Orthodox Extraction
Almost two thousand years ago, Jesus Christ founded His Church through the Apostles and disciples. Throughout the first millennium, the Church was served through the ancient patriarchal centers of Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria, and Jerusalem. Following Rome’s separation, the four Eastern centers remained within the Orthodox communion.
The Protestant Reformation began centuries later in Western Christianity. Orthodoxy is not a branch of Protestantism and does not derive its faith from the Reformation. It preserves apostolic Tradition, the Holy Mysteries, the veneration of icons, the teaching of the Fathers, and the conciliar life of the ancient Church.
The word Orthodox joins the Greek words for “correct” and “belief” or “glory.” The Church’s calling is not novelty but fidelity: to confess, worship, and live the faith handed down from the Apostles.