Christ is not only a victory over death, it is a cosmic event, since the restoration of man in Christ means the return to the cosmos of its original beauty. And indeed: “…Only the atoning death of Christ could make this final restoration possible. The death of Christ is truly saving and life-giving precisely because it means the death of the Son of God in the flesh (i.e., in hypostatic unity)... “the only one who has immortality” (1 Tim. 6:16)… The Resurrection of Christ means precisely that death ceased to exist as an element that regulates the existence of man, and that thanks to this man was freed from slavery to sin” (5).

Church of Christ

Only for the sake of salvation, healing and rebirth of man (and through him and the transformation of the entire created world) God founded the Church on earth, in which, through the Sacraments, the believing soul is united to Christ. Having endured suffering on the Cross, overcoming death and restoring human nature in Himself, Christ on the day of Pentecost, on the day of the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the apostles, creates the Church on earth (which is the Body of Christ): “And He subdued everything under His feet, and set Him higher of all, the head of the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that fills all in all” (Eph. 1:22).

In this regard, it should be noted that the understanding of the Church as a society of people united only by faith in Jesus Christ as the Divine Messiah is completely wrong. Both the Christian family and the Christian state are also societies of people of divine origin, but neither the family nor the state is the Church. Moreover, from the definition of the Church as a "society of believers" it is impossible to deduce its main properties: unity, holiness, catholicity and apostolate.

So what is the Church? Why is the Church often compared to the Body of Christ in the Bible? YES BECAUSE THE BODY ASSUMES UNITY! UNITY IS UNDIVISIBLE! That is, UNITY AS A LIVING CONNECTION: “May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You, so they too may be one in Us, so that the world may believe that You sent Me” (Jn. 17:21).

The Church, like the human body (where many organs function, the work of which is coordinated by the central nervous system), consists of many members who have a single Head - the Lord Jesus Christ, without whom it is impossible to allow the existence of the Church even for a single moment. Orthodoxy considers the Church of Christ as an environment necessary for the realization of the union of man with God: “One body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us” (Eph. 4:4–6).

It is thanks to the Church that we no longer run the risk of irrevocably losing communion with God, for we are enclosed in one body, in which the Blood of Christ (i.e., communion) circulates, cleansing us from all sin and all filth: “And taking the cup and giving thanks, gave it to them and said, Drink all of it, for this is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins” (Matthew 26:27).

It is about the unity of all members of the Church in Christ, about the union of love bestowed in the Sacrament of Communion, that is spoken of in all the Eucharistic prayers of the Orthodox Church. For the Church is, first of all, a meeting around the Eucharistic meal. In other words, the Church is the people who gather in certain place and in certain time to become the Body of Christ.

That is why the Church is built not by teaching and command, but from the Lord Jesus Christ Himself. App says this. Paul: “Therefore, you are no longer strangers and strangers, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been established on the basis of the apostles and prophets, having Jesus Christ Himself as the cornerstone, on which the whole building, being built in harmony, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, on in which you also are being built into a habitation of God by the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19).

Figuratively, the process of salvation of a person in the Church can be described as follows: people (like living cells) join a healthy organism - the Body of Christ - and receive healing in It, since they become of the same nature with Christ. In this sense, the Church is not just a means of individual sanctification of a person. In Christ, a person acquires a real fullness of life, and consequently, a full-fledged fellowship with other people; moreover, it is immaterial for the Church whether a person lives on earth or has already departed to another world, for there is no death in the Church, and those who have accepted Christ here, in this life, can become members of the Body of Christ and thereby enter the Kingdom of the Future Age, for: “The Kingdom of God is within you” (Luke 17:21). The Church is both the Body of Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, “filling all in all”: “One body and one spirit, just as you were called to one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in all of us” (Eph. 4:4–6).

Thus, from Christocentricity (i.e., from the concept of the Church as the Body of Christ) and synergy (the co-creation of God and man in the matter of salvation) follows the need for the moral labor of each individual to achieve main goal life - DEIFICATION, which can only be achieved through union with Christ in His Body, in the Church!

That is why, in principle, it is impossible for Eastern theology to look at salvation from a “legal” point of view: as an expectation of either a reward for virtues or an eternal punishment for sins. According to gospel teaching, future life not just a reward or punishment awaits us, but God himself! And union with Him will be the highest reward for the believer, and rejection from Him will be the highest punishment that is possible.

In contrast to the Western understanding of salvation, in Orthodoxy the doctrine of salvation is understood as life in God and with God, for the fullness and constancy of which a Christian must constantly change himself in the image of the God-man Christ: “This is the meaning of sacramental life and the foundation of Christian spirituality. A Christian is by no means called upon to copy Christ, which would be only an outward, moral feat... Prov. Maximus the Confessor presents deification as the communion of “the whole man” with “all God”, for in deification a person achieves highest goal for which it was created" (6).

Links:
1) Unfortunately, the format of the article does not allow detailed analysis creeds of the Catholic Church, all of its hallmarks Key words: papal primacy, filioque, Catholic Mariology, Catholic mysticism, doctrines of original sin, the legal doctrine of atonement, etc.
2) Metropolitan Sergius (Starogorodsky). Orthodox teaching about salvation. Part 1. The origin of the legal understanding of life. Catholicism: http://pravbeseda.org/library/books/strag1_3.html
3) Meyendorff John, prot. Byzantine theology. Historical trends and doctrinal themes. Chapter "The Holy Spirit and the Freedom of Man". Minsk: Beams of Sophia, 2001, p. 251.
4) V. N. Lossky, Theophany. Essays mystical theology Eastern Church. M.: AST Publishing House, 2003. S. 208.
5) Meyendorff John, prot. Byzantine theology. Historical trends and doctrinal themes. Chapter "Atonement and deification". Minsk: Beams of Sophia, 2001, pp. 231–233.
6) Meyendorff John, prot. Byzantine theology. Historical trends and doctrinal themes. Chapter "Atonement and deification". Minsk: Beams of Sophia, 2001, pp. 234–235.