Summary how catholic, eastern orthodox, prostentant, oriental orthodox (Ethiopian and Egyptian) church differ
Posted: 22 Jan 2026, 20:01
A complex issue but points to know when believing or fellowshipping with one:
The core divide (everything flows from this)
All these churches confess Christ, but they differ on how God works now:
Where authority comes from
How salvation is lived out
How the Holy Spirit fills believers today
How much continuity exists with Old Testament practices
Protestants
Authority:
Scripture alone.
Christ & salvation:
Jesus fully saves by grace through faith. Works and discipline follow salvation but do not produce it.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Emphasized as personal, present, and active
The Spirit brings assurance, joy, conviction, transformation
Emotional expression is acceptable and often encouraged
Holiday joy is seen as a natural fruit of salvation, not something earned
Main concern with others:
Tradition, ritual, fasting, or sacred objects can replace reliance on the Spirit and Christ’s finished work.
Catholics
Authority:
Scripture + Tradition + Church teaching authority.
Christ & salvation:
Salvation is by grace, lived out through faith, sacraments, and obedience.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Mediated primarily through sacraments
Joy and celebration follow the liturgical calendar
The Spirit works steadily through the Church rather than sudden personal experience
Strength & weakness:
Strong communal structure, but spiritual life can feel institutional rather than personal.
Eastern Orthodox
Authority:
Scripture + Apostolic Tradition, with emphasis on mystery.
Christ & salvation:
Salvation is transformation (theosis) — becoming holy through cooperation with grace.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Experienced gradually through prayer, fasting, sacraments
Emotional restraint is valued
Joy is deep, reverent, and usually comes after discipline
Modern “holiday spirit” is often viewed as shallow but not sinful
Key tension:
The Spirit is real and active, but rarely framed as personal assurance or emotional joy.
Ethiopian & Egyptian (Oriental Orthodox)
Authority:
Scripture + very strong tradition, including local ancient customs.
Christ & salvation:
Christ saves by grace, but salvation is strongly expressed through obedience, fasting, ritual, and endurance.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Understood primarily as holiness, order, and continuity
Emotional excitement or spontaneous joy is often distrusted
Joy is earned through fasting and obedience, then released in controlled liturgical celebration
Modern holiday cheer or expressive worship is often seen as worldly or undisciplined
Old Testament continuity (especially Ethiopian)
The Ethiopian Church preserves:
Sabbath observance
Dietary laws
Circumcision (religious-cultural)
Ark-centered theology (Tabot)
Tabot:
Seen as the dwelling symbol of God’s presence, similar to the Ark of the Covenant.
Criticism from others:
This can blur Old Covenant and New Covenant, shifting focus from Christ and the Spirit to objects and law.
Prayer for the dead & fasting
Protestants reject prayers for the dead and treat fasting as optional.
Catholics and Orthodox pray for the dead.
Ethiopian Orthodoxy emphasizes:
40-day commemorations
Extremely long fasts (often over half the year)
This shapes how the Holy Spirit is perceived:
More about discipline and remembrance
Less about assurance and joy in the present moment
Bible & spiritual world
Ethiopian canon is the largest, including books like Enoch.
Angelology is very developed.
Spiritual reality is vivid, cosmic, and hierarchical.
Concern:
The Spirit’s work may be overshadowed by angels, rituals, and intermediaries.
Culture & African influence (Ethiopia)
Ethiopian Christianity preserved:
Jewish heritage
African sacred kingship
Oral tradition
Pre-Christian ideas of holiness and cosmic order
This protected ancient faith but also made Christianity less adaptable to modern spiritual expression.
Final synthesis (very important)
Protestants see the Holy Spirit as present assurance and joy flowing from faith.
Catholics see the Spirit working through structured sacramental life.
Eastern Orthodox see the Spirit transforming believers slowly through discipline.
Ethiopian & Egyptian Orthodox see the Spirit primarily as guardian of holiness and tradition, with joy tightly controlled.
This is why:
Protestants appear joyful and expressive
Orthodox appear reverent and restrained
Ethiopian Orthodoxy often appears severe or distant from modern “holiday spirit”
It is not accidental — it flows directly from how each church understands grace, law, salvation, and the Spirit’s role today.
The core divide (everything flows from this)
All these churches confess Christ, but they differ on how God works now:
Where authority comes from
How salvation is lived out
How the Holy Spirit fills believers today
How much continuity exists with Old Testament practices
Protestants
Authority:
Scripture alone.
Christ & salvation:
Jesus fully saves by grace through faith. Works and discipline follow salvation but do not produce it.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Emphasized as personal, present, and active
The Spirit brings assurance, joy, conviction, transformation
Emotional expression is acceptable and often encouraged
Holiday joy is seen as a natural fruit of salvation, not something earned
Main concern with others:
Tradition, ritual, fasting, or sacred objects can replace reliance on the Spirit and Christ’s finished work.
Catholics
Authority:
Scripture + Tradition + Church teaching authority.
Christ & salvation:
Salvation is by grace, lived out through faith, sacraments, and obedience.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Mediated primarily through sacraments
Joy and celebration follow the liturgical calendar
The Spirit works steadily through the Church rather than sudden personal experience
Strength & weakness:
Strong communal structure, but spiritual life can feel institutional rather than personal.
Eastern Orthodox
Authority:
Scripture + Apostolic Tradition, with emphasis on mystery.
Christ & salvation:
Salvation is transformation (theosis) — becoming holy through cooperation with grace.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Experienced gradually through prayer, fasting, sacraments
Emotional restraint is valued
Joy is deep, reverent, and usually comes after discipline
Modern “holiday spirit” is often viewed as shallow but not sinful
Key tension:
The Spirit is real and active, but rarely framed as personal assurance or emotional joy.
Ethiopian & Egyptian (Oriental Orthodox)
Authority:
Scripture + very strong tradition, including local ancient customs.
Christ & salvation:
Christ saves by grace, but salvation is strongly expressed through obedience, fasting, ritual, and endurance.
Holy Spirit filling (today):
Understood primarily as holiness, order, and continuity
Emotional excitement or spontaneous joy is often distrusted
Joy is earned through fasting and obedience, then released in controlled liturgical celebration
Modern holiday cheer or expressive worship is often seen as worldly or undisciplined
Old Testament continuity (especially Ethiopian)
The Ethiopian Church preserves:
Sabbath observance
Dietary laws
Circumcision (religious-cultural)
Ark-centered theology (Tabot)
Tabot:
Seen as the dwelling symbol of God’s presence, similar to the Ark of the Covenant.
Criticism from others:
This can blur Old Covenant and New Covenant, shifting focus from Christ and the Spirit to objects and law.
Prayer for the dead & fasting
Protestants reject prayers for the dead and treat fasting as optional.
Catholics and Orthodox pray for the dead.
Ethiopian Orthodoxy emphasizes:
40-day commemorations
Extremely long fasts (often over half the year)
This shapes how the Holy Spirit is perceived:
More about discipline and remembrance
Less about assurance and joy in the present moment
Bible & spiritual world
Ethiopian canon is the largest, including books like Enoch.
Angelology is very developed.
Spiritual reality is vivid, cosmic, and hierarchical.
Concern:
The Spirit’s work may be overshadowed by angels, rituals, and intermediaries.
Culture & African influence (Ethiopia)
Ethiopian Christianity preserved:
Jewish heritage
African sacred kingship
Oral tradition
Pre-Christian ideas of holiness and cosmic order
This protected ancient faith but also made Christianity less adaptable to modern spiritual expression.
Final synthesis (very important)
Protestants see the Holy Spirit as present assurance and joy flowing from faith.
Catholics see the Spirit working through structured sacramental life.
Eastern Orthodox see the Spirit transforming believers slowly through discipline.
Ethiopian & Egyptian Orthodox see the Spirit primarily as guardian of holiness and tradition, with joy tightly controlled.
This is why:
Protestants appear joyful and expressive
Orthodox appear reverent and restrained
Ethiopian Orthodoxy often appears severe or distant from modern “holiday spirit”
It is not accidental — it flows directly from how each church understands grace, law, salvation, and the Spirit’s role today.