Oriental Orthodox Churches

Definition and Meaning

"Oriental Orthodox Churches" is the collective name for the ancient Eastern churches that did not accept the decisions of the Council of Chalcedon in 451. The churches in this communion are the following:

• Coptic Orthodox Church (Egypt)
• Syriac Orthodox Church
• Armenian Apostolic Church
• Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church
• Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church
• Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church of India

Each church is self-governing, but they are in eucharistic communion with one another and together form a single communion. They are distinct from the Eastern Orthodox Church of the Greek and Russian traditions. Because they did not accept the Council of Chalcedon, they are also called the "non-Chalcedonian churches."

Biblical and Historical Background

The issue in dispute was how divinity and humanity are united in the incarnate Christ (John 1:14).

• The Council of Chalcedon confessed Christ as one person (hypostasis) acknowledged "in two natures."
• The Oriental Orthodox Churches continue the Alexandrian theological tradition that opposed Nestorianism. Following Cyril of Alexandria's formula "one incarnate nature of God the Word," they hold that divinity and humanity are united in one nature without mixture or change. This position is called miaphysitism.

Other churches long referred to them as "Monophysite" churches (that is, as holding that Christ has only a divine nature). The Oriental Orthodox reject this label, noting that they themselves condemn the teaching of Eutyches, which effectively denied the humanity of Christ. They recognize only the first three councils, beginning with the Council of Nicaea (325).

Dialogue continued within the twentieth-century ecumenical movement. In joint statements issued in 1989 and 1990, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox theologians agreed that, although the two sides express their confession of Christ differently, they hold the same faith. However, these statements reportedly have not been officially approved by all the churches. The Catholic Church has also issued joint Christological declarations with the heads of several Oriental Orthodox churches since the 1970s. Several Oriental Orthodox churches are members of the World Council of Churches.

In the Korean Church

There are very few Oriental Orthodox believers in Korea, and direct contact between these churches and Korean Protestant denominations is rare. Most Korean Protestant denominations accept the Chalcedonian Definition as the standard of orthodox Christology. Consequently, the Oriental Orthodox Churches are introduced mainly in seminary courses on church history and the history of doctrine, as one of the parties to the Christological controversies. Older textbooks frequently used the term "Monophysite churches," but more recent works increasingly use "miaphysite" or "Oriental Orthodox" to reflect these churches' self-understanding.

The degree of contact varies by denomination. Denominations that participate in WCC activities, such as those belonging to the National Council of Churches in Korea, sometimes encounter these churches at international gatherings. Denominations that do not participate in the WCC have almost no contact with them. Because the term "Orthodox Church" in Korea commonly refers to the Greek and Russian tradition, the two families of churches are sometimes confused.