Broken Not Divided: S1 E3 Unresolved Controversies

"Controversy in moderation is a life enhancing medicine, but in excess it is a deadly poison." — St. Ephraim the Syrian

This episode explores an unresolved controversy between two major Christian traditions: the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church, by way of four common myths.

Myth 1: The Church Had No Divisions Before the Great Schism

This claim lacks historical support. The New Testament itself documents early divisions, including conflicts with Judaizers and divisions within Corinth. Post-biblical history reveals numerous schisms: divisions following Nicaea, a fourfold split in Antioch, the Acacian and Photian schisms, and multiple ruptures after the councils of Ephesus and Chalcedon.

There is a theological paradox here: the Church confesses unity as one of its essential attributes, yet division has been nearly constant throughout history.

Myth 2: The Schism Centered on the Filioque Addition

The filioque — a Latin phrase meaning "and the Son" — concerns whether the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father alone or from both the Father and Son. This theological concept existed before any schism, with theologians like St. Gregory the Armenian discussing it centuries earlier.

Western churches began incorporating the filioque into the Creed around the sixth and seventh centuries. Rome officially adopted it in the eleventh century. Though debated intensely in the ninth century by Photius of Constantinople, this doctrinal matter was ultimately peripheral to the main divisions.

Myth 3: Catholics and Orthodox Ceased Communion After 1054

The actual picture is more nuanced. Common laypeople continued worshipping together for centuries. The schism solidified primarily after 1204, when crusaders sacked Constantinople. Historical accounts suggest that Greeks and Latins may have shared the Eucharist together, seeking reconciliation, in Hagia Sophia's final divine liturgy in 1453 — nearly four centuries after the traditional date.

However, collective memory retained the trauma of 1204 rather than reconciliation. A Greek aphorism captured the sentiment: "Better the Sultan's turban than the cardinal's hat."

Myth 4: Anathemas Prevent Communion

While anathemas complicate reconciliation, they are not the primary obstacle. Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras lifted the mutual anathemas in 1965 on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem.

The actual barriers stem from post-schism theological developments. Orthodox Christians struggle with Roman Catholic Marian doctrines and papal supremacy claims. Catholics find Eastern hesychasm theology difficult to reconcile with their traditions. These developments, rather than historical anathemas, prevent communion.

Path Forward

Realistic union seems unlikely soon, yet signs of progress exist. Both traditions now accept ritual diversity — Western rite Orthodox and Eastern rite Catholic communities flourish. Papal primacy is being reconsidered within Roman Catholic theology through dialogue with Anglican and other Western churches.

What is needed is humility, prayer, and an end to baseless antagonism and false characterizations of opposing beliefs — closing, as Fr. Thomas Ryan's prayer for Christian unity puts it, in healing divisions and witnessing to God's perfect love through unified witness.

Resources referenced: Andrew Louth, Greek East and Latin West; David Bentley Hart, The Story of Christianity.

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