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Definition:
Differences always existed between West and East in the Christian Church. The most
obvious and external difference was linguistic: the West worked in Latin while the
East worked in Greek. This difference came with a difference in cultures which also
affected people's outlook on religion. The East was more artistic, philosophical and
even mystical whereas the West was more legalistic and practical.
These larger cultural differences had a profound impact upon the religious development of the two regions. In the East, for example, where a mystical orientation lead people to seek union with God, a primary concern developed with the idea that humanity's sinfulness had essentially caused them to lose their divinity. Thus, Christ's mission on earth was to restore this divinity to people and allow them achieve the union that was originally due to them.
In the West, however, scholars and theologians concerned themselves with the question of sin itself and people's culpability for being sinful. Because people were guilty and deserved the punishment of Hell, Christ must have come to "pay the price" for us - originally formulated as a ransom theory. This particular difference was made manifest in the fact that while the West chose the crucifix as its religious symbol, the East chose the resurrection instead.
There were, of course, also strong political considerations - for example, the rivalry which developed between Rome and Constantinople. This was only exacerbated by the fact that the West was continually invaded by barbarians from the North while the East continued to be stable and at peace.
Disagreements continues to strain relations, and some - like the filoque problem - were never really resolved. Matters came to a head by 1052 when Norman rulers insisted that Greek churches in Italy conform to standard Latin practices. The patriarch of the Greek church in turn demanded that Latin churches in Constantinople conform to Greek customs. When he was refused, he simply had them closed.
Because the issue could not be resolved in 1054, that is the year usually given for the final break between East and West. However, the two regions remained on very good terms and there was always hope that some sort of reconciliation could be achieved. Those hopes were, however, finally dashed in 1204 when soldiers in the Fourth Crusade entered and sacked Constantinople.
The loss of life and property was tremendous. For three days the city was pillaged and burned. Even worse, at least for the purposes of this article, was the desecration of religious sites. Pieces of the altar and icon screen at Santa Sophia were torn down while prostitutes were put on the patriarch's throne. Such treatment from other Christians was intolerable, and a long-standing hatred of the Latin West was created.
Also Known As: Eastern Schism
Alternate Spellings: none
Common Misspellings: none
Related Resources:
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Sometimes confused with theology, the Philosophy of Religion is the philosophical study of religious beliefs, religious doctrines, religious arguments and religious history. The line between theology and the philosophy of religion isn't always sharp, but the primary difference is that theology tends to be apologetical in nature, committed to the defense of particular religious positions, whereas Philosophy of Religion is committed to the investigation of religion itself, rather than the truth of any particular religion.What is Theism?
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A system of human beliefs, ideals and practices which is harder to define than it may at first appear. Read more about how dictionaries, scholars and others have tried to define and explain religion.
