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1396 berkshire encyclopedia of world history

Peltre, C. (1998). Orientalism in art. London: Abbeville Press. cil.Those churches generally regarded as having rejected
Said, E.W. (1978). Orientalism:Western conceptions of the Orient. Lon- the Fourth Council are the Armenian, Coptic (Egyptian),
don: Penguin.
Said, E.W. (1993). Culture and imperialism. London: Chatto & Windus. and Ethiopian churches, and the Syrian churches of Anti-
Turner, B. S. (1994). Orientalism, postmodernism and globalism. London: och and India.
Routledge.
Young, R. (1990). White mythologies.Writing history and the West. Lon-
don: Routledge.
Theological Authority
While Western Christians dispute whether the proper
sources of theological authority are the Bible alone or the
Orthodoxy, Bible together with the tradition of the church, Orthodox

Christianity understands there to be one source, holy
Christian tradition.This tradition is rooted first of all in the Bible,
and then in the seven ecumenical councils (including
he Orthodox Church is a communion of indepen- what is commonly called the Nicene-Constantinopolitan
Tdent Eastern churches organized geographically, usu- Creed, or Symbol of Faith, completed in 381 CE), and in
ally by country.Together they constitute the second-largest later councils, the writings of the church fathers, the
Christian denomination after the Roman Catholic Church. liturgy, the canons of ecumenical and local councils, and
Orthodoxy sees itself as the one holy, catholic, and apos- the holy icons.
tolic Church founded by Jesus Christ. When it comes to the formulation of church dogma,
however, the Eastern Orthodox churches accept the
The Eastern and Oriental validity of the first seven ecumenical councils. These
Orthodox Churches meetings of bishops in the first eight centuries of the
Most Orthodox churches belong to the Eastern Ortho- church’s history, all convened to settle theological dis-
dox family of churches, with a smaller number belonging putes within the Church, are considered the most author-
to the Oriental Orthodox family. In Eastern Orthodoxy, itative expressions of Christian doctrine. The First
the churches are classified as either autocephalous (com- Council of Nicaea (325 CE) affirmed the humanity and
pletely self-governing) or autonomous (mostly self- divinity of Christ and composed the first two-thirds of
governing, but dependent upon a mother church). First the Nicene-Constantinopolitan Creed.The First Council
among the autocephalous churches are the four ancient of Constantinople (381 CE) affirmed the divinity of the
patriarchates that remain Orthodox; they are, in order of Holy Spirit and added the final third of the Creed. The
seniority, the churches of Constantinople, Alexandria, Council of Ephesus (431 CE) affirmed the unity of Christ
Antioch, and Jerusalem. These are joined by the eleven and declared his mother, the Virgin Mary, to be Theotokos
autocephalous churches of Russia, Serbia, Romania, (“birthgiver of God”).The Council of Chalcedon (451 CE)
Bulgaria, Georgia, Cyprus, Greece, Poland, Albania, the defined the human and divine natures of Christ, as
Czech Republic, and Slovakia, and the Orthodox Church opposed to the “one nature” doctrine of the Mono-
in America. The autonomous churches are those of the physites. The Second Council of Constantinople (553
Sinai, Finland, Japan, China, and Ukraine. CE) continued the work of Chalcedon. The Third Coun-
The Oriental Orthodox churches are those that may cil of Constantinople (680–681 CE) condemned the
be traced to disputes over the Third and Fourth Ecu- Monothelite (“one-will”) heresy, affirming that Christ has
menical Councils. The Assyrian Church of the East, two wills (divine and human). The Second Council of
sometimes erroneously referred to as “Nestorian,” is gen- Nicaea (787 CE) condemned the iconoclasts (“icon break-
erally regarded as having not recognized the Third Coun- ers”) and upheld the proper veneration of icons.