Eastern Orthodoxy

== Traditions ==

=== Monasticism ===

{{Main|Eastern Orthodox monasticism|Degrees of Eastern Orthodox monasticism}}
[[File:Katharinenkloster Sinai BW 2.jpg|thumb|left|[[Saint Catherine's Monastery]] (6th century), [[Sinai Peninsula]], [[Egypt]]|220x220px]]

The Eastern Orthodox Church places emphasis and awards a high level of prestige to traditions of [[monasticism]] and [[asceticism]] with roots in [[Early Christianity]] in the [[Near East]] and Byzantine [[Anatolia]]. The most important centres of Christian Orthodox monasticism are [[Saint Catherine's Monastery]] in the [[Sinai Peninsula]] ([[Egypt]]) and [[Mount Athos]] in [[Northern Greece]].

All bishops are monks; if a man who is not a monk is elected a bishop, he must be tonsured a monk before he may be consecrated. Customarily, also, a man must either be a monk or be married to be ordained.

=== Icons and symbols ===

{{See also|Christian symbolism}}
{{Empty section|date=November 2021}}

==== Icons ====

{{Further|Icon}}
Aspects of the [[iconography]] borrow from the pre-Christian [[Roman art|Roman]] and [[Hellenistic art]]. [[Henry Chadwick (theologian)|Henry Chadwick]] wrote, "In this instinct there was a measure of truth. The representations of Christ as the Almighty Lord on his judgment throne owed something to pictures of Zeus. Portraits of the Mother of God were not wholly independent of a pagan past of venerated mother-goddesses. In the popular mind the saints had come to fill a role that had been played by heroes and deities."<ref>Henry Chadwick, The Early Church, 283.</ref>

Icons can be found adorning the walls of churches and often cover the inside structure completely.{{sfn|Ware|1993|p=271}} Most Eastern Orthodox homes have an area set aside for family prayer, usually an eastern facing wall, where are hung many icons. Icons have been part of Orthodox Christianity since the beginning of the church.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/icons.htm |title=Icons – Orthodox Christianity – Religion Facts |access-date=5 March 2015 |url-status = dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150322064748/http://www.religionfacts.com/christianity/things/icons.htm |archive-date=March 22, 2015 }}</ref>

==== Iconostasis ====

{{Main|Iconostasis}}
[[File:People's Salvation Cathedral - Days of Consecration 3.jpg|thumb|224x224px|Iconostasis of the [[Romanian People's Salvation Cathedral]]]]

An ''iconostasis'', also called the ''templon'', is a wall of [[icons]] and religious paintings, separating the [[nave]] from the [[sanctuary]] in a [[church (building)|church]]. ''Iconostasis'' also refers to a portable icon stand that can be placed anywhere within a church. The modern iconostasis evolved from the [[Byzantine architecture|Byzantine]] [[templon]] in the 11th century. The evolution of the iconostasis probably owes a great deal to 14th-century [[Hesychasm|Hesychast]] [[mysticism]] and the wood-carving genius of the [[Russian Orthodox Church]].

The first ceiling-high, five-leveled Russian iconostasis was designed by [[Andrey Rublyov]] in the [[cathedral of the Dormition]] in [[Vladimir, Russia|Vladimir]] in 1408.

==== Cross ====

[[File:Greek cross.svg|thumb|[[Greek Cross|Greek cross]]]]
[[File:OrthodoxCrossblack.svg|thumb|[[Russian Orthodoxy|Russian Orthodox]] cross]]

The small top crossbar represents the sign that [[Pontius Pilate]] nailed above Christ's head. It often is inscribed with an acronym, "INRI", Latin for "[[INRI|Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews]]" or "INBI", Greek Ἰησοῦς ὁ Ναζωραῖος ὁ βασιλεύς τῶν Ἰουδαίων for "Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews"; however, it is often replaced or amplified by the phrase "The King of Glory" in order to answer Pilate's statement with Christ's affirmation, "My Kingdom is not of this world".<ref>{{Cite book|last=Binz|first=Stephen J.|title=The Names of Jesus|publisher=Twenty-Third Publications|year=2004|isbn=9781585953158|location=New London|pages=81–82}}</ref>

Other crosses associated with the Eastern Orthodox Church are the more traditional single-bar crosses, budded designs, the [[Greek cross]], the [[Latin cross]], the [[Jerusalem cross]] (cross pattée), [[Celtic cross]]es, and others.<ref>A good explanation of the 3-bar cross was written by Orthodox symbologist Alexander Roman and can be found at http://www.ukrainian-orthodoxy.org/questions/2010/threeBarCross.php {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201124021/http://www.ukrainian-orthodoxy.org/questions/2010/threeBarCross.php |date=2022-02-01 }}</ref> A common symbolism of the slanted foot stool is the foot-rest points up, toward Heaven, on Christ's right hand-side, and downward, to Hades, on Christ's left. "Between two thieves Thy Cross did prove to be a balance of
righteousness: wherefore one of them was dragged down to Hades by the
weight of his blasphemy ''[the balance points downward]'', whereas the other was lightened of his transgressions unto the comprehension of theology ''[the balance points upward]''. O Christ God, glory to Thee."<ref>{{cite web|title = An Explanation of the Traditional Russian Orthodox Three-bar Cross|url = http://www.synaxis.info/old-rite/0_oldbelief/instructional_eng/cross_symbolism.html|website = www.synaxis.info|access-date = 2015-10-17|archive-date = 2015-07-04|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150704065215/http://www.synaxis.info/old-rite/0_oldbelief/instructional_eng/cross_symbolism.html|url-status = live}}</ref>

=== Art and architecture ===

{{Main|Eastern Orthodox church architecture}}
[[File:Orthodox-Church-interior.jpg|thumb|upright=1.1|An illustration of the traditional interior of an Eastern Orthodox church.]]

The [[Archdiocesan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity]] on New York City's [[Upper East Side]] is the largest Eastern Orthodox Christian church in the [[Western Hemisphere]].<ref name="StudentEd">{{cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=_F5yntZocGIC&q=%22holy+trinity%22+cathedral+greek++74&pg=PA147 |title=The Orthodox Church: Student Edition |author=Thomas E. FitzGerald |access-date=5 January 2013 |isbn=978-0-275-96438-2 |year=1998 |publisher=Greenwood Publishing |archive-date=21 September 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230921092743/https://books.google.com/books?id=_F5yntZocGIC&q=%22holy+trinity%22+cathedral+greek++74&pg=PA147 |url-status=live }}</ref>

=== Local customs ===

[[File:Broken vases on Holy Saturday in Corfu.jpg|thumb|upright=0.8|Shards of pottery vases on the street, after being thrown from the windows of nearby houses. A [[Holy Saturday]] tradition in [[Corfu]].|alt=]]

Locality is also expressed in regional terms of churchly jurisdiction, which is often also drawn along national lines. Many Orthodox churches adopt a national title (e.g. [[Orthodox Autocephalous Church of Albania|Albanian Orthodox]], [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Bulgarian Orthodox]], [[Georgian Orthodox Church|Georgian Orthodox]], [[Greek Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]], [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Romanian Orthodox]], [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian Orthodox]], [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Serbian Orthodox]], [[Orthodox Church of Ukraine|Ukrainian Orthodox]], etc.) and this title can identify which language is used in services, which bishops preside, and which of the typica is followed by specific [[wikt:congregation|congregations]]. In the Middle East, Orthodox Christians are usually referred to as ''[[Rum (endonym)|Rum]]'' ("Roman") Orthodox, because of their historical connection with the [[Byzantine Empire|Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire]].{{sfn|Binns|2002|p=3}}