The world of the Eastern churches is a labyrinth. Rich in history and culture, the development of these distinct churches dates to the age of the apostles, and mirrors the evolution of humanity these last two millennia.
From 2005 to 2012, CNEWA’s magazine, ONE, offered its readers a profile of each Eastern church, Catholic and non-Catholic. These 47 features offered the reader an objective account on the course of each church’s development and utilized lavish images to illustrate their vitality.
Now, a new portal gathers together these profiles and groups each church under its appropriate tradition. This organizational strategy adheres largely to the ancient concept of the pentarchy, the five principal episcopal sees of the church in the Roman world as defined by the Council of Chalcedon in 451: Rome, representing the church of the West, and the four Eastern patriarchal sees of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem.
The church in Armenia — the first nation to adopt Christianity in 301 — is listed separately. While the Armenian church developed independently, it did not evolve in isolation, rather it absorbed and imparted traditions, rites and elements from the entire Christian tradition, East and West.