Salvation History - New Life, Church History

New Life: Church History

The history of the Church records the continuing work of Christ throughout human history.

In the Orthodox Christian understanding, history has profound theological significance because of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. Just as God chose to enter the world as a real, living, and breathing human being, He also chooses to work within and through human history to bring about the salvation of mankind. The history of the Church is therefore a sacred history—not in the same sense as the biblical history that reveals God’s saving work, but as a record of that saving work continuing in the lives of people and communities throughout the ages.

Through the lives of the Apostles and the early Christians, the witness of the martyrs, the teachings of the Church Fathers, and the councils that defended the Orthodox Faith, we see how the Gospel has been proclaimed, preserved, and lived from one generation to the next. These articles invite us to explore this history and to discover how the life of the Church bears witness to Christ’s continuing presence and work in the world.