We are not a living body that contains a soul

We are a living soul that dwells within a body!

Wednesday, September 12, 2007

The Split between East and West:

Western Christianity at this time was zealously imposing a uniform Latin liturgical language on converts, while Byzantine Christianity refused to do so. Greek was seldom used as a missionary language among the Slavs. The Byzantines avoided the principle of a single liturgical language. The Cyrillic alphabet and liturgy, which employed the vernacular language of the peoples, created native-speaking Churches in the Balkans and elsewhere. In short, Orthodox Christianity insisted on preaching the Gospel in the ordinary language of the people so as to be directly and immediately understood by the new converts. That, after all, is the goal of Christian missions. It is no wonder that in the history of Orthodoxy, the legacy of the “Apostles to the Slavs,” Saints Cyril and Methodius, is among the most precious.

Now, we need to examine one final event in the life of the medieval Church – the schism between Eastern and Western Christianity. This tragic division was not a sudden event, but rather a prolonged process that spanned centuries. The cracks and fissures in Christian unity were visible as early as the fourth century. Thus the traditional date of 1054, marking the beginning of the schism and the excommunication of Patriarch Michael Cerularius by papal legates, is inaccurate.

In reality, there is no exact date. What really took place was a complex chain of events whose climax was only reached in the thirteenth century with the sacking of Constantinople by western Crusaders in 1204. We must also keep in mind that the events leading to the schism were not always theological in nature. Cultural, linguistic, and political differences were often mixed with the theological. Unlike the Copts or Armenians who broke from the Church in the fifth century and established ethnic churches at the cost of their universality and catholicity, the eastern and western parts of the Church remained loyal to the faith and authority of the seven ecumenical synods. They were united by virtue of their common faith and tradition, in one Church. The transfer of the Roman capital to the Bosporus brought mistrust, rivalry, and even jealousy to the relations of the two great sees of Rome and Constantinople. It was easy for Rome to be jealous of Constantinople since it was at a time that Rome was rapidly losing its political prominence. As a matter of fact, Rome refused to recognize the conciliar legislation which promoted Constantinople to second rank. The estrangement was aggravated by the German invasions in the west, which had the effect of weakening contacts. The rise of Islam with its conquest of most of the Mediterranean coastline, along with the arrival of pagan Slavs in the Balkans at the same time, further aggravated this separation by driving a physical wedge between the two worlds. The once unified world of the Mediterranean was quickly vanishing and communications between the Greek East and the Latin West had become dangerous and practically ceased by the 600s.

I humbly hope and pray that you will accept this news with love and understanding. Reflect on its truth. Research it with an open mind in order to see the truth and if in fact any part of these letters that touches on any teaching that you are currently receiving and is shown to you to be true,

Then you will give up yourself, your pride, and your ego in this area and give it to the truth of Jesus Christ and change your life accordingly.

This is sent with the love of Christ for you from me.

As always, all comments and questions are welcome, send them to me at;

monkmichael@newwarriorministries.com.

Monk Michael

A humble servant of Jesus Christ

On the Web at: http://www.newwarriorministries.com

Email: monkmichael@newwarriorministries.com

Phone: (803) 377-1244

Chester, SC

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