Essay On Byzantine Christendom

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After the Fall of the Roman Empire in 476 it was divided into a western and an eastern Empire. The eastern Empire which is also known as the Byzantine Empire, lived on as it was wealthier and better in trade. According to Rietbergen (2006, p.114), Church and State were very closely combined in the Byzantine Empire, which is the first difference of Religion in the two new European Regions. During the Roman Empire Christianity was given higher attention and became one of the leading religions in Europe. However, one must know that Christendom already differed in Latin Christianity, which is west orientated, and Orthodox Christendom, which mostly appears in the East. These religions differed in their belief of the true Christian faith Rietbergen (2006) explains this difference by saying that the Citizens of the Byzantine Empire believed that their Religion is “true to the Christian faith” (p.114). Despite both religions sharing the same Judeo-Christian Roots, they have a different concept of God. On the one Hand the Orthodox believe that “the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father through the Son” (Kristeva 2000, pp.138-39), whereas …show more content…

In 1517 Martin Luther has revealed his 95 propositions to the society, which has led to another split in Christendom. Due to Martin Luther the religion Protestantism has evolved. However, one must know that he has not wanted to set off a religious revolution (Barzun, 2000, p. 5), but wanted to notify the people in the wrong of the church. Protestantism divided the European regions, especially Germany, due to the new political view of ‘Cuius regio, eius religio’ (Delanty, 2013, p.71) allowing the Prince to decide what religion is being practiced in his region. This political ideology with religious background has led to a division in countries of the west, causing states to differ and leading the people into an identity