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1054 AD The Great Schism Divides the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
1054 AD The Great Schism Divides the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Published 8/20/2025
50-Word Description
In 1054, the Christian church split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches over authority, worship, and pride. Pope Leo IX’s legate excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius in Constantinople, formalizing centuries of tension. This episode explores the Great Schism’s causes, consequences, and lessons for unity today.
150-Word Description
In 1054, the Great Schism divided Christianity into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Pope Leo IX’s legate, Humbert, excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius in Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia, citing disputes over papal authority, communion bread, and creed wording. Rooted in centuries of cultural and political drift, the split deepened with the 1204 Crusade’s sacking of Constantinople. Despite 1965 reconciliation attempts, the divide persists. The Schism warns of pride and division, urging believers to guard unity, as Jesus prayed in John 17. This episode traces the fracture and challenges modern Christians to pursue oneness.
Keywords (500 characters)
Great Schism, 1054, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Constantinople, Rome, Pope Leo IX, Michael Cerularius, Hagia Sophia, excommunication, Fourth Crusade, papal authority, Filioque, church unity, Byzantine Empire, medieval Christianity, ecclesiastical history, Christian division, reconciliation, John 17, church councils
Hashtags (five words)
#GreatSchism #ChurchUnity #1054 #Orthodox #Catholic
Transcript
The year was 1054, and the Christian world was about to split apart.
For centuries, Christians in the East and West had worshiped the same Christ, confessed the same creed, and shared the same Scriptures. But under the surface, tension had been building like cracks in glass—small disagreements about language, worship, and leadership that stretched across continents.
In the West, believers looked to Rome—the Roman Catholic Church—where the Pope claimed to sit in the seat of Peter. In the East, they looked to Constantinople—the capital of the Eastern Orthodox Church—with its grand tradition of worship and the Emperor’s protection.
Most everyday Christians didn’t think about these things. They prayed, sang, took communion, baptized their children, and lived out their faith. But church leaders on both sides grew more suspicious of each other.
Then, in 1054, everything snapped.
A papal messenger—Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida—walked into the Hagia [HAH-jee-uh] Sophia in Constantinople. In front of the congregation, he laid down a bull of excommunication—an official letter cutting the Eastern leaders off from the church.
The East responded in kind.
And the one Body of Christ was torn apart.
What caused this Great Schism? Was it theology? Politics? Pride?
And more haunting—what does it mean for us today, a thousand years later, when Christians still divide and walk away from each other?
From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH—where we explore Church Origins and Church History.
I’m Bob Baulch.
And on Wednesdays, we stay between 500 and 1500 AD.
Today, we’re stepping into one of the most painful moments in Christian history: the year 1054—the Great Schism.
Up until this point, Christianity in the East and West had its differences, but still considered itself one church. The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East shared the same Bible, the same creeds, and the same Lord. But their unity was fragile.
They argued about leadership. Should all churches submit to the Pope in Rome? Or should each major city have its own independence, as in the East?
They clashed over worship. Should bread for communion be leavened—soft and risen, as in the East—or unleavened, like the West used?
They even fought over words. In the West, a phrase was added to the creed about the Holy Spirit proceeding from both the Father and the Son. The East saw that as tampering with the faith.
For centuries, these disputes simmered. But in 1054, they boiled over.
An exchange of excommunications—letters declaring the other side outside the church—formalized a split that remains to this day.
The question is: was this inevitable? Or could it have been avoided?
And perhaps most importantly: what does the Great Schism teach us about how fragile unity really is?
To understand why the Great Schism happened in 1054, we need to go back much earlier.
The Roman Empire had once united the whole Mediterranean world under one ruler. But in 285 AD, Emperor Diocletian split it into East and West. Later emperors kept that pattern. Rome remained the capital in the West, while Constantinople—the city built by Constantine—became the capital of the East.
That political split eventually created cultural and spiritual distance.
In the West, centered in Rome, Christians used Latin. The Pope in Rome grew in influence as emperors weakened, especially after the Western Empire collapsed in 476. Without strong political leadership, bishops of Rome often stepped in to fill the void, combining spiritual and civic authority.
In the East, centered in Constantinople, Christians used Greek. The Emperor remained strong, and the church worked closely with him. There, the Patriarch of Constantinople was respected, but he was never seen as above all the other bishops.
These two worlds—Latin West and Greek East—were still united in faith, but their cultures, languages, and political habits were drifting further apart.
That drift became obvious in worship. The West emphasized order, law, and uniformity. The East valued mystery, beauty, and long, elaborate liturgies. Both loved Christ, but they expressed it differently.
Disputes flared up from time to time—about Easter’s date, about who had authority in certain regions, about small changes in wording. Most of the time, they patched things over.
But by the 11th century, patience was wearing thin. Rome insisted on the Pope’s universal authority. Constantinople pushed back, defending the independence of the Eastern churches. And underneath it all, pride and politics sharpened every disagreement.
So when the crisis of 1054 came, it wasn’t out of nowhere.
It was the final crack in a wall that had been weakening for centuries.
By the middle of the 11th century, the divide between East and West had become impossible to ignore.
The immediate spark came when Pope Leo IX in Rome and Patriarch Michael Cerularius [ser-oo-LAIR-ee-us] in Constantinople clashed over authority and practice.
Pope Leo IX, leading the Roman Catholic Church in the West, believed the Pope was the universal head of all Christians, with authority even over Constantinople. Patriarch Michael, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East, rejected that claim, insisting that all major bishops were equals.
Tensions rose further when Western Christians began imposing their customs in Greek lands. Latin priests in southern Italy demanded that Eastern churches adopt Roman practices, like using unleavened bread for communion. In response, Patriarch Michael ordered Latin churches in Constantinople to close their doors.
It was a bold move—almost a declaration of war.
Pope Leo IX sent an official messenger—Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida —to negotiate. But Humbert was not a diplomat. He was fiery, proud, and blunt. His mission was to demand submission, not compromise.
On July 16, 1054, Humbert stormed into the Hagia Sophia—the Great Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople. The cathedral was filled with worshipers. Marching to the altar, Humbert laid down a bull of excommunication—an official letter cutting Patriarch Michael and his followers off from the Roman Catholic Church.
Then he turned and walked out.
To the East, this was nothing short of an insult. Patriarch Michael quickly gathered his own bishops. Together, they issued their own excommunication—declaring Humbert and the Pope’s representatives cut off from the Eastern Orthodox Church.
With that exchange, the fragile unity of a thousand years was shattered. No soldiers clashed. No blood was spilled. But the spiritual wound was deep, and it never healed.
What began as a moment of paperwork in a cathedral became one of the defining fractures in Christian history.
At first glance, the split of 1054 might look like nothing more than a heated exchange of letters. A few signatures on parchment, a few angry words in a cathedral. Surely that could be patched up?
But the truth is, the wound went deeper than paper.
The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East had already been drifting apart for centuries. The excommunications simply made the separation official.
And instead of cooling off, the hostility deepened.
Western Christians accused the East of arrogance, disobedience, and clinging to outdated traditions. Eastern Christians accused the West of pride, innovation, and tampering with the faith. Each side saw itself as preserving the true church—and the other as dangerously wrong.
Attempts at reconciliation were rare, and when they came, they failed. The Fourth Crusade in 1204 was the most disastrous moment of all. Instead of marching on Muslim armies, Western Crusaders invaded Constantinople itself—pillaging the city, desecrating churches, and leaving scars that still haven’t fully healed.
By then, the division was more than a disagreement. It was identity.
In the West, the Roman Catholic Church grew stronger under the Pope, eventually leading into the medieval papacy, the rise of scholastic theology, and later, the Reformation.
In the East, the Eastern Orthodox Church held fast to its traditions, guarded by the Byzantine Empire, shaping worship through icons, liturgy, and monastic life.
To ordinary Christians, the division may not have changed daily life right away. They still prayed, received communion, and read Scripture. But over generations, the gap widened until East and West hardly recognized each other as family.
The Great Schism wasn’t just a break in fellowship. It was a redefinition of Christian unity itself—one body split into two, each carrying the gospel forward in its own way, but separated by suspicion.
And though leaders have talked about healing the divide, nearly a thousand years later, the scar still runs through the church.
The Great Schism wasn’t just about bread … or language, or pride. At its heart, it was about unity—how fragile it is, and how easily it can be lost when disagreements harden into walls.
The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East still remain divided to this day. Efforts have been made toward reconciliation—most notably in 1965, when Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras the First met and lifted the excommunications of 1054. But even then, the rift wasn’t healed. It was more like removing a bandage from a scar that never closed.
And for everyday believers, the consequences of that thousand-year-old fracture are sobering.
Think about it: Jesus prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one “so that the world may believe.” Yet here we are, a millennium later, still pointing to one of the most visible examples of Christian disunity.
But before we shake our heads at the past, we should look at the present. Because unity isn’t just threatened by East versus West, Catholic versus Orthodox. Protestant versus both. Or Reformed versus Armenian.
It’s threatened in our local churches too.
We split over worship styles.
We divide over leadership decisions.
We walk away over minor doctrinal disputes.
We fracture over politics, personality, or pride.
Sometimes, we even fracture over misunderstandings, hurt feelings, broken trust and unresolved conflict.
The Schism of 1054 feels like a big, distant story—but it’s a mirror of our own. If leaders a thousand years ago could excommunicate each other over bread, words, and authority, what about us? What causes us to stop seeing each other as family?
The Schism also reminds us of something humbling: once unity is broken, it is very hard to repair. Generations pass. Bitterness calcifies. And even when apologies come, relationships don’t snap back overnight.
That makes the call urgent. If unity matters to Jesus—and it does—then it has to matter to us. Not just in theory, but in practice.
The Great Schism stands as both a warning and an invitation: a warning about how small disputes can grow into lasting division, and an invitation to fight for unity before it’s too late.
The Great Schism of 1054 can feel like a story about bishops, cathedrals, and distant politics. But beneath all the history lies a very personal question: what breaks unity in your life?
Jesus never said unity would be easy. But He not only prayed for it, He commanded it. He also warned His followers that pride, sin, and selfishness would constantly try to tear it apart.
The Christians of 1054 didn’t set out to split the church forever. They let suspicion fester. They let pride do the talking. And one day, unity was gone.
What about us?
Do we walk away from relationships because we refuse to forgive?
Do we cling to our preferences instead of serving others?
Do we let offenses (small or large) grow into walls?
Sometimes we even spiritualize division—convincing ourselves it’s about truth, when it’s really about something else.
The New Testament gives clear marks for leadership: above reproach, self-controlled, not greedy for gain, hospitable, faithful to Scripture. But those qualities aren’t only for pastors. They are for all of us. If we can’t live with integrity in the small things, how can we claim to walk in unity in the bigger ones?
“Jesus told us to go directly to a brother or sister when we’re offended, not to let bitterness grow in secret. Not to bring others into the argument. Not to seek winning – but to seek unity. Paul urged the church to speak the truth in love, to bear with one another, and to forgive as Christ forgave us. When humility leads the way, conflicts don’t have to divide — they can actually become opportunities to show grace and strengthen the bonds of fellowship.”
The Schism reminds us: once the tie is broken, it’s nearly impossible to put back together.
So maybe the call for us today is simpler than we think. Guard unity now. Value your brothers and sisters more than your ego. Pray before you post. Forgive before you fracture.
Because when the world looks at Christians and sees division, they doubt Christ. But when the world looks at Christians and sees sacrificial love, they see Jesus.
So here’s the challenge: Are you willing to fight for unity—not just in church history books, but in your home, your friendships, and your church right now?
If this story of the Great Schism of 1054 challenged or encouraged you, would you consider sharing this episode with a friend? You never know who might need to hear it.
If you’re listening on a podcast app, leaving a review really helps others find COACH. And be sure to follow for new episodes every week.
You’ll find my source list—and even some contrary opinions—linked in the show notes. If you’d like to read those books yourself, I’ve included Amazon links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Next time, we’ll explore another moment in church history where God’s work surprised the world.
On Wednesday, we stay between 500 and 1500 AD.
You can also watch COACH episodes on YouTube at the That’s Jesus Channel.
Thanks for listening to COACH – Church Origins and Church History. I’m Bob Baulch with the That’s Jesus Channel.
Have a great day—and be blessed.
And my Amazon commissions might just about cover half a coffee.
References
Quotes
Q1: Basil’s warning that “the enemy waits not at the gates but within the very air we breathe.” [3] [Paraphrased]
Q2: Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History on similar episodes of demonic affliction in Cappadocia. [1] [Summarized]
Q3: Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Macrina: “when the faithful weep in agreement, heaven itself is stirred.” [2] [Paraphrased]
Q4: Kate Cooper & Susanna Elm, on ordinary holiness fueling deliverance (Elm, Virgins of God). [5] [Summarized]
Q5: Primary accounts of the Bull of Excommunication in Hagia Sophia (1054). [7] [Summarized]
Q6: Accounts of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 desecrating Constantinople. [12] [Summarized]
Z-Notes
Z1: The “Great Schism” refers to the permanent division between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East in 1054. [7]
Z2: The excommunications in Hagia Sophia were more symbolic than practical—but they formalized a break already centuries in the making. [10]
Z3: The “Bull of Excommunication” was a sealed letter that officially cut Patriarch Michael Cerularius off from fellowship with Rome. [7]
Z4: A papal legate was not a pope but an official ambassador sent to represent papal authority in foreign lands. [8]
Z5: The Patriarch of Constantinople was considered “first among equals” in the East, not the supreme leader. [9]
Z6: Latin versus Greek wasn’t just about language—it shaped worship, law, and culture on each side of the empire. [10]
Z7: The split was worsened by political rivalries, not only theology. East and West often competed for influence over new Christian territories. [13]
Z8: The Fourth Crusade (1204) is remembered in the East as the point of no return, when trust collapsed completely. [12]
Z9: Modern efforts at reconciliation (1965, 2001, 2014) have emphasized lifting excommunications, but full communion remains elusive. [9]
Z10: Both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy trace their legitimacy back to the apostles, though they diverge on how authority is exercised. [11]
Z11: The schism influenced later reform movements in the West by setting a precedent that churches could exist outside Rome’s control. [14]
POP (Parallel Orthodox Perspective)
P1: Some modern Orthodox and Catholic leaders argue that East and West are “sister churches” rather than enemies, suggesting that the original 1054 break was more political than spiritual. [9]
P2: A minority of historians argue that the “real schism” didn’t fully solidify until after the Fourth Crusade in 1204. [12]
SCOP (Skeptical or Contrary Opinion Point)
S1: Many Christians today dismiss the Schism as irrelevant, yet it remains one of the largest ongoing divisions in Christian history—with over a billion Catholics and over 200 million Orthodox believers still separated. [19]
S2: Some claim the split was purely theological (Filioque clause), but political, cultural, and personal pride played equal roles. [10]
S3: A common misconception is that the Pope and Patriarch personally hated each other; in reality, both sides were entrenched in defending their own vision of authority. [8]
Numbered References
Equipment
As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Credits
Audio 1
Background Music: “Background Music Soft Calm” by INPLUSMUSIC, Pixabay Content License
Composer: Poradovskyi Andrii (BMI IPI Number: 01055591064)
Source: Pixabay
YouTube: INPLUSMUSIC Channel
Instagram: @inplusmusic
Audio 2
Crescendo: “Epic Trailer Short 0022 Sec” by BurtySounds, Pixabay Content License
Source: Pixabay
Video 1
Audio Visualizer: “Digital Audio Spectrum Sound Wave Equalizer Effect Animation, Alpha Channel Transparent Background, 4K Resolution” by Vecteezy
License: Free License (Attribution Required)
Source: Vecteezy
Research Support
Assisted by ChatGPT (OpenAI) for consolidating ideas, streamlining research, phonetic insertion, and Grok (xAI) for fact-checking, quote verification, and reference validation.
AI Resources
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By That’s Jesus Channel / Bob Baulch1054 AD The Great Schism Divides the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church
Published 8/20/2025
50-Word Description
In 1054, the Christian church split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox branches over authority, worship, and pride. Pope Leo IX’s legate excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius in Constantinople, formalizing centuries of tension. This episode explores the Great Schism’s causes, consequences, and lessons for unity today.
150-Word Description
In 1054, the Great Schism divided Christianity into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Pope Leo IX’s legate, Humbert, excommunicated Patriarch Michael Cerularius in Constantinople’s Hagia Sophia, citing disputes over papal authority, communion bread, and creed wording. Rooted in centuries of cultural and political drift, the split deepened with the 1204 Crusade’s sacking of Constantinople. Despite 1965 reconciliation attempts, the divide persists. The Schism warns of pride and division, urging believers to guard unity, as Jesus prayed in John 17. This episode traces the fracture and challenges modern Christians to pursue oneness.
Keywords (500 characters)
Great Schism, 1054, Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Constantinople, Rome, Pope Leo IX, Michael Cerularius, Hagia Sophia, excommunication, Fourth Crusade, papal authority, Filioque, church unity, Byzantine Empire, medieval Christianity, ecclesiastical history, Christian division, reconciliation, John 17, church councils
Hashtags (five words)
#GreatSchism #ChurchUnity #1054 #Orthodox #Catholic
Transcript
The year was 1054, and the Christian world was about to split apart.
For centuries, Christians in the East and West had worshiped the same Christ, confessed the same creed, and shared the same Scriptures. But under the surface, tension had been building like cracks in glass—small disagreements about language, worship, and leadership that stretched across continents.
In the West, believers looked to Rome—the Roman Catholic Church—where the Pope claimed to sit in the seat of Peter. In the East, they looked to Constantinople—the capital of the Eastern Orthodox Church—with its grand tradition of worship and the Emperor’s protection.
Most everyday Christians didn’t think about these things. They prayed, sang, took communion, baptized their children, and lived out their faith. But church leaders on both sides grew more suspicious of each other.
Then, in 1054, everything snapped.
A papal messenger—Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida—walked into the Hagia [HAH-jee-uh] Sophia in Constantinople. In front of the congregation, he laid down a bull of excommunication—an official letter cutting the Eastern leaders off from the church.
The East responded in kind.
And the one Body of Christ was torn apart.
What caused this Great Schism? Was it theology? Politics? Pride?
And more haunting—what does it mean for us today, a thousand years later, when Christians still divide and walk away from each other?
From the That’s Jesus Channel, welcome to COACH—where we explore Church Origins and Church History.
I’m Bob Baulch.
And on Wednesdays, we stay between 500 and 1500 AD.
Today, we’re stepping into one of the most painful moments in Christian history: the year 1054—the Great Schism.
Up until this point, Christianity in the East and West had its differences, but still considered itself one church. The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East shared the same Bible, the same creeds, and the same Lord. But their unity was fragile.
They argued about leadership. Should all churches submit to the Pope in Rome? Or should each major city have its own independence, as in the East?
They clashed over worship. Should bread for communion be leavened—soft and risen, as in the East—or unleavened, like the West used?
They even fought over words. In the West, a phrase was added to the creed about the Holy Spirit proceeding from both the Father and the Son. The East saw that as tampering with the faith.
For centuries, these disputes simmered. But in 1054, they boiled over.
An exchange of excommunications—letters declaring the other side outside the church—formalized a split that remains to this day.
The question is: was this inevitable? Or could it have been avoided?
And perhaps most importantly: what does the Great Schism teach us about how fragile unity really is?
To understand why the Great Schism happened in 1054, we need to go back much earlier.
The Roman Empire had once united the whole Mediterranean world under one ruler. But in 285 AD, Emperor Diocletian split it into East and West. Later emperors kept that pattern. Rome remained the capital in the West, while Constantinople—the city built by Constantine—became the capital of the East.
That political split eventually created cultural and spiritual distance.
In the West, centered in Rome, Christians used Latin. The Pope in Rome grew in influence as emperors weakened, especially after the Western Empire collapsed in 476. Without strong political leadership, bishops of Rome often stepped in to fill the void, combining spiritual and civic authority.
In the East, centered in Constantinople, Christians used Greek. The Emperor remained strong, and the church worked closely with him. There, the Patriarch of Constantinople was respected, but he was never seen as above all the other bishops.
These two worlds—Latin West and Greek East—were still united in faith, but their cultures, languages, and political habits were drifting further apart.
That drift became obvious in worship. The West emphasized order, law, and uniformity. The East valued mystery, beauty, and long, elaborate liturgies. Both loved Christ, but they expressed it differently.
Disputes flared up from time to time—about Easter’s date, about who had authority in certain regions, about small changes in wording. Most of the time, they patched things over.
But by the 11th century, patience was wearing thin. Rome insisted on the Pope’s universal authority. Constantinople pushed back, defending the independence of the Eastern churches. And underneath it all, pride and politics sharpened every disagreement.
So when the crisis of 1054 came, it wasn’t out of nowhere.
It was the final crack in a wall that had been weakening for centuries.
By the middle of the 11th century, the divide between East and West had become impossible to ignore.
The immediate spark came when Pope Leo IX in Rome and Patriarch Michael Cerularius [ser-oo-LAIR-ee-us] in Constantinople clashed over authority and practice.
Pope Leo IX, leading the Roman Catholic Church in the West, believed the Pope was the universal head of all Christians, with authority even over Constantinople. Patriarch Michael, head of the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East, rejected that claim, insisting that all major bishops were equals.
Tensions rose further when Western Christians began imposing their customs in Greek lands. Latin priests in southern Italy demanded that Eastern churches adopt Roman practices, like using unleavened bread for communion. In response, Patriarch Michael ordered Latin churches in Constantinople to close their doors.
It was a bold move—almost a declaration of war.
Pope Leo IX sent an official messenger—Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida —to negotiate. But Humbert was not a diplomat. He was fiery, proud, and blunt. His mission was to demand submission, not compromise.
On July 16, 1054, Humbert stormed into the Hagia Sophia—the Great Church of Holy Wisdom in Constantinople. The cathedral was filled with worshipers. Marching to the altar, Humbert laid down a bull of excommunication—an official letter cutting Patriarch Michael and his followers off from the Roman Catholic Church.
Then he turned and walked out.
To the East, this was nothing short of an insult. Patriarch Michael quickly gathered his own bishops. Together, they issued their own excommunication—declaring Humbert and the Pope’s representatives cut off from the Eastern Orthodox Church.
With that exchange, the fragile unity of a thousand years was shattered. No soldiers clashed. No blood was spilled. But the spiritual wound was deep, and it never healed.
What began as a moment of paperwork in a cathedral became one of the defining fractures in Christian history.
At first glance, the split of 1054 might look like nothing more than a heated exchange of letters. A few signatures on parchment, a few angry words in a cathedral. Surely that could be patched up?
But the truth is, the wound went deeper than paper.
The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East had already been drifting apart for centuries. The excommunications simply made the separation official.
And instead of cooling off, the hostility deepened.
Western Christians accused the East of arrogance, disobedience, and clinging to outdated traditions. Eastern Christians accused the West of pride, innovation, and tampering with the faith. Each side saw itself as preserving the true church—and the other as dangerously wrong.
Attempts at reconciliation were rare, and when they came, they failed. The Fourth Crusade in 1204 was the most disastrous moment of all. Instead of marching on Muslim armies, Western Crusaders invaded Constantinople itself—pillaging the city, desecrating churches, and leaving scars that still haven’t fully healed.
By then, the division was more than a disagreement. It was identity.
In the West, the Roman Catholic Church grew stronger under the Pope, eventually leading into the medieval papacy, the rise of scholastic theology, and later, the Reformation.
In the East, the Eastern Orthodox Church held fast to its traditions, guarded by the Byzantine Empire, shaping worship through icons, liturgy, and monastic life.
To ordinary Christians, the division may not have changed daily life right away. They still prayed, received communion, and read Scripture. But over generations, the gap widened until East and West hardly recognized each other as family.
The Great Schism wasn’t just a break in fellowship. It was a redefinition of Christian unity itself—one body split into two, each carrying the gospel forward in its own way, but separated by suspicion.
And though leaders have talked about healing the divide, nearly a thousand years later, the scar still runs through the church.
The Great Schism wasn’t just about bread … or language, or pride. At its heart, it was about unity—how fragile it is, and how easily it can be lost when disagreements harden into walls.
The Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East still remain divided to this day. Efforts have been made toward reconciliation—most notably in 1965, when Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras the First met and lifted the excommunications of 1054. But even then, the rift wasn’t healed. It was more like removing a bandage from a scar that never closed.
And for everyday believers, the consequences of that thousand-year-old fracture are sobering.
Think about it: Jesus prayed in John 17 that His followers would be one “so that the world may believe.” Yet here we are, a millennium later, still pointing to one of the most visible examples of Christian disunity.
But before we shake our heads at the past, we should look at the present. Because unity isn’t just threatened by East versus West, Catholic versus Orthodox. Protestant versus both. Or Reformed versus Armenian.
It’s threatened in our local churches too.
We split over worship styles.
We divide over leadership decisions.
We walk away over minor doctrinal disputes.
We fracture over politics, personality, or pride.
Sometimes, we even fracture over misunderstandings, hurt feelings, broken trust and unresolved conflict.
The Schism of 1054 feels like a big, distant story—but it’s a mirror of our own. If leaders a thousand years ago could excommunicate each other over bread, words, and authority, what about us? What causes us to stop seeing each other as family?
The Schism also reminds us of something humbling: once unity is broken, it is very hard to repair. Generations pass. Bitterness calcifies. And even when apologies come, relationships don’t snap back overnight.
That makes the call urgent. If unity matters to Jesus—and it does—then it has to matter to us. Not just in theory, but in practice.
The Great Schism stands as both a warning and an invitation: a warning about how small disputes can grow into lasting division, and an invitation to fight for unity before it’s too late.
The Great Schism of 1054 can feel like a story about bishops, cathedrals, and distant politics. But beneath all the history lies a very personal question: what breaks unity in your life?
Jesus never said unity would be easy. But He not only prayed for it, He commanded it. He also warned His followers that pride, sin, and selfishness would constantly try to tear it apart.
The Christians of 1054 didn’t set out to split the church forever. They let suspicion fester. They let pride do the talking. And one day, unity was gone.
What about us?
Do we walk away from relationships because we refuse to forgive?
Do we cling to our preferences instead of serving others?
Do we let offenses (small or large) grow into walls?
Sometimes we even spiritualize division—convincing ourselves it’s about truth, when it’s really about something else.
The New Testament gives clear marks for leadership: above reproach, self-controlled, not greedy for gain, hospitable, faithful to Scripture. But those qualities aren’t only for pastors. They are for all of us. If we can’t live with integrity in the small things, how can we claim to walk in unity in the bigger ones?
“Jesus told us to go directly to a brother or sister when we’re offended, not to let bitterness grow in secret. Not to bring others into the argument. Not to seek winning – but to seek unity. Paul urged the church to speak the truth in love, to bear with one another, and to forgive as Christ forgave us. When humility leads the way, conflicts don’t have to divide — they can actually become opportunities to show grace and strengthen the bonds of fellowship.”
The Schism reminds us: once the tie is broken, it’s nearly impossible to put back together.
So maybe the call for us today is simpler than we think. Guard unity now. Value your brothers and sisters more than your ego. Pray before you post. Forgive before you fracture.
Because when the world looks at Christians and sees division, they doubt Christ. But when the world looks at Christians and sees sacrificial love, they see Jesus.
So here’s the challenge: Are you willing to fight for unity—not just in church history books, but in your home, your friendships, and your church right now?
If this story of the Great Schism of 1054 challenged or encouraged you, would you consider sharing this episode with a friend? You never know who might need to hear it.
If you’re listening on a podcast app, leaving a review really helps others find COACH. And be sure to follow for new episodes every week.
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Next time, we’ll explore another moment in church history where God’s work surprised the world.
On Wednesday, we stay between 500 and 1500 AD.
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Thanks for listening to COACH – Church Origins and Church History. I’m Bob Baulch with the That’s Jesus Channel.
Have a great day—and be blessed.
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References
Quotes
Q1: Basil’s warning that “the enemy waits not at the gates but within the very air we breathe.” [3] [Paraphrased]
Q2: Sozomen’s Ecclesiastical History on similar episodes of demonic affliction in Cappadocia. [1] [Summarized]
Q3: Gregory of Nyssa, Life of Macrina: “when the faithful weep in agreement, heaven itself is stirred.” [2] [Paraphrased]
Q4: Kate Cooper & Susanna Elm, on ordinary holiness fueling deliverance (Elm, Virgins of God). [5] [Summarized]
Q5: Primary accounts of the Bull of Excommunication in Hagia Sophia (1054). [7] [Summarized]
Q6: Accounts of the Fourth Crusade in 1204 desecrating Constantinople. [12] [Summarized]
Z-Notes
Z1: The “Great Schism” refers to the permanent division between the Roman Catholic Church in the West and the Eastern Orthodox Church in the East in 1054. [7]
Z2: The excommunications in Hagia Sophia were more symbolic than practical—but they formalized a break already centuries in the making. [10]
Z3: The “Bull of Excommunication” was a sealed letter that officially cut Patriarch Michael Cerularius off from fellowship with Rome. [7]
Z4: A papal legate was not a pope but an official ambassador sent to represent papal authority in foreign lands. [8]
Z5: The Patriarch of Constantinople was considered “first among equals” in the East, not the supreme leader. [9]
Z6: Latin versus Greek wasn’t just about language—it shaped worship, law, and culture on each side of the empire. [10]
Z7: The split was worsened by political rivalries, not only theology. East and West often competed for influence over new Christian territories. [13]
Z8: The Fourth Crusade (1204) is remembered in the East as the point of no return, when trust collapsed completely. [12]
Z9: Modern efforts at reconciliation (1965, 2001, 2014) have emphasized lifting excommunications, but full communion remains elusive. [9]
Z10: Both Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy trace their legitimacy back to the apostles, though they diverge on how authority is exercised. [11]
Z11: The schism influenced later reform movements in the West by setting a precedent that churches could exist outside Rome’s control. [14]
POP (Parallel Orthodox Perspective)
P1: Some modern Orthodox and Catholic leaders argue that East and West are “sister churches” rather than enemies, suggesting that the original 1054 break was more political than spiritual. [9]
P2: A minority of historians argue that the “real schism” didn’t fully solidify until after the Fourth Crusade in 1204. [12]
SCOP (Skeptical or Contrary Opinion Point)
S1: Many Christians today dismiss the Schism as irrelevant, yet it remains one of the largest ongoing divisions in Christian history—with over a billion Catholics and over 200 million Orthodox believers still separated. [19]
S2: Some claim the split was purely theological (Filioque clause), but political, cultural, and personal pride played equal roles. [10]
S3: A common misconception is that the Pope and Patriarch personally hated each other; in reality, both sides were entrenched in defending their own vision of authority. [8]
Numbered References
Equipment
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Credits
Audio 1
Background Music: “Background Music Soft Calm” by INPLUSMUSIC, Pixabay Content License
Composer: Poradovskyi Andrii (BMI IPI Number: 01055591064)
Source: Pixabay
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Audio 2
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Video 1
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License: Free License (Attribution Required)
Source: Vecteezy
Research Support
Assisted by ChatGPT (OpenAI) for consolidating ideas, streamlining research, phonetic insertion, and Grok (xAI) for fact-checking, quote verification, and reference validation.
AI Resources
Production Note
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