The Real Causes of Ecclesiastical Schism

Abstract

The Christian teaching during the apostolic era was founded on simple ideas, the acknowledgment of which designated an individual as a member of the church. Christians with divergent views or those who had distanced themselves from the apostles for various reasons were not deemed outside the church. But how these Christians were perceived changed throughout time. They were labeled as heretics, schismatics, and members of illegal congregations, for whom suitable regulations for reunification were instituted. Church schisms were sometimes instigated by personal aspirations such as arrogance, suspicion, distrust, and a lust for power. But even though the human aspect was important, it was rarely the only factor that caused division, which was frequently linked to other objective reasons, for example misunderstandings of a linguistic origin. Nationalism may also be attributed a significant part among the causes of religious division. German nationalism was indeed linked to the emergence of the Reformation. The organization of the Church of England is intricately linked to the class division paradigm of English society. Identical reasons are evident in earlier centuries, particularly in the founding of the Christian churches in Armenia and Persia.