The Orthodox Faith
The term ‘Orthodox’ means “right worshipping”. We are the right worshipping and right believing Church that was established by Christ, preached by the Apostles, and kept by the Fathers and Mothers of our Christian ancestry. It is in essence the fullest embodiment of the Scriptures and Holy Tradition (2Thes 2:15). The term ‘Eastern’ stems from its geographical origin in relation to being east of Rome and was applied by the West in recent history.
The Eastern Orthodox Church dates its earthly existence from the time of Christ and the Apostles. As mentioned in the previous page, the Patriarchate of Antioch has the Apostles Peter and Paul as its founders and patrons in Christ, where the disciples were first called Christians (Acts 11:26).
Christians believe in the hope of the Resurrection and eternal life through the only begotten Son of God, Jesus Christ. Orthodox Christianity centres itself on the intimate relation and revelation of the Holy Trinity through Christ and His Incarnation, which is the core of our worship, exegesis, philanthropy and everything else in-between.
The spiritual head of the Antiochian Patriarchate of the Eastern Orthodox Church today is His Beatitude John X, who represents an unbroken line of patriarchs descending directly from St. Peter himself. Other early Christian communities were established in Greece, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Cyprus and Asia Minor.
Later, missionaries brought the church to other Orthodox countries, such as Russia, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania. Today, Orthodoxy lives and thrives internationally, including but not limited to Japan, the United States, China, other parts of Asia, the United Kingdom, Canada, all throughout Europe and South America, as well as Australia.
If you would like to learn more about the Orthodox Christian faith, you may be interested in our Catechism Program.