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Eastern Orthodox vs. Anglican / Episcopal

A side-by-side comparison of Eastern Orthodox and Anglican / Episcopal teaching on 16 questions, from Scripture and salvation to baptism, communion and church government.

Eastern Orthodox

The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches, such as the Greek, Russian and Antiochian churches, that share one faith and worship. It separated from Rome in the Great Schism of 1054 and treats the early councils and the Church Fathers as its standard.

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Anglican / Episcopal

The Anglican Communion descends from the Church of England, which broke with Rome in the 1530s while keeping bishops and much of the older liturgy. The Episcopal Church is its American branch. It describes itself as both catholic and Reformed.

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At a glance

Where they differ: Authority: Scripture and tradition; Books of the Bible; The Trinity; How a person is saved; Sacraments or ordinances; Death, purgatory and hell.

Varies within one or both: Predestination and free will; Communion (the Lord’s Supper); Clergy and women in ministry; Mary and the saints; The Holy Spirit and spiritual gifts.

Where they agree: Can a saved person fall away?; Baptism; Church government; Style of worship; Day of worship.

Side by side

Question	Eastern Orthodox	Anglican / Episcopal
Authority: Scripture and traditionDiffer	Scripture is read within the Church’s Holy Tradition, which includes the ecumenical councils and the Church Fathers. There is no single teaching office like the papacy.	Scripture holds first place, and it is read with the help of tradition and reason. This threefold approach is often traced to the theologian Richard Hooker.
Books of the BibleDiffer	Uses the Greek Septuagint Old Testament, which includes the Catholic deuterocanonical books and a few more, such as 1 Esdras and Psalm 151. Exact lists differ between Orthodox churches.	66 books as Scripture. The Thirty-Nine Articles say the Apocrypha may be read “for example of life and instruction of manners,” but not to establish doctrine.
The TrinityDiffer	One God in three persons. The Spirit proceeds from the Father alone, and the Orthodox have rejected the Western addition of the filioque, which is one of the central points of division with Rome.	One God in three persons. The creeds are recited in worship and are part of the Book of Common Prayer.
How a person is savedDiffer	Salvation is healing and union with God, called theosis or deification. It begins in baptism and is a lifelong process in which the person freely cooperates with God’s grace.	Article XI teaches that we are justified by faith only. Anglicans differ on how this fits with the sacraments, with Evangelicals stressing faith and Anglo-Catholics stressing baptism and the Eucharist.
Can a saved person fall away?Agree	Yes. Because salvation is a lifelong cooperation with God, a person can turn away from it, though repentance is always possible.	Yes. Article XVI says a believer may depart from grace given and fall into sin, and by God’s grace rise again and amend his life.
Predestination and free willVaries	Stresses free will and synergy, the cooperation of God and man. Predestination is understood as God’s foreknowledge, not a decree that cancels human choice.	Article XVII affirms predestination in gentle terms. Anglicans range from Calvinists to Arminians, and the church has never enforced one view.
BaptismAgree	A sacrament of new birth, given to infants and adults by triple immersion. The newly baptized are immediately anointed (chrismation) and receive communion, even as infants.	A sacrament of new birth into the church. Infants and adults are baptized, by pouring or immersion. Anglicans differ on how closely baptism is tied to regeneration.
Communion (the Lord’s Supper)Varies	The bread and wine become the body and blood of Christ. Orthodoxy holds this as a mystery and does not define how it happens.	The Eucharist. Anglicans affirm Christ’s presence but leave the manner open, from real presence among Anglo-Catholics to a spiritual or memorial view among Evangelicals.
Sacraments or ordinancesDiffer	Seven principal “mysteries,” the same as the Catholic list, though Orthodox teachers stress that the whole life of the church is sacramental and do not fix the number rigidly.	Two sacraments “ordained by Christ,” baptism and the Eucharist. Five other rites, including confirmation and marriage, are called sacramental rites, and Anglo-Catholics often count all seven.
Church governmentAgree	Governed by bishops, with each national church led by a patriarch or archbishop. The Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople holds a primacy of honor and some limited canonical prerogatives, but no governing authority over the other churches.	Governed by bishops, with a presiding archbishop in each province. The Archbishop of Canterbury is a symbolic leader of the communion, without authority over other provinces.
Clergy and women in ministryVaries	Priests, deacons and bishops are men. Priests may marry before ordination, and bishops are drawn from the celibate ranks.	Varies. Many provinces ordain women as priests and bishops, while some do not. Clergy may marry.
Mary and the saintsVaries	Mary is honored above all as the Theotokos (“God-bearer”), and the saints are asked for their prayers. Icons are venerated. Orthodoxy holds Mary’s perpetual virginity and her Dormition (falling asleep) but does not use the Catholic definition of the Immaculate Conception.	Varies. Anglo-Catholics ask for Mary’s and the saints’ prayers, while Evangelical Anglicans do not. Official teaching honors the saints, but Article XXII calls the invocation of saints “a fond thing vainly invented,” so Anglo-Catholic practice goes beyond the formal doctrine.
Death, purgatory and hellDiffer	Orthodoxy has no doctrine of purgatory, but it prays for the dead and believes souls await the final judgment in a foretaste of their eventual state. One influential modern Orthodox view is that hell is the experience of God’s love by those who reject it, but this is not a settled teaching.	Article XXII rejects the “Romish doctrine concerning Purgatory.” Some Anglo-Catholics pray for the dead and hold a gentler view of the intermediate state.
Style of worshipAgree	Highly liturgical. The Divine Liturgy is sung, with icons, incense and chanting, often in the traditional language of the country.	Liturgical, following the Book of Common Prayer or a modern equivalent. Styles range from ornate “high church” to simple “low church” services.
The Holy Spirit and spiritual giftsVaries	The Spirit is active in the sacraments and in the lives of saints and elders. Spiritual gifts are recognized, though tongues are not emphasized.	Varies. Anglicanism includes a large charismatic wing, and other Anglicans give little emphasis to gifts.
Day of worshipAgree	Sunday, called “the Lord’s Day,” is the weekly celebration of the resurrection.	Sunday.
Best known for	The Divine Liturgy, icons, monasticism (especially on Mount Athos), the doctrine of theosis and continuity with the ancient church.	The Book of Common Prayer, bishops, and a middle path between Catholic and Protestant traditions.

“Agree” means the two traditions take the same broad position, although the wording above may still note finer differences. “Varies” means at least one of the two is itself divided on the question, so no single position can be given. These summaries describe typical teaching, and individual churches may vary. For an authoritative statement, consult each denomination’s own confessions.

Eastern Orthodox vs. Anglican / Episcopal