Orthodox Church

The Orthodox Church (pronunciation: /ˈɔːrθəˌdɒks tʃɜːrtʃ/), also known as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian Church in the world, with an estimated 220 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Montenegro, Romania, Russia, Serbia, and Ukraine, among others.

Etymology

The term "Orthodox" derives from the Greek Orthodoxia (ὀρθοδοξία), meaning "right opinion." It was first used in reference to the Christian Church in the Byzantine Empire as early as the 4th century.

Related Terms

Patriarch: The highest-ranking bishop in Eastern Orthodoxy, Oriental Orthodoxy, the Catholic Church, and the Church of the East.
Iconostasis: A wall of icons and religious paintings, separating the nave from the sanctuary in a church.
Theotokos: A title of Mary, mother of Jesus, used especially in Eastern Christianity.
Divine Liturgy: The Eucharistic service of the Byzantine Rite, which is the Rite of The Great Church and constitutes the main worship service of Eastern Orthodox Christianity.
Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople: One of the fourteen to sixteen autocephalous churches, it is considered the most important patriarchate of the Orthodox Church.