A History of the Orthodox Church: Outline

Introduction | History | Doctrine

1. THE APOSTOLIC CHURCH

The Church as a Eucharistic Community | The First Persecutions and Martyrs
The Councils as the Manifestation of the Church Unity

2. THE CHURCH OF THE ECUMENICAL COUNCILS (323-843)

The Establishment of the Imperial Church | Fighting against the heresies
1. Nicaea - The Defeat of Arianism
2. Constantinople - The Teaching upon the Holy Spirit
3. Ephesus - The Victory over Nestorianism
4. Chalcedon - The Triumph of the Orthodox Christology
5 & 6. Constantinople - Chalcedon Confirmed - The Victory over Monotheletism
The Dispute over the Holy Icons
7. Nicea - The Victory of the Iconophiles and the Final Triumph of Orthodoxy

3. THE CHURCH OF IMPERIAL BYZANTIUM

Byzantine Christianity about AD 1000 | Relations between Church and state
The Development of Monasticism
Relations with the West | The Crusades | The Mongol invasion
Attempts at ecclesiastical union
Relations with the Western Church | Theological and monastic renaissance

4. ORTHODOXY UNDER THE OTTOMANS (1453-1821)

The Christian ghetto | Relations with the West

5. THE CHURCH OF RUSSIA (1448-1800)

Origin of the Muscovite patriarchate | Relations between patriarch and tsar
The reforms of Peter the Great (reigned 1682-1725)

6. THE ORTHODOX CHURCHES IN THE 19TH CENTURY

Autocephalies in the Balkans | In Greece | In Serbia | In Romania | In Bulgaria
The church in imperial Russia

7. THE ORTHODOX CHURCH SINCE WORLD WAR I

The Russian Revolution and the Soviet period
The Balkans and eastern Europe
The Orthodox Church in the Middle East | Orthodoxy in the United States
The Orthodox diaspora and missions