Christian denomination

===Eastern Christianity===
In the Eastern world, the largest body of believers in modern times is the [[Eastern Orthodox Church]], sometimes imprecisely called "Greek Orthodox" because from the time of Christ through the Byzantine empire, Greek was its common language. However, the term "[[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]]" actually refers to only one portion of the entire Eastern Orthodox Church. The Eastern Orthodox Church believes itself to be the continuation of the original Christian Church established by [[Jesus Christ]], and the [[Twelve Apostles|Apostles]]. The Orthodox and Catholics have been separated since the 11th century, following the [[East–West Schism]], with each of them saying they represent the original pre-schism Church.

The Eastern Orthodox consider themselves to be spiritually one body, which is administratively grouped into several [[autocephaly|autocephalous]] jurisdictions (also commonly referred to as "churches", despite being parts of one Church). They do not recognize any single bishop as universal church leader, but rather each bishop governs only his own [[diocese]]. The [[Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]] is known as the Ecumenical Patriarch, and holds the title "[[primus inter pares|first among equals]]", meaning only that if a great council is called, the patriarch sits as president of the council. He has no more power than any other bishop. Currently, the largest [[synod]] with the most members is the [[Russian Orthodox Church]]. Others include the ancient Patriarchates of [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Constantinople]], [[Greek Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Alexandria]], [[Greek Orthodox Church of Antioch|Antioch]] and [[Greek Orthodox Church of Jerusalem|Jerusalem]], the [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgian]], [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Romanian]], [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Serbian]] and [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Bulgarian]] Orthodox churches, and several smaller ones.

[[File:Church of Saint John the Arab.jpg|thumb|225px|A 6th-century Nestorian church, St. John the Arab, in the [[Assyrian people|Assyrian]] village of [[Andac|Geramon]]]]

The second largest Eastern Christian communion is [[Oriental Orthodox Churches|Oriental Orthodoxy]], which is organized in a similar manner, with six national autocephalous groups and two autonomous bodies, although there are greater internal differences than among the Eastern Orthodox (especially in the diversity of [[Christian liturgy|rite]]s being used). The six autocephalous Oriental Orthodox churches are the [[Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria|Coptic]] (Egyptian), [[Syriac Orthodox Church|Syriac]], [[Armenian Orthodox Church|Armenian]], [[Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church|Malankara]] (Indian), [[Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Ethiopian]] and [[Eritrean Orthodox Tewahedo Church|Eritrean]] Orthodox churches. In the Aramaic-speaking areas of the [[Middle East]], the Syriac Orthodox Church has long been dominant. Although the region of modern-day [[Ethiopia]] and [[Eritrea]] has had a strong body of believers since the infancy of Christianity, these regions only gained autocephaly in 1963 and 1994 respectively. The Oriental Orthodox are distinguished from the Eastern Orthodox by doctrinal differences concerning the union of human and divine natures in the person of Jesus Christ, and the two communions separated as a consequence of the [[Council of Chalcedon]] in the year 451, although there have been recent moves towards reconciliation. Since these groups are relatively obscure in the West, literature on them has sometimes included the [[Church of the East]], which, like the Oriental Orthodox, originated in the 1st century A.D., but has not been in communion with them since before the [[Council of Ephesus]] of 431.

Largely [[aniconic]], the Church of the East represents a third Eastern Christian tradition in its own right. In recent centuries, it has split into three Churches. The largest (since the early 20th century) is the [[Baghdad]]-based [[Chaldean Catholic Church]] formed from groups that entered communion with Rome at different times, beginning in 1552. The second-largest is what since 1976<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CnSCAgAAQBAJ&dq=Assyrian+officially+1976&pg=PA4 |title=Wilhelm Baum, Dietmar W. Winkler (editors), ''The Church of the East: A Concise History'' (Routledge 2003), p. 4 |isbn=9781134430192 |access-date=2018-10-19 |archive-date=2022-12-20 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221220110734/https://books.google.com/books?id=CnSCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA4&dq=Assyrian+officially+1976&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjOqPzw45LeAhWoDcAKHSd0BrMQ6AEIVTAJ#v=onepage&q=Assyrian%20officially%201976&f=false |url-status=live |last1=Baum |first1=Wilhelm |last2=Winkler |first2=Dietmar W. |date=8 December 2003 |publisher=Routledge }}</ref> is officially called the [[Assyrian Church of the East]] and which from 1933 to 2015 was headquartered first in [[Cyprus]] and then in the [[United States]], but whose present Catholicos-Patriarch, [[Gewargis III]], elected in 2015, lives in [[Erbil]], [[Iraq]]. The third is the [[Ancient Church of the East]], distinct since 1964 and headed by [[Addai II Giwargis]], resident in Baghdad.

There are also the [[Eastern Catholic Churches]], most of which are counterparts of those listed above, sharing with them the same theological and liturgical traditions, but differing from them in that they recognize the [[Pope|Bishop of Rome]] as the [[Primacy of the Roman Pontiff|universal head of the Church]]. They are fully part of the [[Catholic Church|Catholic communion]], on the same level juridically as the [[Latin Church]]. Most of their members do not describe themselves as "[[Roman Catholic (term)|''Roman'' Catholics]]", a term they associate with membership of the Latin Church, and speak of themselves in relation to whichever Church they belong to: [[Maronite Church|Maronites]], [[Melkite Greek Catholic Church|Melkites]], [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church|Ukrainian Catholics]], [[Coptic Catholic Church|Coptic Catholics]], [[Chaldean Catholic Church|Chaldean Catholics]], etc.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/we-are-non-roman-catholics |title=Robert Spencer, "We are Non-Roman Catholics" in ''Crisis Magazine'', 22 November 2011 |date=22 November 2011 |access-date=25 October 2016 |archive-date=20 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160720144229/http://www.crisismagazine.com/2011/we-are-non-roman-catholics |url-status=live}}</ref>

And finally the smallest Eastern Christian group founded in early 20th century is [[Byzantine Rite Lutheranism]] where accept Byzantine Rite as Church's liturgy while retaining their Lutheran traditions like [[Ukrainian Lutheran Church]]. It is considered part of [[Eastern Protestant Christianity|Eastern Protestant]] denominational movement.