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The History Of Orthodox Christianity

This ambitious project is designed to be the most detailed worldwide television presentation of the Orthodox Church, Her traditions, and Her sacramental life. The programs, produced in English and Greek, will serve as an educational tool for the Christian Orthodox Church in addressing the needs of a world-dispersed audience, and in making Orthodoxy better understood among those who are unfamiliar with this ancient Christian Church.

  • Item 500844D
  • Region: All
  • Media Type: DVD
  • Running Time: 1 hr 30 min

Alternate formats: Digital Video - $2.99

Retail: $24.99
Price: $17.99
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Awards

  • Bronze Plaque

    Columbus International Film & Video Festival 1994

Description

This ambitious project is designed to be the most detailed worldwide television presentation of the Orthodox Church, Her traditions, and Her sacramental life. The programs, produced in English and Greek, will serve as an educational tool for the Christian Orthodox Church in addressing the needs of a world-dispersed audience, and in making Orthodoxy better understood among those who are unfamiliar with this ancient Christian Church. Fullscreen.

PART 1: THE BEGINNINGS- Church and State - Ecumencial Councils - Nicene Creed - Iconoclasm - Fathers of the Church - Monasticism - The Splendor of Aghia Sophia - Mission to the Slavs - The Great Schism - Crusades - Fall of Byzantium (Running Time: 28:30)

PART 2: BYZANTIUM - The Early Church - From Jerusalem to the Nations - Christianity and Hellenism - Catacombs and Persecution - The Early Martyrs - Administrative Structure - Birth of Byzantium Legalization of the Church (Running Time: 28:30)

PART 3: HIDDEN TREASURE - Church in Captivity - Moscow: The Third Rome - Greek Revolution - The Ancient Patriarchates Today - New World - Russia After Communism - Challenges for the Future - The Essence of the Church (Running Time: 28:30)

Editorial Reviews

Produced by Greek Orthodox Telecommunications, this three-part program does an excellent job of recounting the history and beliefs of Orthodox Christianity, while also examining the differences between the various branches. Artistically filmed on location in Israel, Greece, Italy, Turkey, Egypt, Syria, Russia, England, and the U.S., the first part – "The Beginnings" – explores the founding of the Church, from the New Testament-related life and death of Jesus Christ, through the missionary work of the apostles, and subsequent persecutions and martyrdoms, while magnificent art and architecture of the period help to illustrate the narrative. The other two episodes in the series – "Byzantium" and "A Hidden Treasure" – look at the Crusades, the rise of the Church during the flowering of the Byzantine Empire and suppression after Byzantium's fall in Islamic and Communist countries, waves of immigration to the West that brought orthodoxy to the New World, ad the state of the Church today. Highly recommended.

Eastern Orthodoxy has a remarkable history of preserving the basic theological truths of God's nature, the Incarnation, and morality; while accruing theological and liturgical peculiarities exempt from Biblical critique. In three clear and well filmed segments generated by GOTelecom, a Greek Orthodox foundation, the producers have created a good overview of orthodoxy from its infancy to the present. Part 1: The Beginnings: The first segment gives a history of the early church from an Eastern, Greek cultural perspective. Emphasis is placed on the Hellenistic background, Greek language and philosophy, and the Christianized Graeco-Judaic culture which culminates in the establishment of Christianity as a state religion under Constantine. Part 2: Byzantium: The second section traces the rise of the Eastern Roman Empire, the Seven Ecumenical Councils, the Iconoclast controversy, relationship to the Roman Church as well as the Oriental Orthodox churches. Missionaries move out to ethnic peoples. The Eastern and Roman churches divide. Part 3: Hidden Treasure: The third portion deals with the issues resulting from the triumph of Islam - and gives an account of Islam's dominance over the Patriarchal churches of Alexandria, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Istanbul formerly Constaninople Moscow has now become the "Third Rome," while Eastern Churches have a renewed contact and success in the West. An accompanying booklet for Instructors and Discussion leaders, prepared by Patrick Henry Reardon, Pastor of St. Athanasius Orthodox Church - and an editor of Touchstone magazine - gives a fair overview with some self-criticism of orthodoxy nor found in the video itself. In America today, Orthodoxy appears as a collection of ethnic, and therefore, parochial churches. Yet the gold, incense, iconographic art, beautiful architecture, and mystical catholic liturgy of the Eastern Church is highly attractive to modern Evangelicals steeped in the stark commonplace traditionalism, or inspired frivolity, of American Protestant worship. For the Orthodox Churches, this video will be useful as an evangelistic and public relations tool. Evangelicals, on the other hand, will find it a good introduction to Orthodoxy - a church from which we can learn much about persecution and perseverance; but whose obsession with Tradition as an authority equal to Scripture, makes Biblical Reformation a great challenge. - Reviewed by James L. Sauer, Director of Library, Eastern University, St. Davids, PA

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