Informative Writing

The Great Schism

The Great Schism was the mutual separation of the Catholic church and the Orthodox church. The split formally occurred in 1054 AD, however the split was caused due to long standing differences in culture, scripture, and politics. The time period is set around 300 CE. Western Europe had been at the forefront of economic prosperity for many centuries until the degradation of the Roman Empire and the rise of Eastern Europe. In Rome at the time, the traditional religion had been polytheistic. During the time the persecutions were happening, the West experienced an economic recession while the East was just coming into power. With its newly acquired power, Emperor Constantine formally split the Roman Empire into two sides in 330 CE. The West centered in Rome. And the East centered in Constantinople.

Culture

After the Roman Empire was split in half, the two sides began to form their own cultures and societies, this led to a longstanding divide between the two states, and this carried over into their religion as well.

The Eastern Roman Empire was not like its Western predecessor. The East, often referred to as Byzantium was predominantly Greek speaking, while the Westerners spoke Latin.

The Eastern Orthodox Church diverged from the Catholic Church of the west. The Eastern Orthodox Church extended from Greek philosophy, unlike the Catholic Church, which earned its philosophy from Roman law.

Scripture 

These differences in theology led to misunderstanding of important doctrines such as the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father. Without consulting with the East, the Roman churches incorporated “and the Son” into their creed. The Eastern orthodox Church and the Catholic Church had a different interpretations of certain doctrines, and these separate interpretations were key indicators of the separation between the two religions. The term “filioque” is a Latin phrase that is translated as “and the Son."

By adding “filioque” to the Creed,  it states that the Holy Spirit proceeds from both the father and the son. This was accepted in the Catholic Church in the West. The ideology behind it was that the external relationship of the trinity mirrors the internal relationship. They believed that just as the father externally sent the son, internally the son proceeds from the father in the trinity. Furthermore, just as the Holy Spirit was externally sent into the world by the son and the father, he internally proceeds from both the father and the son in the trinity.

The Eastern Orthodox Church interpretation of the Trinity is that the Holy Spirit originates from the Father alone. They asserted that the Eastern Orthodox church does not believe in the double procession of the Holy Spirit from both the father and the son as defined at both the council at Nicene and the Council at Constantinople. The ideology behind this was that the father is the origin of all things, and he is uncreated. They believe that Jesus Christ is the son of the uncrafted father. They believe that the holy spirit is the spirit of the uncreated father. Furthermore, Eastern Orthodox theologians complained that the attempt to use the Nicene Creed to explain God’s energy only reduces God’s energy to things such as actualities, activities, and potentials.  

Politics

The Schism of 1054, also known as the Great Schism, or as the East- West Schism, was the final event that separated the Eastern Christian Churches from the Churches in the West. The Eastern Church was led by Michael Cerularius, who was the patriarch of Constantinople at the time. Pope Leo IX was the head of the Western Church. The schism was a result of a mutual excommunication brought on by both parties.

In the early Catholic Church, there were three prominent Bishops. In the beginning there were three main bishops. One held in each of the three cities: Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch. Over time, as Constantinople gained more power they soon requested to have their own Bishop. Their request was granted for now there were four main bishops, one more residing in Constantinople. As tensions in the religion of Islam increased, war broke out. Both Alexandria and Antioch were destroyed for they were the site of Islamic battlegrounds. This left only two main sources of power, one in Rome the other in Constantinople. Rome, because it had been around longer was self-proclaimed as having more power than Constantinople. They argued that they had a rich peacefully history that supported their argument for power. Constantinople did not agree. The Eastern Patriarchs argued that the power should be shared evenly. In the Council of Chalcedon, in 451 CE, it was decided that the patriarch of Constantinople was to be second in the Ecclesiastical hierarchy, behind Rome. This decision fueled the tension between the two states and ultimately led to the Schism of 1054.

         To Conclude, the Great Schism was the formal separation of the Orthodox church from the Catholic church. It occurred in 1054 AD. The split was caused by difference in culture, scripture, and politics.