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We trace the
religious Christian history of the early Byzantine Orthodox church to the
Church of Antioch. The Orthodox Church is know for its
Art and Architecture of renowned beauty which brings
the faithful closer to God. In
Byzantine literature, there are four different cultural
elements to be reckoned with: the Greek, the Christian, the Roman, and the
Oriental. Through this long Christian history, there came the
Italo-Greeks (Arbreshe) who in the 14th Century in Sicily, founded in
Contessa Entellina (Diocese of Monreale) where the Latin Rite is observed in
the Greek tongue. |
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There has
been an ongoing spiritual battle since the time of Abraham between Christians
and Muslims. When
Sicily was invaded by the Muslims, the Sicilian
Christians stood firm to perserve their Byzantine faith even through harsh
punishment. This same determination of faith was seen in the crusade against
the Ottoman Turks by the
Patriarch, the remnant of believers in
Christ. The
Ecumenical Patriarchate is also known as the Patriarchate
of Constantinople or the Great Church of Christ in Constantinople. Its
creation goes back to the year 38, the year in which the Church was founded
in the ancient city of Byzantium by Saint Andrew, the "First-called
among the Apostles". |
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There are
very interesting descriptions of Antioch, the ancient capital of the Kingdom
of Seleucia, later to become the Roman province of Syria. The term
(Melchgite) was thus coined to refer to the true believers, those who
remained faithful to the Council doctrine and who followed imperial
orthodoxy. The « orthodox » Patriarchate of Antioch has been called «
Melkite » ever since. The spiritual
leaders were known as the Melkite Patriarchs of Antioch and established the
The Melkite-Greek Catholic Church. |
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Archangel Michael |
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There will
always be an ongoing difference of
opinions regarding doctrine between the Catholic and Orthodox
Churches, but one should remember that we believe in the same Lord, Jesus
Christ, and have different ways of worshipping the same God. I am hesitant to
say, there is only one true Christian church, since God is always among the
faithful and we can not understand the mind and mysteries of God in his
omnipresence. God is pleased with the believers in His son Jesus Christ, and
the many different worship styles of all the Christian Churches in the World. |