The Changing Views Over The East-West Schism In The Past Centuries
The Changing Views Over The East-West Schism In The Past Centuries

Author(s): Laurențiu LUCACI
Subject(s): Theology and Religion, History of Religion
Published by: Editura Doxologia
Keywords: East-West Schism; 1054; orthodox-catholic relationship; historical evolution;
Summary/Abstract: This article tries to summarize how the perception over the East-West Schism (1054) has evolved along the past centuries. An event that was overlooked by chroniclers, because it seemed like just a normal scuffle between bishops, has later been seen as the point (and even the reason) that Eastern and Western christianity has split. As researchers had more and more access to documents from both sides, the perception has slowly become more objective. In recent days, most historians consider that the split was inevitable, as the two sides have evolved differently. The theological exchange of arguments from 1053 and 1054 had peace, unity and uniformity in mind. Both parties wanted to heal the tensions and avoid the split. Yet, because they focused on points that were less important, acted with pride and attacked each other, their discourse lost its healing capabilities. Instead of patching the gap between the two poles, they had widened it even further. This article also showcases how focusing on lesser important subjects can completely overshadow the real dogmatical problems in a theological debate. It points out in what cases a theological discourse cannot build, nor heal.

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