The "Rum Millet" system under Ottoman occupation.
Thesis statement: The Orthodox Church maintained early Christian traditions while adapting to geopolitical shifts, resulting in a unique synthesis of theology, culture, and national identity.
The Ecumenical Patriarch was granted religious and administrative authority over all Orthodox Christians in the empire, preserving the faith under Islamic rule. Istoria Biserici Ortodoxe
Tensions gradually mounted between the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West. Disagreements over papal supremacy and the Filioque clause (the insertion of "and the Son" into the Creed by the Western Church) led to the Great Schism in 1054. This event formally divided the Chalcedonian Church into the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church. Captivity and Expansion
The rise of national autocephalous churches (e.g., Romanian, Serbian, Bulgarian). The severe impact of Soviet and Eastern Bloc communism. Summary of Orthodoxy's historical resilience. The Church's role in the contemporary world. The "Rum Millet" system under Ottoman occupation
The Apostolic Age and the rise of the Pentarchy.
Cultural and theological drifts between Rome and Constantinople. Captivity and Expansion The rise of national autocephalous
The 7 Ecumenical Councils and the definition of core dogmas.