Here I am proud to present part three of this three-part series on the Great Schism of 1054. Parts I and II may be found here and here respectively. However, in a letter to the Patriarch of Antioch written shortly after the document of excommunication, Cerularius does, in fact, go on to attack the entire Western Church in much stronger terms.  To begin with, Cerularius says that he has heard that Peter of Antioch considers himself in communion with the Church… Read more

Here I am proud to present part two of this three-part series on the Great Schism of 1054. Part I may be found here. Thus, through these letters, a little of each side’s perspective in this controversy is made clear.  The perspective of Cerularius and of his associates is that the West has erred grievously in adopting corrupt customs contrary to divine law and the Scriptures; thus, the Western Church must move to correct these customs at once, with the… Read more

July 16th marked the 962nd anniversary of the so-called “Great Schism.” As someone deeply invested in the reunion of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches, I am happy to announce the publication of this three-part essay exploring its background, causes, and unexpected quirks. It is by a friend of mine, whose work is the fruit of a summer research project, which was then presented at a conference a couple of years ago. Enjoy! Among the supposed “great dates” of history, one… Read more