The Holy Orthodox Catholic Faith (PART 1)THE HOLY ORTHODOX CATHOLIC FAITH What is the basis of the Orthodox Catholic Faith? ‘The basis of the Orthodox Catholic Faith is a belief in God, the Maker of heaven and earth who is Three Persons but one in Essence: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is called the Holy Trinity. THE SOURCES OF THE ORTHODOX CATHOLIC FAITH THE ORTHODOX CATHOLIC FAITH What is the is of the Orthodox Catholic Faith? ‘The basis of the Orthodox Catholic Faith is a belief in God, the Maker of heaven and earth who is Three Persons but One in Essence: Father, Son and Holy Spirit. This is called the Holy Trinity. THE SOURCES OF THE ORTHODOX CATHOLIC FAITH Which are the sources of the Orthodox Catholic Faith? We receive our teachings about God, man, the Church and our life in heaven and on earth from two principal sources: 1. Holy Scripture or the Bible 2. Holy Tradition. What is Holy Scripture? Holy Scripture (or the Bible) is a collection of books written by saintly men inspired by the Holy Spirit and containing the Word of God. The Bible is divided into two parts: The Old Testament containing the Word of God revealed unto mankind through the prophets before the coming of our Savior; and The New Testament, or the New Covenant, containing the Word of God revealed to mankind by Jesus Christ and the Holy Apostles.The Old Testament contains thirty-nine canonical and nine deuteronomical books (which are not canonical but acceptable as useful and spiritually elevating). The New Testament contains twenty-seven books. What is Holy Tradition? Holy Tradition contains those teachings preached by our Savior and the Holy Apostles but which were not written. ‘They have been handed down orally from person to person and from one generation to another. Many of these teachings were later put into writing by the Holy Fathers. Some of them are contained in the Canons and Services, which have been preserved unchanged within the Orthodox Catholic Church. THE NICENE CREED OR THE SYMBOL OF FAITH Where is the essence of the Orthodox Catholic Faith to be found? ‘The essence of the Orthodox Catholic Faith, as contained in Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition is to be found in the Nicene Creed, or the Symbol of Faith. Who composed this Nicene Creed? The Orthodox Catholic Nicene Creed as it is recited in the Services of the Church, based upon Holy Scripture and Holy Tradition, was composed by Holy Fathers, Bishops, Metropolitans and Patriarchs from all parts of the world meeting in 325 A.D. and later in 381 A.D. in Ecumenical Councils. Why was the Nicene Creed composed? ‘The Nicene Creed was composed to put into the hands of every Christian in the shortest possible form the essence of the Orthodox Catholic Faith, so that they may not stray from the truth. It was composed to put down a heresy called Arianism. What is the text of the Nicene Creed? The creed is divided into twelve articles, which are known as the articles of the Faith. They are: