The Historic Church is a survey of Christian history written for Orthodox Christians by an Eastern Orthodox scholar. Although one can find many excellent studies of Christian history in the United States, none of them considers the development of Christianity from an Eastern Orthodox point of view. The work begins by laying a foundation for the study of Christian history by discussing the beliefs and practices of the ancient Church, during the age of the Fathers and the Seven Ecumenical Councils. The author then discusses the development of Roman Catholicism and the theological and cultural reasons for the split between Rome and Orthodoxy, and relations between East and West following the schism. He concludes his work with a discussion the origins and historical development of every major Protestant group and tells how they differ from Orthodoxy.

The Historic Church

An Orthodox View of Christian HistoryBy John W. Morris

AuthorHouse

Copyright © 2011 Archpriest John W. Morris
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4567-3492-3

Contents

Acknowledgments.................................................................................................vii1: Some Personal Reflections on the Study of Church History.....................................................32: The Worship and Organization of the Apostolic Church.........................................................163: The Doctrine of the Apostolic Church.........................................................................354: Arianism and the First and Second Ecumenical Councils........................................................495: Nestorianism and the Third Ecumenical Council................................................................676: Monophysitism and the Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Ecumenical Councils............................................808: The Rise of the Papacy.......................................................................................1119: Augustine and the Development of Western Theology............................................................12710: St. Photius and the First Western Schism....................................................................14711: The Great Schism between East and West......................................................................15512: Medieval Theology in East and West..........................................................................16313: Sacraments in East and West.................................................................................17814: The Councils of Lyons and Florence Fail to Reunite East and West............................................19315: Modern Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy......................................................................20416: Luther and the Beginning of Protestantism...................................................................22717: The Formation of Lutheran Doctrine..........................................................................24818: Calvinism and the Reformed Churches.........................................................................27519: The Anabaptists.............................................................................................30120: The English Reformation and the Birth of Anglicanism........................................................30921: Pietism and Arminianism Redefine Protestantism..............................................................32422: The Enlightenment and Protestant Theology...................................................................33623: Liberation Theology.........................................................................................35824: The Reaction Against Liberal Theology: Neo-Orthodoxy, Fundamentalism and Evangelicalism.....................38525: Anglicanism after the Reformation...........................................................................40926: Groups that Grew Out of English Puritanism: Congregationalism; Quakers and Baptists.........................43727: John Wesley, the Father of Methodism, and The Holiness Movement.............................................45528: Pentecostalism..............................................................................................46529: Contemporary American Protestantism.........................................................................48230: Orthodoxy Since 1453........................................................................................49831: Orthodoxy in America........................................................................................52632: Some Concluding Thoughts....................................................................................553Select Bibliography.............................................................................................559(Endnotes)......................................................................................................577

Chapter One

Some Personal Reflections on the Study of Church History

History is not "just the facts."

Sooner or later during every episode of the popular 1950s police drama, "Dragnet," Sergeant Joe Friday stopped a witness giving a long discourse about just about everything but the crime they were investigating with the words, "Just the facts, ma'am." Unfortunately, many people think that historians are academic Sergeant Fridays who are able to limit their work to a simple presentation of "just the facts." This is a misconception because it is impossible for any historian to limit his or her work to "just the facts." Historians are human beings who bring their personal presuppositions and prejudices with them when they approach their subject. The way they report, gather and interpret the results of their studies always reflects a personal bias. Because of the divisive and highly personal nature of the subject, the history of the Church is one of the most subjective areas studied by the historian.

A Definition of the Term "the Orthodox Church"

To make things clear, it is important to begin with a definition of terms. By Orthodoxy or simply Orthodox, I mean the beliefs and practices of Christianity shared by local Churches which, although self-governing, form one body through communion with each other. The Orthodox Church would include the ancient Patriarchates of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem as well as the modern Churches including Moscow, Greece, Romania, Bulgaria and Serbia. Although each of these local national Churches govern their own internal affairs and select their leaders themselves, they all share a set of beliefs and practices that are distinct to the Eastern Orthodox Church. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople exercises a primacy of honor as "first among equals." However, his authority is symbolic as he has no power to exercise jurisdiction outside of his own patriarchate. He can, however, call Pan Orthodox meetings of representatives of the federation of local Orthodox Churches to coordinate international Orthodox affairs and help resolve local disputes. Through unity of faith and communion, this federation of local Churches forms one united Orthodox Church. Orthodoxy has preserved a unique form of the Christian Faith that is neither Protestant nor Catholic, but is Christianity as practiced in the eastern section of the Christian world. Historians and others frequently modify Orthodoxy with the adjective Eastern. This is correct historically but is too limited to describe the modern Orthodox Church which is no longer geographically Eastern, but has spread throughout the world. Others refer to the Orthodox Church as Greek Orthodox or simply as the Greek Church. It is correct to describe Orthodoxy as "Greek," because it grew and developed during a period of history when Greek thought and language shaped every aspect of intellectual society including the Christian religion, the New Testament, the earliest Fathers and the decisions of the Seven Ecumenical Councils. However, today the vast majority of Orthodox Christians are not ethnically Greek

In America, many people consider the Orthodox Church too heavily tied to foreign ethnicism to provide a spiritual home for "real" Americans. Orthodoxy came to America through immigration. Greeks, Russians, Lebanese and others have used the Orthodox Church to preserve ties to an "old country" across the seas. In many areas, the most publicity that...