Compare
Greek Orthodox ChurchandReformed and Presbyterian Churches
At a glance
- Common groundIn full: Common ground
- Common inheritanceNo direct separation: Protestantism arose in the Western church in the 16th century, centuries after the West had become estranged from the Orthodox East. What they share is the Bible and the early Church as each receives it.
2 sources
- The Filioque: A Church-Dividing Issue? An Agreed Statement, IISource verified
- Christianity: The First Three Thousand YearsIdentified, not independently read
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 inheritanceNo direct separation: Protestantism arose in the Western church in the 16th century, centuries after the West had become estranged from the Orthodox East. What they share is the Bible and the early Church as each receives it.
- Key differencesIn full: Key differences
- Scripture and authorityGreek Orthodox ChurchScripture read within Holy Tradition, the councils and the FathersReformed and Presbyterian ChurchesScripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
- Church and ministryGreek Orthodox ChurchBishops governing in synods; self-governing churches without a universal headReformed and Presbyterian ChurchesElders and ministers in graded courts and synods
- Sacraments and ordinancesGreek Orthodox ChurchSeven 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, 1 difference of emphasis.
- How their histories connectIn full: How their histories connect
- Lines parted · 1054 (conventional) · A gradual process · Through the wider familyThe estrangement of East and West (schism)Read the account in Eastern Orthodox Church
- Line of descentGreek Orthodox Church became self-governing from the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (1833).
- 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
- Greek Orthodox Church
- The first three ecumenical councils (325, 381, 431); The fourth to seventh councils (451 to 787)
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Councils can err and are tested by Scripture
Scripture and authority
Sources of authority
- Greek Orthodox Church
- Scripture read within Holy Tradition, the councils and the Fathers
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Scripture as the supreme authority for faith and life
Sacraments and ordinances
How the rites are understood and counted
- Greek Orthodox Church
- 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
- Greek Orthodox Church
- 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
- Greek Orthodox Church
- Bishops governing in synods; self-governing churches without a universal head
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Elders and ministers in graded courts and synods
Different emphases, not necessarily opposed (1)
Salvation and grace
Characteristic emphasis
- Greek Orthodox Church
- Salvation as theosis: union with God by grace
- Reformed and Presbyterian Churches
- Justification by grace, for Christ's sake, through faith and not by works; God's sovereign election (predestination)
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
- Creeds and councils (the filioque): not recorded for Reformed and Presbyterian 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
Greek Orthodox Church
All citations link to the Atlas’s single source register.