Summary
Throughout the history of the existence of religious traditions, there have been conflicts between different churches due to views on spirituality and religious practices. The largest schism, which is called the Great Schism, occurred in 1054 and marked the separation of the Western and Eastern Christian churches. The center of the Western Church was Rome, led by the Pope, while the center of the Eastern Church was Constantinople, headed by the Patriarch. Gradually, disagreements began to accumulate between the two traditions regarding church practices and rituals. However, the events of the eleventh century served as the basis for the Great Schism, which marked the unwillingness of the Eastern Church to obey the Pope. The Crusades later intensified the divisions between the churches and made the Schism permanent. They also helped the Orthodox Church to spread into Russia, where a distinct Russian Christian tradition arose that differed significantly from the Western one. Thus, the Great Schism became a turning point in the history of the development of Christianity and established the critical differences between two religious traditions originating from one.
Studying aspects and events of the Great Schism allowed me to take a fresh look at the principles and goals of religious traditions. In particular, it is remarkable how church practices are shaped and transformed to meet the needs of the people rather than follow a particular structure. The Great Schism identifies that religious traditions are created on the basis of the beliefs and attitudes of people unique to a particular territory. This is especially evident when considering the influence of the Crusades and the fact that faith is not universal for all.
Events Leading to the Great Schism
Relations between the Eastern and Western Christian churches have been tense since the second half of the ninth century. In particular, the dispute between Pope Nicholas I and Photius, Patriarch of Constantinople, served as the contributing factor. In more detail, the patriarchs of Constantinople from 1009 onwards did not include the names of the Roman bishops in the diptychs or lists of other patriarchs recognized as doctrinally sound by Constantinople. This situation set the stage for a long history of discord between the two churches, leading to the Great Schism in the eleventh century. However, later events became the main causes that led to the division of the Western and Eastern Christian churches.
The basis for the Great Schism in the first place was the further tension of relations due to political and religious disputes. Most important in this situation are religious differences regarding church practices. The Western and Eastern churches had different visions on such aspects as the use of unleavened bread for the sacrament, the formulation of the Nicene Creed, and celibate. However, these conflicts were also intensified by the political events of the eleventh century, which gradually led to the Great Schism.
The main conflict that served the subsequent division of the churches was the power of Rome. In particular, the Western Church believed that the pope should have control and authority over the patriarch. Thus, Rome argued that the Eastern Church should be subordinate to the Western. These events took place against the backdrop of agreements between Henry III, Pope Leo IX, and Constantine IX to fight against the Norman knights. The Pope, head of the Western Christian Church, regained control of the Greek churches in Italy. As part of the joint agreement, Patriarch Cerularius, leader of the Eastern Christian Church, on the orders of the Emperor of Byzantium, should have sent a synodical letter to Pope Leo. However, Cerularius refused to comply and demanded that the Latin churches of Constantinople adhere to Greek rites, which differed from those of Western practices. When they refused to comply with this requirement, the patriarch shut them down.
After that, the patriarch of Bulgaria, at the request of the patriarch of Byzantium, sent a letter of dissatisfaction with the dominance of Western practices in the Bulgarian church, which increased tension and confirmed Rome’s claims to power. However, in 1053, attempts were made by the Emperor of Constantinople to reconcile, but no compromise was reached. After these events, after the death of Pope Humbert, the one appointed to regulate relations between churches excommunicated Patriarch Cerularius from the Western Church, who in return did the same for the papal legation. This event marks the Great Schism between the Western and Eastern Christian churches, which are now independent of each other.
The Role of Crusades in the Schism Formation
The crusades appeared at the end of the eleventh century and were aimed at saving the Holy Land from Islam. At the same time, the emperor of Byzantium turned to Pope Urban II, the initiator of this practice, for support in curbing the spread of Muslim Turks. This aspect also identifies that by the end of the eleventh century, the schism between the churches was not perceived as permanent. However, the Crusades used slaughter as their main method of resisting the spread of Islam, and troops also passed through Constantinople on their way to Jerusalem, leaving problems for the Byzantine emperor.
Later, at the beginning of the thirteenth century, the main motive for the participants in the Crusades became profit, not the defense of the Holy Land. Thus, Western troops began to come to Constantinople for riches, and in 1204 completely took the city. The city tried to install a replacement for the Byzantine emperor, but within a few decades, the city was recaptured by Eastern Orthodox Byzantines. However, despite this, the Crusades caused significant damage to Constantinople and relations between the Western and Eastern churches. Thus, these events became an act of barbarism on the part of the West, not only for the Islamic world but also for Byzantium. The Crusades of the early thirteenth century marked the end of the process of the Schism formation between the churches and established differences clear between religious traditions.
Differences Between the Russian and Western Churches
The Crusades also contributed to the expansion of the Christian faith in Russia. Vladimir, the ruler of Russia, maintained contact with the Byzantine Empire and later married the sister of the Byzantine emperor. Vladimir made Orthodox Christianity the official and unified religion of Russia, replacing pagan beliefs with it. Thus, Russian Christianity adopted many features from Eastern Christianity and its differences from the Western Church.
The main difference between the Russian church and the Western one is the adherence to liturgical practices and not to church order or doctrine. Additionally, icons occupy a central place for Russian Christianity as a necessary element of religious practices. Ascetic spirituality, based on dedication to God, also began to play the main role in Russian Christianity. A significant characteristic of the Russian Church, which distinguished it from the Western and the Orthodox, was the disagreement about how to lead the Christian life. These differences led to the emergence of Possessors, which allowed the use of political and economic resources, and Non-Possessors, which required total assets. Later, the rejection of material wealth and suffering began to inspire the major part of believers in the Russian Church. Thus, Russian Christianity gradually became different even from the Orthodox religion of the Byzantine Empire.