Orthodox Christianity and Catholicism

The two religious groups of Orthodox Christians and the Roman Catholics have many similarities, as well as differences when looking back through the course of history concerning what doctrine they follow, who they believe God truly is, and how their contrasting churches are organized. All of these factors are crucial when contrasting the differences between the two institutions, in addition to how they have functioned previously in the past and how they operate currently.

When the Orthodox Church is mentioned, it is most commonly referring to the Eastern Orthodox Church, which is the second largest. When the development of the Orthodox Church is concerned, which dates back to both the Byzantine and Roman empires. This branch of the Orthodox Church was originally established by St. Paulin addition to the Apostles and its practices are comprised of the original ancient traditions, which believed in promoting development without causing modifications. Where the church was concerned, it occasionally adopted derisive influences from neighboring, Slavic, Greek, and Middle Eastern traditions, in order to form the cultural expansion of these institutions. Along with this practice came the various positions in which church leaders were authorized to hold and the importance of each rank was established wherein each bishop had different ranks such as patriarchs and archbishops, and were all viewed as being equal. The reasoning attributed to this was because the Orthodox Church frequently taught that every bishop is “the living icon of Christ” and is encouraged to spread the true faith and have an influence on the people they would likely encounter.

One of the primary goals of Orthodox Christians is to strive to become like God, or what they refer to as “little Christs” within Jesus, and this is a practice known as theosis, or deification. "They derive this from the Biblical text that they utilize from the Greek Septuagint and the New Testament. Deuterocanonical Books are comprised within this and are known as Anagignoskomena, coming from a Greek word which receives them as devout catechetical writings."(Brown 91) The Orthodox also believes that scripture was inspired by the Holy Spirit as to its authors who wrote them down, as well as having an influence among the speakers and editors. Orthodox Christians also utilize symbols as focal points when worshipping the saints as part of their daily routine. The Orthodox Church maintains and utilizes this symbolism in order to serve as a means of identifying a God-created person, which is what brings value to human beings and their lives.

In comparison, the Roman Catholics hold a different view when it comes to these various areas. Where their doctrine is concerned, this branch of Catholicism believes that while the idea of having faith in God should remain consistent, it also justifies the idea of a renewing doctrine also known as “doctrinal development.” At the heart of this idea was faith, as the foundation from which this religion is built starts from the premise that God gave us the original interjection of faith, symbolizing a seed that is intended to grow throughout the generations. It is then the work of the Holy Spirit to enlarge this movement, and truly amplify the religion to many people.

Roman Catholicism also differed where the concept of the church is concerned with the belief that instead of there being a bishop at the head of the church, a pope was placed in that position. “The Pope is then the Bishop of the Catholic church. He is the interpreter of the Catholic tradition. When he speaks for the whole church, he is therefore infallible on matters of moral doctrine. He is the symbol of episcopate’s unity.”(White 83) This presents the thought that the Catholic principles are derived from the Body of Christ with the visible head being the Pope.

As demonstrated, the comparison between the Orthodox Christians and the Roman Catholicism faiths both correspond with each other in some respects, in addition to having their differences. When it comes to them being dissimilar, it is within the area of which leader takes the responsibility of being head of the church between a bishop and a pope that displays a defining factoring element. However, they reach a common ground when they both find identity as their belief that God is the primary factor of both bringing and uniting human beings through him. Both religions lead to the conclusion that ultimate faith is found in Christ, through which we should conduct a purpose driven life.

White, Bender R. Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity: Chelsea House Publishers: United States, 2009.

Brown, Stephen F. Catholicism and Orthodox Christianity World Religions: Facts on File Publishers: United States, 2006.