Christian OrthodoxDean Pearson, Mitchell Keller, Abdul Baig,

and Jace Moseley

Beliefs 1. Heaven and hell are both real physical places to

which people’s souls are sent after death2. Jesus Christ is God born as a man who died on

the cross to save the people of the world from their sins

3. In order to be saved from their sins a person must repent, be baptised, and receive the holy spirit

4. The bible is the divinely inspired work of God given to his people to guide them

5. God cannot be proven through human reasoning, but that this understanding is human nature, very different from catholicism

Origin● From the Roman-Byzantine Empire

o Constantinople In Current day Istanbul,

Turkey● Most ancient Orthodox churches

are from between the 1st and 5th centuryo Armenia was the first country

to make it an official religion in 301 AD

● Trace roots back to the Apostles and Jesus Christ

Universal Branch● Christian Orthodox is a branch of the universal

Christian religion.● Orthodox accounts for 11 percent of Christians in

the world. They mostly reside in Eastern Europe and the Middle East.

Christian Orthodox Autonomy● There are 14 self governing Orthodox churches● They are located in Eastern Europe and the

Middle East● The Russian Orthodox Church has the most

members at 40% of the Orthodox population.

Diffusion Over Time● The christian church began from Jerusalem and

was eventually adopted as the official religion of Rome

● When the Western Roman empire collapsed, the eastern empire, including greece and turkey, separated and created their own church centered in Constantinople (Istanbul)

● Then moved east into russia and other Slavic countries and was made the main religion of eastern and southern europe

● Also remained in the middle eastin cities like Constantinople and Antioch

Byzantine empire

Distribution TodayEastern and Southern Europe

Makes up 76.9% of World Orthodox Population● Russia (71%)● Belarus (61.5%)● Georgia (87.8%)● Ukraine (76.7%)● Moldova (95.4%)● Romania (87.3%)● Serbia (86.6%)● Bosnia-Herzegovina (38.2%)● Montenegro (75.1%)● Greece (88.3%)● Macedonia (64.8%)

*All countries listed have more than 25% of the population as Orthodox Christian. Percent listed is the percent of the population that is Orthodox.

Distribution TodaySub-Saharan African

Makes up 15.4% of World Orthodox Population● Ethiopia (43.5%)● Eritrea (57.7%)

AmericasMake up 1.0% of World Orthodox Population

Middle East-North AfricaMakes up 2.1% of World Orthodox Population

Asia-PacificMakes up 5.4% of World Orthodox Population

● Armenia (86.6%)● Cyprus (71.8%)

*Map on next slide

Sacred Spaces and Places

Sacred Spaces and PlacesIn Orthodox Christianity, icons are sacred

works of art that provide inspiration and connect the worshipper with the spiritual world. The scenes depicted in icons usually relate to public worship celebrations rather than directly to historical events.

It seems that the tradition of showing respect and veneration to images developed gradually and as a natural consequence of cultural norms. "It would be natural that people who bowed to, kissed, incensed the imperial eagles and images of Caesar (with no suspicion of anything like idolatry), who paid elaborate reverence to an empty throne as his symbol, should give the same signs to the cross, the images of Christ, and the altar.

By the eighth century, icons had become a major part of eastern devotion. The walls of churches were covered inside from floor to roof with icons, scenes from the Bible, allegorical groups. Icons were taken on journeys as a protection, they marched at the head of armies. They hung in a place of honor in every room, over every shop; they covered cups, garments, furniture, rings; wherever a possible space was found, it was filled with a picture of Christ, Mary, or a saint.

Citations"Orthodox Icons." In Christianity. Religion Facts. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.http://www.cs.usfca.edu/~cruse/RomaniaMinicourse/orthodox.htmlLewis, Martin. "Orthodox Christianity Map." GeoCurrents. GeoCurrents, 21 June 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2014."Global Christianity." Pew Research Centers Religion Public Life Project RSS. Pew Research, 1 Dec. 2014. Web. 3 Dec. 2014."What Orthodox Christians Believe." What Orthodox Christians Believe. Web. 3 Dec. 2014"Library." Eastern Orthodoxy Origins, Eastern Orthodoxy History, Eastern Orthodoxy Beliefs. Patheos Library. Web. 3 Dec. 2014

Wellman, Jack. "What Do Orthodox Christians Believe?" Christian Crier. 18 Nov. 2013. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.

Rubenstein, James M. The Cultural Landscape: An Introduction to Human Geography. 8th ed. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Pearson/Prentice Hall, 2005. Print."What Orthodox Christians Believe." What Orthodox Christians Believe. Web. 3 Dec. 2014.