Christianity has been, historically, a Middle Eastern religion with its origin in Judaism. Eastern Christianity refers collectively to the Christian traditions and churches which developed in the Middle East, Egypt, Asia Minor, the Far East, Balkans, Eastern Europe, Northeastern Africa and southern India over several centuries of religious antiquity. It is contrasted with Western Christianity, which developed in Western Europe.Tomáš Špidlík, The Spirituality of the Christian East: A systematic handbook, Cistercian Publications, Kalamazoo, Michigan, 1986. Kallistos Ware, The Orthodox Church, St. Vladimir's Seminary Press, London, 1995. As a historical definition the term relates to the earliest Christian communities and their long-standing traditions that still exist.
Overview
Christianity emerged as a distinct religion from Second Temple Judaism in Roman Palestine. Having incorporated converts from both Jewish and gentiles, Christianity was opposed both by Rabbinic Judaism and Roman Empire (see Persecution of early Christians by the Romans) from its inception and was forced immediately into an underground movement. Since the First century, Christianity had spread immediately to both western and eastern halves of the Greco-Roman world and beyond. Eastern Christianity denoted Christian traditions and church families that are rooted and developed during classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region and their later extensions of spread.
Presence and formation of the Christianity in the East is attributed by Sacred Tradition and Apostolic Succession to the Apostles, being directly commissioned and the Seventy Disciples of the Apostles (see Thaddeus of Edessa and Ananias of Damascus) along with the Seven Deacons, indirectly as extension of the former. This identity is reinforced by the fact that much of the New Testament epistles are directed to Hellenic-speaking cities in Asia Minor and Greece, whilst also mentioning places took place in the Eastern Mediterranean region.
Church of Jerusalem was established with appointment of James, brother of Jesus by other apostles as its first bishop whereas Church of Antioch was established jointly by Apostle Peter and Apostle Paul with the former as its first bishop. Churches in Greece, Mediterranean islands, and Asia Minor were founded variously by Apostle Paul, Apostle Andrew, Apostle John, Apostle Philip, and Apostle Peter. Church of Alexandria was established by Apostle Peter through his appointment of Mark the Evangelist as its first bishop.
Beyond borders of Roman Empire, Apostle Jude and Apostle Bartholomew founded the church of Armenia. Apostle Andrew and Apostle Simon established Churches in Kingdom of Iberia and Colchis respectively. Apostle Matthew is held as the apostle sent to Ethiopia whilst also attributed presence of the Christianity in the region through conversion of Ethiopian eunuch by Philip the Deacon. Apostle Thomas himself is held to be founder of churches of Mesopotamia and Indian coast, being the furthest reach of Christianity in antiquity.
Eastern Christianity was then solidified and institutionalized through the conversions of states that hosted these churches. Early Church went sudden transformation from underground, persecuted but growing minority into established state religion. Chief of these religious shift are conversion of Armenia in 301 AD, eastern Georgia around 329-337 AD, Kingdom of Axum around 329 AD, and Roman Empire around 380 AD through Edict of Thessalonica.
Christianity in the East experienced several Christological controversies that resulted in the emergence of Church of the East and Oriental Orthodox Churches as two distinct churches separate from Chalcedonian Christianity.
Division of remaining Greek-speaking Eastern and Western Christianity was sharpened following Fall of Western Roman Empire from 476 onwards. Despite attempt by its surviving Eastern half to reconquer it, it was rapidly undone in the following century. Both Eastern and Western halves of Mediterranean world lost their mutual overlapping around the beginning of seventh century as the Western Europe increasingly lost access to Greek language while East lost access to the Latin. Official bilingualism was abolished by Emperor Heraclius upon his accession to the throne in 610 AD.
Isolation between East and West was solidified further after Muslim conquests and the ensuing Iconoclasm. Thereafter, broader pattern emerged between Eastern and Western Christianity that contributed to their permanent division. Eastern Christianity was shaped by its relationship with the state through symphonia as an enduring legacy of state church of the Roman Empire that survived in the East. This pattern was later copied by various monarchies outside Roman Empire in the East that established the church as its state religion such as Bulgaria and medieval Rus'. Whereas Western Christianity was shaped by Papal temporal power that became source of various monarchies' legitimacy that converted to Nicene Christianity from Arianism and paganism in the West. This was then solidified around the time of formation of Carolingian Empire and later, Holy Roman Empire, with both act as oppositions to Roman claim in the East.
Growing divergence of the Eastern and Western Christianity was eventually translated into Great Schism around eleventh century onwards. Despite numerous attempts of reconciliation from both sides, growing antagonism was proven irreversible following the Crusades and subsequent Ottoman conquests.
As globalization increasingly takes place in the Modern era, Eastern Christianity spread beyond their traditional territories.
Ethnic groups
Jewish Christians, Albanian Christians, Assyrian Christians, Aramean Christians, Armenian Christians, Georgian Christians, Maronite Christians, Arab Christians, Indian Christians, Greek Christians, Egyptian Christians, Ethiopian Christians, Persian Christians, Kurdish Christians, Turkish Christians, Slavic Christians, Maltese Christians and Eastern European (Balkan) Christians.
Pentarchy
The churches that were the original churches founded by the Apostles were later established as authority centers under the Pentarchy of Patriarchs. Rome (Sts. Peter and Paul), i.e. the Pope, the only Pentarch in the Western Roman Empire. Constantinople (St. Andrew), currently in Turkey Alexandria (St. Mark), currently in Egypt Antioch (St. Peter), currently in Syria Jerusalem (St. James), currently in Israel/Palestine
Common characteristics of Eastern Christianity
Eastern Christianity The church as established in the Middle East was done so under the concept of unity i.e. catholic and or ecumenical. For the earliest Christian communities, the concept of unity was one in which the church communities agreed on a doctrinal understanding of Christianity. Such an understanding was based on the tradition of unity within the different ancient Christian communities. One such tradition is the biblical texts used by each of the ancient communities or churches. Unity was established in what was taught to the communities by Christ and then his apostles which was doctrinal in its expression. When various persons or groups within the many ancient Christian communities began to disagreed with innovations or interpretations of the traditions of Christianity, the communities set out to clarify the validity of the variation in the comparison to traditional understanding, to establish why this change was to be accepted or rejected. Such was the case of the first council in Jerusalem. The later councils were prompted to clarify tradition and address what was proper and what was improper, proper being what was established by Jesus Christ and then his apostles, then the Seventy and the clergy of the churches and the Patristic text, that take their lineage directly back to the Apostolic era. Innovations were those that changed the understanding that Christian communities had as the basis for the understanding and definition of their religion. Articulation of Tradition was then defined as dogma, being that which mystically created a relationship between each individual and the personal Triune God. Any innovation which cut off this relationship was therefore to be condemned.
This right believing and right teaching was to first establish in each individual a personal relationship with Christ, the God. This original teaching established by a community of persons that through these traditions created and then maintained a relationship with God. As various teachings appeared the Church as a united community addressed and confirmed or denied the teaching or teachings. Tradition was the cornerstone to how teachings were to be deemed valid since tradition itself cultivated a living relationship with the living God. The councils which were conducted after the legalization of Christianity were done so to define what Christianity and a Christian was. This in contrast to Paganism and Judaism and the various non-traditional Christian beliefs of the time. The Christian communities not within the regions of the Empire of Rome still communicated with one another and it was the break out of the sectarian and deemed new to tradition, teachings of Arius that caused the communities to gather to define what a Christian was and to use this definition to counter the teachings of Arianism.
Eastern Christian ecclesiastics
Ecclesiastical structure of the Eastern churches Eastern Christianity is commonly defined through conciliarity as highest norm of governance within the universal church as opposed to Papal supremacy demonstrated by its decentralized nature. Major Eastern Christian centers were already established since Late Antiquity and were later institutionalized following the conversion of various monarchies that adopted the church as state religion. These monarchies later sought further ecclesiastical sovereignty in their own sphere, thereby increased number of autocephalous churches within their universal communion.
As post-Enlightenment nationalism threatened both transnational character of Eastern Christian communion and ecclesiastical unity between diverse ethnicities within same canonical territory at the exclusion of another, Phyletism was condemned as heresy in the 19th century to prevent further division of the universal church according to ethnicity.
Ecclesiastic services or liturgy
Eastern Christianity consisted of multiple liturgical families present amongst its communions. This diversities were ultimately traced back to two main liturgical traditions of Antiochene Rite and Alexandrian Rite. Diversities derived from these rites were solidified following the Christological schisms that resulted in the emergence of distinct patriarchates from each other.
Eastern Orthodoxy predominantly and almost uniformly followed Constantinopolitan rite with slight local variations. This rite is derived from Antiochene Rite with significant distinct elements from Mar Saba and Stoudios monasteries.
Historic Church of the East and its successors uniformly used East Syriac rite that is based on Antiochene Rite as present around Edessa. This rite historically also shaped the formation of Suriyani Malayalam in Indian coasts.
Oriental Orthodox communion preserved several rites. Both Armenian rite preserved by Armenian Apostolic Church and West Syriac rite (including its derivation, Malankara Rite) preserved by Syriac Orthodox Church and Malankara Orthodox Church ultimately came from Antiochene Rite. Whereas Coptic rite preserved by Coptic Orthodox Church and its derivation, Ge'ez held by Orthodox Tewahedo churches ultimately traced back to Alexandrian Rite.