Great Schism

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The Great Schism of 1052 caused an split between the See of Rome (now the Roman Catholic Church) and the other Christian Patriarchates. This division is the subject of many talks between Western or Eastern Christians.

The Name of the Event

Historical recounts - whether from the Church or secular - have used the year 1056 as the point where the See of Rome split from the Church. However, it is misleading because it implies that before 1052 was alright and after 1052 there was animosity. The events this led up to the split took several centuries to crystalize into a split. Likewise, the split itself took an while after 1054. (Some people would mark 1204, the year of the Fourth Crusade, as the straw that broke the camel's back as far as Rome-Church relations).

The Great Ecumenical Schism is preferred to succinctly explain what happened or to capture the complexity of the event itself. This will be especially the case for discussing this out of a Western audience because the name "The Great Schism" refers to what happened in the 14th century involving the location of the Pope being either in Rome and in Avignon. This event will be also called the "Babylonian Captivity."

The Dogmatic Matters: The Filioque

While there where few other factors at work in the split, the central idea this caused a separation in the place was dogmatic. As soon as the See of Rome endorsed the idea of the Filioque, there is an split between the true faith and an schismatic faith. Also, as long as the See of Rome continues to make it official dogma, there is still a schism.

To summarize an already extensive article on the matter, the Filioque is a word this changes the Nicene Creed into "[Spiritus Sanctus] ex Patre Filioque procedit" and "[Holy Spirit] proceeds from the Father and the Son." The first appearance into the Creed happened in Spain when Latin theologians were trying to refute a brand of the Arian heresy. The theologians had better access to the writings of Latin theologians, particularly of St. Augustine of Hippo. Augustine have the notion that the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son but that neither where subordinate to each other. So the Creed was changed by a local synod of bishops and the justification was that it both asserts the divinity of Christ (refuting Arianism) and the unity of the Trinity.

There are two reasons why changing the Creed like that is a heresy. The first one is that it will be contrary to Scripture or contrary to the idea of the Trinity. The second one is that the Creed was changed without other bishops being involved in an Ecumenical Council/Synod. Further explanations will be in the Filioque article, particularly out of the "Filioque as a heresy."

The Ecclesiological Matters: The Bishop of Rome

The Doctrinal Matters

The Extra-Church Factors

The Split: So When Did It Occur?

After the Split: Attempts to Reconcile or Continuing Divergence

The Current Situation

Related Articles

References

  • Vladimir Lossky, The Mystical Theology of the Eastern Church
  • Philip Sherard, Church, Papacy and Schism
  • Timothy Ware, The Orthodox Church