Christianity began to spread in the lands of modern-day Greece at the beginning of the first millennium, following a few Neolithic religions with an animist element and the beliefs identical with the Twelve Gods in the Archaic era. In the institutionalization period of Christianity, Orthodox Christianity became the generally accepted belief in today’s Greek geography and all traditional areas of sovereignty of the Byzantine Empire.

The first constitution of modern Greece, when it was independent from the Ottoman Empire, declared the Orthodox faith as the “dominant religion” in the country, and this remains the case today. However, the current Greek constitution guarantees secularism through Article 13.

According to a 2010 study by Eurobarometer, 79% of Greeks believe in the existence of God, 16% in the existence of a higher power, and 4% do not believe in either. A more recent survey found that three out of four Greeks (76%) consider religion an important component of national identity. The majority of Greek society, of which 92% declare belief in the “Holy Trinity,” is generally religious. The largest religious community is Orthodox, followed by Islam (2%), Catholicism (less than 1%), and other Christian denominations (3%). Approximately 4% of the population identifies as irreligious. The last census to record religious beliefs was conducted in 1951.

Other sources suggest that Greeks claiming to be Orthodox Christians make up 81.4% of the population, while atheists make up 14.7%.

The Church of Greece and the Communities of Israel are recognized as Legal Entities under Public Law, while Mufti offices are recognized as a public service. Additionally, the Catholic Church of Greece, the Armenian Orthodox Church, Copts, Ethiopian Orthodox, Assyrians, Anglicans, and the Greek Evangelical Church are recognized as Legal Entities of Private Law according to Greek Law.

Christianity Doctrine

Christianity, a monotheistic religion, is founded on the teachings and life of Jesus Christ and has its roots in Jewish monotheism. It is the world’s most widely followed religion, with over 2.4 billion adherents, which is about one-third of the world’s population. The belief that Jesus, born as the Messiah, taught, and resurrected after being martyred is central to Christianity, as revealed in the Old Testament. He is considered “the Son of God and the Savior of Mankind.”

The fundamental principle of Christianity is expressed through a prayer/declaration known as the “Symbol of Faith,” with the exception of some radical Protestant Churches. It refers to belief in a trinity God, comprising God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Jesus

Jesus, who is considered the most significant figure in Christianity, is also known as “Jesus of Nazareth” and “Jesus Christ”. His birth and death dates have been the subject of debate among historians and scholars.

However, it is generally accepted that he was born to Mary, a Jew, miraculously without a father, in the province of Judea in the Roman Empire. He is recognized as a carpenter, teacher, and healer by Christians. He was crucified under the order of Pontius Pilate, the governor of Judea of the Roman Empire, on the charge of “inciting the people to rebellion” due to pressure from the Jewish clergy.

Christians believe that Jesus is the Messiah and the Son of God. However, the sonship of Jesus is not biological but spiritual. According to the Trinity, Jesus is the “son”, who is the intermediary between God and people, the expected Savior, the Lord, and from the same “essence” as God, the mighty god, the only man, and the only king of the world.

Different sects have varying interpretations of the divine and human nature of Jesus.

According to the monophysite view, his human and divine nature merged under his divine essence and formed a single indivisible nature, and his divine nature suffered along with his human nature on the cross.

According to the diophysite view, Jesus had two independent natures, human and divine, and only his human nature suffered when he was crucified.

The Orthodox, Catholic, and Protestant views hold that Jesus has two natures, “human” and “divine,” which never merge, mix, or separate.

Orthodox Christianity

The culture on which the Orthodox Christianity tradition is based, IV. It was developed by three church fathers who lived in Cappadocia in the 19th century and prepared the ground for Orthodoxy in theological sense by introducing Hellenic and especially Aristotelian philosophy to Christianity. However, Orthodoxy historically IV. It can be said that it has been shaped by the political conflicts that have taken place since the 19th century and the emergence of Istanbul as a new political center. The relocation of the capital of the Roman Empire to Constantinople in 330 disturbed the political and religious authorities settled in Rome. While the city of Rome based itself on the Apostle Peter, Constantinople based itself on the Apostle Andrew.

Although not as much as St. Peter’s relationship with Rome, the opinions about Istanbul’s relationship with St. Andreas were widely adopted. The first struggle between Rome and Constantinople emerged in the council convened in Sardica (Sofia) in 343. The ruler of the eastern lands of the empire, II. While Constantius was a supporter of Aryanism, which rejected the divine identity of Christianity, which was the basic doctrine of Christianity, and opened it up for discussion, Konstans, who was dominant in the west, continued the tradition of Nicaea. The council convened at the request of Pope Julius described Aryanism as heretical. Rome declared itself to be the sole authority in any official decision concerning the church, in order to prevent the dangerous rise of Constantinople. The eastern bishops, on the other hand, did not recognize any of the council decisions.

In the First Council of Constantinople, convened by Emperor Theodosius I in 381 and no Roman representatives were summoned, it was declared that the second authority after Rome was Constantinople. The decisions of this council on discipline and hierarchy were never confirmed by the Catholics. The article of the council, “ The bishopric of Constantinople as the new Rome comes after Rome ” was strongly criticized by the Roman authorities.

In the fourth ecumenical council, convened in 451, mostly to stifle debates about the nature of Jesus, the view that Constantinople had equal privileges with Rome was officially confirmed. The canons of the council, which held that Rome’s supremacy came not from Peter but from the privilege granted by the church fathers, were never accepted by Catholics.

The most important breaking point between Rome and Constantinople occurred in the 6th century. In 595, the Patriarch of Istanbul, John 4, claimed the title of ecumenical patriarch for the first time in history, claiming that Constantinople was the only and universal church. Western clergy strongly criticized John, arguing that even the pope did not dare to use this title. This date marks a period when the quarrel between the two churches reached its peak.

From 1053 the patriarch of Constantinople launched a violent campaign against Rome and closed all Latin churches in the city. In 1054, the ties between the Cardinal, who came to meet with the Patriarch, and the churches of Rome and Constantinople were broken. The patriarch, disturbed by the Papacy’s attitude towards Constantinople, did not make an appointment with the cardinal. The Cardinal returned to Rome, leaving in Hagia Sophia a papal document that the Constantinople church was heretical due to its differing views. In response, the Church of Constantinople prepared a counter-document emphasizing that Rome’s belief in the Holy Spirit was heretical and conveyed it to Rome. This mutual showdown and excommunication became the proclamation of the absolute separation between the Catholic and Orthodox churches.