Michael Brooks
The Byzantine Rite, also known as Eastern Orthodox Christianity, is a Catholic form of Christianity. The Byzantine Rite is used for the administration of the Holy mysteries or seven sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Byzantine Rite includes sacraments such as Holy Communion, baptism, Chrismation, confession, unction, matrimony, and ordination. The Byzantine Empire was at the peak of its influence and power at the beginning of the second millennium of Christian history, with Constantinople as its capital. The Byzantine heritage survived the tragedies of the Crusades, the Mongol invasion of Kiev in 1240, and the fall of Constantinople in 1453, mainly due to the strength and flexibility of the Orthodox church.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Language of worship | Greek was the primary liturgical language of the church, but today only a minority of Eastern Orthodox adherents use Greek as the language of worship. |
| Number of sacraments | The Eastern Orthodox Church does not limit the number of sacraments, but for convenience, catechisms often refer to the "seven great mysteries". |
| Use of icons | Byzantine Christians use icons in their worship, recognising the presence of God in all senses. |
| Orientation | The Byzantine Empire was more oriented towards Eastern Orthodoxy, as seen in their art and use of Greek instead of Latin. |
| Relationship with Rome | The Byzantine Rite is used for the administration of the "Holy mysteries" in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, which differs from the Catholic Church's rites. |
| Missionary work | The Byzantine Christians had a significant impact on the spread of Christianity in eastern Europe. |
| Influence | At the beginning of the 2nd millennium, the church of Constantinople was at the peak of its world influence and power. |
| Schism | The Great Schism of the 11th century led to a separation between the Catholic Church and the Eastern Byzantine churches, now known as the Orthodox Church. |
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What You'll Learn
The Great Schism
The schism was the culmination of long-standing tensions between the eastern and western Roman empires, including ecclesiastical differences and theological disputes. These disputes included the procession of the Holy Spirit (Filioque), the use of leavened or unleavened bread in the Eucharist, iconoclasm, the coronation of Charlemagne as Emperor of the Romans, the Pope's claim to universal jurisdiction, and the place of the See of Constantinople in relation to the pentarchy.
In 1053, Patriarch Michael I Cerularius of Constantinople ordered the closure of all Latin churches in Constantinople. The following year, Cardinal Humbert of Silva Candida, the leader of the papal legate sent by Pope Leo IX, travelled to Constantinople. The mission was meant to be conciliatory, but instead, Cardinal Humbert excommunicated Patriarch Cerularius, who retaliated by excommunicating Cardinal Humbert and the other legates.
In the generations that followed, events such as the Latin-led Crusades and the Massacre of the Latins in 1182 further deepened the divide between the Eastern and Western churches. Several attempts at reconciliation, such as the Second Council of Lyon in 1274 and the Council of Florence in 1439, were rejected by the Orthodox people. The schism has never been fully healed, although relations between the churches improved after the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965), which recognised the validity of the sacraments in the Eastern churches.
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Papal supremacy
The Byzantine Christians were initially Roman Catholic. However, the East-West Schism of 1054 divided the Church of the West (the Catholic Church) and the Eastern Byzantine churches, now known as the Orthodox Church.
In the first phase, from the 5th century onwards, figures like Pope Innocent I and Pope Leo I played a significant role in centralising spiritual authority within the church and reinforcing the concept of papal authority. Pope Innocent I, for instance, was regarded as the general arbitrator of ecclesiastical disputes in both the East and the West. Pope Gelasius I, who served from 492 to 496, also fought to maintain the doctrine of papal supremacy in a dispute with the Byzantine emperor Anastasius.
The second phase occurred from the mid-11th to the mid-13th century, marked by two significant events. Firstly, Pope Gregory VII challenged the traditional practice of emperors appointing higher church officials, leading to the Investiture Controversy. Secondly, Pope Urban II's launching of the Crusades in 1095, which placed the papacy at the head of a movement to liberate the Holy Land from Muslim rule, greatly enhanced the prestige and power of the pope in the following centuries.
The Investiture Controversy was a significant conflict between secular powers and the Church, with the former attempting to exert political control over the appointment of bishops. This controversy was a key factor in the growing notion of papal supremacy, as the Church sought to assert its authority over ecclesiastical matters independently from the state.
The Crusades, initiated by Pope Urban II in 1095, also played a pivotal role in enhancing papal prestige and power. The Crusades marshalled the nobility of Europe under the leadership of the papacy, demonstrating the pope's ability to command temporal powers in pursuit of religious goals.
These two phases and associated events contributed significantly to the rise and solidification of papal supremacy within the Roman Catholic Church.
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Byzantine Rite
The Byzantine Rite, also known as the Greek Rite or the Rite of Constantinople, is a liturgical rite that is identified with the wide range of cultural, devotional, and canonical practices that developed in the Eastern Christian church of Constantinople. The Byzantine Rite is used for the administration of the "Holy mysteries" or seven sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. These include Holy Communion, baptism, Chrismation, confession, unction, matrimony, and ordination, as well as blessings, exorcisms, and other occasions.
The Byzantine Rite originated in the ancient Greek city of Antioch (now in southern Turkey), one of the earliest and most celebrated centres of Christianity, but it was developed and perfected in Byzantium, or Constantinople (now Istanbul). The rite was associated primarily with the Great Church of Constantinople and used the Greek language. As Constantinople extended its influence, the rite lost its exclusive Greek character and became Byzantine as it was translated into the vernacular of the diverse peoples who adopted it.
The canonical hours of the Byzantine Rite are extended and complex, lasting about eight hours (longer during Great Lent) but are abridged outside of large monasteries. An iconostasis, a partition covered with icons, separates the area around the altar from the nave. The sign of the cross, accompanied by bowing, is made very frequently, and there is prominent veneration of icons. Byzantine Rite churches also generally accept the congregants freely moving within the church and interacting with each other, and distinctive traditions of liturgical chanting.
Within Eastern Catholicism, several Eastern Catholic Churches are using Byzantine Rite, in its original Greek or some other form (Slavic, Romanian, Hungarian, Albanian, Arabic, Georgian). Several Lutheran communities also use the Byzantine Rite that has been adapted to Lutheran theology.
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Byzantine Catholic Church
The Byzantine Rite is used for the administration of the "Holy mysteries" or seven sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. While the Catholic Church numbers seven sacraments, and many Protestant groups list two (baptism and the Eucharist) or even none, the Eastern Orthodox do not limit the number. However, for convenience, catechisms of the Eastern Orthodox Church often refer to the "seven great mysteries".
In the 11th century, the Great Schism took place between Rome and Constantinople, leading to a separation between the Church of the West (the Catholic Church) and the Eastern Byzantine churches, now the Orthodox. Doctrinal issues, such as the filioque clause and the authority of the Roman Pope, were involved in the split, but these were exacerbated by political factors, cultural differences, and linguistic differences between Latins and Greeks. The Eastern half grew disillusioned with the Pope's centralisation of power and his attempts to exclude them from papal approvals.
Eastern Orthodoxy was spread to many regions without ethnic Greeks by missionaries, and some churches were converted to the Catholic Church through struggles between Rome and Constantinople for control of parts of Southeastern Europe. These churches continued to use the Byzantine rites and were indicated as "Greek Catholic".
The Byzantine Empire was more oriented towards Eastern Orthodoxy, as seen in their art and their use of Greek instead of Latin. Byzantine Christians did not consider the break with the West as final until the Crusades.
The term "Byzantine Catholic Church" has been used to refer to a particular church specifically for Greek Catholics who followed the Byzantine rite, with churches in Malgara in Thrace, Constantinople, and Chalcedon. In 1932, the territory of the Exarchate for Byzantine-Rite Greek Catholics was limited to Greece, and a separate Exarchate of Constantinople was established for those in Turkey. As of 2017, there were 6,016 Byzantine Rite Catholic Greeks in Greece and Turkey.
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Eastern Orthodox Christianity
Eastern Orthodox theology is based on the Scriptures and holy tradition, incorporating the dogmatic decrees of the seven ecumenical councils and the teachings of the Church Fathers. The church teaches that it is the one, holy, catholic, and apostolic church established by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission, and that its bishops are the successors of Christ's apostles. It maintains that it practices the original Christian faith, as passed down by holy tradition. The Eastern Orthodox Church is a communion of autocephalous churches, each governed by its bishops via local synods. While it recognises the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople as 'first among equals', it has no central authority figure like the Pope of the Catholic Church.
The spread of Eastern Orthodoxy began in the eastern area of the Mediterranean Basin within Byzantine Greek culture. It is the primary religious confession in Russia, Ukraine, Romania, Greece, Belarus, Serbia, Bulgaria, Georgia, Moldova, North Macedonia, Cyprus, and Montenegro. It is also one of the oldest surviving religious institutions in the world, playing a prominent role in the history and culture of Eastern and Southeastern Europe.
The Byzantine Rite, or the 9th-century Byzantine Rite of Hagia Sophia, is used for the administration of the "Holy mysteries" or seven sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. These include Holy Communion, baptism, Chrismation, confession, unction, matrimony, and ordination, as well as blessings, exorcisms, and other occasions. The term "sacrament" also applies to other sacred actions such as monastic tonsure or the blessing of holy water, and involves fasting, almsgiving, or simple acts like lighting a candle or praying.
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Frequently asked questions
The Byzantine Rite is used for the administration of the "Holy mysteries" or seven sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Byzantine Christians were more oriented towards Eastern Orthodoxy.
Doctrinal issues like the filioque clause and the authority of the Roman Pope caused a split between the Catholic and Orthodox churches. The Eastern half grew disillusioned with the Pope's centralisation of power.
The Byzantine Catholic Church traces its foundation to the 12 Apostles of Christ. Byzantine Catholics recognize that there are many good people outside the Catholic and Orthodox Churches and that these other religions can and do bring their members close to God.
The Byzantine Rite is used for the administration of the "Holy mysteries" or seven sacraments in Eastern Orthodox Christianity. Byzantine Christian worship is holistic in content and expresses and manifests beauty in various forms like ancient sacred religious poetry, hymns, chanting styles, brocaded vestments, the burning of incense, and the use of candles.
