Basic tenets of the Eastern Orthodox Churches

[Lik3]

What are the basic tenets of the Eastern Orthodox Church, specifically the Ethiopian Orthodox Church? How much different are they from say Baptists other than just regional differences? For example, many Baptists don't believe women should be preachers. Is it the same way in the Eastern Orthodox Churches?

 

[George95]

In the Eastern Orthodox Church, women are not able to be ordained to the priesthood. However they can help in the Choir, as a Chanter, and other ministries in the church.

 

[Lik3]

Interesting. Thanks. That sounds a lot like the Baptist Church where men and women have different functions but the leaders or pastors are men. Many Baptists strongly oppose women pastors. I do wonder if there was a woman pastor who was a true believer as opposed to a male who turned out to be a false teacher, would God end up discrediting both? I know that God calls us all for something, but wouldn't it be unfair for people to criticize a woman if she is truly called as far as being the head of a church? Maybe I should do some more studying. Anyways, I wonder if that is what the Bible says or if that is just denominational teaching. BTW, what are chanters?

 

[Nik0s]

What are the basic tenets of the Eastern Orthodox Church, specifically the Ethiopian Orthodox Church?

Th Ethiopian Tewahedo Church is NOT in communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church. They, along with the Copts, Armenians and others are what are known as 'Oriental Orthodox" Churches. They reject the 4th-7th ecumenical councils over differences in Christology. As for "Basic tenets" I suggest you check out the Nicene Creed.

I believe in one God, Father Almighty, Creator of
heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible.
And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only-begotten Son of
God, begotten of the Father before all ages;
Light of Light, true God of true God, begotten,
not created, of one essence with the Father
through Whom all things were made.
Who for us men and for our salvation
came down from heaven and was incarnate
of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man.
He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate,
and suffered and was buried;
And He rose on the third day,
according to the Scriptures.
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right hand of the Father;
And He will come again with glory to judge the living
and dead. His kingdom shall have no end.
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Creator of life,
Who proceeds from the Father, Who together with the
Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified, Who
spoke through the prophets.
In one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church.
I confess one baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
I look for the resurrection of the dead,
and the life of the age to come.
Amen.

How much different are they from say Baptists other than just regional differences? For example, many Baptists don't believe women should be preachers. Is it the same way in the Eastern Orthodox Churches?

Orthodoxy and the Baptist Church are very different. For starters, we believe in the real presence of the Eucharist, that is to say that, through a divine mystery, that the bread and wine are made into the body and blood of Christ. We also believe in an ordained Clergy, as present in Scripture, with three major orders. Deacon, Presbyter (Priest) and Bishop (Episkopos). Ordination, as in the Bible, requires the laying on of hands by the Bishop, who is a direct successor to the Apostles. We hold that all Bishops are equal in authority, there is no Pope as in Roman Catholicism.

As to the question of female clergy, there are no female Priests, Bishops or Deacons and there never have been. In the early Church, and in some female monastic communities, there is the office of Deaconess. The Deaconess originally helped with the baptism of adult female converts, and then carried out much the same duty as the Deacon (keeping sanctuary tidy, etc).

 

[Lik3]

Thanks. It sounds like you have more in common with Catholics than Baptists. The Nicene creed seems similar to the Apostle's Creed.

 

[WisdomTree]

Thanks. It sounds like you have more in common with Catholics than Baptists. The Nicene creed seems similar to the Apostle's Creed.

That's because we share a common root in the form of the Apostolic Succession though we have diverged now and now and again we view each other with scepticism.

The Nicene Creed and the Apostle's Creed are both Creeds in the sense that it is a declaration of what we believe, but that is where the similarity ends. In Eastern Christianity, the Apostle's Creed have no authority since its origins (it used to be called the Old Roman Creed) as being written by the twelve Apostles themselves are dubious in that there are not much evidence for it, hence why it is only recited in Western Christianity. The Nicene Creed which was further refined to its modern form in Constantinople seventeen-ish centuries ago was established as the baseline of Christian orthodoxy due to rampant heresies at the time (Arianism).

Since you asked about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, as said above, they are not members of this group, but another called "The Voice in the Desert".

 

[Lik3]

Thanks. I will check it out.

 

[ArmyMatt]

Thanks. It sounds like you have more in common with Catholics than Baptists. The Nicene creed seems similar to the Apostle's Creed.

externally yes, we do look a lot like the RC, but our (and the Oriental Orthodox from what I gather) approach to the theology is very different.

 

[Nik0s]

Thanks. It sounds like you have more in common with Catholics than Baptists.

Well, we were one Church for the first thousand years of Christendom, and Baptists by comparison have only been around a short while so it makes sense.

 

[Gxg (G²)]

What are the basic tenets of the Eastern Orthodox Church, specifically the Ethiopian Orthodox Church?

As another noted, if wishing to know about the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, there have been other discussions on the issue elsewhere in the forum mainly for Oriental Orthodox believers...as seen here in The Voice In The Desert
- with threads there being places such as The Ark of the Covenant or here from that forum:

‪Ethiopian Orthodox Christianity‬‏ - YouTube

The Oriental Orthodox in Africa come to mind for wars, conflicts, and various violence. Much of it justified (i.e. self-defense against European powers), but much of it is not (e.g. religious/sectarian violence against minorities).

Ethiopia and Eritrea are examples. Ethiopia has been involved in wars for centuries (even invading the Arabian Peninsula once prior to Muhammad's birth), and Eritrea is commonly a source of religious and sectarian strife between the Eritrean Church (majority), Sunni (second largest majority), and various religious minorities in the country.

Now, I don't mean any disrespect to the Oriental Orthodox churches - I love them regardless of what any people in them do.

Ethiopia defended persecuted Christians of Himyar (southern Arabia), who were massacred for rejecting Judaism. In Najran town Christians were burned alive in big pit (this fact is remembered in Koran). Ethiopian king Kaleb Ella Atsbeha with his troops invaded Himyar and destroyed it saving Christian brothers and sisters.

Eritrean Church itself is an object of repressions of ruling regime and has nothing with strife with other minorities.

May be we must remember, for example, about between Russian Orthodox Church and Starovery (old order Orthodoxes which didn't accept reforms of patriarch Nikon in 17th century)? About persecution of Armenian Apostolic Church in first years of 20 century by same ROC and tzar government?

For a good review/study on the issue, one can go here:

Excerpts from the Anaphora of The Apostles in English and Geez (Ethiopian Rite) - YouTube


"The Ethiopian Orthodox Liturgy: A Bird's Eye View" by Rev. Dr. Mebratu Kiros Gebru - YouTube

God is so faithful...

Hi guys, I'm wondering if you guys can help me out with something. I'm looking for any kind of written statement that discusses the official position of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church on their understanding of The Book of Enoch. Since they're the only ones who include it in their canon, I see the book abused by rogue Protestants a lot, and it would be helpful to know how the ones who actually canonized the book interpret it.

If there are any official sites or resources that you can point me to I would greatly appreciate it.

If I may say...

I know you brought this question up in TAW - and it was addressed before in #13, as well as outside of CF. And on the issue, I say that because (IMHO) ...as someone who has worked with Ethiopian Orthodoxo...either what was said on the matter wasn't listened to before - or it was missed.

Either way, I know resources have been given on the matter...

That said, I am thankful for and fascinated that the Book of Enoch was preserved within the Ethiopian Church. Its always odd seeing people trip on it, despite the fact that its already referenced within the Book of Jude---and the early Jewish church had no problem with many of the thoughts held within it when it came to the concept of a Divine Council, the Watchers and many other things. I'm always amazed at how many seem to not be amazed at the beauty of the Ethiopian Orthodox Old Testament...as there's truly so much depth to it that many don't seem able to realize.


The Ethiopian canon is basically the same as the LXX canon plus Jubilees and Enoch and different Maccabees tales (which many scholars see as a later attempt to replace lost scrolls), much like what has been found at the Dead Sea Caves. Commenting on the influence of certain councils regarding the sacredness of the Book of Enoch and the canon, it seems that the the Book of Enoch was extant centuries before the birth of Christ and yet is considered by many to be more Christian in its theology than Jewish. Jude 1:6, Gen 6, 1st Peter 3:19-20, and 2nd Peter 2:4 immediately come to mind, though there are more passages that either directly quote or refer to the Book of Enoch. And its not surprising, seeing that it was considered scripture by many early Christians...as the earliest literature of "Church Fathers" is filled with references to this mysterious book. The early second century "Epistle of Barnabus" makes much use of the Book of Enoch. Second and Third Century "Church Fathers" like Justin Martyr, Irenaeus, Origin and Clement of Alexandria all make use of the Book of Enoch. Tertullian (160-230 C.E) even called the Book of Enoch "Holy Scripture".....so its very odd, IMHO, that the Ethiopic Church even added the Book of Enoch to its official canon whereas other branches of Orthodoxy reject it (to my knowledge). For it was widely known and read the first three centuries after Christ.

One can go here to read it or here:

Ah man I forgot all about that thread in TAW, thanks for reminding me about it bro. Shoot I wouldn't have double-posted if I hadn't forgotten about it.

Nevertheless, thanks for your response!

There have been many EOs from here (or throughout CF Forums) who've done exchanges with other OOs in that forum (just as the OO do so here ) - and it has been a trip.

To be clear, of course the Ethiopian Orthodox Church has been discussed here before as well - as seen in threads such as the following:

• Bob Marley Died a Christian

• Church choice

• OC vs RCC

• Beauty of the Lalibela Rock Hewn Churches (Ethiopia): Wondering who made them..

• Ethopian Orthodoxy vs Eastern Orthodoxy: Which one's closer to 1st Century Judaism?

Plenty of EOs have said how they also identify with the OOs on multiple levels and yet still advocate for EO Christology - just as there are OOs living with EOs who identify with OO Christology more so. Personally, I have family in the Antiochian Orthodox Church and Byzantine Tradition. An I've been there plenty of times myself.

As it is, many OOs already work with EOs and the focus was noting what other EOs have said in agreement. And it has NEVER been the official position for decades that OOs are NOT Orthodox - more shared in EO sharing church with Coptic Orthodox . OOs do go to EO parishes, identify with EO and yet still appreciate their background as OO (as I have).


For reference on where dialogue and official statements have occurred:

• Orthodox Liturgical Renewal and Visible Unity

• Official Statements « Orthodox Unity (Orthodox Joint Commission)

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• Restoring the Unity in Faith: The Orthodox-Oriental Orthodox Theological Dialogue « Orthodox Unity (Orthodox Joint Commission)

OOs as well as EOs have already interacted with one another here as well as on the OO forum - From EO referencing Saints from OO - from St Ephraim's in his works to St. Anthony to St. Isaac the Syrian and several others - to discussing other battles Orthodox are having to deal with (be it in discussions such as Why we are divided till now ?!! or Mehmed the Conqueror and Gennadius II or Your View on the Oriental Orthodox (non-Chalcedonians). There have been dialogues/meetings on many issues between Oriential and Eastern - as well as others involved - with there needing to be unification at many points and yet there's still a healthy recognition of where Unity is present (as one thing that is refreshing in Eastern" Christianity is that many things are not dogmatic and there's room for diverse views when considering Apostolic history).

Oriental Orthodox are a part of the Church. As others have said best:

I think my church (Antioch) is pretty pronounced in its acceptance of the OO, and so it cannot be said that the OO are universally rejected either.

I have met many Orientals who were more Orthodox in spirit than some of my Eastern brethren.

There's about five in Puerto Rico. ROCOR has a sizable presence in Haiti. I think the Antiochians probably have a dozen or so throughout as well.

Was able to find out on OO Churches present in the West Indies.

Ethiopian church in Trinidad - YouTube​

Wishing that others would consider coming down into the Caribbean--namely places like Jamaica or Bahamas and other places--and consider working with the Orthodox down on that side . Don't know why it slipped my mind that Ethiopian Orthodoxy is big for many Jamaicans (in light of Bob Marley being baptized into the Ethiopian Church and Ethiopian Orthodoxy becoming stronger after His Imperial Majesty Haile Selassie came over/sought to teach other Rastafarians on how they needed to worship the Christ he worshipped rather than thinking he was Christ). Ethiopian Orthodoxy seems to be strong over on the Island side....and if nothing else, beautiful people and a wonderful land to live in.​

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In the immediate sense with regards to what the Ethiopian Orthodox are distinctive for, some of their practices include celebrating on Saturday as well as Sunday (in view of the Sabbath) and doing other customs consistent with early Jewish practice like circumcising children/eating kosher foods (similar to others in the OO Church), due in part to many who were Ethiopian Jews while also due to respecting the lifestyle of Jewish culture. They have remained consistent in doing so with the example of the early Church since it's done in honor of the Lord/celebration of Him

 

[E.C.]

Welcome to TAW!

Ethiopian Orthodox are wonderful people. Their Bibles have a few extra books in it such as Enoch, Proverbs (same as most, but in two parts), and a book named after someone named Clement. Their crosses and icons are pretty cool too.

They believe that Jesus is God, like most of us, and also have the Ark of the Covenant in Ethiopia.

Wonderful people, beautiful chant. They are here in the US, but a bit hard to find on the Internet.

 

[Nik0s]

Ethiopian Orthodox mass - YouTube

Glory to God in all things.