Orthodox~1054 (Great Schism formalised)
Eastern Orthodox
📍 Byzantine Empire (Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria)
Ancient Christianity preserved in the East. Deep liturgy, icons, and theosis.
Learn moreFree Resource
Denomination Explorer
Christianity is not one tradition. It is a family shaped by centuries of faith, geography, and the many ways people have met God. Explore the full family here. All branches. No judgment.
Orthodox~42 AD
Coptic Orthodox
📍 Alexandria, Egypt
Egypt's ancient apostolic church, founded by the Apostle Mark.
Learn moreOrthodox~301 AD (state church)
Armenian Apostolic
📍 Armenia (modern Turkey/Armenia)
The world's oldest national church, founded by Apostles Thaddeus and Bartholomew.
Learn moreOrthodox~37 AD (Antioch); Jacobite identity ~543 AD
Syriac Orthodox (Jacobite)
📍 Antioch, Syria
Ancient Aramaic church tracing origins to Antioch and the Apostle Peter.
Learn moreOrthodox~1st–2nd century AD
Church of the East (Assyrian)
📍 Mesopotamia (modern Iraq and Iran)
The ancient Eastern church of Mesopotamia - Christianity in the Persian Empire.
Learn moreOrthodox~330 AD (state church)
Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo
📍 Axum, Ethiopia
Africa's ancient apostolic church - 81-book canon, Ge'ez liturgy, and the Ark of the Covenant.
Learn moreOrthodox1666–1667 (Great Schism from Russian Orthodoxy)
Old Believers (Raskolniki)
📍 Russia
Preserving the pre-Nikonian Russian Orthodox rites against all reform.
Learn moreOrthodox~52 AD (apostolic tradition); reformed 1836
Mar Thoma Church (Thomas Christians)
📍 Kerala, India
St Thomas's ancient Indian church meets the Protestant Reformation.
Learn moreOrigin
One of the oldest national churches in the world. According to tradition, Philip baptised the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8), and Frumentius brought Christianity to the Axumite Empire in the 4th century. Ethiopia adopted the Miaphysite position after Chalcedon (451 AD). The Church accepts 81 books in its biblical canon - the largest of any Christian tradition - including Enoch and Jubilees.
Core beliefs
- Miaphysite Christology (one united nature of Christ)
- 81-book biblical canon (including Enoch, Jubilees, and Meqabyan)
- Liturgy in Ge'ez (ancient Ethiopian language)
- Ark of the Covenant believed to rest in Axum
- Extensive fasting (~180 fasting days per year) and male circumcision on the 8th day
Worship style
Deeply liturgical Ge'ez worship with drumming, sistrum, ceremonial dance by clergy, and choral Mezmur singing. Laity receive communion rarely; the liturgy is primarily priestly.
Key scriptures
- Acts 8:26–38
- John 1:14
- Colossians 1:19
- Isaiah 53:7
Relationship to other denominations
Part of the Oriental Orthodox communion. Historically a daughter church of Alexandria; became autocephalous in 1959. Unique for accepting the largest biblical canon of any Christian body.