# Christianity and Eastern Orthodox: a Diptych comparison Schema version 1.0. The Diptych displays; it does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 1. In its own words ### Christianity Christianity began as a Jewish movement proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah and grew, through the early councils, the great schisms, and the Reformations, into the largest of the world religions. Its internal divisions are not decorations on a single body; they are the substance of its history, and this tree models them as first-class entities, from the ancient branches to the denominations and movements of today. - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Eastern Orthodox The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of autocephalous churches, each governing itself, bound by the faith of the seven ecumenical councils and by eucharistic communion with one another. Its separation from the Oriental Orthodox turns on the Council of Chalcedon, and its separation from Rome on the schism of 1054 and all that followed. - [Eastern Orthodox](/tree/eastern-orthodox) ## 2. Scale and spread ### Christianity Christianity counts about 2.3 billion adherents, roughly a third of the world's people, and stands in every country. The largest populations are in the Americas, Europe, and sub-Saharan Africa, and Christians form the majority in about 157 countries. - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Eastern Orthodox Eastern Orthodoxy counts roughly 260 million adherents, about twelve percent of the world's Christians. Majorities stand in Russia, Ukraine, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, and Georgia, organized as autocephalous churches in communion with one another. - [Eastern Orthodox](/tree/eastern-orthodox) ## 3. Historical timeline ### Christianity - [The christian timeline](/history/christian) - [Birth of Jesus](/history/events/birth-of-jesus) - [Crucifixion and Resurrection](/history/events/crucifixion-and-resurrection) - [Paul's Missionary Journeys](/history/events/pauls-missionary-journeys) - [Council of Jerusalem](/history/events/council-of-jerusalem) - [Nero's Persecution](/history/events/neros-persecution) - [Destruction of the Jerusalem Temple](/history/events/destruction-of-the-jerusalem-temple) ### Eastern Orthodox - [The christian timeline](/history/christian) - [Council of Jerusalem](/history/events/council-of-jerusalem) - [First Council of Nicaea](/history/events/first-council-of-nicaea) - [Founding of Constantinople](/history/events/founding-of-constantinople) - [Athanasius' 39th Festal Letter](/history/events/athanasius-39th-festal-letter) - [First Council of Constantinople](/history/events/first-council-of-constantinople) - [Council of Ephesus](/history/events/council-of-ephesus) ## 4. Sources of authority ### Christianity - [Easton's Bible Dictionary](/dictionaries/eastons-bible-dictionary) - [Smith's Bible Dictionary](/dictionaries/smiths-bible-dictionary) - [Hitchcock's Bible Names Dictionary](/dictionaries/hitchcocks-bible-names) - [Apostles' Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/apostles-creed) - [Nicene Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/nicene-creed) - [Athanasian Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/athanasian-creed) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Trisagion Prayers](/prayers-and-creeds/trisagion-prayers) - [Jesus Prayer](/prayers-and-creeds/jesus-prayer) ## 5. Ultimate reality ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Eastern Orthodoxy](/world-views/eastern-orthodoxy) ## 6. The human person ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Eastern Orthodoxy](/world-views/eastern-orthodoxy) ## 7. Problem and solution ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Eastern Orthodoxy](/world-views/eastern-orthodoxy) ## 8. Ethics and hard cases ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Eastern Orthodoxy](/world-views/eastern-orthodoxy) ## 9. Practice and devotion ### Christianity - [The Rosary](/devotion/the-rosary) - [Stations of the Cross](/devotion/stations-of-the-cross) - [Novena](/devotion/novena) - [Baptism](/traditions/baptism) - [The Eucharist](/traditions/the-eucharist) - [Lent](/traditions/lent) - [Apostles' Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/apostles-creed) - [Nicene Creed](/prayers-and-creeds/nicene-creed) ### Eastern Orthodox - [The Prayer Rule](/devotion/the-prayer-rule) - [The Jesus Prayer](/devotion/the-jesus-prayer) - [The Akathist](/devotion/the-akathist) - [Trisagion Prayers](/prayers-and-creeds/trisagion-prayers) - [Jesus Prayer](/prayers-and-creeds/jesus-prayer) ## 10. Community and governance ### Christianity - [Christian](/church/christian) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Eastern Orthodox](/church/eastern-orthodox) ## 11. Art and material culture ### Christianity - [The Good Shepherd of the Catacombs](/art/entries/catacomb-good-shepherd) - [Hagia Sophia](/art/entries/hagia-sophia) - [Rublev's Trinity](/art/entries/rublev-trinity) - [Christianity](/art/profiles/christianity) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Hagia Sophia](/art/entries/hagia-sophia) - [Rublev's Trinity](/art/entries/rublev-trinity) ## 12. Science and technology posture ### Christianity - [Patristic](/science/eras/patristic) - [Medieval European](/science/eras/medieval-european) - [Renaissance and Reformation](/science/eras/renaissance-and-reformation) - [Catholic](/science/traditions/catholic) - [Orthodox](/science/traditions/orthodox) - [Mainline Protestant](/science/traditions/mainline-protestant) - [Heliocentric astronomy](/science/technologies/heliocentric-astronomy) - [The telescope](/science/technologies/telescope) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Patristic](/science/eras/patristic) - [Contemporary](/science/eras/contemporary) - [Orthodox](/science/traditions/orthodox) - [Evolution by natural selection](/science/technologies/evolution-by-natural-selection) - [Climate and creation](/science/flashpoints/climate-and-creation) - [Transhumanism and the body](/science/flashpoints/transhumanism-and-the-body) - [The limits of medicine](/science/flashpoints/the-limits-of-medicine) ## 13. Internal diversity ### Christianity - [Catholic](/tree/catholic) - [Eastern Orthodox](/tree/eastern-orthodox) - [Oriental Orthodox](/tree/oriental-orthodox) - [Protestant](/tree/protestant) - [Restorationist](/tree/restorationist) - [Anglican](/tree/anglican) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Bulgarian Orthodox Church](/tree/bulgarian-orthodox-church) - [Church of Greece](/tree/church-of-greece) - [Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople](/tree/ecumenical-patriarchate-of-constantinople) - [Georgian Orthodox Church](/tree/georgian-orthodox-church) - [Orthodox Church in America](/tree/orthodox-church-in-america) - [Patriarchate of Alexandria](/tree/patriarchate-of-alexandria) - [Patriarchate of Antioch](/tree/patriarchate-of-antioch) - [Patriarchate of Jerusalem](/tree/patriarchate-of-jerusalem) - [Romanian Orthodox Church](/tree/romanian-orthodox-church) - [Russian Orthodox Church](/tree/russian-orthodox-church) - [Serbian Orthodox Church](/tree/serbian-orthodox-church) ## 14. Contributions ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Eastern Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 15. Internal critique ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Eastern Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 16. External critique and reply ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Eastern Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ## 17. Contested history ### Christianity - [Chalcedonian Schism](/tree/schisms/chalcedonian-schism) - [East-West Schism](/tree/schisms/east-west-schism) ### Eastern Orthodox - [East-West Schism](/tree/schisms/east-west-schism) ## 18. What each says about the other ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ### Eastern Orthodox Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ## 19. What this comparison cannot settle ### Christianity This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ### Eastern Orthodox This comparison sets two self-descriptions side by side; it does not decide between them. A tradition is a living range of positions, and each panel renders the range this site has documented, which is not the whole of the tradition. Where a cell is marked not yet documented, the gap belongs to this site's documentation, not to the tradition. Questions of truth between the panels turn on premises the reader brings: what counts as evidence, what authority is recognized, and what a human life is for. The instrument does not score, rank, or adjudicate. ## 20. Sources ### Christianity - [Christianity](/tree/christian) ### Eastern Orthodox - [Eastern Orthodox](/tree/eastern-orthodox) ## Sources - Christianity: The New Testament. - Christianity: Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (2010). - Eastern Orthodox: The Acts of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. - Eastern Orthodox: John Meyendorff, Byzantine Theology (1979).