"From East To West May The Name of The Lord Be Praised": Mr. Pablo Cuadra Religion Class
"From East To West May The Name of The Lord Be Praised": Mr. Pablo Cuadra Religion Class
"From East To West May The Name of The Lord Be Praised": Mr. Pablo Cuadra Religion Class
A. The One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Christian Faith founded by our Lord Jesus
was born in the Middle East and from the East it spread to all corners of the world
announcing the Good News of Jesus Christ the Son of God, the savior.
B. As it developed, the Apostolic faith took root in five important centers located in
the cities of Jerusalem, Antioch, Rome, Alexandria and Byzantium. These
bastions of faith became Patriarchates linked to the Apostles who founded them.
Jerusalem for instance, was the Church of the Apostle James, Antioch and Rome
both were founded by Peter and Paul, Alexandria was founded by St Mark, and St.
Andrew, the first Apostle to be called, founded the see of Constantinople or
Byzantium.
C. It was in these five patriarchates that Christian identity, theology, liturgy and
spirituality developed and mature; Antioch for instance, was the first place were
the followers of Jesus were called Christians (Acts 11:26) and Rome, the see of
Peter, the first of the Apostles, was the spiritual headquarter of a unified
Christianity before the Great Schism. From these five spiritual centers other
Christian communities developed, each spreading the faith, each sharing their
unique Apostolic heritage, and liturgical practices, but all united in the One, Holy,
Catholic and Apostolic Faith. Unfortunately, the Schism of 1054 put an end to a
unified, Apostolic, Christendom, dividing Christianity into East and West.
D. There are two major divisions in Christianity: Western Christianity and Eastern
Christianity. This division is the result of the Great Schism of 1054 that split a
unified Christendom into East and West. This schism was due in part to political
and ecclesiastical disputes regarding the primacy of the See of Rome and the
gradual estrangement between the Churches of East and West over the years.
E. Western Christians are those Christians in the Western part of the Roman
empire in Communion with the bishop of Rome or Pope that became known as
Latin or Roman Catholics, for it was in the city of Rome that Peter and Paul were
martyred. Rome was also the old capital of the Roman empire before it was moved
to Constantinople.
F. In the 16th Century the Roman Catholic Church experienced another split
known as the Reformation. This movement is responsible for the birth of the
Protestant Churches. Hence, that Protestant Christians are also part of Western
Christianity.
Ecumenical Councils
or
Non-
Source (CNEWA)
Eastern
Catholics
counterparts in the
Churches of the East:
Churches
with
Ancient Oriental
Next Presentation
The next presentation will
be a follow up of this
presentation and will deal
with
the
Byzantine
Churches and its practices.