Traditions

Tradition · Eastern Orthodox

Eastern Orthodox Church

Followersroughly 210 millionEastern Orthodox (derived, 2010 data)How countedEast–West estrangement1054The conventional date for the separation of Constantinople and Rome, which grew over centuries. The Orthodox regard their church as continuous with the early Church.Read the historyCompare with another tradition

A communion of self-governing churches that keep the faith of the seven ecumenical councils.

Relationships with other traditions

How it took shape

Through the wider family

Divisions that concern the Eastern Orthodox family as a whole, not this church alone.

Since then

Key timeline

View timeline in full
  1. 325–787

    The seven ecumenical councils

    From Nicaea I to Nicaea II, the councils whose teaching the Orthodox regard as the common foundation of doctrine.

  2. 1054

    Mutual excommunications

    Patriarch Michael Cerularius and papal legates excommunicate each other; the estrangement was gradual.

  3. 1453

    Fall of Constantinople

    The Ottoman conquest ends the Byzantine Empire; the patriarchate continues under Ottoman rule.

  4. 1965

    Excommunications lifted

    Patriarch Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI lift the excommunications of 1054.

The workbook names this row “Eastern Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarchate)”. The Ecumenical Patriarchate is one church within the communion, not the whole of it; the Russian and Greek churches listed separately are also part of this communion.
2 sources
Classification
Eastern Orthodox. A communion of self-governing (autocephalous) churches; the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds a primacy of honour.
What this entry covers
A communion of churches. The Eastern Orthodox communion of self-governing (autocephalous) churches, in which the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople holds a primacy of honour. The workbook row names the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
East–West estrangement
1054. The conventional date for the separation of Constantinople and Rome, which grew over centuries. The Orthodox regard their church as continuous with the early Church.

Relationships with other traditions

Schism1054 (conventional)A gradual process

The estrangement of East and West

Catholic Church (Latin West, under the Bishop of Rome)Eastern Orthodox churches (Greek East, centred on Constantinople)

Schism: A breach of communion between churches. The Atlas never treats a schism as the founding of either side, and many developed gradually.

Latin and Greek Christianity drifted apart over centuries. 1054 is the conventional date, but the excommunications of that year did not by themselves make a formal schism; the division deepened through later events.
2 sources
Causes
What changed
What remained shared
Later developments
Today as of October 2026

Separate, in formal dialogue

Not in full communion. Theological dialogue continues; the 1054 sentences were lifted in 1965.
Source

Agreement recordAgreement recordCompare Eastern Orthodox Church and Catholic Church

Formal dialogue1985–1993

Orthodox–Oriental Orthodox theological dialogue

Eastern Orthodox churchesOriental Orthodox churches

Formal dialogue: Official theological conversation between churches. Agreed statements are recommendations until each church receives them.

Official commission meetings from 1985 produced agreed statements at Anba Bishoy (1989) and Chambésy (1990) and proposals for lifting the anathemas (1993).
2 sources
What changed
Later developments
Today as of October 2026

Separate, in formal dialogue

Not in full communion; the agreements are commission recommendations awaiting fuller reception.
2 sources

Agreement recordCompare Eastern Orthodox Church and Coptic Orthodox ChurchCompare Eastern Orthodox Church and Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo ChurchCompare Eastern Orthodox Church and Armenian Apostolic Church

Explained on other pages

Through the wider family

These concern the family of churches this tradition belongs to, not this church alone.

Full timeline

  1. 325–787

    The seven ecumenical councils

    From Nicaea I to Nicaea II, the councils whose teaching the Orthodox regard as the common foundation of doctrine.

  2. 1054

    Mutual excommunications

    Patriarch Michael Cerularius and papal legates excommunicate each other; the estrangement was gradual.

    Explained below: The estrangement of East and West

  3. 1453

    Fall of Constantinople

    The Ottoman conquest ends the Byzantine Empire; the patriarchate continues under Ottoman rule.

  4. 1965

    Excommunications lifted

    Patriarch Athenagoras I and Pope Paul VI lift the excommunications of 1054.

    Explained in Catholic Church: Lifting the excommunications of 1054

Positions used in comparisons

Short, sourced statements that the Atlas compares across traditions. Where a tradition has no single teaching authority, the record says whose statement it follows.

God
One God in three persons; the Father is the source of the Son and the Spirit.
2 sources
Christ
Christ is fully divine and fully human, one person in two natures, as at Chalcedon; Orthodox theologians have agreed that the Oriental Orthodox express the same faith differently.
Source
Creeds and councils
Confesses the Creed of 381 without the Filioque and receives seven ecumenical councils.
2 sources
Scripture and authority
Scripture is received within Holy Tradition: the creeds, councils, Fathers and liturgy.
2 sources
Salvation and grace
Salvation is understood as theosis, union with God by grace through the life of the Church.
Source

Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.

Sacraments and ordinances
Holy mysteries, commonly counted as seven though the number is not strictly fixed; Christ truly present in the Eucharist; infants are baptised, chrismated and given communion.
3 sources

Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.

Church and ministry
Self-governing churches led by bishops in synod; the Ecumenical Patriarch has a primacy of honour, not universal jurisdiction.
3 sources
Mary and the saints
Mary is honoured as Theotokos; the saints are venerated and asked to pray; icons are venerated.
2 sources

Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.

Day of worship
Sunday, the day of the Resurrection.
Source

Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.

Compare these positions with another tradition

  • Divine Liturgy

    Usually the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom, in Greek, Slavonic, Romanian, Arabic and other languages.Not yet sourced

  • Icons

    Icons are venerated; the restoration of icons in 843 is still celebrated as the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
    Source

The follower figure

roughly 210 million Eastern Orthodox (derived, 2010 data)

What is counted
People who identify themselves with the tradition
As of
2010 data, published 2017
Reported by
Derived by the Atlas from Pew Research Center figures
Type
Estimate
Coverage
All Eastern Orthodox churches worldwide.
Do not add
Includes the Russian and Greek churches. Pew's headline figure of nearly 260 million also includes Oriental Orthodox churches, so it must not be used for this entry.
This entry is
A communion of churches. The Eastern Orthodox communion of self-governing (autocephalous) churches, in which the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople holds a primacy of honour. The workbook row names the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
Pew counted nearly 260 million Orthodox Christians, of whom roughly a fifth belong to the Oriental Orthodox churches; the Eastern Orthodox share is therefore roughly 200–220 million (2010 data). This is a derived approximation, not a count by the churches.
Source

Provisional: broadly supported, but awaiting fuller checking.

Replaces the starting figure. Workbook: 220,000,000 (no source or date; the workbook's summary formula adds it to the Russian and Greek rows).

Figures from different traditions measure different things and must not be added together or ranked against each other.

About the image · Historically associated symbol

Greek (equal-armed) cross. Common in Byzantine art; not an official emblem of the communion.

Editorial status

Editorial draft. Built from the starting workbook with editorial corrections and framing. It has not yet been checked against independent sources.

References

  • Workbook linkNot yet checked

    patriarchate.org

    Link supplied in the source workbook (“Christian Denominations”, row 11). It has not been checked to confirm that it supports every claim in that row.

Original workbook record

Imported unchanged from “Christian Denominations”, row 11. Values here are the starting dataset, not verified facts; where the Atlas differs, the reason is noted below.

Denomination / Tradition
Eastern Orthodox Church (Ecumenical Patriarchate)
Broader Tradition
Eastern Orthodoxy
Date Established / Split
1054 AD
Origin / Location
Constantinople (Istanbul)
Forming Event / Schism
East-West Schism (Great Schism)
Approx. Practitioners
220,000,000
Broke Away From
Unified Early Church
Primary Reason for Split / Core Doctrine
Rejection of universal papal jurisdiction, insistence on conciliarity, and opposition to the Western Filioque addition.
Reference / Information Link
https://www.patriarchate.org

Editorial notes on this record

  • Denomination / Tradition: Row conflates the whole Eastern Orthodox communion with the Ecumenical Patriarchate.
  • Approx. Practitioners: 220 million likely overlaps with the Russian (100m) and Greek (10m) rows; the workbook’s summary formula (=SUM(F9:F27)) adds them, so do not reuse that total.
  • Date Established / Split: 1054 presented as a separation, not a founding.

Research sources for this entry

Every relationship, position and figure above cites these. Each links to the Atlas’s single source register, which shows what each source supports and whether it was read.