6
July 1054 A.D. Schism
between East and West
The division
of the Roman Empire into halves was eventually echoed in the church. The break
came when Michael Cerularius was Patriarch of Constantinople and St. Leo pope
in Rome. In 1053, Cerularius circulated a treatise criticizing in strong terms
the practices of the Western church. Catholics did not allow their clergy to
marry. This was contrary to scripture and tradition, said Cerularius. And
Catholics used unleavened bread in their Eucharist. But the most serious
concern was that the Latin church had added the word "filoque" to the
Nicene creed, saying the Holy Spirit proceeded from both Father and Son.
It would seem
that this was more political to Leo than religious, as it was pressed upon him
by the Franks. Cerularius excommunicated all bishops of Constantinople who used
the Western ritual and closed down their churches. This incensed Leo. He
demanded that Cerularius submit to the pope. Any church which refused to
recognize the pontiff as supreme was an assembly of heretics, he said--a
synagogue of Satan. The Eastern patriarch wasn't about to accept this
characterization. The five patriarchs, Antioch, Jerusalem, Alexandria,
Constantinople and Rome were equals in his eyes. The bishop of Rome, as
patriarch of the West, was given the courtesy title of "first among
equals" and in a tie vote he could make the final determination according
to tradition. Rome's growing claims to authority were deemed unacceptable to
the other patriarchs, who believed (and who still believe) that Christ alone is
the head of the church.
Leo sent
legates, headed by an unyielding man, Cardinal Humbert, to discuss the issues.
Before they could complete their mission, Leo died. Humbert was so rude to
Cerularius that Cerularius refused to speak with him. Aggravated by this
treatment, the legates marched into St. Sophia on this day, July 6, 1054, and placed a bull
on the altar, excommunicating Cerularius. After this act, Humbert made a grand
exit, shaking the dust off his feet and calling on God to judge.
Cerularius
convoked a council and once more blasted Western practices. Humbert was
anathematized. The Orthodox condemned all who had drawn up the bull. There was
no chance of reconciliation between the factions. The once-united Church was
now divided into two: Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic. In many areas,
Orthodox churches submitted to Rome while maintaining many of their rites and
traditions. These became the Byzantine rite or Uniate churches, which still
exist in countries as distant in time and place as the United States.
The rift was
inevitable. Traditions and doctrine had been diverging for hundreds of years.
East and West would be even farther apart after the cruelties of the crusaders,
whose violent acts were often against fellow-believers of the East whom, in
ignorance they did not recognize as Christians. The unity of love which Christ had said should mark his followers was
broken.
Bibliography:
1. Dawley, Powel Mills. Chapters in Church History. New York, The National Council, Protestant Episcopal Church, 1950.
2. Durant, Will. The Age of Faith; A history of Medieval Civilization--Christian,
Islamic and Judaic--from Constantine to Dante: AD 325 - 1300. The
Story of Civilization, Part IV. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1950.
3. Ware, Timothy. The Orthodox Church. Hammondsworth,
Middlesex, England: Penguin Press, 1964.
Last updated April, 2007.
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