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==History==
<small> See Main Article: </small> [[Timeline of Orthodoxy in Greece]]
The Greek Orthodox church traces its history back to the time of St. [[Apostle Paul|Paul]] who was the first to preach Christianity in Greece. He visited Athens, Philipi, Thessaloniki, Veroia, Korinth and Crete. Christianity eventually spread through Greece from these cities. In these early days, the Church of Greece comprised of a diocese with Korinth as the centre, known as Achaia and considered a city of great importance in those days.
When [[Constantine the Great]] divided the Roman Empire, Greece and Macedonia constituted the diocese of Eastern Illyricum, which was self-governing. By 733 AD, under Emperor Leo the Third, Greece was acknowledged as part of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch|Ecumenical]] Patriarchate of Constantinople but prior to this, it was subordinated to the Bishops of Rome. During the [[Byzantine]] Empire and the subsequent Turkish occupation of Greece, the Christian church in Greece was under the administration of the [[Ecumenical Patriarch|ecumenical]] [[Patriarch of Constantinople|patriarch]] of [[Patriarchate of Constantinople|Constantinople]]. After the [[w:Greek War of Independence|Greek War of Independence]] (1821-32), the provisional president of Greece [[w:Ioannis Kapodistrias|Ioannis Kapodistrias]](1776-1831), began negotiations with the patriarch for the independence of the Greek church. The final decision was made when [[w:Otto of Greece|Otto I]](1815-1867), the new king of Greece, feared the Turkish government might still be able to influence the politics of Greece through the patriarchate of Constantinople and as such the Greek church was declared autocephalous in 1833. The independence was formalised by Constantinople in 1850, with some limitations specified in the "Tomos". In 1864, the Ionian islands were added to the Church of Greece and in 1881 the diocese of Thessaly and parts of Epirus were also added. Also in this year, the first Greek Orthodox church was founded in America. Under an agreement made in 1908 between the Ecumenical Patriarchate and the Holy Synod of Athens, jurisdiction of the churches in America was given to the Church of Greece. In 1927, the statutes regarding the Church were modified resulting in the government controlling the church and attending the Holy Synod meetings. So during the 20s and 30s, the turbulent political events in Greece divided the Greeks of America and this resulted in Archbishop Athenaogoras of Corfu to be appointed to head the Greek Church in America. Today the Church of Greece is governed by the Holy Synod which is presided over by the Metropolitan Archbishop of Athens and the Patriarch of Constantinople is regarded as the spiritual head of the church and all Holy Chrisma used in Greece is consecrated by him.
== Greek Theologians ==
