Grade 10 Western Civilization Lesson 106

Today I learned about The Great Schism.

Definition

• A schism between Christianity in the East (Orthodox) and West (Catholic)
  • Centered around Constantinople in the East
  • Centered around Rome in the West

Background

• Five Christian Patriarchates
  • Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem
    • (Patriarchates = Major cities in the Christian world)
  • Each city has a Patriarch (bishop)
  • Pope is both local patriarch of Rome and supreme pontiff
    • Has authority over all other Patriarchates (according to Catholics)

Gradual process of alienation of East and West over time

• Different liturgies
  • Different rituals surrounding same worship
  • Created division amongst East and West
• Language barrier
  • Latin spoken in West, mostly Greek spoken in East
  • Language learning uncommon
  • Pope St. Gregory the Great who spent lots of time in East never learned Greek
  • Photius, a very great scholar in the East, couldn’t speak a word of Latin

Attempts by Constantinople to advance its dignity and authority

• Constantinople was the “new Rome”
  • Patriarch and church in Constantinople begin promoting authority
    • Soon Constantinople dominates other Patriarchates of the East
  • Council of Constantinople (381)
    • See (seat of religious authority) of Constantinople to have primacy of honor after Rome because it is the “new Rome”

Rome does not accept this

• Rome is an apostolic see, Constantinople is not
  • Rome was founded by Peter
• Constantinople’s argument centered entirely around political importance of the city
• Constantinople founded by St. Andrew?
  • Not true

Photius

• Great scholar, but a layman
• Ignatius, bishop, refuses communion in 857 to a man thought to be having an affair with his (widowed) daughter-in-law
• His was Bardas, a high-ranking government officials
• Photius combines with emperor to depose Ignatius
• Photius goes from layman to Patriarch of Constantinople in 6 days
• Both Ignatius and Photius appeal to Pope Nicholas I
  • Ignatius: I was not given a trial
  • Photius: I am the legitimate Patriarch
• Pope denounces the actions of Photius
  • Deposes Photius, reinstates Ignatius
• Photius declares the pope excommunicated and guilty of heresy (cites filioque)
  • filioque: “And from the sun”
• Anti-Latin party develops and grows

• Michael Cerularius
  • Roman legates (representatives of the pope) excommunicate him
    • Thus marking the beginning of the Great Schism
  • No intention of excommunicating the whole Patriarchate of Constantinople, or the whole East
  • Other Eastern patriarchs side with Cerularius, who enjoys the emperor’s full support
• Schism persists today, with minor exception of Uniate churches