by This assignment is answering the question, What lessons from the Great Schism of 1054 can believers learn today about schisms and splits in churches and how to prevent them?
There are several lessons that can be learned from the Great Schism of 1054. The fourth crusade created lasting impressions and sealed the schism between the East and the West. Noll states, “Not only did they cement the schism of 1054, but they also remained a festering memory that poisoned communications between parts of the Christian church for many centuries to come, perhaps even to this day.”[1] This was in part because the crusaders were crusading for material gain more than gaining Holy land for Christianity. A lesson learned from this to leadership today is that long-term consequences need to be taken into consideration and those risks need to be mitigated before any action is taken. The armed conflict between Israel and Hamas-led Palestinian militant groups around the Gaza Strip that started in 2023 is an example of this as many innocent civilians have been killed for selfish reasons.
The addition of the filioque to the Nicene Creed from the West without getting input and approval of the East caused strain on the relationship as the East felt like the West could change whatever they wanted without consultation and approval. The West declared that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son where the original creed that the East kept was that the Holy Spirit proceeds only from the Father.[2] This theological change contributed to the Great Schism of 1054. Two examples of something similar have occurred recently in the USA. The first example is the split of Methodist churches over the handling of ministers and marriages around LGBTQ+, and the other being female Pastors within the Southern Baptist Convention. Each of these hints at the issue of ecclesiastical authority and decision making.
Another cause of the Great Schism of 1054 was the differences in language and culture where the West moved towards Latin/Occidental and the East Greek/Oriental. The cultural differences were not respected and each thought that their traditions were correct without compromise. An example of this today can be found within any 50-mile radius of any major city within the United States as there is much division between denominations over speaking in tongues and divine healing within a church service.
A method of prevention for some of these for Christians to focus on what commonalities they have with respect towards the differences if they are not critical to salvation. There will be different dogmas, doctrines, and opinions, but the key is not focusing on the opinions and finding a Christian organization/church that embraces your cultural background without breaking or bending Biblical Doctrine.
As stated earlier, knowing the risks of changing from doctrine or defending doctrine or attacking other religions must be deeply considered. Pope Urban II had good intentions when he sent the first crusade, but it backfired by the end of the fourth. Pope Urban II sent them to rescue the Holy Land and Eastern churches from Muslim control while promising remission of sins for all crusaders.[3] This could have been prevented with proper explanation, controls, and communication.
It is amazing how easily information is available today when researching other cultures. There is a lot of misinformation but also a lot of good information. Translating the Bible into different languages assists with spreading the Word of God to different places in their language so the trust is much higher than a foreigner coming in and telling them something totally different than what they currently believe.
Noll states, “The Great Schism of 1054 was a major turning point in Christian history because it brought to a head centuries of East-West cultural disengagement, theological differences, and ecclesiastical suspicion. It also symbolized the isolation that would attend the Eastern churches for most of the millennium to follow.”[4] It is unfortunate that so many Christians died because of non-salvation issues and that leadership could not continue to take the initiative to work out their differences as they were all supposed to be in the same body of Christ. I do believe that the mending is continuing to happen as Noll states, “It is therefore only in recent years that the momentum toward East-West division, of which 1054 is the most visible symbol, has begun to be reversed.”[5]
It is surprising how mishandled the Crusades were. The span of time at war between the first crusade in 1095 with Pope Urban II until the fourth crusade in 1204 which was over 100 years later. Noll states, “Later Crusades only made matters worse.”[6] The fourth crusade had the invaders acting like barbarians with looting, raping, and destroying anything they could not carry. Noll explains, “Within a few decades the city was regained by Eastern Orthodox Byzantines. Even before the end of 1204, Pope Innocent III had condemned the murderous conquest of the city.”[7]
Actions have consequences that last long after an apology is made. The Crusades were a lasting memory of sheer barbarism. Not only did they cement the schism of 1054, but they also remained a rotting memory that harmed communications between parts of the Christian church for many centuries afterwards.[8] It is important to know what dogma, doctrine, and opinion should be. Those topics of opinion should not be raised to a level of war.
Bibliography
Noll, Mark A. Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity. 3rd ed. Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012.
Walton, Robert C. Chronological and Background Charts of Church History. revised ed. ZondervanCharts. Zondervan, 2018.
Weaver, C. Douglas, and Rady Roldán-Figueroa, eds. Exploring Christian Heritage: A Reader in History and Theology. 2nd ed. Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017.
[1] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, 3rd ed. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 133.
[2] Robert C. Walton, Chronological and Background Charts of Church History, revised ed. ZondervanCharts (Zondervan, 2018), 37.
[3] C. Douglas Weaver and Rady Roldán-Figueroa, eds., Exploring Christian Heritage: A Reader in History and Theology, 2nd ed. (Waco, TX: Baylor University Press, 2017), 65.
[4] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Third Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 125.
[5] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Third Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 138.
[6] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Third Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 131.
[7] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Third Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 132.
[8] Mark A. Noll, Turning Points: Decisive Moments in the History of Christianity, Third Edition. (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2012), 133.