During the early days of the Christian faiths—that is, after Christ’s resurrection—the Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church were the same. All were founded by apostles who set out to spread the good news of The Lord. Locations for their churches were in “densely populated urban centers of the Roman Empire (Patrikhanesi).”
In the East there were four Greek speaking churches, those of Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem. In the West there was only one church, in Rome, with services in Latin. The five churches are referred to as the Pentarchy (Patrikhanesi). Invasion and conquest by the Islamic Arabs of the churches of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem naturally allowed for the ecclesiastical primacy of the East to become Constantinople (Patrikhanesi). Hence, Rome would be the capitol of the West, mainly because it was the only church of the West. Business between all five churches continued amicably throughout the Apostolic period. The formative period brought around some dissention and the five churches, and needing to reach and agreement on doctrinal belief the patriarchs held seven Ecumenical Councils during this time (Patrikhanesi). It was the Second Ecumenical Council that along with making doctrine decisions also affirmed that “the Bishop of Constantinople shall have the primacy honor after the Bishop of Rome, because Constantinople is the ‘New Rome’ (Patrikhanesi).” This canon would eventually lead to rivalry among the Pope in Rome and the Patriarch in Constantinople.
The year 1054 was been identified as the “definitive schism” (Patrikhanesi). Constantinople, the “New Rome,” wanted to be recognized as equal in honor with old Rome. Rome did not support the equality for “New Rome”. Romans felt since Peter, the “chief” apostle, and St. Paul were martyred there, that the city should always hold the top spot among all of the Pentarchy. Therefore, the Pope of Rome continued to insist on jurisdictional authority over the Eastern patriarchs (Patrikhanesi). Ultimately there were three major issues that caused the schism between the East (now Orthodox) and West (now Catholic) churches.
The first disagreement is over the “dogma of the filioque” (Patrikhanesi). The filioque is the “expression of the Procession of the Holy Ghost from both Father and Son as one Principle (Filioque)”. The Orthodox believe that the Holy Ghost comes from the Father only (Fitzgerald). To non-believers, it may seem like this argument is petty. Does it really matter? The answer is yes. Both Orthodox Christians and Catholics recite the Nicene Creed during Divine Liturgy (Orthodox) or Mass (Catholic) as follows.
We believe in one God, the Father, the Almighty,
maker of heaven and earth, of all that is seen and unseen.
We believe in one Lord, Jesus Christ
the only son of God
eternally begotten of the Father,
God from God, Light from Light,
true God from true God,
begotten, not made, one in
Being with the Father.
Through him all things were made.
For us men and for our salvation
He came down from heaven:
by the power of the Holy Spirit
he was born of the Virgin Mary,
and became man
For our sake he was crucified
Under Pontius Pilate;
He suffered, died, and was buried.
On the third day he rose again
In fulfillment of the scriptures
He ascended into heaven
and is seated at the right
hand of the father.
He will come again in glory
to judge the living and the dead,
and his kingdom will have no end
We believe in the Holy Spirit,
The Lord, the giver of life,
Who proceeds from the Father and the Son
He is worshiped and glorified.
He has spoken through the Prophets.
We believe in one holy
catholic and apostolic Church.
We acknowledge one
baptism for the forgiveness of sins.
We look for the resurrection of the dead
and the life of the world to come.
Amen
(omitted in Orthodox Liturgy)
The omission by the Orthodox completely changes who the Holy Spirit is. To put it in laymen terms; it would be like telling you that you come only from your mother and her genes and that your father in no way aided to your development.
Another disagreement was over the Eucharistic bread. The Orthodox believed in the use of leavened bread as their Eucharistic offering during Divine Liturgy. The Roman Church however opposed using unleavened bread during mass as their Eucharistic offering. Along with the argument over the type of bread to use, they also agreed on the meaning of the bread.
“Transubstantiation is the change of substance of the Eucharistic elements (bread and wine) into the body and blood of Christ” (Filioque). This change is not symbolic as many Christian faiths preach. It is a physical change from bread to body and wine to blood. This change happens after the words of the sacraments (Transubstantiation). While the Eastern Orthodox also believe that the bread and the wine physically become the body and blood of Jesus Christ, they do not dwell on philosophical reflections and see the Metavole (another word for transubstantiation) as a mystery (Transubstantiation).
Finally there is the matter of the Pope versus the Patriarch. Many are aware of the Pope and his duties while ‘in office’. He is the overseer of the Catholic Church, and while the Patriarch is considered the top of the Orthodox Church, it is more about a spiritual authority rather than jurisdiction over other Patriarchs as had been in the past. The Patriarch is looked up to by all Orthodox with deep devotion and respect because he is the principle link among all the churches.
Aside from the differences listed here, all that really separates the Catholic faith and Orthodox faith is location and language. Vatican II helped to heal many wounds among the Eastern and Western faiths, and today it is very common to see them stand in unity against worldly issues of faith and society. While some of the gaps between the two will never be breached, and by no means will they ever be one religion again, Catholic and Eastern Orthodox parishioners should look upon one another with respect. For it was together that they founded one faith.
Bibliography
Fitzgerald, Thomas Rev. Teachings of the Orthodox Church. Greek Orthodox
Archdiocese of America [Online].
Available: http://www.goarch.org/en/ourfaith/articles/article7062.asp[2004, October 8].
Patrikhanesi, Rum. History: Ecumenical Patriarchate. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of
Constantinople [Online].
Available:http://www.patriarchate.org/book/PATHIST_TABLE_OF_
CONTENTS.html [2004, October 8].
(2003). Fililoque. The Catholic Encyclopedia [Online]. Available:http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/06073a.htm [2004, October 8].
(2004). Transubstantiation. Campus Program Online [Online]. Available:http://www.campusprogram.com/reference/en/wikipedia/t/tr/
transudstantiation.html [2004, October 8].
