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Schism Of 1054 Essay

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There have been many disputes over religious rights and freedoms throughout history, the effects of which we still see to this day. Even with these disputes, there are common threads in all religions which are the basic concepts of prayer and worship. However, it is not as simple as it sounds. There are many details to be considered; for instance, who will be in charge of teaching religious doctrine; how will the messages be relayed; who or what will be worshipped and for what purpose? These questions have been asked, answered, changed and debated for centuries. Many of these discussions resulted in blood being shed, wars being waged and countries being divided. None perhaps is as famous as the Schism of 1054 wherein the division between Eastern and Western Christianity was clearly defined and remains to this day . Although there were many points which led to the split; three key points that played significant roles were idolatry, the Coronation of Charlemagne and papal supremacy.
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The functions of the emperors were then separated. No longer was one ruler in charge of all matters involving life within the empire. It is easy to see that the two branches had become separate and distinct from one another as depicted by the statement “…so separated the functions of the two authorities, giving each its own proper activities and distinct honours”. The idea of the separation of church and state is even more drawn out with the phrase “…Christian emperors should have need of the pontiffs with regard to eternal life, while the pontiffs should make sure of the emperor’s laws with regard to the course of temporal affairs, and these alone so that the activity of the spirit might be set free from carnal interruptions”. (Papal Supremacy Declared, 865 at p.

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