The History of Christianity: From the Disciples to the Dawn of the Reformation

Lecture 28: The Great Divorce between East and West

o At the Council of Ferrara-Florence in 1439, the Greeks sought

unity with the West in light of the threat to Constantinople

from the Turks. Long debate on doctrinal and ritual matters led

eventually to compromise and the basic acceptance of the Latin

positions. But many of the Greeks subsequently recanted, and

the capture of Constantinople by the Turks in 1453 rendered

the peace void.

Louth, Greek East and Latin West.

Nichols, ed., Rome and the Eastern Churches.

1. Discuss the ways in which linguistic and cultural differences
   complicated relations between East and West over a period of centuries.


2. How does the schism between East and West reveal the deep political
   entanglement of “the imperial church”?

Suggested Reading

Questions to Consider