Paradigm Shifts: The Great Schism of 1054
Christianity, as a religion in today’s society is one of many different forms and denominations, however it has not always been this way, and this is due to many different significant events in history which has shaped how it is now set up, practiced and taught. One major event was the Great Schism of 1054, also known as the East-West Schism. This ultimately was the division of Christianity into Western Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy, due to an extended period of estrangement between the two bodies of churches (Great Schism, 2008). This event, during the medieval era was one of great change and was largely associated with Christian unity and Papal authority. To a significant extent, this paradigm
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The primary causes of the schism were disputes over papal authority, where the Roman pope claimed he held authority over the four eastern patriarchs, whereas the four Eastern patriarchs claimed that the primacy of the Patriarch of Rome was only honorary, therefore only having authority over the Western churches (Great Schism, 2008). The recognized break came when the Patriarch of Constantinople was Michael Cerularius, and St. Leo was the Pope in Rome. In the year 1053, Cerularius dispersed a treatise condemning in strong terms the practices of the Western church. He said the fact that Catholics did not allow their clergy to marry was contrary to scripture and tradition (The Great Schism, 2003). The other crucial cause was the Pope’s introduction of the filioque clause into the Nicene Creed. The inclusion of the filioque caused major dispute because of the difference between the two churches on the doctrine of the Trinity. Further minor causes of the schism included conflicting claims of jurisdiction, differences over liturgical practices, and relationship of the Church to the Byzantine Christian emperor. Along with these were variations in doctrinal, linguistic, political, liturgical and geographic lines (Papacy, 2015). The language was one of the most obvious factors in the division of the church, with the West speaking Latin, and the East speaking Greek. Naturally, communication between East and West grew much more difficult as the number of individuals who spoke both languages began to diminish (The Great Schism,