Did the Roman Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church come first?
Both claim that they are the first and original churches. Which one is correct, and what's the evidence? Oh, and evangelicals, don't give me the bull about Protestantism being first, everyone knows that's a joke; Catholicism and the Orthodox Church were the first Christian churches.
One didn't come before the other. They started as an informal network of churches that gradually became more organized, and then split into the two separate branches of Christianity. This largely follows the split of the Roman Empire around the same time.
Are you serious? There are documents by the Catholic Church and about the Catholic Church by that name in every century since the first 10 years of the 2ND Century. There is no historical record of an Orthodox Church until the 11Th Century.
The Evangelical Christians of the first century were not Protestants because there were no Roman Catholics to Protest against for at least 300 more years.
The New Testament called the early church, "The Way" and the "Church of God".
History tells us that the Roman Church did not get its start until about 371 AD.
The Orthodox Church broke away from Rome in 1054 AD. They claim that the Orthodox Church follows the original teaching. The word "Orthodox" means "original".
Roman Catholics believe they were first.
The Orthodox folks believe they were first.
The Bible disagrees with both group and teaches that Evangelicals were first.
Both. They used to be one Church, but they excommunicated each other in the year 1054 AD.
The Roman Catholic Church was founded by St. Peter
The Orthodox Church of Alexandria was founded by St. Mark
The Russian Orthodox Church was founded by St. Andrew
The Apostolic Orthodox Armenian Church was founded by St. Bartholomew and St. Jude Thaddeus
The Orthodox Syrian Church of India was founded by St. Thomas
The Orthodox Church of Jerusalem was founded by St. James the Just.
They both were created by Jesus Christ at the exact same time. If you ask a Catholic or someone in the Western tradition of Christianity, they will say that the Greek Orthodox Church split from them. The Greeks will say Catholicism split from them. Really, neither is wrong and neither is right. The only thing that is really important is that both agree that they are both in communion with Christ.
Both have valid claims.. in a sense, it kind of depends on how you look at it.
Historically, the Catholic church existed first, and the Orthodox church split off from it. However, because they were both the same church at one time.. AND because the Orthodox church still recognizes the Supremacy of St. Peter, and have an unbroken link back to the Apostles, both can technically claim to be the 1 true church.
The Eastern Orthodox church traces its lineage back to the Apostles.. when they founded the Churches in Jerusalem and Constaninople. HOWEVER, at that time.. the Eastern Orthodox church didn't exist, it was part of the Catholic or simply the Christian religion. So while the Eastern Orthodox can trace it roots back to Apostles.. it can't trace its EXISTENCE back to that time.
The Catholic church can both trace its heritage as well as its existence back that far, so it is historically the first.
Also, the Eastern Orthodox, although autonomous, still recognizes the catholic church as first and the primacy of Peter as the head of the Catholic religion.
There was only the Catholic Church which was composed of the Eastern/Asian branches and the Western Church until 1054 AD when both like two brothers in love with the same woman with Jealousness over who should be first in her life split from each other. So being first is not a point as the Church first began in Jerusalem as that was when Peter was made head of Christ Church on earth. And Peter eventually became the Bishop of Rome and it was Constantine who actually created the idea of the Head of the Church reside in Greece when he renamed the City there Constantinople and planned to move the empire out of Rome to there and at one point declared it the see of Peter but the Western Bishops refused to do it so the seed of rebellion was planted..
They both come from the "root" orthodox church: the "One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church". The Assyrian and Oriental Orthodox churches split off from the main line of this church first; then some centuries later there was the East-West Schism where the church split into the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholic churches. The Orthodox think of themselves as main line and Catholics as schismatics, the Catholics think of it as the other way around. So neither of them were "first" - they both had the same history up to the time of the schism and both of them technically came into existence at the same time under their current names.
The Orthodox and Catholic Churches were one and the same until they separated from one another in 1054 mainly over the role of the Pope.
There are very few theological differences. The main difference is that the Orthodox Churches (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11329a.htm) use the Byzantine Rite (http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/04312d.htm) and the Catholic Church use the Roman or Latin Rite.
Another difference is the Filioque clause in the Nicene Creed, the original which the Orthodox follow is
"And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father."
And the Catholic revision is:
And in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, and giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filioque
Pope John Paul II said of the Orthodox Churches in Orientale Lumen, "A particularly close link already binds us. We have almost everything in common."
For the entire document, see: http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/john_paul_ii/apost_letters/documents/hf_jp-ii_apl_02051995_orientale-lumen_en.html
Jesus Made peter pope after he died when he asked him (some thing like this) " Do you love me " 3 times for the 3 times he betrayed Jesus ( OK not betrayed but i can't think of the word it's not disowned but basically it was saying he did not know Jesus ) anyway Jesus said peter will be the rock of the church the foundation. after years the religion spread and the Vatican was now located in ROME because peter died there ( nailed to the cross upside down) years later saint Paul was bringing the religion to more places but due to the location of the place hills and mountains surrounded it and they couldn't reach the Vatican. that is the Celtic catholic , and the Anglican was king Henry the 8Th.
Did the Roman Catholic Church or the Eastern Orthodox Church come first?
