Great Schism of 1054

How did we get here?

Christianity began as one church around 33 AD with the followers/apostles of Christ.

Today there are three main branches of Christianity:

Roman Catholic Eastern Orthodox Protestant

Tension Rising

During the beginning of the 11th century, there were already tensions between the east and west.

After Diocletian divided the east and western Roman empire, they had grown apart because of distance.

When Christianity began, arguments began over which diocese (area with a bishop in charge) should be considered the most powerful.

So What was the Big Deal?

There was already tension between the Byzantine and old Roman Empire.

The Eastern priests could marry before they became priests. Rome didn’t agree.

The Eastern church had Greek mass. The Roman Church used Latin.

Other Problems

The priests of the two churches dressed different.

The Eastern church worshipped icons that represented religious figures. The west saw this as idol worship.

The Two Major Issues

The Eastern churches did not like how the Pope of Rome claimed himself to be the head of the Christian church.

The Eastern church believed the patriarch (bishop) of Constantinople should be the head, if anyone. The Patriarch, in turn, was totally dependent on the Byzantine Emperor

The Great Schism

In 1054, Pope Leo IX of Rome and the Patriarch/Bishop of Constantinople Mihail Cerularie decided to excommunicate each other.

Excommunication is the worst punishment a member of the Christian Church can receive.

They are not allowed to receive sacraments and have no hope of entering heaven, according to Christian beliefs.

Creation of a New Church

The result of the 1054 Schism is the division between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Church.

The word Orthodox means dedication to the traditional faith.

The Eastern church believed that they followed traditional Christian beliefs and unlike the Roman church which they viewed as greedy and too close to Judaism.

Main beliefs of Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox Christians are not considered Apostolic (key word “apostle) because they don’t follow the divinity of St. Peter.

They do not recognize the supremacy of the Pope.

The two churches have never gotten back together but did reconcile their differences in the 1900s.