What Were The Main Reasons For The Great Schism

In the early years of Christianity, there were no denominations. However much has changed since then and now there are numerous denominations all around the world today due to the development of historical events which has lead to many divisions. Many events in the history of the church have significantly affected denominations within Christianity.

For example, the great schism between the Western and Eastern church which occurred in 1054AD. The well-known term the Great Schism refers to the split between the Christian churches into two sections. As a result of the great schism, there are now two huge denominations known as the Catholic church (located in the west) and the Orthodox church (located in the east). The main reasons for the
The schism was due to religious differences, political and social influences. For instance, the Roman empire. The increase in population meant that the roman empire was difficult to govern. Roman Emperor Diocletian split the two into the Western and Eastern Roman empire to try to resolve this issue, however, the two divides slowly drifted apart.

In addition, the difference in languages caused the two to eventually separate. Because the West’s main language was Latin where as the East’s main language was Greek. This miscommunication between the two and also the decrease in communication was a contributing factor towards the split.

The Chalcedonian Christianity split into the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox was also due to both spiritual and practical conflict. There were numerous spiritual differences. For example, there was conflict and arguments around spiritual differences between the western and eastern churches on what was considered acceptable. Moreover, the western (Roman) reinforced the method of using bread (made without yeast) for the ceremony of communion where as the east did not think this practice was
This was a huge disagreement over authority and whether the bishop of Rome, who was the pope, was in charge of the whole church everywhere, as a result , this turned into an entrenched disagreement. It is believed that in 1054, legates of the Pope travelled to the Constantinople and delivered a bowl of excommunication to the patriarch of Constantinople. This was a symbolism that the Eastern church was no longer in communion with the Roman church. Consequently, from that point onwards the pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople continued to separate from each other. This practical conflict was one of the reasons for the lead to the Great Schism.

The great schism of 1054 divide still remains today. This event adds to historical significance for Christianity as it has consequently impacted Christianity today. As a result of the schism, the power of the Catholic church was weakened and also the split meant that many peoples faith (in particular those from a lower class) had been weakened. Many Christians were confused and appalled with the disputes between the leaders and there was a sense of loss of respect for the spiritual leaders. People were torn and obliged to support either side of the divide which was a challenging