Page 47 - History of Christianity - Student Textbook

Study Section 9: The Great Schism to the Reformation (1054-1483)

9.1 Connect

Do you like drinking muddy water? Of course not! Clean pure water is refreshing, but drinking water
mixed with mud and other contaminants is certainly not desirous. Such is the condition of the
church during this time in church history. The pure Gospel of the Word of God had been polluted
with false doctrines; salvation was no longer based on the work of Christ but rather the individual
efforts of each person to comply with the rules and regulations of the church.

Totally unbiblical teachings had entered the church universal as worship shifted from Jesus to Mary and the
Saints. Purgatory was introduced in the 12 century as a means of purify lost people after death to be able to
th
enter Heaven. There were 7 levels of purgatory created. After passing through the gate of Purgatory proper,
Virgil guides the pilgrim Dante through the mountain's seven terraces. These correspond to the seven deadly
sins or "seven roots of sinfulness": Pride, Envy, Wrath, Sloth, Avarice (and Prodigality), Gluttony, and Lust. This is
actually taught today in the Catholic Church.

Through this muddy time, some men and women sought to stand up for the purity of God’s Word. Let’s look at
some of them.

9.2 Objectives

1. The student will be able to explain the reasons for the Great East-West Schism.

2. The student will be able to site several individuals who sought to purify the false doctrines entering
the church.

3. The student should be able to describe the reason and purpose of the Crusades and the consequences they
brought to the flow of history.

9.3 Introduction

By this time in church history, many “churchmen” had wandered from the core theological teachings
of Scripture to mix their beliefs with their own ideas or the ideas of philosophers and other religions
of the day. The “universal” or “catholic” church, as it was called, was the caretaker of Christianity to
each generation, but they had failed to remain a doctrinally “pure” church. Heads of churches were
in continual quests to seek power and authority; faith was mixed with political ambition. Because of
these forces, the church was more splintered than ever. Throughout the next 400 years, many true
believers held that the “catholic” church was truly God’s caretakers of Christianity, but sought to
“purify” or “clarify” false doctrines that were immerging in the church. God used a variety of faithful men to
proclaim truth among the confusion of the day.

The East-West Schism - 1054 AD

For many years the churches in the East and West had been growing apart. What had once
been a single church slowly separated into two distinct identities. The East used Greek as
its language, the West Latin. Forms of worship differed: the bread used in communion, the
date for Easter, how mass was celebrated. In the East clergy could marry, and they wore
beards. Western priests could not marry and must be clean shaven.

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