Comparing and Contrasting Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, and Protestantism

[archer75]

Oh, but there is. The "ancient" Church, with bishops, priests, deacons, and laity said it was the Word of God. Over 1,000 years of Christianity says it is the Word of God. The Church revealed and codified what was already believed by the laity. There's the Authority. And yes, that includes the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church

What I said and meant was that -- under the doctrine of sola scriptura, which is NOT taught by the RC or EO or OO Christians -- there's no authority to "authorize" scripture. If you insist on sola scriptura...there's no reason even to pay attention to scripture.

 

[Monk Brendan]

Acts chapter 15 gives the account (Biblical for all of the protestant/evangelicals) of how the church operates in council. Yes, Peter is there and he speaks but the account seems very clear to me that James was the one presiding.

James was the Bishop of Jerusalem. As such, a council in that city should be lead by him.

 

[Monk Brendan]

All denominations have gone astray from the true Jesus.

I reject that belief. If it had, then God's Word that He would always be with us is made null and void, and God's Word never comes back void. See Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (KJV)

 

[Monk Brendan]

Ignatius has already been mentioned -- very influential figure from 2nd century.

Ignatius was a disciple, as someone mentioned of John. Can you think of no other? Was he the last true Christian?

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

Oh? Then you would rather that Christianity was illegal, and you had to practice a state religion? What religion would you think it would be (and it would NOT be Roman Catholic)?

I clearly addressed the statement earlier saying that I didn't mean to type legal in there. I simply met to simply say acceptable/agreeable/liked by the world, mixes in with government just fine.

 

[faroukfarouk]

I clearly addressed the statement earlier saying that I didn't mean to type legal in there. I simply met to simply say acceptable/agreeable/liked by the world.

Some forms of Protestantism have borrowed from the canon law and Scholastic methodology known in some other ancient denominations; there is a sense in which the underlying Bible truth which Protestants emphasize by conviction and custom rather than by legal and institutional standardization cannot be restricted by canon law and methodologies.

 

[JESUS=G.O.A.T]

Some forms of Protestantism have borrowed from the canon law and Scholastic methodology known in some other ancient denominations; there is a sense in which the underlying Bible truth which Protestants emphasize by conviction and custom rather than by legal and institutional standardization cannot be restricted by canon law and methodologies.

I'm not protestant myself personally but that is true.

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

I reject that belief. If it had, then God's Word that He would always be with us is made null and void, and God's Word never comes back void. See Isaiah 55:11 “So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” (KJV)

Church is in hearts of people. Jesus never fails. Humans do. They created counterfeit church to earn money.

 

[anna ~ grace]

It may mean that he was the most highly regarded of the Apostles.

That, however, doesn't mean that any special authority or power went with it, and certainly not that hundreds of other men were authorized to act as the infallible head of the worldwide church simply because they also became bishops in Rome centuries later.

Respectfully, if you divorce the contents of Scripture from Patristics, history, and early Church theology, I can see how one might think that.

 

[anna ~ grace]

Church is in hearts of people. Jesus never fails. Humans do. They created counterfeit church to earn money.

Hey, Sir. I get why you feel that way. But there is also a lot of beauty, authenticity, depth, power, and holiness in the spirituality, theology, and practices of the Catholic Church.

I hope that someday, by God's grace, you get to know that, too.

 

[archer75]

Hey, Sir. I get why you feel that way. But there is also a lot of beauty, authenticity, depth, power, and holiness in the spirituality, theology, and practices of the Catholic Church.

I hope that someday, by God's grace, you get to know that, too.

I also get and (to a great degree) share that attitude that @ChristianFromKazakhstan expressed. Not 100%, though. I think @Gracia Singh has something, too.

Blessings to all who seek Christ!

 

[Open Heart]

What does the Eastern Orthodox Church believe?

What does the Roman Catholic Church believe?

I believe (I may be wrong) the Protestant churches believe the Five Solas of the Protestant Reformation
Sola Scriptura- The belief that Scripture is the rule of faith, not creed.
Sola Fide- The belief that faith justifies the individual, not works.
Sola Christus- The belief in the substitutionary atonement of Christ in place of the sinner.
Sola Gratia- The belief that salvation is a work of God's grace alone, not human assistance.
Soli Deo Gloria- The belief that one should live under the lordship of God alone.

Five Solas | Theopedia

My hope is that we can come to appreciate each other's differences and understand each other better as we are all one in Christ Jesus.

You are correct that Protestantism believes the fives solas, whereas Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism do not.

Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism believe that the Church has authority in addition to the Bible, since the Church had authority before there was a canon of the NT, and because it took Church authority to determine the NT canon. This authority is based on an idea called Apostolic Succession: that the Apostles (who had teaching authority) ordained successors, the Episkopoi (Bishops, Overseers) who would continue in this teaching authority, and those Episkopoi would pass the teaching authority on to other Episkopoi, and so on, via the unbroken chain of laying on of hands. There are other small differences, but this is the big one that everything else gets grouped under.

The Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church have small differences, such as the Filioque (whether the holy spirit also proceeds from the son), but really the main difference has to do with whether the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) has primacy, or whether all the Patriarchs are equal.

 

[Albion]

Respectfully, if you divorce the contents of Scripture from Patristics, history, and early Church theology, I can see how one might think that.

Well sure--IF you put Patristics, church history, and other opinions from a significantly later period of time up against Scripture. But the opposite of Sola Scriptura is Sacred Tradition, which is based upon the claim that there is a continuity from the beginning, from the earliest Christians and Christian churches, down through the ages that follow.

In this case, that's not present. "Patristics, history, and early Church theology" do NOT show that there is any such belief in the Apostolic Church.

 

[Monk Brendan]

Church is in hearts of people. Jesus never fails. Humans do. They created counterfeit church to earn money.

And I vehemently oppose that remark as well!

 

[prodromos]

The Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church have small differences, such as the Filioque (whether the holy spirit also proceeds from the son), but really the main difference has to do with whether the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) has primacy, or whether all the Patriarchs are equal.

Patriarch Bartholemew in his 1997 address to Georgetown University, stated that,

"the manner in which we exist has become ontologically different.''​

That is not small differences, that is completely different animal.

View from around the 22 minute mark

 

[ChristianFromKazakhstan]

And I vehemently oppose that remark as well!

That's okay. But don't oppose Jesus. He is Lord

 

[Petros2015]

You are correct that Protestantism believes the fives solas, whereas Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism do not.

Eastern Orthodoxy and Catholicism believe that the Church has authority in addition to the Bible, since the Church had authority before there was a canon of the NT, and because it took Church authority to determine the NT canon. This authority is based on an idea called Apostolic Succession: that the Apostles (who had teaching authority) ordained successors, the Episkopoi (Bishops, Overseers) who would continue in this teaching authority, and those Episkopoi would pass the teaching authority on to other Episkopoi, and so on, via the unbroken chain of laying on of hands. There are other small differences, but this is the big one that everything else gets grouped under.

The Eastern Orthodox churches and the Catholic Church have small differences, such as the Filioque (whether the holy spirit also proceeds from the son), but really the main difference has to do with whether the Bishop of Rome (the Pope) has primacy, or whether all the Patriarchs are equal.

I would add the EO and Catholic derived churches are Sacramentally based. Before you had the Bible codified, you had the traditions of the Sacraments as passed on from Christ to Apostles and then through the succession of Bishops and Priests. These are still present in one form or another in most other non Catholic denominations, with some denominations giving more weight to one or the other. They are referenced in the scriptures, but the actual practice and traditions of carrying them out was the duty and place of the Church. EO does not have the concept of Purgatory that RCC developed and emphasized over time.

Sacraments of the Catholic Church - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sacraments_of_the_Catholic_Church
Also of interest referencing early Church roots are documents like the Didache

"The text, parts of which constitute the oldest extant written catechism, has three main sections dealing with Christian ethics, rituals such as baptism and Eucharist, and Church organization"
Didache - Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Didache
Full text
Didache. The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles (translation Roberts-Donaldson).

 

[Petros2015]

View from around the 22 minute mark

And view to the end. That was really good, thank you.

 

[Open Heart]

I would add the EO and Catholic derived churches are Sacramentally based.

I thought of adding that, but the Anglicans, Lutherans, Methodists, and Nazarenes, still have either full understandings of the sacraments, or residual ideas.

 

[Open Heart]

Patriarch Bartholemew in his 1997 address to Georgetown University, stated that,
"the manner in which we exist has become ontologically different.''

I think this is an exaggeration.