Eastern Orthodox Church

Unit 1

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.