GREEK ORTHODOX CHURCH is a broad term used to describe several historical expressions of the life of the Christian church. The terms Greek Christianity and Greek church are often used as synonyms for it, but with different nuances. This article seeks to clarify the term Greek Orthodox church by describing Greek Orthodox Christianity through its historical development to its twenty-first century expressions.

The Early Church and Greek Christianity

In their broadest meaning, Greek church and Greek Christianity can refer to the earliest development of Christianity as it moved from its Jewish matrix into the Greek cultural world of the Roman Empire. In this sense it is contrasted to Jewish Christianity. Cultural life at the time was imbued with the Greek heritage: language, philosophy, religion, literature, and political values. In the early Christian tradition, Greek often meant pagan or Gentile, but it referred, as well...