Officially, the division of the Christian Church into Eastern (Orthodox) and Western (Roman Catholic) happened in 1054, with the participation of Pope Leo IX and Patriarch Michael Cerularius. It became the finale in the contradictions long overdue between the two religious centers of the Roman Empire, which had collapsed by the 5th century - Rome and Constantinople.

There were serious disagreements between them both in the field of dogma and in terms of the organization of church life.

After the transfer of the capital from Rome to Constantinople in 330, the clergy began to come to the fore in the socio-political life of Rome. In 395, when the empire actually collapsed, Rome became the official capital of its western part. But political instability soon led to the fact that the actual administration of these territories was in the hands of the bishops and the pope.

In many ways, this was the reason for the claims of the papal throne to the primacy of the entire Christian Church. These claims were rejected by the East, although from the first centuries of Christianity, the authority of the Roman pope in the West and in the East was very great: without his approval, not a single ecumenical council could open and close.

Cultural background

Church historians note that in the western and eastern regions of the empire, Christianity developed differently, under the powerful influence of two cultural traditions - Hellenic and Roman. The "Hellenic world" perceived the Christian doctrine as a certain philosophy, opening the way for the unity of man with God.

This explains the abundance of theological works of the Fathers of the Eastern Church, aimed at comprehending this unity, achieving "deification". They often show the influence of Greek philosophy. Such "theological inquisitiveness" sometimes led to heretical deviations, which were rejected by the Councils.

The world of Roman Christianity, in the words of the historian Bolotov, experienced "the influence of the Romanesque on the Christian." The “Roman world” perceived Christianity in a more “juridical-legal” way, methodically building the Church as a kind of social and legal institution. Professor Bolotov writes that Roman theologians "understood Christianity as a God-revealed program of social organization."

Roman theology was characterized by "jurisprudence", including the relation of God to man. It was expressed in the fact that good deeds were understood here as a person's merits before God, and repentance was not enough to forgive sins.

Later, the concept of redemption was formed, following the example of Roman law, which based the relationship between God and man on the categories of guilt, redemption and merit. These nuances gave rise to differences in dogmatics. But, in addition to these differences, the banal struggle for power and the personal claims of the hierarchs on both sides eventually became the cause of division.

Main differences

Today, Catholicism has many ritual and dogmatic differences from Orthodoxy, but we will consider the most important ones.

The first difference consists in a different understanding of the principle of the unity of the Church. In the Orthodox Church there is no single earthly head (Christ is considered its head). It has "primates" - patriarchs of local, independent from each other Churches - Russian, Greek, etc.

The Catholic Church (from the Greek "katholikos" - "universal") is one, and considers the presence of a visible head, which is the Pope, to be the basis of its unity. This dogma is called "primacy (primacy) of the Pope". The opinion of the Pope on matters of faith is recognized by Catholics as "infallible" - that is, infallible.

Symbol of faith

Also, the Catholic Church added to the text of the Creed, adopted at the Nicene Ecumenical Council, the phrase about the procession of the Holy Spirit from the Father and the Son (“filioque”). The Orthodox Church recognizes the procession only from the Father. Although individual holy fathers of the East recognized the "filioque" (for example, Maximus the Confessor).

Life after death

In addition, Catholicism has adopted the dogma of purgatory: a temporary state in which souls remain after death, not ready for paradise.

the Virgin Mary

An important discrepancy is also that in the Catholic Church there is a dogma about the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary, which affirms the original absence of original sin in the Mother of God. Orthodox, glorifying the holiness of the Mother of God, believe that he was inherent in Her, like all people. Also, this Catholic dogma is in conflict with the fact that Christ was half a man.

Indulgence

In the Middle Ages, in Catholicism, the doctrine of the “super-due merits of the saints” took shape: the “stock of good deeds” that the saints performed. The Church manages this "reserve" in order to make up for the lack of "good deeds" of repentant sinners.

From here grew the doctrine of indulgences - liberation from temporal punishment for sins in which a person repented. In the Renaissance, there was a misunderstanding of indulgence as the possibility of remission of sins for money and without confession.

Celibacy

Catholicism forbids marriage for clergy (the celibate priesthood). In the Orthodox Church, marriage is prohibited only for monastic priests and hierarchs.

outer part

As for the rites, Catholicism recognizes both the worship of the Latin rite (Mass) and the Byzantine (Greek Catholics).

Liturgy in the Orthodox Church is served on prosphora (leavened bread), Catholic worship - on unleavened bread (unleavened bread).

Catholics practice Communion under two types: only the Body of Christ (for the laity), and the Body and Blood (for the clergy).

Catholics make the sign of the cross from left to right, Orthodox - vice versa.

There are fewer fasts in Catholicism, and they are softer than in Orthodoxy.

An organ is used in Catholic worship.

Despite these and other differences that have accumulated over the centuries, Orthodox and Catholics have a lot in common. Moreover, something was borrowed by Catholics from the East (for example, the doctrine of the ascension of the Virgin).

Almost all local Orthodox churches (except Russian) live, like Catholics, according to the Gregorian calendar. Both denominations recognize each other's Sacraments.

The division of the Church is a historical and unresolved tragedy of Christianity. After all, Christ prayed for the unity of His disciples, who are all who strive to fulfill His commandments and confess Him as the Son of God: “May they all be one, as You, Father, in Me, and I in You, so they may be one in Us - May the world believe that You have sent Me."

The Christian faith from time immemorial has been attacked by opponents. In addition, attempts to interpret the Holy Scriptures in their own way were made at different times by different people. Perhaps this was the reason why the Christian faith was divided over time into Catholic, Protestant and Orthodox. They are all very similar, but there are differences between them. Who are Protestants and how does their teaching differ from Catholic and Orthodox? Let's try to figure it out. Let's start from the origins - with the formation of the first Church.

How did the Orthodox and Catholic Churches appear?

Approximately in the 50s from the Nativity of Christ, the disciples of Jesus and their supporters created the Orthodox Christian Church, which still exists today. First there were five ancient Christian Churches. In the first eight centuries since the birth of Christ, the Orthodox Church, led by the Holy Spirit, built her teaching, developed her own methods and traditions. To this end, all the Five Churches took part in the Ecumenical Councils. This teaching has not changed today. The Orthodox Church includes Churches that are not connected with each other by anything other than faith - the Syrian, Russian, Greek, Jerusalem, etc. But there is no other organization or no person that unites all these Churches under its leadership. The only leader in the Orthodox Church is Jesus Christ. Why is the Orthodox Church called the Catholic Church in prayer? It's simple: if you need to make an important decision, all the Churches take part in the Ecumenical Council. Later, a thousand years later, in 1054, the Roman Church, which is also Catholic, separated from the five ancient Christian churches.

This Church did not seek advice from other members of the Ecumenical Council, but made decisions and carried out reforms in church life itself. We will talk in more detail about the teachings of the Roman Church a little later.

How did the Protestants appear?

Let's return to the main question: "Who are the Protestants?" After the separation of the Roman Church, many people did not like the changes introduced by it. It was not in vain that the people thought that all the reforms were aimed only at making the Church richer and more influential.

After all, even in order to atone for sins, a person had to pay a certain amount of money to the Church. And in 1517, in Germany, the monk Martin Luther gave impetus to the Protestant faith. He denounced the Roman Catholic Church and its ministers that they are looking only for their own benefit, forgetting about God. Luther said that the Bible should be preferred if there is a conflict between church tradition and Scripture. Luther also translated the Bible from Latin into German, proclaiming that each person can study the Holy Scriptures for himself and interpret it in his own way. So are Protestants? Protestants demanded a revision of attitudes towards religion, getting rid of unnecessary traditions and rituals. The enmity began between the two Christian denominations. Catholics and Protestants fought. The only difference is that Catholics fought for power and subjugation to themselves, while Protestants fought for freedom of choice and the right path in religion.

Persecution of Protestants

Of course, the Roman Church could not ignore the attacks of those who opposed unquestioning obedience. Catholics did not want to accept and understand who the Protestants were. There were massacres of Catholics against Protestants, public executions of those who refused to become Catholics, harassment, ridicule, persecution. Adherents of Protestantism also did not always prove their case in a peaceful way. Protests by opponents of the Catholic Church and its rule in many countries swept with mass pogroms of Catholic churches. For example, in the 16th century in the Netherlands there were more than 5,000 pogroms by people who rebelled against Catholics. In response to the riots, the authorities repaired their own court, they did not understand how Catholics differ from Protestants. In the same Netherlands, over 80 years of war between the authorities and the Protestants, 2,000 conspirators were convicted and executed. In total, about 100,000 Protestants suffered for their faith in this country. And that's just in one country. Protestants, in spite of everything, defended their right to a different point of view on the issue of Church life. But, the uncertainty that was present in their teaching led to the fact that other groups began to separate from the Protestants. There are more than twenty thousand different Protestant churches all over the world, for example, Lutheran, Anglican, Baptist, Pentecostal, and among the Protestant movements there are Methodists, Presbyterians, Adventists, Congregationalists, Quakers, etc. Catholics and Protestants have greatly changed the Church. Who are Catholics and Protestants according to their teachings, let's try to figure it out. In fact, Catholics, Protestants, and Orthodox Christians are both Christians. The difference between them is that the Orthodox Church has what can be called the fullness of the teachings of Christ - it is a school and an example of goodness, it is a clinic for human souls, and Protestants simplify all this more and more, creating something in which it is very difficult to know the doctrine of virtue, and what cannot be called a complete doctrine of salvation.

Basic principles of Protestants

You can answer the question of who the Protestants are by understanding the basic principles of their teaching. Protestants consider all rich ecclesiastical experience, all spiritual art collected over the centuries, invalid. They recognize only the Bible, believing that it is the only true source of how and what to do in church life. For Protestants, the Christian communities of the time of Jesus and his apostles are the ideal of what the life of a Christian should be like. But adherents of Protestantism do not take into account the fact that at that time the church structure simply did not exist. Protestants simplified everything of the Church, except for the Bible, mainly because of the reforms of the Roman Church. Because Catholicism has greatly changed the doctrine and deviated from the Christian spirit. And the splits among the Protestants began to occur because they threw away everything - up to the teachings of the great saints, spiritual teachers, leaders of the Church. And since the Protestants began to deny these teachings, or rather, did not perceive them, then they began to argue in the interpretation of the Bible. Hence the split in Protestantism and the waste of energy not on self-education, as with the Orthodox, but on a useless struggle. The difference between Catholics and Protestants is being erased against the background of the fact that the Orthodox, who have been keeping their faith for more than 2,000 years in the form in which it was transmitted by Jesus, are both called a mutation of Christianity. Both Catholics and Protestants are sure that it is their faith that is true, such as Christ intended it to be.

Differences between Orthodox and Protestants

Although Protestants and Orthodox are Christians, the differences between them are significant. First, why do Protestants reject saints? It's simple - in the Holy Scriptures it is written that the members of the ancient communities of Christians were called "saints". Protestants, taking these communities as a basis, call themselves saints, which is unacceptable and even wild for an Orthodox person. Orthodox saints are heroes of the spirit and role models. They are the guiding star on the path to God. Believers treat Orthodox saints with awe and respect. Christians of the Orthodox denomination turn to their saints with prayers for help, for prayer support in difficult situations. Icons with images of saints do not just decorate their homes and temples.

Looking at the faces of the saints, a believer seeks to improve himself through the study of the lives of those depicted on the icons, inspired by the exploits of his heroes. Without an example of the holiness of spiritual fathers, monks, elders and other very respected and authoritative people among Orthodoxy, Protestants can give only one high title and honor for a spiritual person - this is "the one who studied the Bible." A Protestant person deprives himself of such an instrument for self-education and self-improvement as fasting, confession and communion. These three components are the hospital of the human spirit, forcing you to humble your flesh and work on your weaknesses, correcting yourself and striving for the bright, kind, Divine. Without confession, a person cannot cleanse his soul, begin to correct his sins, because he does not think about his shortcomings and continues to live an ordinary life for and for the sake of the flesh, in addition, being proud that he is a believer.

What else do Protestants lack?

No wonder many do not understand who Protestants are. After all, people of this religion, as mentioned above, do not have spiritual literature, such as that of Orthodox Christians. Almost everything can be found in the spiritual books of the Orthodox - from sermons and interpretation of the Bible to the lives of the saints and advice on how to fight one's passions. It becomes much easier for a person to understand the issues of good and evil. And without the interpretation of the Holy Scriptures, the Bible is extremely difficult to understand. Protestants began to appear, but it is still only in its infancy, and in Orthodoxy this literature has been improved for more than 2000 years. Self-education, self-improvement - the concepts inherent in every Orthodox Christian, among Protestants are reduced to the study and memorization of the Bible. In Orthodoxy, everything - both repentance, and prayers, and icons - everything calls for a person to strive at least one step closer to the ideal that God is. But the Protestant directs all his efforts to be virtuous outwardly, and does not care about his inner content. That's not all. Protestants and Orthodox differences in religion are noticed by the arrangement of churches. The Orthodox believer has support in striving to be better both in mind (thanks to preaching), and in heart (thanks to the decoration in churches, icons), and will (thanks to fasting). But Protestant churches are empty and Protestants hear only sermons that affect the mind without touching the hearts of people. Having abandoned monasteries, Protestant monasticism was deprived of the opportunity to see for themselves examples of a modest, humble life for the sake of the Lord. After all, monasticism is a school of spiritual life. It is not for nothing that there are many elders, saints or almost saints of Orthodox Christians among the monks. And also the concept of Protestants that nothing but faith in Christ is needed for salvation (neither good deeds, nor repentance, nor correction of oneself) is a false path, leading only to the addition of one more sin - pride (because of the feeling that once If you are a believer, then you are the chosen one and you will certainly be saved).

The difference between Catholics and Protestants

Despite the fact that Protestants are natives of Catholicism, there are significant differences between these two religions. So, in Catholicism, it is believed that the sacrifice of Christ atoned for all the sins of all people, and Protestants, however, like the Orthodox, believe that a person is initially sinful and the blood shed by Jesus alone is not enough to atone for sins. Man must atone for his sins. Hence the difference in the construction of temples. For Catholics, the altar is open, everyone can see the throne, for Protestants and Orthodox in churches, the altar is closed. Here's another way Catholics differ from Protestants - Protestants communicate with God without an intermediary - a priest, while Catholics have priests to mediate between a person and God.

Catholics on earth have a representative of Jesus himself, at least they think so - this is the Pope. He is an infallible person for all Catholics. The Pope of Rome resides in the Vatican, the single central governing body for all the Catholic Churches in the world. Another difference between Catholics and Protestants is the rejection by Protestants of the Catholic notion of purgatory. As mentioned above, Protestants reject icons, saints, monasteries and monasticism. They believe that believers are holy in themselves. Therefore, Protestants do not distinguish between a priest and a parishioner. A Protestant priest is accountable to the Protestant community and cannot confess or give communion to believers. In fact, he is just a preacher, that is, he reads sermons for believers. But the main difference between Catholics and Protestants is the question of the connection between God and man. Protestants believe that the personal is enough for salvation, and a person receives Grace from God without the participation of the Church.

Protestants and Huguenots

These names of religious movements are closely related. To answer the question of who the Huguenots and Protestants are, you need to remember the history of 16th century France. The French began to call the Huguenots protesting against the rule of Catholics, but the first Huguenots were called Lutherans. Although an evangelical movement independent of Germany, directed against the reforms of the Roman Church, existed in France as early as the beginning of the 16th century. The struggle of Catholics against the Huguenots did not affect the increase in the number of adherents of this movement.

Even the famous one, when the Catholics simply staged a massacre and killed many Protestants, did not break them. In the end, the Huguenots achieved recognition by the authorities of the right to exist. In the history of the development of this Protestant movement, there were oppression, and the granting of privileges, then again oppression. Yet the Huguenots persevered. By the time of the end of the twentieth century in France, the Huguenots were, albeit a small number of the population, but they were very influential. A distinctive feature in the religion of the Huguenots (followers of the teachings of John Calvin) is that some of them believed that God determines in advance which of the people will be saved, whether a person is sinful or not, and the other part of the Huguenots believed that all people are equal before God and the Lord grants salvation to everyone who accepts this salvation. Disputes between the Huguenots did not stop for a long time.

Protestants and Lutherans

The history of Protestants began to take shape in the 16th century. And one of the initiators of this movement was M. Luther, who opposed the excesses of the Roman Church. One of the directions of Protestantism began to be called by the name of this person. The name "Evangelical Lutheran Church" became widespread in the 17th century. The parishioners of this church began to be called Lutherans. It should be added that in some countries all Protestants were first called Lutherans. For example, in Russia, until the revolution, all adherents of Protestantism were considered Lutherans. To understand who Lutherans and Protestants are, you need to turn to their teachings. Lutherans believe that during the Reformation, the Protestants did not create a new Church, but restored the ancient one. Also, according to Lutherans, God accepts any sinner as his child, and the salvation of the sinner is only the initiative of the Lord. Salvation does not depend on the efforts of a person, nor on the passage of church rites, it is God's grace, for which you do not even need to prepare. Even faith, according to the teachings of the Lutherans, is given only by the will and action of the Holy Spirit and only by the people chosen by him. A distinctive feature of Lutherans and Protestants is that Lutherans recognize baptism, and even baptism in infancy, which Protestants do not.

Protestants today

Which religion is correct is not worth judging. Only the Lord knows the answer to this question. One thing is clear: the Protestants proved their right to be. The history of Protestants, starting from the 16th century, is the history of the right to one's own opinion, to one's opinion. Neither oppression, nor execution, nor ridicule could break the spirit of Protestantism. And today, Protestants are the second largest believers among the three Christian religions. This religion has penetrated almost all countries. Protestants make up approximately 33% of the total population of the globe, or 800 million people. There are Protestant churches in 92 countries of the world, and in 49 countries the majority of the population is Protestant. This religion prevails in countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland, Iceland, the Netherlands, Iceland, Germany, Great Britain, Switzerland, etc.

Three Christian religions, three directions - Orthodox, Catholics, Protestants. Photos from the life of parishioners of churches of all three denominations help to understand that these directions are so similar, but with significant differences. It would, of course, be wonderful if all three forms of Christianity would come to a common opinion on controversial issues of religion and church life. But while they differ in many ways and do not compromise. A Christian can only choose which of the Christian denominations is closer to his heart and live according to the laws of the chosen Church.

Nika Kravchuk

How is the Orthodox Church different from the Catholic

Orthodox Church and the Catholic Church, two branches of Christianity. Both originate from the preaching of Christ and apostolic times, honor the Most Holy Trinity, worship the Mother of God and the saints, have the same sacraments. But there are many differences between these churches.

The most fundamental dogmatic differences, Perhaps there are three.

Symbol of faith. The Orthodox Church teaches that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father. The Catholic Church has the so-called "filioque" - the addition of "and the Son." That is, Catholics claim that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.

Honoring the Mother of God. Catholics have a dogma about the immaculate conception of the Virgin Mary, according to which the Mother of God did not inherit original sin. The Orthodox Church says that Mary was freed from original sin from the moment of the conception of Christ. Also, Catholics believe that the Mother of God ascended into heaven, so they do not know such a revered feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin in Orthodoxy.

The dogma of the infallibility of the Pope. The Catholic Church believes that the teaching on matters of faith and morality delivered by the Pope ex cathedra (from the pulpit) is infallible. The Pope is filled with the Holy Spirit, so he cannot make mistakes.

But there are many other differences as well.

Celibacy. In the Orthodox Church there are black and white clergy, the second one is supposed to have families. The Catholic clergy take a vow of celibacy - celibacy.

Marriage. The Catholic Church considers it a sacred union and does not recognize divorce. Orthodoxy allows different circumstances.

Cross sign. Orthodox are baptized with three fingers, from left to right. Catholics - five and from right to left.

Baptism. If in the Catholic Church it is supposed only to water the person being baptized with water, then in the Orthodox Church - to dip with his head. In Orthodoxy, the sacraments of baptism and chrismation are performed at the same moment, while among Catholics, chrismation is performed separately (possibly on the day of the First Communion).

Communion. Orthodox during this sacrament eat bread from leavened dough, and Catholics - from unleavened bread. In addition, the Orthodox Church blesses children to receive communion from a very early age, and in Catholicism this is preceded by catechesis (teaching the Christian faith), after which there is a big holiday - the First Communion, which falls somewhere in the 10-12th year of a child's life.

Purgatory. The Catholic Church, in addition to hell and heaven, also recognizes a special intermediate place in which the soul of a person can still be cleansed for eternal bliss.

Temple arrangement. In Catholic churches, an organ is installed, there are relatively fewer icons, but there are still sculptures and many places to sit. In Orthodox churches there are many icons, murals, it is customary to pray while standing (there are benches and chairs for those who need to sit).

Universality. Each of the Churches has its own understanding of universality (catholicity). Orthodox believe that the Universal Church is embodied in every local Church headed by a bishop. The Catholics specify that this local Church must have communion with the local Roman Catholic Church.

Cathedrals. The Orthodox Church recognizes these Ecumenical Councils, while the Catholic Church recognizes 21.

Many are concerned about the question: can both churches unite? There is such an opportunity, but what about the differences that have existed for many centuries? The question remains open.

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When people first come to the temple, the text of the services seems completely incomprehensible to them. “Elitsya catechumens, come out,” the priest gives an exclamation. Who does he mean? Where to go? Where did such a name come from? The answers to these questions must be sought in the history of the Church.

The difference between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church lies primarily in the recognition of the infallibility and supremacy of the Pope. The disciples and followers of Jesus Christ after His Resurrection and Ascension began to call themselves Christians. This is how Christianity arose, which gradually spread to the west and east.

The history of the split of the Christian church

As a result of reformist views over the course of 2000 years, different currents of Christianity have arisen:

• orthodoxy;
• Catholicism;
• Protestantism, which arose as an offshoot of the Catholic faith.

Each religion subsequently breaks up into new confessions.

In Orthodoxy, Greek, Russian, Georgian, Serbian, Ukrainian and other patriarchates arise, which have their own branches. Catholics are divided into Roman and Greek Catholics. It is difficult to list all confessions in Protestantism.

All these religions are united by one root - Christ and faith in the Holy Trinity.

Read about other religions:

The Holy Trinity

The Roman Church was founded by the Apostle Peter, who spent his last days in Rome. Even then, the Pope headed the church, in translation meaning "Our Father." At that time, few priests were ready to take over the leadership of Christianity because of the fear of persecution.

Eastern Rite Christianity was led by four oldest Churches:

• Constantinople, whose patriarch headed the eastern branch;
• Alexandria;
• Jerusalem, whose first patriarch was the earthly brother of Jesus, James;
• Antioch.

Thanks to the educational mission of the Eastern priesthood, Christians from Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania joined them in the 4th-5th centuries. Subsequently, these countries declared themselves autocephalous, independent of the Orthodox movement.

On a purely human level, visions of development began to emerge in the newly formed churches, rivalries arose that intensified after Constantine the Great named Constantinople the capital of the empire in the fourth century.

After the fall of the power of Rome, all the supremacy passed to the Patriarch of Constantinople, which caused dissatisfaction with the Western Rite, headed by the Pope.

Western Christians justified their right to supremacy by the fact that it was in Rome that the Apostle Peter lived and was executed, to whom the Savior handed over the keys to paradise.

St. Peter

Filioque

The differences between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox also relate to the filioque, the doctrine of the procession of the Holy Spirit, which became the root cause of the split of the Christian united Church.

Christian theologians more than a thousand years ago did not come to a general conclusion about the procession of the Holy Spirit. The question is who sends the Spirit - God the Father or God the Son.

The Apostle John conveys (John 15:26) that Jesus will send the Comforter in the form of the Spirit of truth, proceeding from God the Father. In the epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul directly confirms the procession of the Spirit from Jesus, who blows the Holy Spirit into the hearts of Christians.

According to the Nicene formula, belief in the Holy Spirit sounds like an appeal to one of the hypostases of the Holy Trinity.

The Fathers of the Second Ecumenical Council expanded this appeal “I believe in the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the Life-Giving One, who proceeds from the Father”, emphasizing the role of the Son, which was not accepted by the Constantinople priests.

The naming of Photius as the Ecumenical Patriarch was perceived by the Roman rite as a belittling of their significance. Eastern worshipers pointed to the disgrace of Western priests, who shaved their beards and observed fasts on Saturday, at that time they themselves began to surround themselves with special luxury.

All these disagreements gathered drop by drop to express themselves in a huge explosion of the schema.

The Patriarchy, headed by Nikita Stifat, openly calls the Latins heretics. The final straw that led to the break was the humiliation of the delegation of legates at the negotiations in 1054 in Constantinople.

Interesting! The priests, who did not find a common understanding in matters of government, were divided into the Orthodox and Catholic Churches. Initially, Christian churches were called orthodox. After the partition, the eastern Christian movement retained the name of orthodoxy or Orthodoxy, while the western movement became known as Catholicism or the universal Church.

Differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism

1. In recognition of the infallibility and primacy of the Pope and in relation to the filioque.
2. Orthodox canons deny purgatory, where, having sinned with a not very serious sin, the soul is cleansed and sent to paradise. In Orthodoxy there are no major or minor sins, sin is sin, and it can be cleansed only by the sacrament of confession during the life of a sinner.
3. Catholics came up with indulgences that give a “pass” to Heaven for good deeds, but the Bible says that salvation is a grace from God, and without true faith you won’t earn a place in paradise with good deeds alone. (Eph. 8:2-9)

Orthodoxy and Catholicism: similarities and differences

Differences in rituals

The two religions differ in the calendar of worship services. Catholics live according to the Gregorian calendar, Orthodox - Julian. According to the Gregorian chronology, Jewish and Orthodox Easter can coincide, which is prohibited. According to the Julian calendar, Russian, Georgian, Ukrainian, Serbian and Jerusalem Orthodox Churches conduct divine services.

There are also differences when writing icons. In the Orthodox ministry, this is a two-dimensional image; Catholicism practices naturalistic dimensions.

Eastern Christians have the opportunity to divorce and get married a second time, in the Western rite divorces are prohibited.

The Byzantine rite of Great Lent begins on Monday, while the Latin rite begins on Wednesday.

Orthodox Christians make the sign of the cross from right to left, folding their fingers in a certain way, while Catholics do it the other way around, not focusing on the hands.

An interesting interpretation of this action. Both religions agree that a demon sits on the left shoulder, and an angel sits on the right.

Important! Catholics explain the direction of baptism by the fact that when the cross is applied, there is a cleansing from sin to salvation. According to Orthodoxy, at baptism, a Christian proclaims the victory of God over the devil.

How do Christians who were once in unity treat each other? Orthodoxy does not have liturgical communion with Catholics, joint prayers.

Orthodox churches do not rule over secular authorities; Catholicism affirms the supremacy of God and the subordination of authorities to the Pope.

According to the Latin rite, any sin offends God, Orthodoxy claims that God cannot be offended. He is not mortal; by sin, a person harms only himself.

Daily life: rituals and services

Sayings of the Saints on Division and Unity

There are many differences between Christians of both rites, but the main thing that unites them is the Holy Blood of Jesus Christ, faith in the One God and the Holy Trinity.

Saint Luke of Crimea quite sharply condemned the negative attitude towards Catholics, while separating the Vatican, the Pope and the cardinals from ordinary people who have a true, saving faith.

St. Philaret of Moscow compared the division between Christians with partitions, while emphasizing that they could not reach the sky. According to Filaret, Christians cannot be called heretics if they believe in Jesus as the Savior. The saint constantly prayed for the union of all. He recognized Orthodoxy as the true teaching, but pointed out that God also accepts other Christian movements with longsuffering.

Saint Mark of Ephesus calls Catholics heretics, since they have deviated from the true faith, and urged them not to make peace.

The Monk Ambrose of Optina also condemns the Latin rite for violating the decrees of the apostles.

Righteous John of Kronstadt claims that Catholics, along with reformers, Protestants and Lutherans, have fallen away from Christ, based on the words of the Gospel. (Matthew 12:30)

How to measure the value of faith in this or that rite, the truth of accepting God the Father and walking under the power of the Holy Spirit in love for God the Son, Jesus Christ? God will show all this in the future.

Video about the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism? Andrey Kuraev

In 1054, one of the most important events in the history of the Middle Ages took place - the Great Schism, or schism. And despite the fact that mutual anathemas were lifted by the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Holy See back in the middle of the 20th century, the world did not unite, and the reason for this was both dogmatic differences between both confessions and political contradictions closely connected with the Church throughout its existence.

This state of affairs persists even though most of the states where the population professes Christianity, and where it has taken root in antiquity, are secular and have a large proportion of atheists. The Church and its role in history became part of the national self-identification of many peoples, despite the fact that representatives of these peoples often did not even read the Scriptures.

Sources of conflict

A single Christian church (hereinafter referred to as the EC) arose in the Roman Empire in the first centuries of our era. It was not something monolithic in the early period of its existence. The sermons of the apostles and then the apostolic men lay down on the consciousness of the man of the ancient Mediterranean, and it differed significantly from that of the people of the East. The unified dogmatics of the EC was finally developed during the period of the Apologists, and in addition to the Scripture itself, its formation was strongly influenced by Greek philosophy, namely: Plato, Aristotle, Zeno.

The first theologians who developed the foundations of the Christian faith were people from various parts of the empire, who often had personal spiritual and philosophical experience behind them. And in their works, in the presence of a common basis, we can see some accents, which in the future will become sources of contradictions. Those in power will cling to these contradictions in the interests of the state, caring little about the spiritual side of the issue.

The unity of common Christian dogma was supported by the Ecumenical Councils, the formation of the clergy as a separate class of society proceeded according to the principle of continuity of ordinations from the Apostle Peter . But the harbingers of a future split were already clearly visible at least in such a case as proselytism. In the period of the early Middle Ages, new peoples began to enter the orbit of Christianity, and here the circumstance from whom the people receive Baptism played a much greater role than the very fact of such. And this, in turn, was strongly reflected in how relations between the Church and the new flock would develop, because the community of new converts did not so much accept the dogma as it entered the orbit of a stronger political structure.

The difference in the role of the Church in the east and in the west of the former Roman Empire was due to the different fate of these parts. The western part of the empire fell under the pressure of internal conflicts and barbarian raids, and the Church there actually formed a society. States were formed, disintegrated, re-created, but the Roman center of gravity existed. In fact, the Church in the West rose above the state, which determined its further role in European politics until the era of the Reformation.

The Byzantine Empire, on the contrary, had its roots in the pre-Christian era, and Christianity became part of the culture and self-consciousness of the population of this territory, but did not replace this culture entirely. The organization of the Eastern churches followed a different principle—locality. The Church was organized as if from below, it was a community of believers as opposed to the power vertical in Rome. The Patriarch of Constantinople had the primacy of honor, but not legislative power (Constantinople did not shake the threat of excommunication as a stick to influence objectionable monarchs). The relationship with the latter was realized according to the principle of a symphony.

The further development of Christian theology in the East and in the West also followed different paths. Scholasticism spread in the West, trying to combine faith and logic, which ultimately led to a conflict between faith and reason in the Renaissance. In the East, these concepts have never been mixed up, which is well reflected in the Russian proverb "Trust in God, but don't make a mistake yourself." On the one hand, this gave greater freedom of thought, on the other hand, it did not give the practice of scientific dispute.

Thus, political and theological contradictions led to the schism of 1054. How it went is a big topic worthy of a separate presentation. And now we will tell you how modern Orthodoxy and Catholicism differ from each other. The differences will be considered in the following order:

1. dogmatic;
2. Ritual;
3. Mental.

Fundamental dogmatic differences

Usually little is said about them, which is not surprising: a simple believer, as a rule, does not care about this. But there are such differences., and some of them became the reason for the split in 1054. Let's list them.

Views on the Holy Trinity

A stumbling block between Orthodox and Catholics. The notorious filioque.

The Catholic Church believes that Divine grace comes not only from the Father, but also from the Son. Orthodoxy, on the other hand, professes the procession of the Holy Spirit only from the Father and the existence of Three Persons in a single Divine essence.

Views on the Immaculate Conception of the Virgin Mary

Catholics believe that the Mother of God is the fruit of the Immaculate Conception, that is, she was free from original sin from the very beginning (recall that by original sin considered disobedience to the will God, and we still feel the consequences of Adam's disobedience to this will (Gen. 3:19)).

The Orthodox do not recognize this dogma, since there are no indications of such a thing in Scripture, and the conclusions of Catholic theologians are based only on a hypothesis.

Views on the unity of the Church

Orthodox understand faith and sacraments as unity, while Catholics recognize the Pope as the vicar of God on earth. Orthodoxy considers each local church to be completely self-sufficient (for it is a model of the Universal Church), Catholicism puts at the forefront the recognition of the Pope's authority over it and all aspects of human life. The Pope is infallible in the views of Catholics.

Resolutions of the Ecumenical Councils

Orthodox recognize 7 Ecumenical Councils, and Catholics - 21, the last of which took place in the middle of the last century.

Dogma of Purgatory

Available for Catholics. Purgatory is a place where the souls of the dead go in unity with God, but did not pay for their sins during life. It is believed that living people should pray for them. Orthodox do not recognize the doctrine of purgatory, believing that the fate of the human soul is in the hands of God, but it is possible and necessary to pray for the dead. Finally, this dogma was approved only at the Ferrara-Florence Cathedral.

Differences in views on dogmas

The Catholic Church adopted the theory of dogmatic development created by Cardinal John Newman, according to which the Church should clearly formulate her dogmas in words. The need for this arose to counter the influence of Protestant denominations. This problem is quite relevant and broad: Protestants honor the letter of Scripture, and often to the detriment of its spirit. Catholic theologians set themselves a difficult task: to formulate dogmas based on Scripture in such a way as to eliminate these contradictions.

Orthodox hierarchs and theologians do not consider it necessary to somehow clearly state the dogma of the dogma and develop it. In the view of Orthodox churches, the letter does not give a complete understanding of faith and even limits this understanding. Church Tradition is complete enough for a Christian, and every believer can have his own spiritual path.

External differences

This is what catches the eye in the first place. Oddly enough, but it was they, despite their non-principled nature, that became the source of not only small conflicts, but also big upheavals. Typically it was for the Orthodox and Catholic churches, differences within which, at least regarding the views of the hierarchs, provoked the emergence of heresies and new schisms.

The rite was never something static - neither in the period of early Christianity, nor during the Great Schism, nor in the period of separate existence. Moreover: sometimes cardinal changes took place in the rite, but they did not bring them closer to the unity of the church. Rather, on the contrary, each innovation split off a part of the believers from this or that church.

For illustration, we can take the church schism in Russia in the 17th century - and after all, Nikon did not seek to split the Russian church, but, on the contrary, to unite the Ecumenical (his ambition, of course, went off scale).

It's also good to remember- with the introduction of ordus novo (services in national languages) in the middle of the last century, part of the Catholics did not accept this, believing that the mass should be served according to the Trent rite. Currently, Catholics use the following types of rites:

• ordus novo, standard service;
• the Rite of Trent, according to which the priest is obliged to conduct mass if the parish is by a majority vote in favor;
• Greek Catholic and Armenian Catholic rites.

There are many myths around the theme of ritualism. One of them is the dictatorship of the Latin language among Catholics, and no one understands this language. Although the Latin rite was replaced by the national one relatively recently, many do not take into account, for example, the fact that the Uniate churches, subordinate to the Pope, retained their rite. Also, they do not take into account the fact that Catholics also began to publish national Bibles (Where was it to go? Protestants often took this).

Another misconception is the primacy of ritual over consciousness. This is partly due to the fact that the consciousness of a person has largely remained pagan: he confuses the rite and the sacrament, and uses them as a kind of magic, in which, as you know, following the instructions plays a decisive role.

In order for you to better see the ritual differences between Orthodoxy and Catholicism - a table to help you:

In addition, there are differences in the veneration of saints, the order of canonization of such, holidays. The vestments of the priests are also different, although the cut of the latter has common roots among both Orthodox and Catholics.

Also in Catholic worship more important is the personality of the priest; he pronounces the formulas of the sacraments in the first person, and in Orthodox worship in the third person, since the sacrament is performed not by the priest (as opposed to the rite), but by God. By the way, the number of sacraments is the same for both Catholics and Orthodox. The sacraments are:

• Baptism;
• Chrismation;
• Repentance;
• Eucharist;
• Wedding;
• Ordination to the dignity;
• Unction.

Catholics and Orthodox: what is the difference

If we talk about the Church, not as an organization, but as a community of believers, then there is still a difference in mentality. Moreover, both the Catholic and Orthodox churches have strongly influenced both the formation of civilizational models of modern states, and the attitude of representatives of these nations to life, its goals, morality and other aspects of their being.

Moreover, this is also affecting now, when the number of people who do not belong to any confessions is growing in the world, and the Church itself is losing its position in regulating various aspects of human life.

The average visitor to the temple rarely thinks about why he, for example, is a Catholic. For him, this is often a tribute to tradition, a formality, a habit. Often, belonging to one or another confession serves as an excuse for one's irresponsibility or as a way to score political points.

So, representatives of the Sicilian mafia flaunted their belonging to Catholicism, which did not prevent them from receiving income from the drug trade and committing crimes. The Orthodox even have a saying for such hypocrisy: “Either take off your cross, or put on your underpants.”

Among the Orthodox, there is often such a model of behavior, which is characterized by another proverb - "until the thunder breaks out, the peasant will not cross himself."

And yet, despite such differences both in dogmas and in ritual, there really are more in common between us than differences. And dialogue between us is necessary to preserve peace and mutual understanding. After all, both Orthodoxy and Catholicism are branches of the same Christian faith. And it is worth remembering this not only for hierarchs, but also for ordinary believers.