A Brief History of the Holy Orthodox Church


33
Pentecost---the beginning of the Church.
49
The Council of Jerusalem (Acts 15), St. James, first Bishop of Jerusalem presides.
49-96
The Books of the New Testament written.
69
St. Ignatius consecrated Bishop of Antioch, succeeds St. Peter.
313
Edict of Milan---Christianity legal in the Roman Empire.
324
St. Constantine moves the Imperial capital to Constantinople (New Rome),beginning of the (Orthodox) Christian Roman Empire in the East.
325
The First Council of Nicea upholds the doctrine of Christ's Divinity, begins writing the Nicene Creed (First Ecumenical Council).
367
The first list of the books of the New Testament occurs in a letter of St. Athanasius of Alexandria.
381
Council of Constantinople completes the Creed (2nd E.C.).
397
Synod of Carthage ratifies the Biblical canon.
431
Council of Ephesus affirms the unity of Christ's person, condemns Nestorius for denying that unity, declares the Creed to be unchangeable (3rd E.C.).
451
Council of Chalcedon affirms the Apostolic doctrine of two natures in Christ, condemns Eutychius for denying Christ's dual nature, confirms Biblical canon in a vague reference to the ancient canons, understood as including those of Carthage (4th E.C.).
553
Second Council of Constantinople, condemned Nestorius's teacher Theodore of Mopsuestia, and the certain writings of two Chalcedonian Fathers as Nestorian. Also condemns the doctrine of Pelagius that we can be saved by our own efforts, and speculations found in the writings of Origen. Only Ecumenical Council attended by a Pope of Rome (5th E.C.)
589
A Spanish synod inserts "and the Son" in the Creed in the section concerning the procession of the Holy Spirit. This error spreads in the West,particularly among the Franks.
680-681
Third Council of Constantinople, upheld the reality of Christ's dual nature by condemning monothelism and monergianism, heresies which compromised the reality of Christ's humanity by asserting He has only one will or only one energy (principle of activity). Both Pope Honorius of Rome and Patriarch Sergius of Constantinople were condemned by the Council (6th E.C.)
692
Disciplinary session of the 6th Ecumenical Council, called the Trullan Synod or Quinsext Council by Western scholars established the rule of celibate bishops, while confirming the propriety of the advancement to the diaconate and priesthood of married men. Explicitly confirmed the Biblical canon by inclusion of a list of councils whose canons were accepted throughough the Church.
787
Second Council of Nicea restores the use of icons after a period of Imperial opposition (7th E.C.).
863
Attempts by Pope Nicholas of Rome to overturn the election of St. Photius the Great as Patriarch of Constantinople lead to a brief schism.
879
A General Council at Constantinople accepted by all the Patriarchs, including Pope John VIII of Rome, condemns the Western addition to the Creed, confirms limits on Papal jurisdiction. (some Orthodox commentators consider this to be the 8th E.C.)
988
The Conversion of the Rus.
1009
First Frankish Pope elected at Rome, the Bishops of Rome dropped from the Diptychs of Constantinople (list of bishops regarded as Orthodox by the Patriarchate of Constantinople).
1054
Attempts to restore Rome to the Diptychs collapse (conventional date for separation of Patriarchate of Rome from the Church).
1095
Beginning of the Crusades---throughout the 1100's forcible replacement of indigenous bishops with Latin bishops by the Crusaders leads to the severing of ties between the other patriarchates (Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria) and (Old) Rome.
1204
The Fourth Crusade---Constantinople Sacked by Crusaders. Latin Emperor and Patriarch forcibly installed at Constantinople.
1242
Crusaders attack Russia, but are decisively defeated by St. Alexander Nevsky.
1261
Reconquest of Constantinople by the Orthodox Christian Roman Empire, restoration of Orthodox Emperor and Patriarch.
1333
St. Gregory Palamas defends traditional Orthodox spirituality, the use of the Jesus prayer, and the Orthodox doctrine of salvation as theosis by elucidating the distinction between God's essence and God's energies. His teachings are condemned by the Western papacy.
1341
A General Council at Constantinople upholds St. Gregory Palamas's teachings. (some Orthodox commentators consider this to be the 9th E.C.)
1448
Russian Church becomes autocephalous (independent).
1453
The Fall of Constantinople to the Turks, the end of the Christian Roman Empire.
1721
Tsar Peter ("the Great") replaces Patriarch with a "Holy Synod" constituted along Protestant lines. The ancient patriarchates protest, but remain in communion with the Russian Church.
1794
The first Orthodox missionaries arrive in North America, led by St. Herman. Orthodox missionaries defend native Alaskans against exploitation by Russian commercial interests throughout the Russian colonial period.
1796
The Priest Juvenal becomes the first Orthodox martyr in America, dying at the hands of pagan native Alaskans.
1815
The martyrdom of Peter the Aleut by Latin inquisitors in California.
1845
St. Innocent of Alaska establishes a seminary at Sitka.
1867
Seward Purchase. Period of persecution of Alaskan Native Orthodox Christians by the United States government begins, including forced conversion of children to protestantism, ended only by the Supreme Court decision which outlawed state-sanctioned school prayer in 1963.
1898-1907
St. Tikhon serves as Archbishop of Alaska and All North America, encourages the use of English in services.
1917
Restoration of the Patriarchate of Moscow, St. Tikhon elected Patriarch. The Bolshevik Revolution begins persecution of the Church in Russia.
1920
At the height of the Russian Civil War, St. Tikhon issues a ukase directing Russian Orthodox dioceses outside Russia to govern themselves.
1922
Greek Orthodox Archdiocese established in North America in response to the diaspora of faithful from the Patriarchate of Constantinople following the loss of the Second Greco-Turkish War and the Rape of Smyrna. The Russian Orthodox Church Abroad is organized under the terms of St. Tikhon's ukase.
1970
The Patriarchate of Moscow grants autocephaly to the American Metropolia, which had broken with ROCA over the Metropolitan's right to govern the local church, and to the Church of Japan. The Metropolia becomes the Orthodox Church in America, the Church of Japan subsequently requests a return to autonomous rather than autocephalous status.
1986
Mass conversion to Orthodoxy by a large group of Evangelical Protestants lead by Peter Gilquist, converts come under the omophorion of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.
1992
The collapse of the Soviet Union. Religious revival in Russia begins. Monasteries are again full with new professions. Rebuilding of churches destroyed under Stalin. Some regions of the Russian Far-East experience demands for baptisms outstripping the ability of local clergy.
1995
Encyclopedia Britannica Yearbook lists Orthodox Christianity as the fastest growing religious grouping in North America.
2004
The Patriarchate of Antioch grants self-rule (autonomy) to the Antiochian Orthodox Archdiocese of North America.
A more detailed outline of the history of the Orthodox Church in North America may be found in the July 2006 issue of The Cloud of Witnesses (Web-master note: Bp. Tikhon (Belavin) of the earlier sections of the history in the July 2006 Cloud is one and the same person as St. Tikhon mentioned in the later section.)


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