Term Paper on "Great Schism Between the East and West"

Term Paper 6 pages (1666 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Great Schism between the East and West

Political premises that led to religious schism between Orthodox Church and Catholic Church originate in the 4th century when Roman Empire was divided on eastern Roman Empire and Western Roman Empire. The origins go to the events of 313 when roman emperor Constantine decided to move the capital to the city named to his honor- Constantinople. This decision caused that the head of the church had to move to Constantinople as well. As a result the struggle for power between bishops started and it later led to the split and schism of two churches.

Emperor Constantine also organized a Christian council, whose work resulted in the formulation of the Nicerine creed that defined the role of the Holly trinity: Son, father and Holly ghost. This creed became the main theoretical and dogmatic distinction between two churches and background for long-time arguments.

Nicerene creed had developed the postulate, which then laid into the theoretical and ideological foundation of Orthodox church: "I believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Giver of Life, who proceeds from the Son." By the year of 800 the western archbishops had changed the postulate having added: "who proceeds from the father and the son." As a result Eastern Church accused western in the violation the doctrine that opened a space for further arguments and disagreements. Another premise for misunderstanding was Petrine Doctrine, considered to absolute in the west, but resisted in the east. Besides those two premises, there existed a lot of other minor conflicts which included religious practices and executions of religious rituals. Among them are: priestly beards (observed by Orthodox priests), monkish tonsures, celibacy of priesthood, Episcopal control over confirmation sacrament.

As most of modern historians admit the great schism between the churches was simple struggle over the power, dominance, centralization and struggle for religious persons. The dominance of the Orthodox Church in eastern Europe remained in the 11th century, and was mainly resulted by the strong state of Byzantine which didn't collapse after the partition of Roman Empire, while Western roman Empire (with capital in Rome) collapse later into small states and suffered a lot from Barbarian invasion. Inherited from emperor Constantine, the state power and the church reformed and reorganized into the system which is known as caesaropapism. First it was considered that archbishops of Rome, Constantinople, Antioch and Alexandria had nearly the equal right, but of course Rome archbishop was in advantage. But already during the pontificate years of Leo I, Roman bishops had demand for a greater power and influence. Later historical events had shown that the difference in the views of Constantinople and Rome began to grow rapidly with later attacks of barbarian tribes and the rise of Muslim religion in the Near east.

The contradictions in the accepting of the original creed started in the 6th century in Spain, with endemic Arian heresy. Arians stated that second and first persons of Holly trinity were not equal, and that why they made an attempt to return to the traditional creed, by adding to the Nicerete creed the phrase "ex Patre Filioque," which put a correction that the Holly ghost originated from father and son. This theological amendment was not thought to be relial serious but to the eastern church, which is called Orthodox and is real conservative it was more than enough to start resistance.

The growing power of Roman pope as well reformation of papacy in the eleventh century and the attempt to establish a centralized church only made the contradictions between churches to be sharper. For papacy the reform established unlimited powers of Roman pope over all Christians, as the pope was considered to be the spiritual heir of St. Peter.

That the Roman pontiff alone is rightly called universal.

That he alone has the power to depose and reinstate bishops.

That he alone may use the imperial insignia.

That all princes shall kiss the foot of the pope alone.

That he has the power to depose emperors.

That he can be judged by no one.

That no one can be regarded as catholic who does not agree with the Roman church.

That he has the power to absolve subjects from their oath of fealty to wicked rulers (Baldwin, M.W. Christianity Through the Thirteenth Century, New York: Harper & Row, 1970. p.182-183).

Another author describes the following powers given to Roman Pope as additional evidence why Leo IX wanted to united eastern church:

The Pope can be judged by no one.

The Roman Church has never erred and will never err till the end of time.

The Roman Church was founded by Christ alone.

The Pope alone can depose and restore bishops.

He alone can make new laws, set up new bishoprics, and divide old ones.

He alone can translate bishops to another see.

He alone can call general councils and authorize canon law.

He alone can revise his own judgments.

He alone can use the imperial insignia.

He can depose emperors.

He can absolve subjects from their allegiance.

All princes should kiss his feet.

His legates, even though in inferior orders, have precedence over all bishops.

An appeal to the papal courts inhibits judgment by all inferior courts.

A duly ordained Pope is undoubtedly made a saint by the merits of St. Peter (Lameygh, E. CICM "The Laity in History" in East Asian Pastoral Review, Vol XXIII No.3 1986)

But to the Eastern Church leaders the postulate was Christ's order given to Peter that religious power has to be shared equally between apostles and later by archbishops. They justified such decision referring to the original scriptures of Bible and particularly to Matt. 16:18-19, stating that church has to be a liberal institution:

18 " and I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.

19

And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

As Roman Pope Leo IX aspired to unite eastern and Western churches he sent a delegation to Constantinople in 1054, with a head of cardinal Humbert. The main purpose was to discuss burning issues concerning ideological and dogmatic differences. But patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius rejected the claims of Leo IX. As a result Roman delegates accused patriarch in violation of Nicene creed and cardinal Humbert put a Bill of Excommunication on patriarch Michael Cerularius in the cathedral of St. Sophia that was later called Great schism.

The later years had showed that the development of countries with dominantly catholic and Orthodox religion was quite different as well. The uniqueness of church influenced the development of cultures, including architecture, literature, moral, ethical norms and political orientation. Probably the isolation of the eastern Church that later renamed into Greek Orthodox Church (orthodox means true one) caused the isolation of eastern European nations from the west as resulted in the invention of internal enemies in the face of Ottoman empire. Orthodox Church became the church of Kiev Russ and later the church of Russian empire, it was the power that united Slavs under the Russian empire, but its conservativism and mystic origins (which are brightly observed during religious rituals) were the main breaks in the progressive development of eastern European culture and its integration with western culture. There were numerous attempts of Catholic church to unite churches but by the means of power and weapon, that resulted in the Crusades, capture of Constantinople and massacre in the town, as the were attempts to invade Russian principalities that bordered with German states. The biggest crusade against Orthodox slaves was… READ MORE

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