Orthodoxy in Indonesia
This article seeks to be a clearinghouse of information and links regarding the history and state of Orthodox Christianity in Indonesia.
Orthodoxy in Indonesia is a relatively new development, as a subset from the development of Orthodox Churches in Southeast Asia.
According to Fr. Daniel Byantoro, the founder of modern Indonesian Orthodoxy, the earliest records of Orthodoxy can be traced to the 7th century. At that time, the island of Sumatra was dominated by the Srivijaya Empire. There were accounts of a Nestorian Church (as of now, it was still debatable whether the church was an Oriental Orthodox or an Assyrian Church of the East) somewhere in northern Sumatra. They were served by priests originating from the Middle East. However, with the rise of Islam, the priests in Sumatra were recalled, and the people there were left alone. Over the next centuries, when the first European travellers arrived in North Sumatra, they were surprised to see a church very similar to Roman Catholicism, and decided to convert the people there into Roman Catholics. There are no known records of the remains of this church.
Jurisdictions
- Orthodox Metropolis of Singapore (Church of Constantinople)
- Diocese of Australia and New Zealand (Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia)
