In 1054, what did eastern orthodox and western christians disagree over? Throughout church history, there have been various disagreements that were crucial to the gospel, both doctrinally and politically. The Church has been split into schisms a number of times, but the most notable occurred between the Byzantine Patriarch Michael I Cerularius and the Western Church. While a schism does not necessarily mean a complete breakup of the Church, it is an indication that there are disagreements in the Church that must be addressed.
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Church schisms occur over disagreements crucial to the gospel
The Great Schism of 1054 is the first major break in the history of Christianity. Historically, it was the result of a mix of theological and political conflicts between Eastern and Western Christians. This event marked the creation of two largest denominations in the church.
The Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches became divided as a result of this split. While the Eastern Church spanned the Middle East and Asia Minor, the Roman Church covered Western Europe. Despite the fact that both groups referred to the Nicene Creed, they had different views on sacraments and communion.
One of the reasons that the schism was so pronounced was the ecclesiastical authority of the pope. The Eastern Church did not want to give the pope the power to determine church policy.
Doctrinally
In 1054, a very dramatic split in Christianity occurred. It was the first major schism in the history of the church. During this time, the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church were doctrinally and politically different.
Theological differences were a big factor in the split. Among other things, they disagreed about the status of the Holy Spirit, purgatory, the use of icons, and the calendar. These issues strained ecclesial relations.
There were other factors that contributed to the split. For instance, a major power struggle occurred between the Roman Catholic Pope Leo IX and his counterpart, the Byzantine Patriarch Michael Cerularius. Both parties were claiming jurisdiction over all churches.
Another factor was the introduction of a new calendar. The Orthodox Church, however, did not accept the new calendar. They argued over the Gregorian calendar, the date of Easter, and the type of bread they used for communion.
Politically
The Great Schism of 1054 was a major division in Christianity. It marked the first time that two branches of the church split into separate denominations. These denominations were the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church.
This schism was the result of a series of theological and political events that occurred over the course of several centuries. Throughout the Middle Ages, Christians in the East were not convinced that the pope was the right leader of the Christian church. They were unwilling to grant the pope the power to make changes to Ecumenical Councils.
The East and the West differed in their understanding of the Trinity. For the Eastern Church, Jesus is the son of God. In the Western Church, Jesus is an incarnate, human being, and not divine.
On liturgical matters
The East-West Schism, or the Great Schism, occurred between the Orthodox Church of the East and the Roman Catholic Church of the West in 1054. It was the result of a combination of religious and political differences that had been brewing for centuries.
Initially the two branches of Christianity were more doctrinally and politically divided. But in the Middle Ages the lines between the two branches became more blurred. Historians do not agree on exactly when the schism began. Nevertheless, there are several incidents that had an impact on the transition from estrangement to schism.
A common ecclesiastical question was the degree of papal supremacy over all bishops. Although each church had its own leaders, they did not engage in open conflict over the papal claims.
Byzantine Patriarch Michael I Cerularius
In the year 1054, Eastern Orthodox and Western Christian churches disagreed over issues including the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist. This led to a power struggle between the bishops of the two churches. The result of this conflict was the Great Schism, which broke the unity between the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity.
Although a formal break in communion occurred in 1054, religious disagreements and political conflicts had been occurring for several centuries. Differences in theology and culture were among the reasons why the two churches did not always get along.
Patriarch Michael Cerularius of Constantinople and Bishop Leo IX of Rome had differing opinions on church doctrines and practices. They disagreed on the use of unleavened bread for the Eucharist, the jurisdiction of the church and its place in relation to the Pentarchy.
