Asher Sisneros

The Great Schism of 1054 was more than a theological or cultural dispute within the Church. It was a civil war between East and West. Patriarch Michael Cerularious and Cardinal Humbert officially divided the Church into two factions, but the resentment between Constantinople and Rome did not develop overnight. It was a long process of gradual division that caused the Great Schism of 1054.

Constantinople and Rome had different liturgies. There were minor theological differences between the two cultural superpowers. On the outside, it seemed like a fight about liturgies. That was not the case. Their multi-generational dispute was over authority.

The Council of Nicaea in AD 325 gave Rome supremacy over the Church. All the patriarchates—Jerusalem, Antioch, Constantinople, and Alexandria—were underneath Rome’s authority. Jesus Christ gave the Apostle Peter the metaphorical keys to heaven. That gave him supremacy over the other apostles, according to Catholic tradition. Jesus also promised to build the Church on Peter as its rock. He founded the Church of Rome. Since he supposedly had authority over the other apostles, the Catholics believed the Roman popes exercised authority over the other patriarchates since they inherited Peter’s office. 

However, the Council of Constantinople in AD 381 also gave Constantinople supremacy over the other patriarchates except Rome. They acknowledged submission to Rome but felt entitled to a second-tier position. In time, Rome’s political and economic significance dwindled into irrelevance. Simultaneously, Constantinople’s power grew. The power dynamics shifted, and the West and East’s significance reversed. It was such a dramatic power shift that Constantinople became known as the “new Rome.” However, Rome rejected that, arguing their religious authority was independent from politics. The dissension continued. 

When Emperor Justinian (r. AD 527-565) ascended the Byzantine throne, he embraced caesaropapism. History is littered with kings and emperors who meddled with the Church. Justinian was no exception. He exercised absolute power over all Christians. He appointed bishops, priests, and the pope, holding complete ecclesiastical control in the Church. Eventually, the West sought military protection apart from Byzantium because of their continual interference. The Church slowly received military protection from Barbaric invaders like the Franks, and eventually the Anglo-Saxons. However, the East submitted to caesaropapism, and the churches in Constantinople submitted to their emperors. The West did not.

The dispute escalated in AD 857. Bishop Ignatius, the patriarch of Constantinople, refused to give communion to the government official Bardas. By all measures, Bardas was an immoral adulterer. The scandalous government scumbag engaged in an affair with his widowed daughter-in-law. In other words, he had sex with his dead son’s wife. Few things are quite so perverted, and Bishop Ignatius possessed zero tolerance for Bardas’ immoral behavior. He barred Bardas from partaking in communion.  Enraged, Emperor Michael Ⅲdeposed Ignatius, replacing him with Photius. The problem was that Photius was a layman. He had a reputation for being a very intelligent intellectual scholar, but he was not a priest. Ignatius argued against appointing Photius because he was unordained. The two brought the case before Pope Nicholas who determined that deposing Ignatius without a trial was unjust. The Pope immediately reinstated Ignatius as the patriarch of Constantinople. However, Photius rejected the Pope’s authority in this matter. He called a council together and excommunicated Pope Nicholas. The dispute between Ignatius and Photius evolved into a cultural war. People who were anti-Latin sided with Photius even if they did not understand the fight. The battle between Photius and Ignatius in AD 857 lit a tremendous fire that did not resolve until AD 1054. 

By AD 1054, things descended into madness under Pope Leo Ⅸ. He declared papal supremacy and attempted to shut down Greek churches that did not conform their liturgies to match the West. He felt no remorse for doing that because the West believed in universal ecclesiology, which gave Rome authority over the entire Church. The East was outraged, as they believed all churches and bishops were equal in power (Eucharist ecclesiology). To Constantinople, Pope Leo was overextending his authority by threatening to shut down churches. However, Leo did not waver. In retaliation, Patriarch Michael Cerularius closed all the Latin churches in Constantinople. Cerularius’ act of defiance was unacceptable, and Pope Leo sent legates on his behalf to depose Cerularius. Cardinal Humbert excommunicated Patriarch Cerularius. He excommunicated Humbert in return. The entire thing was absurd, with everyone excommunicating each other. However, the legates that deposed Cerularius had dubious power. They represented Pope Leo, but Pope Leo died as they traveled to Constantinople. Their authority as his representatives vanished with his death, giving them no authority to excommunicate Cerularius. What is significant is that by excommunicating Cerularius, they inadvertently excommunicated all of Constantinople. 

The absurd series of events in AD 1054 marked the official split of the Church. From that point on, the churches were divided into two factions: Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox. For centuries, tensions grew between Rome and Constantinople regarding the papal authority. Their feud reached a breaking point during AD 1054 in an event commonly known as the Great Schism.