: Between the 4th and 8th centuries, these councils defined the fundamental dogmas of the faith, including the nature of the Trinity and the divinity of Christ.
Orthodox theology is often characterized as rather than legalistic, emphasizing a personal encounter with God: The Orthodox Church: An Introduction to Eastern...
: Significant expansion occurred through the conversion of the Slavs and the growth of the Church in Russia, creating a diverse family of self-governing (autocephalous) national churches. Core Theological Beliefs : Between the 4th and 8th centuries, these
: The faith was nurtured in the Eastern Roman Empire (Byzantium), with its capital in Constantinople. This setting provided a Hellenistic and Semitic cultural backdrop. This setting provided a Hellenistic and Semitic cultural
: A culmination of cultural, political, and theological differences (such as the authority of the Papacy) led to the formal break between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches.
The Orthodox Church traces its roots directly to the established by Jesus Christ. While it shares a common history with Western Christianity for the first millennium, several key events defined its distinct path: