How many branches of Christianity are there? The main denominations
Christianity is usually divided into three major branches: Catholic, Orthodox and Protestant. A more detailed classification adds the Oriental Orthodox family (including the Armenian Apostolic, Syriac Orthodox, Coptic and Ethiopian churches) and the Church of the East, giving five historic families. Anglicanism is mostly counted as Protestant, though it holds a distinctive place.
These divisions trace back to a few turning points. The Church of the East, which grew up in Persian lands, did not accept the Council of Ephesus (431) and developed apart from the churches of the Roman Empire. The Council of Chalcedon (451), defining Christ's divine and human natures, caused a second major split: churches that did not accept its definition, such as the Armenian, Syriac, Coptic and Ethiopian, form today's Oriental Orthodox family. Chalcedon is the ancient name of Kadıköy; the council met here in a church dedicated to Saint Euphemia, whose name Kadıköy's Aya Efimia Greek Orthodox Church still bears. The mutual excommunications of 1054 between Rome and Constantinople became the symbol of the Catholic–Orthodox split, and the 16th-century Reformation begun by Martin Luther gave rise to the Protestant churches.
Each family has its own shape. The Catholic Church sees the bishop of Rome (the Pope) as Peter's successor and includes Eastern-rite churches such as the Armenian Catholic Church. The Orthodox Church is a communion of self-governing churches, such as the Greek, Russian, Serbian and Bulgarian, in which the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Istanbul holds a primacy of honour. Protestantism is a family of many communities, including Lutheran, Reformed (Calvinist), Baptist, Methodist and Pentecostal churches. Anglicanism began when the Church of England separated from Rome in the 16th century; it is usually counted as Protestant, but having kept bishops and a liturgical tradition it is also called a bridge between Catholic and Protestant.
Despite these differences, most of these traditions share faith in the Trinity and in Christ's death and resurrection. The New Testament records Jesus praying that those who believe in him may be one (John 17) and Paul urging unity amid divisions (1 Corinthians 1; Ephesians 4). Many of these traditions are present in Kadıköy today: the district has Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Protestant, Anglican, Armenian Apostolic and Syriac Orthodox churches, listed with addresses and maps in this site's Kadıköy church guide.