The Ancient Faith
What Is Orthodox Christianity?
The Orthodox Church is the original Church founded by Jesus Christ and His Apostles — the same faith, the same liturgy, the same sacraments, passed down without interruption for two thousand years.
The Claim of Orthodoxy
The Church Christ Founded Still Exists
Orthodox Christianity does not claim to be a restoration of the ancient Church, or a reformation of a corrupted Church. It claims to be that Church — the one founded by Jesus Christ on the day of Pentecost, built on the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Himself as the cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20).
This is not a boast but a historical fact. The Orthodox Church can trace every bishop, every council, every liturgical prayer, and every doctrinal definition back through an unbroken chain to the Apostles themselves. No other Christian body can make this claim without qualification.
"I believe in one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church."
The Nicene Creed, AD 381 — recited at every Divine Liturgy
2,000 Years of History
The Story of the Church
The Apostolic Age (AD 33–100)
On the day of Pentecost, fifty days after the Resurrection of Christ, the Holy Spirit descended upon the Apostles gathered in Jerusalem. Three thousand were baptized that day. The Church was born.
The Apostles spread throughout the known world — Peter and Paul to Rome, Mark to Egypt, Thomas to India, Andrew to Greece and the Black Sea region. Everywhere they went, they established communities of believers, ordained bishops, and celebrated the Eucharist.
The New Testament was written within this living community. The letters of Paul, the Gospels, the Acts of the Apostles — all were written for and read within the Church's liturgical life. The Church did not receive the Bible from outside; the Church produced the Bible.
The Age of Martyrs (AD 100–313)
For nearly three centuries, the Church grew under periodic Roman persecution. Christians were fed to lions, burned alive, and beheaded — yet the Church multiplied. The blood of the martyrs, as Tertullian wrote, was the seed of the Church.
During this period the great Fathers of the Church — Ignatius of Antioch, Justin Martyr, Irenaeus of Lyon, Clement of Alexandria — wrote extensively, defending the faith and articulating its theology. Their writings show a Church already fully formed in its liturgy, sacraments, and episcopal structure.
The Age of the Councils (AD 313–787)
With the Edict of Milan in 313, Emperor Constantine granted religious freedom to Christians. The Church could now gather openly, build churches, and hold councils. Over the next five centuries, seven Ecumenical Councils defined the core doctrines of the Christian faith — the Trinity, the Person of Christ, the veneration of icons.
These councils were not innovations. They were the Church's formal articulation of what had always been believed and practiced. The Orthodox Church accepts all seven councils and has never departed from their definitions.
The Great Schism and After (AD 1054–present)
In 1054, the Church of Rome separated from the rest of the Church over the addition of the filioque to the Creed and claims of papal supremacy. This was not the Orthodox Church leaving Rome — it was Rome departing from the ancient consensus.
Five centuries later, the Protestant Reformation further fragmented Western Christianity into thousands of denominations. The Orthodox Church, meanwhile, continued as it always had — unchanged in doctrine, liturgy, and sacramental life.
Today, over 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide — in Greece, Russia, Romania, Serbia, Antioch, Alexandria, Jerusalem, and throughout the diaspora — share the same faith, the same liturgy, and the same unbroken tradition.
The Living Tradition
Orthodox iconography and frescoes connect the worshipping community to the saints of every age.
Defining the Faith
The Seven Ecumenical Councils
The Seven Ecumenical Councils represent the whole Church speaking with one voice on the most essential questions of the Christian faith. The Orthodox Church is the only Christian body that accepts all seven and has never departed from their definitions.
AD 325
First Council of Nicaea
Defined the full divinity of Christ and produced the original Nicene Creed. Condemned the Arian heresy.
AD 381
First Council of Constantinople
Completed the Nicene Creed as used today. Affirmed the full divinity of the Holy Spirit.
AD 431
Council of Ephesus
Declared the Virgin Mary as Theotokos — "God-bearer." Condemned Nestorianism.
AD 451
Council of Chalcedon
Defined Christ as one Person in two natures — fully divine and fully human — without confusion or separation.
AD 553
Second Council of Constantinople
Reaffirmed Chalcedonian Christology and condemned the Three Chapters.
AD 680
Third Council of Constantinople
Affirmed that Christ has two wills — divine and human — condemning Monothelitism.
AD 787
Second Council of Nicaea
Restored the veneration of holy icons, distinguishing veneration from worship. The last of the Seven Ecumenical Councils.
Why Orthodoxy
What Makes the Orthodox Church Distinct
Orthodoxy is not one denomination among many. It is the original, undivided Church — distinguished by what it has preserved, not by what it has invented.
Unbroken Apostolic Succession
The Orthodox Church traces an unbroken chain of bishops from the Apostles to the present day. Every Orthodox bishop can trace his ordination back through history to the Apostles themselves — the very men who walked with Christ.
The Fullness of the Faith Once Delivered
Orthodoxy has never added to or subtracted from the deposit of faith handed down by the Apostles. The Orthodox Church did not invent new doctrines in the Middle Ages, nor did it reform itself in the 16th century. It simply continued.
The Seven Ecumenical Councils
The Orthodox Church is the Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils — the only Christian body that accepts all seven and has never departed from their definitions. These councils, representing the whole Church, settled the great questions of who Christ is and how we are to celebrate the Divine Liturgy.
Theosis: Union with God
The goal of Orthodox Christian life is theosis — participation in the divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). This is not a medieval invention but the consistent teaching of the Church Fathers from the very beginning: "God became man so that man might become god" (St. Athanasius).
The Holy Tradition
Scripture and Holy Tradition are not in competition — they are two expressions of the same living faith. The Church wrote, collected, and canonized the New Testament. The Bible is the Church's book, read and interpreted within the life of the Church.
Liturgy as Heaven on Earth
Orthodox liturgy is not invented by any individual or era. The Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom, celebrated at Descent of the Holy Ghost every Sunday, is substantially the same liturgy used in Constantinople in the 4th century — and traces its roots to the Apostolic age.
Voices of the Tradition
The Holy Fathers
The Church Fathers are not merely historical figures — they are living members of the Body of Christ whose writings remain authoritative guides to the Orthodox faith.
c. AD 35–108
St. Ignatius of Antioch
"Where the bishop is, there let the multitude of believers be; even as where Jesus is, there is the Catholic Church."
Disciple of the Apostle John; martyred in Rome
c. AD 130–202
St. Irenaeus of Lyon
"Where the Church is, there is the Spirit of God; and where the Spirit of God is, there is the Church and every kind of grace."
Disciple of St. Polycarp, who knew the Apostle John
AD 296–373
St. Athanasius the Great
"God became man so that man might become god."
Defender of Nicene orthodoxy against Arianism
AD 347–407
St. John Chrysostom
"The road to hell is paved with the skulls of bishops."
Archbishop of Constantinople; author of the Divine Liturgy
AD 330–379
St. Basil the Great
"A tree is known by its fruit; a man by his deeds. A good deed is never lost; he who sows courtesy reaps friendship."
One of the Three Holy Hierarchs; Doctor of the Church
AD 329–390
St. Gregory the Theologian
"The same Spirit that hovered over the waters at creation now hovers over the baptismal font."
Archbishop of Constantinople; theologian of the Trinity
Common Questions
Frequently Asked
Q.Isn't the Catholic Church also ancient?
The Roman Catholic Church shares the same ancient roots as Orthodoxy. The difference is that in 1054, Rome departed from the ancient consensus by adding the filioque to the Creed without an Ecumenical Council, and by claiming that the Pope has universal jurisdiction over all Christians. The Orthodox Church did not leave Rome — Rome departed from the ancient practice. Orthodoxy simply continued as before.
Q.What about Protestantism?
Protestantism arose in the 16th century as a reaction to problems in the medieval Western Church. While many Protestants are sincere Christians, Protestantism represents a departure from the ancient faith — rejecting the sacraments, the episcopate, Holy Tradition, and the authority of the Ecumenical Councils. The Orthodox Church predates Protestantism by fifteen centuries.
Q.Is Orthodoxy only for Eastern Europeans?
Not at all. The Orthodox Church is the Church of Jerusalem, Antioch, Alexandria, Constantinople, and Rome — it is the original universal Church. Today it is present on every continent. Descent of the Holy Ghost, though founded by Romanian immigrants, is now a diverse community of Americans from many backgrounds, united by the ancient faith.
Q.How can I learn more or become Orthodox?
The best way to encounter Orthodoxy is to attend the Divine Liturgy. Come on a Sunday morning — the service itself is the best introduction to the faith. You are also welcome to speak with the priest, who is available to meet with inquirers. There is no pressure and no timeline. The Orthodox Church welcomes all who seek.
Our Church
Christ Pantocrator
High on the interior wall of Descent of the Holy Ghost hangs this icon of Christ Pantocrator — "Ο ΩΝ," meaning "The One Who Is." He holds the Holy Gospels in His left hand and raises His right hand in blessing. Every worshiper who enters the church is met by His gaze.
"Jesus Christ — Ο ΩΝ — The One Who Is"
Descent of the Holy Ghost, Merrillville IN
Come and See
The best way to understand Orthodoxy is not to read about it — it is to experience it. Come to the Divine Liturgy. Taste and see that the Lord is good.
"Come and see." — John 1:46