Who was the most famous emperor of the Byzantine Empire, and what was one of his major accomplishments? (we talked about him yesterday)

  • Because of the distance & lack of contact between Byzantine Empire & Western Europe, Christianity developed differently 

    • All Christians based their faith on Jesus & the Bible

  • But they had different practices to show their faith

Christians were organized the same way:

  • Archbishops & bishops oversaw regions where Christianity was practiced

  • Priests led individual churches

However, Christians in the East & West disagreed over the leadership of the Church

Christians in Western Europe:

  • Believed that there should be a Pope to oversee bishops & give authority to all Christians 

  • Christians in Western Europe accepted the authority of the Pope

Christians in Eastern Europe:

  • Believed that the Byzantine Emperor had authority over issues involving Christianity

  • Byzantine emperors relied on a Patriarch to oversee the church, but the emperor had final authority

  • Christians in the Byzantine Empire did not accept the authority of the Pope 

One of the biggest controversies among Christians was the use of icons:

  • Icons were religious images to help Christians in their prayers & worship

  • Some Christians thought this was “idol worship” 

In 730, the Byzantine Emperor Leo III banned icons & many Christians rioted

Christians in Eastern Europe believed  that the ____________ had authority over Christianity

Christians in the Byzantine Empire did not accept the authority of the _________

One of the biggest controversies among Christians was the use of ___________

  • Emperor Leo III ordered the destruction of icons in the Byzantine Empire 

  • Riots broke out between people who wanted icons & iconoclasts (those who wanted to ban icons)

  • The Pope in Western Europe supported the use of icons & called the Byzantine Emperor a heretic (a believer of false ideas)

  • The Pope excommunicated the emperor (kicked him out of the church)

These disagreements led to deep divisions among Christians & the Great Schism (split) occurred in 1054:

What was the primary cause of the Great Schism in 1054?

  • A) The building of Hagia Sophia

  • B) Theological disputes and differences in church authority

  • C) The Crusades

  • D) The fall of the Western Roman Empire

What was the primary language of the Eastern Orthodox Church?

  • A) Latin

  • B) Greek

  • C) Hebrew

  • D) Aramaic

Christians in Western Europe became the

Christians in Eastern Europe became the