Compare
Eastern Catholic ChurchesandReformed and Presbyterian Churches
At a glance
- Common groundIn full: Common ground
- Common inheritanceThe Western (Latin) church: Protestant churches grew, directly or through later movements, from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, so until then their history and that of the Catholic Church is one history.
2 sources
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand YearsIdentified, not independently read
- Joint Declaration on the Doctrine of JustificationSource verified
Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.
- GodOne God in three persons: Father, Son and Holy Spirit
- ChristChrist is fully divine and fully human; Two natures united in one person, as defined at Chalcedon (451)
- Sacraments and ordinancesInfants are baptised
- Common inheritanceThe Western (Latin) church: Protestant churches grew, directly or through later movements, from the 16th-century Reformation of the Western church, so until then their history and that of the Catholic Church is one history.
- Key differencesIn full: Key differences
- Scripture and authorityEastern Catholic ChurchesScripture and Tradition, interpreted by the bishops in communion with the popeReformed and Presbyterian ChurchesScripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Church and ministryEastern Catholic ChurchesBishops in communion with the pope, who holds universal jurisdictionReformed and Presbyterian ChurchesElders and ministers in graded courts and synods
- Sacraments and ordinancesEastern Catholic ChurchesSeven sacraments (holy mysteries); Christ's body and blood are truly presentReformed and Presbyterian ChurchesTwo sacraments ordained by Christ: Baptism and the Lord's Supper; Christ received after a heavenly and spiritual manner, by faith
Below: 1 more difference.
- How their histories connectIn full: How their histories connect
- Lines parted · Various, 16th–20th centuries · A gradual processUnions with Rome (ecclesial union)Read the account in Eastern Catholic Churches
- Line of descentReformed and Presbyterian Churches took shape in the Reformation of the Western church under Rome (1519–1560).
- Connected today?In full: their relationship today
Not yet researched
The Atlas has not yet researched their present relationship. This is a gap, not evidence either way.
Composed from each tradition’s sourced records. Where a topic is not yet recorded for one side, the Atlas says so rather than guess.
Structured comparison. Composed from each tradition’s sourced position records. No research has yet been written for this particular pair, so the Atlas shows only what those records establish.
Where they differ
Creeds and councils
Councils received
- Eastern Catholic Churches
- The first three ecumenical councils (325, 381, 431); The fourth to seventh councils (451 to 787); Later general councils of the Western Church, including Trent and the Vatican councils
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Councils can err and are tested by Scripture
Scripture and authority
Sources of authority
- Eastern Catholic Churches
- Scripture and Tradition, interpreted by the bishops in communion with the pope
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
Sacraments and ordinances
How the rites are understood and counted
- Eastern Catholic Churches
- Seven sacraments (holy mysteries)
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Two sacraments ordained by Christ: Baptism and the Lord's Supper
Christ's presence in the Eucharist or Lord's Supper
- Eastern Catholic Churches
- Christ's body and blood are truly present
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Christ received after a heavenly and spiritual manner, by faith
Church and ministry
Church government
- Eastern Catholic Churches
- Bishops in communion with the pope, who holds universal jurisdiction
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Elders and ministers in graded courts and synods
Not yet comparable (6)
No sourced position is recorded for one side, so the Atlas does not say whether they agree:
- Creeds and councils (the nicene creed): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Salvation and grace (characteristic emphasis): not recorded for Eastern Catholic Churches
- Church and ministry (ministry): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Mary and the saints (asking the saints to pray): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Mary and the saints (how mary is named): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Day of worship (weekly day of worship): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
How their histories relate
The Atlas has no researched record of a direct historical relationship between these two. Not every pair of traditions experienced a schism or union with each other. Each took shape in its own way:
Their relationship today
Not yet researched
The Atlas has no researched record of the present relationship between these two. That is a gap in the research, not evidence of any particular relationship.
Developments towards reconciliation
No documented agreement or formal dialogue between these traditions is recorded in the Atlas.
Explore further
Eastern Catholic Churches
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.