Cover image Title His broken body understanding and healing the schism between the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches : (an Orthodox perspective)

A comprehensive, objective, scholarly and yet easy-to-read presentation of the differences, both historical, theological and liturgical between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. The ideal complement (or even antidote) to such books as Upon this Rock; Jesus, Peter and the Keys; Two Paths; The Primacy of Peter; etc. Discusses Peter's Primacy and Succession, Ecclesiology, Infallibility, the Filioque, Celibacy, etc. TABLE OF CONTENTS NOTE________________________________________________21 SOURCES AND ABBREVIATIONS ______________________22 TERMINOLOGY______________________________________26 PROLOGUE AND THESIS _____________________________29 INTRODUCTION _____________________________________32 1. His broken body................................................................................32 2. Why this book? ................................................................................34 3. Seeking the spirit of “truth in love”......................................................35 SECTION I: COMMON GROUNDS AND DIFFERENCES __39 1. The Creed........................................................................................39 2. Real reasons, real differences...............................................................40 3. St. Vincent’s principle........................................................................41 4. “Now I know only in part” ................................................................43 5. But what does your Church really teach? .............................................44 6. Apostolic Tradition...........................................................................48 7. Apostolic succession............................................................................52 8. Beyond Apostolic Tradition ...............................................................54 9. Major and minor differences...............................................................55 SECTION II: ECCLESIOLOGY__________________________58 I. WHAT IS “THE CHURCH?” --------------------------------------------------------------- 58 1. Foreword.........................................................................................58 2. Defining the word ............................................................................58 3. The catholic Church as a hologram......................................................65 4. A universal ontology or vocation? .......................................................69 II. UNITY IN THE (LOCAL) CATHOLIC CHURCH -------------------------------------- 70 1. Who presides over the Eucharist?........................................................ 70 2. Presbyters and bishops ....................................................................... 71 3. Summary ........................................................................................ 76 III. THE STRUCTURE OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH------------------------------------ 77 1. “One bishop in the catholic Church“ .................................................... 77 2. St. Peter, “head” of the catholic Church ............................................... 78 3. The bishop as successors of St. Peter ..................................................... 80 4. Peter’s special successors ..................................................................... 86 5. Demoted bishops and ordaining presbyters ............................................ 90 6. From catholic Church to Catholic Church ............................................ 91 7. Roman Catholic ecclesiology: who is fully catholic?................................ 92 8. The heavenly liturgy......................................................................... 95 9. What about ‘the parish’? .................................................................. 97 10. The Churches of St. Thomas............................................................... 99 11. Where is the catholic Church?............................................................ 99 12. Is Eucharistic ecclesiology good news? ................................................ 101 IV. UNITY IN THE ‘UNIVERSAL CHURCH’ ----------------------------------------------102 1. Unity and forms of primacy ............................................................. 102 2. The Universal Primacy of the Roman Church .................................... 105 3. Imperial unity and Orthodox universalism......................................... 106 4. Primacy according to Rome .............................................................. 109 5. Primacy according to Eastern Orthodoxy ........................................... 112 6. Conclusion..................................................................................... 119 V. CAN “HIS BODY” BE BROKEN? --------------------------------------------------------120 1. Heresies, schisms, opinions................................................................ 120 2. Heretics and schismatics... .............................................................. 122 VI. SCHISMS: PAST AND PRESENT---------------------------------------------------------124 1. Introduction .................................................................................. 124 2. The schism at Rome ........................................................................ 125 3. The schism at Antioch..................................................................... 128 4. The “rebaptism” controversy ............................................................. 130 5. The schisms of the tenth century ........................................................ 132 6. The Bulgarian schism .....................................................................132 7. The tomos of 1633..........................................................................133 8. Imperfect Unity? ............................................................................134 9. Conclusion .....................................................................................137 SECTION III: HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE ___________ 140 I. GROWTH & UNITY IN THE EARLY CHURCH -------------------------------------140 1. The end of the Judeo-Christian Church..............................................140 2. The Primacy goes to Rome................................................................141 3. The Primacy of the Roman Church ...................................................141 4. A primacy of love............................................................................142 5. A regional primacy .........................................................................143 6. A primacy of witness .......................................................................143 7. A primacy of power? .......................................................................145 8. An emerging problem.......................................................................146 II. EARLY TENSIONS--------------------------------------------------------------------------147 1. “A struggle”...................................................................................147 2. St. Clement of Rome (80-100) .........................................................148 3. Polycarp and Anicet (110-130) ......................................................150 4. Polycrates and Victor (180) ............................................................152 5. Cyprian and Stephen (254-258)......................................................156 6. Firmilian and the Mind of the East (258-268).................................158 III. NICEA – A NEW ERA FOR CHRISTIANITY------------------------------------------162 IV. THE ARIAN CRISIS AND ROMAN ORTHODOXY ---------------------------------164 V. COUNCILS AND SCHISMS ---------------------------------------------------------------167 1. Overview .......................................................................................167 2. Sardica: Rome’s right to receive appeals (342/343).............................169 3. Constantinople (381) and the Patriarchates.......................................172 4. Ephesus (431): Philip, Nestorius......................................................174 5. Tensions between Antioch and Alexandria (431-451)........................176 6. The Loss of Antioch and Alexandria.................................................179 7. The Acacian Schism and the Fifth Council (451-553) .......................181 8. The “Ecumenical Patriarch” Controversy (590s) ................................184 9. Constantinople (681): The “One Will” controversy ............................. 191 10. The Voice of St. Maximus the Confessor............................................. 195 11. Nicea II & the Iconoclastic crisis (711-843)...................................... 198 12. The Voice of St. Theodore the Studite (ca. 758 - ca. 826) ................... 200 13. The ‘Photian’ schism (860-880) ..................................................... 201 VI. SUMMARY: UNITY AND PRIMACY BEFORE 1054---------------------------------205 1. A Universal Primacy for the common union ....................................... 205 2. The Pentarchy ............................................................................... 208 3. The concept of Autocephaly............................................................... 209 4. Mutual Tolerance .......................................................................... 210 5. Rome – rampart of Orthodoxy.......................................................... 211 6. The Papacy as ‘theologoumenon’ ....................................................... 212 VII. THE “GREAT SCHISM” OF 1054---------------------------------------------------------213 1. The decline of the Roman Church...................................................... 213 2. The problem with forgeries ............................................................... 214 3. The Great Schism of 1054 .............................................................. 216 VIII. PAPAL PRIMACY AFTER 1054-----------------------------------------------------------219 1. The Gregorian Reforms ................................................................... 219 2. Innocent III (1198-1216).............................................................. 220 3. Unam Sanctam: Papacy and Salvation ............................................. 223 4. The Great Western Schism .............................................................. 225 IX. DOOMED ATTEMPTS AT REUNION--------------------------------------------------225 1. The council of Lyons (1274)............................................................ 225 2. The council of Florence (1439)......................................................... 226 3. Beyond Florence ............................................................................. 228 X. UNIATISM -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------229 1. The Union of Brest (1596) ............................................................. 229 2. The ‘Melkite’ Patriarchate .............................................................. 233 3. The decay of Eastern Orthodoxy ....................................................... 234 XI. VATICAN I -----------------------------------------------------------------------------------236 1. The struggle with Gallicanism ......................................................... 236 2. The victory of Ultramontanism......................................................... 236 3. Orthodox reactions to Vatican I ........................................................238 SECTION IV: THEOLOGICAL PERSPECTIVE _________ 241 I. UNDERSTANDING THE ROMAN CATHOLIC PERSPECTIVE -------------------241 1. The importance of ecclesiology............................................................241 2. Resources .......................................................................................243 3. Peter as Chief Steward ....................................................................244 4. Simon becomes Peter the Rock............................................................246 5. Other key Petrine texts ....................................................................248 6. Peter’s Successors in Roman Catholic ecclesiology ..................................249 7. Rome’s primacy in the early Church...................................................251 8. Eastern recognitions of Rome’s Primacy ..............................................252 9. The weight of Rome’s testimony.........................................................253 10. Summary.......................................................................................255 II. UNDERSTANDING THE EASTERN ORTHODOX PERSPECTIVE---------------255 1. Resources .......................................................................................255 2. A different ecclesiology .....................................................................256 3. Interpreting the Scriptures ................................................................257 4. Apostolic Tradition?.......................................................................258 5. The Rock(s) of Matthew 16.............................................................260 6. Peter and the Keys ..........................................................................263 7. Primacy in the New Testament.........................................................268 8. A word about Peter and John...........................................................272 9. Apostolic Succession, Apostolic College ................................................273 III. THE MIND OF THE FATHERS ----------------------------------------------------------274 1. Ignatius of Antioch (c. 110) ............................................................276 2. Irenaeus of Lyons (c. 120) ...............................................................277 3. Origen (c. 250)..............................................................................279 4. Tertullian (c. 220) ........................................................................281 5. Cyprian of Carthage (†258) ...........................................................282 6. Athanasius of Alexandria (†373) and the Church of Rome .................286 7. Hilary of Poitiers (†367)................................................................290 8. Basil of Caesarea (†379)................................................................291 9. Gregory of Nyssa († c. 386)............................................................ 293 10. Gregory of Nazianzus (†389) ......................................................... 293 11. John Chrysostom (†407) ................................................................. 294 12. Ambrose of Milan (†397)............................................................... 297 13. Jerome (†420)............................................................................... 298 14. Augustine of Hippo (†430)............................................................. 301 15. Cyril of Alexandria (†444)............................................................ 306 16. The bishops of Rome as Fathers of the Church ..................................... 307 IV. THE ISSUE OF PAPAL INFALLIBILITY ------------------------------------------------307 1. Understanding the dogma................................................................ 307 2. Exsurge Domine (1520) ................................................................. 311 3. Unam Sanctam (1302) and Unigenitus (1713)................................ 313 4. A more positive approach................................................................ 314 SECTION V: OTHER OBSTACLES ____________________ 317 I. THEOLOGICAL DIRECTIONS -----------------------------------------------------------317 1. Economy and ontology ..................................................................... 317 2. The Latin creed ............................................................................. 318 3. Newton’s law of theology ................................................................. 320 II. THE FILIOQUE CONTROVERSY--------------------------------------------------------321 1. “One God,” East and West.............................................................. 321 2. The font of Deity............................................................................ 322 3. The Latin filioque: intent and concerns ............................................. 328 4. From the Father through the Son?.................................................... 331 5. Revisionist theology?....................................................................... 333 6. But what are we talking about? ...................................................... 335 7. The fear of Arianism ...................................................................... 338 8. In summary ................................................................................... 342 III. APPARITIONS AND PRIVATE REVELATIONS --------------------------------------344 IV. PURGATORY & INDULGENCES --------------------------------------------------------346 1. Orthodox concerns, Orthodox purgatory? ........................................... 346 2. Prayers for the dead........................................................................ 349 3. From hades to purgatory ..................................................................352 4. Our God is a consuming fire.............................................................354 5. What kind of God?........................................................................357 6. Indulgences ....................................................................................358 V. CLERICAL CELIBACY----------------------------------------------------------------------360 1. A matter of ecclesiastical discipline... ................................................360 2. ...or Apostolic Tradition?...............................................................361 3. Theological and historical overview ...................................................363 4. “Those who serve at the altar” ..........................................................365 5. The Scriptural paradigm and the Levitical model................................367 6. A glance at the Fathers ...................................................................369 7. The testimony of the councils .............................................................372 8. The mind of St. John Chrysostom ......................................................376 9. The Gregorian Reform and beyond....................................................379 10. Summary.......................................................................................380 VI. THE REALITY OF DIVORCE-------------------------------------------------------------381 1. Dealing with reality and the Word of God ........................................381 2. Annulments ...................................................................................384 3. The Orthodox approach ...................................................................385 4. A final note ...................................................................................389 VII. THE BIRTH CONTROL ISSUE -----------------------------------------------------------390 1. Rome: From Augustine to NFP ........................................................390 2. Marriage and the Mind of God........................................................394 3. Eastern Orthodoxy: Dangers in the grey zone......................................396 4. A personal conclusion ......................................................................399 VIII. THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION----------------------------------------------------399 1. The dogma ....................................................................................399 2. Orthodox reactions ..........................................................................400 3. Original Sin ..................................................................................402 4. The real issue: why dogmatize? ........................................................404 5. Theological Study ...........................................................................404 6. Liturgical expressions ......................................................................406 7. Who shall touch the ark? ................................................................ 408 IX. THE NEW MASS ----------------------------------------------------------------------------410 X. ORTHODOX FRAGMENTATION ------------------------------------------------------412 SECTION VI: HOPES AND CHALLENGES _____________ 416 I. POPE PAUL VI AND PATRIARCH ATHENAGORAS -------------------------------416 II. THE VISION OF POPE JOHN PAUL II-------------------------------------------------417 III. THE MELKITE PROPOSAL ---------------------------------------------------------------418 IV. PUGNACIOUS CONVERTS---------------------------------------------------------------419 SECTION VII: A VISION FOR UNITY_________________ 424 I. WHAT IS OUR MODEL? ------------------------------------------------------------------424 II. NEEDING EACH OTHER-----------------------------------------------------------------425 1. Catholics must become Orthodox........................................................ 426 2. Orthodox must become Catholic......................................................... 427 3. Loving the saints............................................................................ 428 III. RETURN TO SARDICA --------------------------------------------------------------------429 CONCLUSION(S) AND PERSPECTIVES _______________ 431 APPENDIX: THE UNITY PROCESS ___________________ 433 COMPREHENSIVE INDEX ___________________________ 436