Post by Jerry Padula

On July 16, 1054 AD, a delegation sent by Pope Leo in Rome marched into the Hagia Sophia cathedral in Constantinople and laid a papal bull (an official pronouncement) on the altar, excommunicating Patriarch Michael Cerularius and his followers. Four days later Cerularius excommunicated Leo’s followers. The disputes leading up to the mutual excommunications had been festering for some time. Many, although seeming to be of immense importance at the time, seem trivial to us today. For example, they disagreed about exactly how to fast and about what type of bread should be used in communion. There were other disagreements. They disagreed about whether the liturgical language should be Greek or Latin. They disagreed over the use of icons. The principal theological dispute (believe it or not) was whether the Holy Spirit “proceeds from the Father,” or “proceeds from the Father and from the Son,” with each side declaring that the other’s position made them heretics. Underlying all this, of course, was the dispute was over which patriarch (the one in Rome or the one in Constantinople) had authority over the other. (The above summary of this very consequential historical moment is courtesy of ArcheoHistories on "X.") https://lnkd.in/gBMYmMmV