Eastern Church

Eastern Church, general term for the various ancient Christian communions of the Middle East and Eastern Europe, of which three groups remain today. The earliest decisive split in Christendom took place in 451 as a result of the Council of Chalcedon, which was called to consider the claims of the Monophysites (see Monophysitism). The churches that rejected the statement of faith adopted by the council are the Armenian church, the Coptic church of Alexandria, the Ethiopian church, the Syrian church, and the Syrian church in India. Sometimes known as the Oriental Orthodox, these churches today include more than 22 million members. The largest body, the Orthodox church, is in communion with the ecumenical patriarchate of Constantinople (İstanbul, Turkey). A third group of churches is known collectively as Eastern Rite churches, which recognize the authority of the Roman Catholic church.