So the Roman Catholic line runs through the empirical Roman line and the others trace back through the Hebrew/Greek line or something close to that? Do the other Orthodox Churches have their own Popes or equivalants?
Sorry for the questions.
“So the Roman Catholic line runs through the empirical Roman line and the others trace back through the Hebrew/Greek line or something close to that? Do the other Orthodox Churches have their own Popes or equivalants?”
Almost, but not exactly; it depends on the root of the eastern church in question. The Eastern Catholic and Orthodox Churches have their own hierarchies with bishops and cardinals (though the titles might be different); I believe most Orthodox Churches have a Patriarch instead of a Pope (though Egypts Coptic Christians - not their Coptic Catholic counterparts - have their own Pope).
Eastern Catholics have some of the traditions of their Eastern Orthodox brethren - not just married priests, but also using icons instead of statues. While many Christians aren’t permitted to receive Communion in a Roman Catholic Church because they are not in union with Rome, the followers of the Eastern Catholic Churches may (because they are) and followers of the Eastern Orthodox Churches may because they are viewed as “valid” Churches (via Apostolic descent) that are simply not unified with Rome at this time.
hmmm... not quite.
As Christianity spread, it first was based in Jerusalem and decisions were made in council (the council of Jerusalem).
But then in 69 AD Jerusalem was destroyed and then there were 3 leading Churches that together led Christianity were Rome, Alexandria and Antioch.
then Constantinople came in around 374 AD when Theophilius made Christianity the religion of Rome
The basic streams come from these 4 churches: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria
from Antioch we have the Assyrian/Syrian Church in 800 AD was actually larger than the Church under the Bishop of Rome and geographically larger than any.
The Catholicos of the Assyrian Church, based in Ctesiphon in Iraq was the spiritual head of Christians in Syria, in Iraq, in Persia, in Yemen, in Oman, in Bahrain, in Kerala (India), in northern india, in Tajikistan, among the Uighurs (yes the people of western China were once a nestorian Christian country before they became Moslems), all the way to Mongolia - one Mongol tribe, the Naimans, were Christian
This Church was crucified by Islam and now survives as the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syro-Malabar Church and the Syro-Malankara Church (the latter 3 are Catholic, the first two are based in Iraq, the latter two in India)
The line from alexandria leads to the Oriental Churches -- the COptic Church, the Ethiopian Church, the Syrian Church, the Armenian Church
At one point Alexndria was the theological center of Christendom. Then Islam came....
From Alexandria you have the Eastern Orthodox and from Rome the Catholics
The Assyrian Church has a Catholicos as the head (the Cathlicos of Baghdad)
the Coptic Church has the Pope of Alexandria
The Eastern Orthodox have Patriarchs (and technically the Pope too is a Patriarch, the Patriarch of th West)