# Christianity and Oriental 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) ### Oriental Orthodox The Oriental Orthodox communion gathers the Coptic, Syriac, Armenian, Ethiopian, Eritrean, and Malankara churches. Their separation from the Chalcedonian churches is the oldest standing division in Christianity, and modern dialogue has established that the ancient quarrel rested in large part on terminology rather than on the faith confessed. - [Oriental Orthodox](/tree/oriental-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) ### Oriental Orthodox The Oriental Orthodox communion counts roughly 60 million adherents across its six autocephalous churches. The Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church is the largest, followed by the Coptic Orthodox Church in Egypt, with the Armenian, Syriac, Eritrean, and Malankara churches beside them. - [Oriental Orthodox](/tree/oriental-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) ### Oriental Orthodox - [The christian timeline](/history/christian) - [Council of Jerusalem](/history/events/council-of-jerusalem) - [First Council of Nicaea](/history/events/first-council-of-nicaea) - [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) - [Council of Chalcedon](/history/events/council-of-chalcedon) ## 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) ### Oriental Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 5. Ultimate reality ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Oriental Orthodoxy](/world-views/oriental-orthodoxy) ## 6. The human person ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Oriental Orthodoxy](/world-views/oriental-orthodoxy) ## 7. Problem and solution ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Oriental Orthodoxy](/world-views/oriental-orthodoxy) ## 8. Ethics and hard cases ### Christianity - [Protestantism](/world-views/protestantism) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Oriental Orthodoxy](/world-views/oriental-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) ### Oriental Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 10. Community and governance ### Christianity - [Christian](/church/christian) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Oriental Orthodox](/church/oriental-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) ### Oriental Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 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) ### Oriental Orthodox Coverage: not documented. Coverage record created at intake; content not yet documented. ## 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) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Armenian Apostolic Church](/tree/armenian-apostolic-church) - [Coptic Orthodox Church](/tree/coptic-orthodox-church) - [Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church](/tree/eritrean-orthodox-tewahedo-church) - [Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church](/tree/ethiopian-orthodox-tewahedo-church) - [Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church](/tree/malankara-orthodox-syrian-church) - [Syriac Orthodox Church](/tree/syriac-orthodox-church) ## 14. Contributions ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. Evaluative coverage is scheduled; this slot populates through sourced, reviewed records. ### Oriental 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. ### Oriental 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. ### Oriental 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) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Chalcedonian Schism](/tree/schisms/chalcedonian-schism) ## 18. What each says about the other ### Christianity Coverage: not documented. This slot renders only when both directions stand populated and reviewed. ### Oriental 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. ### Oriental 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) ### Oriental Orthodox - [Oriental Orthodox](/tree/oriental-orthodox) ## Sources - Christianity: The New Testament. - Christianity: Justo L. Gonzalez, The Story of Christianity (2010). - Oriental Orthodox: Cyril of Alexandria, On the Unity of Christ. - Oriental Orthodox: V. C. Samuel, The Council of Chalcedon Re-Examined (1977).