Lectures - East vs. West: Why Christendom Divided

Why did the Christian Church split between East and West? Was the Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople about theology or politics? In quick summaries, the Eastern Orthodox Church separated from Catholicism when legates of the Pope excommunicated the Patriarch of Constantinople in the year 1054 and were in turn excommunicated by him, thus separating the two churches for the rest of history. Unfortunately, this simple narrative fails on closer inspection. In the first place, the excommunication was invalid according to church law because the authority of the legates was only valid during the Pope’s lifetime, and Pope Leo IX had already died before it took place. Additionally, the Eastern and Western churches were at times in union again (at least nominally) in 1272 and as recently as 1439. On the other hand, substantial divisions between the Greek East and the Latin West had grown for centuries prior to 1054. So, when did the real separation happen? And why did it prove impossible to heal? John Hamer of Toronto Centre Place will look at the history of the Eastern and Western churches and chart history of their division. Join the livestream to participate in the discussion and to ask questions of our lecturer during the Q&A. This lecture is part of our series exploring Christianity and the Bible from an academic perspective through history, mythology, archaeology, theology, and biblical studies. In this presentation we focus on Christian history, the Latin West and Catholicism, the Greek East and Orthodoxy. 📚 Browse our catalogue of free lectures at https://www.centreplace.ca/lectures Your generous support allows us to offer these lectures at no cost. Please consider making a donation (tax deductible in the US and Canada): ❤️ https://www.centreplace.ca/donate ️