Comparing Christianity in the Middle Ages

The two churches• During the Middle ages there were types

of Christianity:– The Roman Catholic church in the West

(Europe) – The Eastern Orthodox Church in the East

(Byzantine Empire)

• They were both Christians but they were different in several ways.

Head of the Church

• In the Roman Catholic Church the head of the church is the pope.

• In the Eastern Orthodox Church the head of the church is the Emperor.

• Both churches claimed their leaders as the real authority.

Church Hierarchy

Catholic Church Eastern OrthodoxPope EmperorCardinal PatriarchArchbishop CardinalBishop BishopPriest Priest

Language and Prayer

• The Catholics performed church services in a mass which was done in Latin.

• The Orthodox church did services using a liturgy which was done in Greek or other local languages.

Length of Services

• A typical Catholic mass would last about 1 hour.

• A typical Eastern Orthodox liturgy lasts about 3 hours.

Religious Items

• A Catholic Church had many statues in the church.

• An Eastern Orthodox Church had icons (religious images)

Marriage• In the Catholic Church no religious figure

can be married.

• In the Orthodox church priests could marry.

Sacraments• Both churches follow the same 7

sacraments such as Eucharist (bread and wine), marriage, and baptism.

• However during the Eucharist Catholic Church uses unleavened bread and the Eastern Orthodox uses bread that has risen.

Disagreement• Both churches decided to split after several

disagreements. This was called the schism.• The first disagreement came when the Byzantine

emperor banned religious images (icons). Iconoclasm• The 2nd came when the pope said that a woman could

not be the head of the church.• The 3rd disagreement was over the Holy Spirit

Hagia Sophia