Two of Christianity’s oldest traditions are the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church, known officially as the Orthodox Catholic Church. Both teach that they are the “one, holy, catholic, and apostolic Church” based on the 381 C.E. version of the Nicene Creed. Both teach that their bishops are the direct successors to Jesus’ very own apostles. Roman Catholics teach that their main bishop, the Bishop of Rome (a.k.a. The Pope) is the direct successor of St. Peter, whom Jesus bestowed primacy on per Matthew 16:18, and consequently places ultimate authority on him. The Eastern Orthodox Church, although not having a main bishop like Roman Catholics, does consider the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople (Archbishop of Constantinople) as ‘primus inter pares’ (first among equals), but does not bestow upon him ultimate jurisdictional authority like the Roman church does to the Pope. The Roman Catholic Church is administered from the See of Rome, or Holy See, located in Vatican City, an enclave of the Italian City of Rome. While the Eastern Orthodox Church does not have any official headquarters, special prominence is given to the city of Constantinople located in modern-day Istanbul, Turkey.
Geographic and administrative differences are only the beginning of what sets these two great traditions apart. Among these are some very serious ecclesiastical and theological disagreements which led to a break in communion between the two churches that has now lasted almost 1000 years; only until recently were some efforts made to begin a reconciliation (the official excommunications from both sides were lifted in 1965). The formal break in communion which took place in 1054 C.E. is known as the East-West Schism, although many historians see this event as a terminal one in a long succession of issues that occurred over the preceding centuries.
Filioque
One of the main factors leading to the schism involves the Latin phrase Filioque, which translates to “and from the Son”, that slowly crept into the Nicene Creed of 325 C.E. over the years. In 1009 C.E., Pope Sergius wrote a confession of faith, and in it he had added the Filioque to the Nicene Creed, thereby giving the phrase papal approval (The Orthodox Faith). The phrase received wide support from the Western Church, but, it was seen as a theological error by the Eastern Church. The phrase has to do with the nature of the Holy Spirit, and whether it proceeds from God the Father alone, or from both God the Father and The Son (Jesus), which is exactly what the phrase itself states. To the Eastern Church, Filioque was tantamount to heresy by making the Holy Spirit a subordinate member of the Trinity, as it proceeded from the other two members, a trait obviously not shared by the Holy Spirit itself. To maintain unity and equality in the Godhead, the Orthodox believed that any given trait had to be shared by all three members of the Trinity, or be unique to only one of them. The Eastern Church also saw the insertion of the phrase and its wide adoption by the Western church as a violation of the Third Ecumenical Council of 431 C.E. which stated that any additions to the Nicene Creed (in its 381 C.E. version) were forbidden, as it considered the creed to be complete and in no need of alterations. Ironically, it was the Western church who accused the Eastern church of being heretical for refusing to adopt the Filioque in the Great Schism of 1054 C.E.
Immaculate Conception
Another point of disagreement is the Roman Catholic dogma of the Immaculate Conception. The dogma states “…that the most Blessed Virgin Mary, in the first instance of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege granted by Almighty God, in view of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the human race, was preserved free from all stain of original sin…” The disagreement with this dogma on the part of the Eastern Church stems from their understanding of another Christian doctrine, that of Original Sin. Whereas the Western Church’s understanding of Original Sin owes a whole lot to St. Augustine’s writings on the matter, the fundamental difference has to do with the transmission of guilt. Catholics believe that due to Adam and Eve’s ‘original sin’ of disobedience (see Genesis 2:4b-3:24) all humans share not only in the punishment for this sin but also in the transmission of its guilt. During medieval times, the Catholic Church began teaching that this guilt was transmitted physically by way of conception. As such, the dogma of the Immaculate Conception was later developed to keep Mary, the mother of Jesus, free from the stain of guilt. While the ideas behind the dogma began much earlier, the first time it was officially promulgated as dogma was in the year 1854 C.E. To the Orthodox, while humans do share in the punishment inflicted upon Adam and Eve (that is mortality), they do not share in its guilt. Consequently, humans become guilty of sin through their own actions by partaking in it, and not because of any guilt transmitted at conception down from the very first to sin, Adam and Eve. So, in the view of the Orthodox Church, there is no guilt that Mary had to be made innocent of, to begin with, as guilt is a direct effect of personal sin, and not Original Sin (Antiochian Orthodox).
Conclusion
In modern times, as has been since the beginning of Christianity itself, not much has changed. Christianity is still a very diverse religion, with many churches, like the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches, clinging to centuries-old traditions, doctrines, and dogmas. Interestingly though, as with most disagreements within Christianity throughout its history, both sides could point to scripture in support of their views, and like the very early Christians, both sides claim to subscribe to orthodoxy, that is, correct belief. Despite their differences, one could argue that these two churches have more in common with each other than they do with more modern versions of Christianity, like Protestantism and others.
Works Cited
“The Orthodox Faith – Volume III – Church History – Eleventh Century – The Great Schism.” OCA, http://www.oca.org/orthodoxy/the-orthodox-faith/church-history/eleventh-century/the-great-schism.
“The Basic Sources of the Teachings of the Eastern Orthodox Church – Introduction to Orthodoxy Articles – Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America.” Go to Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America, http://www.goarch.org/-/the-basic-sources-of-the-teachings-of-the-eastern-orthodox-church.
“Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines.” Orthodox Symbolism | Official Website of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of Australia, New Zealand and the Philippines, http://www.antiochianarch.org.au/Orthodox-view-on-Immaculate-Conception.aspx.
