Great Schism or East-West Schism
The East-West Schism also called the Great Schism or the Schism of 1054, was a breach in communion between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church that occurred in the 11th century. The split was the culmination of theological and political divisions that had developed between Eastern and Western Christianity over the centuries. The official separation in 1054 was preceded by a series of ecclesiastical disagreements and theological debates between the Greek East and the Latin West.
The pope and the patriarch mutually excommunicated one other in 1054, signalling a watershed moment in church history. The ex-communications were not removed until 1965 when Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I presided over simultaneous ceremonies to annul the ex-communication orders following their historic meeting in Jerusalem in 1964.
The Byzantine church's relationship with the Roman church was tense from the fifth through the eleventh century. The bishops of Rome, Alexandria, and Antioch were the most influential in the early church, owing to the political might of the towns they controlled.
The First Signs of Great Schism
Divergences between the two Churches resulted in direct conflict in the ninth century when missionaries from Rome and Constantinople found themselves fighting against each other in their attempts to convert Bulgaria. Each side aspired to convert the Bulgarians not only to Christianity but also to their own set of beliefs and customs. This caused Photius, the Patriarch of Constantinople, to call a council in 867, at which Pope Nicholas I was excommunicated and the Western Church was pronounced heretical for its schismatic activities, including the usage of the term filioque.
The question of Bulgaria was finally resolved in the Byzantines' favour, and the schism known as the "Photian Schism" was closed. Although Rome and Constantinople were once again in contact, tensions remained.
Dogmatic and Liturgical Divergences
The Eastern Church, which is mainly Greek-speaking, and the Western Church, which is Latin-speaking, have evolved divergent canonical and liturgical traditions over the ages. The Eucharist was celebrated in the West using unleavened wafers known as "azymes," but in the East only leavened bread was used.
Priests under the authority of Rome were required to be celibate, although married laypeople may be ordained in the East. In the Western Church, Lent began on Ash Wednesday, whereas in the Greek Church, it began two days earlier, on Monday. There were two significant doctrinal divergences in addition to these minor differences.
First, the term jilioque (and from the Son) was gradually being inserted into the Nicene Creed in the West. The term indicates that the Holy Spirit comes not only from the Father but also from the Son in that situation. This innovation, which had severe consequences for the basic Christian dogma of the Trinity, was strongly rejected by the Eastern Church.
Then there was the issue of papal power. By the late sixth century, the patriarchs, or Popes, of Rome had begun to assert their authority over all other bishops and patriarchs as heirs of the Apostle Peter. This idea was rejected by the Eastern Church.
Great Schism or East-West Schism of 1054
When the Normans of southern Italy began forcing Byzantine churches to adopt Latin customs in the early eleventh century, a fresh dispute developed. The Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularius, retaliated by demanding that the city's Latin-rite churches follow local customs. When the Latin churches refused, the Patriarch shut them down, prompting the Roman Pope to send legates to settle a dispute.
The attempt at reconciliation faltered, and the head of the papal legates, Humbert of Silva Candida, put an ex-communication bull on the high altar of Constantinople's Hagia Sophia cathedral, leading the Greek Patriarch to react with ex-communications directed at the West. The Great Schism is frequently referred to as this event, and the year 1054 is usually regarded as the date when the Eastern and Western Churches split. However, it was not until the western crusade against Constantinople one and a half centuries later that irreparable hatred between the two developed.
Tensions Between East And West
The Eastern and Western Roman Empires had been progressively splitting along theological fault lines for decades by the turn of the millennium, beginning with Emperor Leo III's proclamation of Byzantine. In 730 CE, Iconoclasm emerged, proclaiming the veneration of religious images to be heretical.
The usage of religious imagery was firmly supported by the Western Church. Leo sought to compel Pope Gregory III with military force, but he failed, and the pope criticised Leo's actions. Leo retaliated by seizing papal properties and transferring them to Constantinople's control.
As a result, even though the church remained unified at the moment, the Iconoclasm worsened the growing division and friction between east and west. It also put an end to the so-called Byzantine Papacy, under which the popes in Rome had been selected or approved by the emperor in Constantinople since Justinian I's rule a century before. The Western Church's devotion to Constantinople ceased, and Rome continued to take an iconodule stance (meaning it supports or is in favour of religious images or icons and their veneration).
Effects of the Great Schism
The 1378 Schism had short-term implications but no long-term ones. It separated the Church into numerous groups in the near term, with multiple popes claiming power. When Pope Martin V was elected in 1414, the matter was settled, but the Kingdom of Avignon refused to recognise him as the new pope. However, this had little effect on Pope Martin V's power, and by 1429, the 1378 Schism had all but ended when all sides acknowledged Martin V's authority.
What are The Three Reasons for Christianity's Great Schism?
The following are the three reasons for Christianity's Great Schism:
There is a disagreement on the usage of pictures in the church.
The Nicene Creed was amended to include the Latin term Filioque.
There is a disagreement regarding who is the church's leader or head.
Conclusion
This event is commonly referred to as the Great Schism, and the year 1054 is commonly used as the date. By the start of the century, the Eastern and Western Roman Empires had been gradually fracturing along religious fault lines for decades. It wasn't until the crusade against Constantinople that the two acquired irreparable hate for one other. The East-West Schism was a break in the Catholic Church's communion with the Eastern Orthodox Church. The schism marked the culmination of centuries of doctrinal and political differences between Eastern and Western Christianity.
FAQs on East-West Schism: About, The First Signs of Great Schism
1. What was the East-West Schism of 1054?
The East-West Schism, also known as the Great Schism, was the formal and final break of communion between the Western (Roman Catholic) and Eastern (Orthodox) branches of Christianity in 1054 AD. This event marked the definitive separation of what would become the Roman Catholic Church, led by the Pope in Rome, and the Eastern Orthodox Church, led by the Patriarch of Constantinople. It was the result of centuries of accumulating theological, political, and cultural differences.
2. What were the main causes that led to the Great Schism?
The Great Schism was not caused by a single event but by a combination of long-standing issues. The primary causes include:
- Dispute over Papal Authority: The Pope of Rome claimed universal jurisdiction over the whole church, a claim the Patriarch of Constantinople and other Eastern bishops rejected.
- Theological Differences: A key point of contention was the 'filioque' clause, which the Western church added to the Nicene Creed to state that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father 'and the Son'. The Eastern church rejected this addition.
- Liturgical and Cultural Divergence: The two branches developed different practices, such as the use of unleavened bread (West) versus leavened bread (East) for the Eucharist. The language barrier, with Latin in the West and Greek in the East, also deepened the cultural divide and led to misunderstandings.
- Political Factors: The collapse of the Western Roman Empire and the rise of the Byzantine Empire in the East created two distinct political and cultural spheres, further straining church unity.
3. Who were the key figures involved in the final break of 1054?
The two central figures in the climactic events of 1054 were Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople and Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida. Cardinal Humbert was sent to Constantinople as a representative of Pope Leo IX (who died during the mission). Their inability to reconcile their differences, particularly over papal authority and liturgical practices, led to Cardinal Humbert excommunicating Patriarch Cerularius, who in turn excommunicated the cardinal and his fellow legates.
4. What was the lasting impact of the Great Schism on Christianity?
The Great Schism created a permanent and deep-rooted division within Christianity. Its most significant impact was the formal establishment of two distinct major Christian bodies: the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East. This split solidified separate paths for theological development, ecclesiastical governance, and cultural identity that have lasted for nearly a thousand years, profoundly influencing the history and politics of Europe and the Middle East, particularly within the Byzantine Empire and its successor states.
5. Is the East-West Schism of 1054 the same as the Western Schism?
No, these are two entirely different historical events.
- The East-West Schism (1054) was a theological and institutional split between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches.
- The Western Schism (1378–1417) was a political crisis *within* the Roman Catholic Church itself, where two (and later three) rival popes claimed authority. It was a dispute over leadership, not a fundamental break in theology with another branch of Christianity.
6. Has the Great Schism ever been officially resolved?
The schism has not been fully resolved, and the two churches remain separate. However, a major step toward reconciliation occurred in 1965 when Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I formally lifted the mutual excommunications of 1054. While this was a powerful gesture of peace and opened the door for dialogue, it did not resolve the core theological differences, such as the issue of papal primacy, which still prevent full communion between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.
7. Were there earlier disputes that foreshadowed the Great Schism of 1054?
Yes, the break in 1054 was the culmination of centuries of growing estrangement. There were several earlier conflicts that foreshadowed the final split. For example, the Photian Schism in the 9th century was a serious, albeit temporary, break over the appointment of the Patriarch of Constantinople. Even earlier, theological disputes such as the 4th-century Arian controversy highlighted the different philosophical and theological approaches developing between the Greek-speaking East and the Latin-speaking West.
