Eastern Orthodox Church

Definition and Name

The Orthodox Church is counted, together with Catholicism and Protestantism, among the three major traditions of Christianity. It is also called the Eastern Orthodox Church to distinguish it from the Western church. The word "Orthodox" comes from the Greek orthodoxia, meaning "right belief" or "right worship." The Orthodox Church is not a single centralized organization. Rather, it is a communion of autocephalous churches (regional churches that appoint their own heads), such as the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Russian Orthodox Church, which share the same faith and sacraments and remain in communion with one another.

Biblical and Historical Background

The Orthodox Church regards itself as standing in unbroken continuity with the early church and considers its bishops to be successors of the apostles. Alongside Scripture, it takes the Holy Tradition handed down by the church as its standard of faith. Its doctrine rests on the Nicene Creed and the decisions of the seven ecumenical councils (councils representing the whole church).

In 1054 representatives of the Patriarch of Constantinople and of the Pope of Rome excommunicated each other. This event is commonly regarded as the starting point of the East–West Schism, but the division actually hardened over a long period both before and after it. The Orthodox Church holds that Rome departed from the one church, while the Catholic Church holds the opposite view.

The Church in Korea

History

• Russian Orthodox mission: In 1897 the Russian Orthodox Church decided to begin a mission in Korea. In February 1900 Father Chrysanf Shchetkovsky celebrated the first Divine Liturgy at the Russian legation in Seoul. The mission's activities declined during the Russo-Japanese War and the Russian Revolution, and the Russian Orthodox mission came to an end in 1949, when its Russian priest was arrested.
• Transfer to the Ecumenical Patriarchate: After the Korean War, Father Andreas Halkiopoulos, a chaplain with the Greek forces, reestablished the community. In 1956, by resolution of a general assembly of the faithful, the community placed itself under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople.
• Elevation to a metropolis: In 1968 the Byzantine-style St. Nicholas Cathedral was built in Ahyeon-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. On June 20, 2004, the church in Korea was elevated to the status of a metropolis, the Metropolis of Korea. Its first ruling hierarch was Metropolitan Sotirios Trambas, and Metropolitan Ambrosios Zografos has led it since 2008.
• Coexistence of two jurisdictions: In recent years the Russian Orthodox Church has also maintained a separate diocese in Korea. Both churches claim jurisdiction over the entire Korean Peninsula.

Worship and Practice

• On Sundays the faithful celebrate the Divine Liturgy, which is centered on the Eucharist.
• Churches contain an iconostasis, a screen hung with icons (images depicting saints and scenes from Scripture). The Orthodox Church explains that it does not worship icons but uses them to convey the meaning of Scripture.
• Baptism is administered by immersion in water.
• In Korean, the Orthodox Church refers to God as Haneunim rather than Hananim.

Relations with Protestantism

Denominations that participate in the ecumenical movement (the movement for church unity) regard the Orthodox Church as a partner in dialogue through bodies such as the World Council of Churches. The Orthodox Church in Korea is reported to be a member church of the National Council of Churches in Korea.

Some Protestants point out that, judged by the Reformation principle of sola scriptura ("Scripture alone"), the Orthodox understanding of the authority of tradition, the veneration of icons, and the priesthood differs from that of Protestantism. The Orthodox Church explains that tradition is not an authority standing apart from Scripture but the church's own tradition of reading and interpreting Scripture.