Orthodox~1054 (Great Schism formalised)
Eastern Orthodox
📍 Byzantine Empire (Constantinople, Antioch, Alexandria)
Ancient Christianity preserved in the East. Deep liturgy, icons, and theosis.
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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.
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Old Believers (Raskolniki)
Orthodox1666–1667 (Great Schism from Russian Orthodoxy)
📍 Russia
🌍 ~1–2 million
Origin
Old Believers refused the liturgical reforms of Patriarch Nikon (1652–1666), which standardised Russian Orthodox practices according to Greek texts. The Council of 1666–1667 excommunicated them as schismatics (Raskolniki). They maintained pre-Nikonian liturgy, the two-finger sign of the cross, and older musical traditions. Severely persecuted for two centuries, many fled to remote regions of Russia, Romania, and the Americas.
Core beliefs
- Pre-Nikonian Russian Orthodox faith and liturgical forms
- The two-fingered sign of the cross
- Old Church Slavonic liturgy
- Rejection of Nikon's reforms as heresy
- Deep conservatism and suspicion of liturgical innovation
Worship style
Traditional Russian Orthodox liturgy in Old Church Slavonic with pre-reform rubrics. Long, intricate services. Beards required for men; women fully covered. Highly conservative community life. No instruments.
Key scriptures
- Matthew 28:19
- John 17:21
- 1 Corinthians 11:2
- 2 Thessalonians 2:15
Relationship to other denominations
Split from the Russian Orthodox Church in 1666. Internal divisions exist between Popovtsy (with priests) and Bezpopovtsy (without priests). Some reconciled groups have returned to Moscow Patriarchate.