Independent Eastern Churches

The Independent churches of Eastern Christianity separated from the patriarchal see of Constantinople over a period of several centuries, but primarily during the 5th and 6th centuries. They developed bodies of canon law that reflected their isolated and—after the Arab conquests in the 7th century—secondary social position. Among these churches are the Syrian Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch (in Syria), the Ancient Church of the East (the Assyrians), the Armenian Apostolic Church, and the Coptic Orthodox Church (in Egypt). Another independent church is the Ethiopian Orthodox Church.

See Orthodox Church