Church of Jerusalem
Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem | |
Founder(s) | The Apostles |
Autocephaly/Autonomy declared | Traditional |
Autocephaly/Autonomy recognized | 451 by Fourth Ecumenical Council |
Current primate | Patr. Theophilus |
Headquarters | Jerusalem, Israel |
Primary territory | Israel, Palestine, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States (except Kuwait) |
Possessions abroad | United States, South America |
Liturgical language(s) | Greek, English, Arabic |
Musical tradition | Byzantine Chant |
Calendar | Julian |
Population estimate | 130,000 |
Official website | Church of Jerusalem |
The Church of Jerusalem is the "Mother of all Churches" of all of Christendom, because it was in Jerusalem that the Church was established on the day of Pentecost with the descent of the Holy Spirit on the disciples of Jesus Christ. From Jerusalem the gospel of Christ was spread to the world.
As Christianity spread, and the persecutions of the Jews by Roman authorities in their homeland increased, causing the dispersion of many of the Christians from Jerusalem, the import of this church and its impact on the ongoing life of the whole Church diminished. As other churches gained ascendency, namely the Churches of Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, and Antioch, the Church of Jerusalem was accorded a place of honor with them among the five original Christian patriarchates of the Christian world, called the Pentarchy.
The Church of Jerusalem remains the custodian of many of the holy sites in Jerusalem and environs, sometimes jointly with Roman Catholic or Coptic or Armenian Christians, including the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem and the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Lately there has been criticism of the church leadership by Palestinian faithful, who accuse the Greek-speaking and largely Greek-born leadership of squandering their money and treating their Arabic-speaking members as second-class faithful.
Following the recent deposition of Patriarch Irenaios I amidst scandals regarding the transfer of land to Jewish control, the Holy Synod of the church named as their temporary primate His Eminence Metropolitan Cornelius (Rodousakis) of Petra. On August 22, 2005, the Holy Synod unanimously elected the former Archbishop of Tabor, Theophilus, as the 141st Patriarch of Jerusalem.
Contents
Places of importance
- Holy Monastery of St. Catherine (Mount Sinai), believed to be the site of the Burning Bush from the Old Testament, belonging to Church of Sinai.
See also
- Monastery at the Shepherds Field (East Jerusalem, Israel)
- New Church of St. Mary, the Theotokos (Jerusalem)
- Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem in North and South America
External links
- Official Website of the Church of Jerusalem (Main page)
- Greek Orthodox Church of St. George, Taybeh (Palestine)
- Interviews with Christians in the Holy Land (Ancient Faith Radio)
- Eastern Christian Churches: The Patriarchate of Jerusalem by Ronald Roberson, a Roman Catholic priest and scholar
- Rum Orthodox Ivri: The Website of the Eastern Orthodox Christian Community within Israeli Society, served by Fr. Alexander Winogradsky, a priest of Jewish ethnicity serving mainly in Hebrew
Jaffa Gate Deal and Recognition Issues 2004-2007
- Moran, Dominic. The Battle for Jerusalem ISN Security Watch, 18 May 2005.
- Morenatti, Emilio. An Unorthodox Deal? TIME, 29 May 2005.
- Rapoport, Meron. Burnt Offerings Haaretz.com, 9 February 2007.
- The Associated Press. Embattled Jerusalem Patriarch Says He is Still Supported by Jordan's King International Herald Tribune. 14 May 2007.
- Solution Looming in Jerusalem Orthodox Church Row Earthtimes.org, 12 June 2007.
- Jordan Reverses Decision over Jerusalem Patriarch During Bakoyannis Visit Athens News Agency. 14 June 2007.
- Lefkovits, Etgar. Greece's Government urges Israel to Recognize Greek Orthodox Patriarch The Jerusalem Post. 2 July 2007.
- Mackenzie, Nick. Athens Appeals to Israelis over Patriarch Religious Intelligence, 3 July 2007.
- Hellenic Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Briefing of Greek Government Regarding the Israeli Cabinet's Recognition of the Greek Orthodox Patriarch 16 December 2007.
- European Jewish Press. Israel Takes Two Years to Recognise Greek Patriarch 18 December 2007.
- Israel National News. Pro-PLO Greek Orthodox Church Leader Ousted 19 December 2007.
Autocephalous and Autonomous Churches of Orthodoxy |
Autocephalous Churches |
Four Ancient Patriarchates: Constantinople · Alexandria · Antioch · Jerusalem Russia · Serbia · Romania · Bulgaria · Georgia · Cyprus · Greece · Poland · Albania · Czech Lands and Slovakia · OCA* · Ukraine* |
Autonomous Churches |
Sinai · Finland · Estonia* · Japan* · China* · Ukraine* |
The * designates a church whose autocephaly or autonomy is not universally recognized. |