Anglicanism and Eastern Orthodoxy

In light of certain historical, liturgical, and doctrinal factors, some people over the years have noted similarities between the Anglican tradition and Eastern Orthodoxy. This point of view has some justification, and it is personally appealing. Nevertheless, there are some complications and questions. 

Historically, there were ancient catholic and orthodox influences in the Christianity of the British Isles before the arrival of missionaries sent by Pope Gregory I in 597. Both before and after this Roman mission, there were connections between Eastern and British Christianity. Nevertheless, over time, Roman and papal claims and influence increased in Britain. With the Norman Conquest in 1066, the churches in England and other parts of the British Isles were increasingly dominated by two intertwined (and sometimes opposing) forces: that is, by Norman French nobility and by papal representatives. Over time, ancient British connections with the Eastern Church faded. By the Tudor period, the English Church had become one peculiar outlying area of medieval Roman Catholicism.

Henry VIII's break with Rome in the 1530s brought about a new situation in England. Although still culturally a part of Western Christianity, the English situation bore several resemblances to certain aspects of Eastern Christendom. There was a national church with close interaction between church and state. The liturgy was soon celebrated in the national language, and the chief church officials were bishops who claimed historical succession from apostolic times. From Archbishop Cranmer onward, some Anglican leaders were influenced by examples and practices of Orthodox Christianity. One early example is the inclusion of the so-called Prayer of St. Chrysostom in the Daily Office. A later example is the inclusion of the Gloria in Excelsis as an option in Evening Prayer in the American Prayer Book.

With the Oxford Movement, there was a renewed emphasis on ancient Christian tradition. Some Anglicans, such as John Mason Neil and Bishop Charles Grafton, emphasized ties with Eastern Orthodoxy, but others focused on medieval or Tridentine Rome. The Ecumenical movement of the mid-twentieth century also included positive contacts and discussions between Anglicans and Eastern Orthodox. 

Unfortunately, many positive developments between Anglicanism and Orthodoxy came to a screeching halt when some Anglicans purported to ordain women clergy after 1975-76. Other supposedly progressive developments among some Anglicans since that time have also hindered relationships with Orthodoxy. The question of what Anglicanism really is remains in flux. The fact that the 1977 Affirmation of St. Louis adheres to Seven Ecumenical Councils, Seven Sacraments, ancient Creeds, traditional liturgy, and historic orders of ministry may eventually lead to a renewal of Anglican-Eastern Orthodox ties. However, the disunity, incoherence, and instability among traditional Anglicans are still reasons for many to remain skeptical about Anglicanism. This means that Anglicans still have work to do if they are to be viewed as a Western expression of Orthodoxy. At present, traditional catholic and orthodox Anglicans are a small and fragmented tradition. Only history will judge whether truly orthodox tendencies will survive, mature, and prosper in an Anglican context.