Eastern Orthodox Church Unit 1 Eastern Orthodox Church

Eastern Orthodox Church The emperor of Byzantium became the head of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Orthodox means “in agreement with right belief” They believed they were going back to Jesus’ teachings and that of the early church. Religion became a daily part of people’s lives. People would use icons, which are pictures of Christ, Mary, or other saints. The church’s architecture influences much of Eastern Europe. These churches have domes, which represents the “dome of heaven.”

Conflicts between East and West The Hagia Sophia

Disagreements between East and West After Rome adopted Christianity, the Pope became the head of the Christian church. This is where we get the Roman Catholic. The Pope was in charge all Catholic priests and bishops. In the east, the Byzantine emperor said he was the head of the Christian church. This means, two different people were saying they were in charge. The patriarch of Constantinople was a bishop but equal to all Eastern Orthodox bishops.

Great schism of 1054 Schism means split or division. Iconoclasm – Many people used pictures to help them worship and pray. Byzantine Emperor Leo III banned the use of icons because he thought people were worshiping the icon and not God. This was stopped in 843, and is still a large part of the Orthodox church today. In 800 C.E. Pope Leo III crowned a Holy Roman Emperor, Charlemagne. The Byzantines saw themselves as Roman.

Schism (cont.) In 1054 all churches that Byzantium controlled that followed western rites (were Roman Catholic) were closed by Cerularius, the Patriarch of Constantinople. This infuriated Pope Leo IX, especially since Byzantium had taken control over parts of Italy. In return he excommunicated Cerularius. Cerularius then excommunicated Pope Leo IX Excommunication is when you are not allowed to participate in church activities or go to heaven. This division lasted until 1964. They finally unexcommunicated each other.