Eastern Orthodox Evolution: 5 Key Events for Christian Denomination Since It Began

The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest Christian denomination in the world and it began in the eastern half of the Roman Empire. Based on Jesus Christ and the Apostles, the church identifies itself as the true Church of Christ on earth.

Here are five key events in the evolution of the Eastern Orthodox denomination:

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1. The Great Schism, also known as the East-West Schism of 1054 AD, is cited as the time when the Catholic (universal) Christian Church divided and gave rise to the Eastern Orthodox Church. After a long period of ecclesiastical and political conflict, Roman Bishop Pope Leo IX and the Patriarch of Constantinople Michael Cerularius, could not reconcile their differences and excommunicated each other.

2. In 1182 AD, an estimated 60,000 Roman Catholic inhabitants in Constantinople were killed in the "Massacre of the Latins" by members of the Eastern Orthodox population. It has been reported that this massacre was the result of trade tensions between European merchants and the Byzantine people because Latin dominance over commerce seriously compromised native business. When Emperor Manuel I died, his successor supported the Latins and this led to a violent coup during which Catholics were killed indiscriminately.

3. The Massacre of the Latins has been cited as the impetus for the Roman Catholic Crusade known as the "Sack of Constantinople" in 1204 AD. According to Theopedia, "The Fourth Crusade was initiated by Pope Innocent III in 1202, with the intention of invading the Holy Land through Egypt. The Venetians gained control of this crusade and diverted it to Constantinople where they attempted to place a Byzantine exile on the throne." Both the Massacre of the Latins and the Sack of Constantinople served to greatly deepen the divide between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches.

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4. In 1261 AD, the Latin occupation of Constantinople ended and it was returned to Byzantine rule. However, History Today reflects on the cost of the Constantinople crusade. "An expedition of warriors sworn to liberate the Holy Land had created a new outpost of the Catholic Church, yet it was at the expense of fellow-Christians."

5. In December of 1965, the Vatican attempted to increase good will between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church. A joint Catholic-Orthodox Declaration of Pope Paul VI and the Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras I was issued lifting the mutual excommunications that happened during the Great Schism of 1054 AD. While the declaration was symbolic, it also stated, "Pope Paul VI and Patriarch Athenagoras I with his synod realize that this gesture of justice and mutual pardon is not sufficient to end both old and more recent differences between the Roman Catholic Church and the Orthodox Church."

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