Section
2
The Division
of the Christian Church
Section
2
Standards-Based Instruction
Reading Preview
Reading Skill
H-SS 7.1.3 Describe the
establishment by Constantine
of the new capital in
Constantinople and the
development of the
Byzantine Empire, with
an emphasis on the
consequences of the
development of two distinct
European civilizations,
Eastern Orthodox and Roman
Catholic, and their two
distinct views on churchstate relations.
Use Informational
Features Features such
as maps and charts
explain information
that is difficult to
convey with words
alone. First, read the
written text. Then,
study the features for
more information.
E-LA Reading 7.2.1
Standards at a Glance
Vocabulary Builder
High-Use Words
authority (uh THOR uh tee), p. 40
superior (suh PIR ee uhr), p. 43
Students have already learned how
Christianity became the official religion
of the Roman Empire. Now they will
focus on the events that led to the development of the Eastern Orthodox Church
as an institution separate from the
Roman Catholic Church.
Key Terms and People
patriarch (PAY tree ahrk), p. 40
pope (pohp), p. 40
creed (kreed), p. 41
icon (ì kahn), p. 41
orthodox (OR thuh dahks), p. 42
catholic (KATH uh lihk), p. 42
Section Focus Question
Why did the Christian church
split into the two distinct traditions—Eastern Orthodoxy and
Roman Catholicism?
As you start the lesson, write the Section
Focus Question on the board. (Lesson focus:
Christianity split due to a failure to resolve
disagreements about authority, icon worship,
and rituals.)
Background Knowledge By the late 300s, Christianity was the official religion of the Roman Empire. However,
various groups of Christians held different religious beliefs. In
this section, you will see how those disagreements eventually
split the Christian Church.
Prepare to Read
The Early Christian Church
Christianity began in Judah. In the early years, Christian
leaders traveled throughout the Roman Empire. They founded
churches in major cities along trade routes. These early Christians shared the belief that Jesus was the Messiah, a savior sent
by God. But other issues divided the early believers. Some of
these issues concerned beliefs. Others had more to do with
church organization.
Build Background
Knowledge
Disagreements among early
Christians led to growing
divisions within the Church.
Church Organization Christianity had to compete
with many other religions in the Roman Empire. The early
Church survived in part because of its strong organization. A
bishop headed each local church, aided by deacons, deaconesses, and elders. Eventually, a bishop gained authority over
all churches in a certain region.
Section 2 The Division of the Christian Church
Set a Purpose
■
39
stantine came to power, he claimed that he
had the support of the Christian God and
that his success was due to his conversion
to Christianity. He viewed divisiveness
within the Church as offensive to God, and
he worried that a split within the Church
would inspire God to take vengeance upon
L2
Read aloud each statement in the Reading Readiness Guide. Ask students to
mark the statements true or false.
Teaching Resources, Unit 1,
Reading Readiness Guide, p. 43
History Background
Constantine and Christianity When Con-
L2
Help students understand the concepts of
authority and church-state relations. Ask students to give examples of people with
authority in (a) a religious organization
and (b) a government. (Possible answers: In
a religious organization, clergy may hold
authority on questions of faith. In a government, the police hold authority over questions
of lawbreaking.) Ask: In the United States,
does the government have authority in
religious organizations? (no)
His people. He expressed a personal commitment to encourage the spread of Christianity and pushed warring members of
the clergy to resolve theological disputes,
which he viewed as trivial academic arguments. Church officials viewed the matter
differently.
■
Have students discuss the statements in
pairs and mark their worksheets again.
Use the Think-Write-Pair-Share strategy
(TE p. T39) to call on students to share
their perspectives. Students will return
to these worksheets later.
Chapter 2 Section 2 39
The bishops’ authority was based on a tradition known as
apostolic succession. According to this tradition, Jesus gave
authority over his Church to the original Apostles. They then
passed this authority down to each generation of bishops.
The bishops of Rome, Jerusalem, Alexandria, Antioch,
and Constantinople were known as patriarchs. These five cities had the largest and most important Christian communities.
Vocabulary Builder
Teach
authority (uh THOR uh tee) n.
power or right to command
The Early Christian
Church
H-SS 7.1.3
Instruction
■
L2
Patriarchs and the Pope At first, the five patriarchs
Vocabulary Builder
were equal in authority. Over time, however, the bishop of Rome
claimed authority over Christians everywhere. He took the title of
pope, which meant father, or head, of the Church.
The pope based his claim on apostolic succession from the
Apostle Peter. In a passage of the Bible, Jesus is quoted as saying to Peter:
High-Use Words Before teaching this
section, preteach the high-use words
authority and superior using the strategy on TE p. 33.
Key Terms Following the instructions
on p. 7, have students continue to preview key terms.
■
Read The Early Christian Church using
the Oral Cloze strategy (TE p. T36).
■
Ask: What issues united all early Christians, and what issues divided them?
(They were united by their belief that Jesus
was the Messiah but divided by other religious questions and organizations.)
■
Ask: How did the pope’s authority
become a divisive issue between the
Christians in the East and Christians in
the West? (The pope was the bishop of
Rome. He claimed that the bishop of Rome
had authority over all the other bishops.
Christians in the East did not accept this.)
“
You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my
church. . . . I will give you the keys of the kingdom of
heaven; and whatever you bind on earth, it shall be
bound also in heaven. . . .
”
—from Matthew 16:18–19
The Early Christian Church
By 400, Christianity had spread
throughout the Roman
Empire. Patriarchs headed the
most important churches.
KEY
Western Roman Empire
50
°N
Eastern Roman Empire
Rh
R.
ine
ATLANTIC
OCEAN
City
10°W
EUROPE
D a n u be R
ITALY
40°N
.
BALKAN
PENINSULA
Rome
Carthage
Athens
Sicily
Black Sea
Constantinople
Nicaea
ASIA MINOR
Antioch
Ti
R.
is
gr
Aegean
G R E E C E Sea
Euphr
at e
sR
.
M e d i t e r r a n e a n S e a Jerusalem
Alexandria
AFRICA
30°N
Patriarch city
(a) Read a Map Key What symbol in the key shows the
location of the patriarchs’
cities?
(b) Evaluate Information Were
most patriarchs’ cities
located in the Eastern
Roman Empire or the Western Roman Empire?
For: Interactive map
Visit: PHSchool.com
Web Code: mxp-1022
N
0 km
EGYPT
500
Ni
10°E
0°
°E
50°E
40°E
Chapter 2
.
30°E
40
S
20°E
E
60
l
eR
0 miles
500
Azimuthal Equal-Area Projection
W
The Byzantine Empire
Universal Access
L1 English Language Learners
L1 Special Needs
Multiple Meaning Words Help students
Answer
(a) a black cross (b) the
Eastern Roman Empire
40 Chapter 2
understand the term church as it is used in
this section. Most commonly, the word
refers to a single building, as a church in a
community. In this section, the word is
capitalized and refers to a specific organization of people with the same beliefs and
under the same authority. Write the following two sentences on the board, and ask
students which meaning of church is being
used in each sentence: “Joseph went down
the street to the church.” (building) “The
head of the Roman Catholic Church is the
pope.” (specific organization)
The pope argued that Jesus had made
Peter head of the Church. According to
tradition, Peter had traveled to Rome to
become its first bishop. After his death,
his authority as head of the Church
passed on to the bishops who followed
him. The Eastern patriarchs, however,
did not accept this argument.
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this image in electronic format. Please see the teacher's
edition of your textbook for this image.
The Nicene Creed As Christianity
grew, different groups began to argue
about the nature of Jesus. The emperor
Constantine decided that the Church
needed one clear set of religious beliefs
to settle this argument. Soon after gaining power, he called a council of Church
officials.
In 325, bishops met in Nicaea (n¯ SEE
uh), in present-day Turkey. There, they
adopted a statement of beliefs, or a
creed, called the Nicene Creed. Versions
of this creed are still recited in churches
today.
The Controversy Over Icons
Instruction (continued)
■
Ask: How did Constantine try to keep
the Church united? (He had bishops meet
to create one clear set of religious beliefs,
called the Nicene Creed.)
■
Ask: Why do you think early leaders
were able to agree on the Nicene Creed
but not on other issues? (Possible
answer: The creed dealt with basic issues
about the nature of Jesus, not the troubling
issues of organization, about which Christians often disagreed.)
Independent Practice
Have students begin to fill in the Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide.
Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide, Chapter 2, Section 2
(Adapted version available.)
Monitor Progress
Byzantine Icon
This Byzantine icon, entitled Christ the Redeemer, is a
Early Christians also argued over the
painting of Jesus. Critical Thinking: Evaluate
use of icons. An icon is a holy image,
Information Why did some Byzantine rulers want to
usually a portrait of Jesus or a saint.
destroy icons like this one?
Many Christians displayed icons in their
homes and churches. For them, honoring an icon was a pathway to God. But to others, praying to an icon seemed like worE-LA 7.2.1 Analyze
shiping an object.
Pictures
In the 700s, several Byzantine emperors tried to stop icon
Read the text at left
worship. They were known as iconoclasts, or “image-breakers.”
and study the picture above.
How do the picture and its
They ordered their followers to go into churches and smash the
caption add information to
icons. These attacks on icons angered Christians in Western
the text?
Europe. There, Church leaders saw holy images as a way to
teach people about God—not as objects of worship. The Byzantine emperors eventually gave up their campaign against icons.
But the icon controversy left a feeling of mistrust between the
Eastern and Western churches.
As students fill in the Notetaking Study
Guide, circulate and make sure individuals
understand the issues that divided the early
Church. Provide assistance as needed.
What was the Nicene Creed?
Section 2 The Division of the Christian Church
41
Answers
Evaluate Information Possible answer:
Universal Access
L3 Advanced Readers
L3 Gifted and Talented
Report on the Nicene Creed Encourage
students to use library or Internet resources to read more about the Council of
Nicaea and the Nicene Creed, which was
produced there. Students should use their
findings to write a newspaper report of the
event, answering the journalistic questions, who, what, where, when, why, and how.
They believed that praying to a picture
such as this one amounted to worshiping
an object.
Reading Skill The picture helps
illustrate the religious nature and power of
icons, which helps explain why they were
a source of argument.
The Nicene Creed was a statement of religious beliefs for the Christian
Church that was meant to unite believers.
Chapter 2 Section 2 41
The Christian Church Splits
The Great Schism
Roman Catholic Church
H-SS 7.1.3
The pope headed the Church.
The Byzantine emperor
headed the Church.
Read The Great Schism with students.
Remind students to look for support of
the main idea.
The pope was the highest
Church official.
The patriarch of
Constantinople was the
highest Church official.
Have students use the chart at the top of
page 42 and the text to help answer
these questions.
Rituals and teaching were
in Latin.
Rituals and teaching were
in Greek.
Instruction
■
■
Eastern Orthodox Church
L2
■
Ask: What was the main conflict on the
issue of authority between the East and
West? (The pope claimed that he was the
highest authority within the Church, but the
Byzantine bishops did not agree.)
■
Ask: Why do you think both sides of
the Great Schism were unable to compromise? (Possible answers: People have
trouble compromising over religious beliefs.
Neither side was willing to give up power
and authority.)
■
At this point, distribute the worksheet
The Role of the Pope. After students
have completed it, have them discuss
how eastern and western Christians differed about the role of the pope. Ask
students who completed the worksheet
Authority to tell how the East and West
viewed church-state relations differently. (The state was directly involved in
Church affairs in the East, but not in the
West.)
Priests could not
marry.
to be known as the Eastern Orthodox Church. The word
orthodox means following traditional or established beliefs.
The Orthodox Church had a strong influence on the culture of
Eastern Europe.
In the Eastern tradition, the Byzantine emperor was head of
the Church. The patriarch of Constantinople was the highest
church official. He handled day-to-day church affairs. Other
bishops chose the patriarch from a list drawn up by the emperor.
But the emperor could remove a patriarch he disliked.
The Western tradition became known as the Roman Catholic
Church. Catholic means universal, or concerned with all people. The Catholic Church dominated the culture of Western
Europe.
Have students begin to fill in the Interactive Reading and Notetaking Study Guide.
(Adapted version available.)
Monitor Progress
Teaching Resources, Unit 1,
Reading Readiness Guide, p. 43
Answers
Reading Charts (a) Roman Catholic
Church (b) He would not want to be under
the authority of the pope.
42 Chapter 2
As time went on, differences between the Eastern and Western
churches continued to grow. The result was the development of
two religious traditions. In 1054, these two traditions split in an
event known as the Great Schism (SIHZ uhm). The word schism
comes from a Greek word meaning “split, or division.”
Two Christian Traditions The Eastern tradition came
Independent Practice
Tell students to fill in the last column of the
Reading Readiness Guide. Probe for what
they learned that confirms or invalidates
each statement.
(a) Interpret Charts In which
church was the head of the
church also the highest
official?
(b) Draw Conclusions Why
might the Byzantine
emperor have wanted the
two churches to remain
separate?
The Great Schism
The Eastern Orthodox and
Roman Catholic churches
became separate institutions
with distinct views on churchstate relations.
Teaching Resources, Unit 1, The
Role of the Pope, p. 46
As students fill in the Notetaking Study
Guide, circulate and make sure they
understand the conflict between Eastern
tradition and the Roman Catholic Church.
Provide assistance as needed.
This chart shows some of the
differences between the
Eastern Orthodox Church and
the Roman Catholic Church at
the time of the Great Schism.
42
Chapter 2 The Byzantine Empire
Universal Access
L1 Less Proficient Readers
L1 Special Needs
Authority Hand out the worksheet
Authority of the Pope, which contains two
flowcharts that show how authority was
viewed in the Eastern and in Western traditions. Have students read each flowchart
and fill in the answers. Check on students’
answers before calling on them to participate in the class discussion on differences
between the East and West.
Teaching Resources, Unit 1,
Authority of the Pope, p. 47
The pope was the head of the Western Church. After the fall of
Rome, Western Europe was divided among many rulers. As the
spiritual leader of the Church, the pope claimed authority over all
of them. He would not recognize any ruler, including the Byzantine emperor, as his superior.
Assess and Reteach
Vocabulary Builder
Assess Progress
superior (suh PIR ee uhr) n. person
who is higher in rank
Have students complete Check Your
Progress. Administer the Section Quiz.
The Final Split There were other differences between the
two churches. The language of the Eastern Orthodox Church
was Greek. The language of the Roman Catholic Church was
Latin. Orthodox priests were allowed to marry. Catholic
priests were not.
The final schism was over church rituals. “Great pain and
universal sorrow obsess me,” wrote Pope Gregory VII about
the split. “The Eastern Church is moving further away from
the Catholic faith.” However, neither the pope nor the patriarch would give in to the other. Since 1054, the Eastern Church
has remained separate from the Western Church.
Teaching Resources, Unit 1,
Section Quiz, p. 53
To further assess student understanding,
use the Progress Monitoring Transparency.
Progress Monitoring Transparencies, Chapter 2, Section 1
Reteach
Extend
Looking Back and Ahead In this section, you read
2 Check Your Progress
Comprehension
and Critical Thinking
1. (a) Recall Who were the
most important officials of
the early Christian Church?
(b) Apply How did apostolic succession strengthen
the Church?
2. (a) Recall What was the
relationship between the
Byzantine emperor and the
patriarch of Constantinople?
(b) Contrast How did the
relationship between church
and state differ in the West?
Reading Skill
For: Self-test with instant help
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Web Code: mxa-1022
Vocabulary Builder
4. Write two definitions for
each word: patriarch, creed,
icon. First, write a formal
definition for your teacher.
Second, write a definition
in everyday English for a
classmate.
5. Fill in the blanks in the following sentences with transitional words: _____ bishops
had power over local
churches. _____, the patriarch of Rome wanted power
over all Christians. _____, the
Eastern patriarchs rejected
the pope’s power. _____, the
Church split into Eastern and
Western branches.
Section 2 The Division of the Christian Church
43
Section 2 Check Your Progress
(b) In the West, the pope was the head
1. (a) the bishops
(b) Possible answer: It gave the bishops
of the Church and the highest Church
official. He had authority over all the
rulers.
2. (a) The emperor was the head of the
Church. The patriarch was the highest
Church official. The bishops chose the
patriarch from a list drawn up by the
emperor. The emperor could remove a
patriarch he disliked.
For: Help in starting the Extend
activity
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Web Code: mxe-2003
Writing
3. Analyze Pictures The picture
on page 41 helped you better understand what an icon
is. Use that understanding to
find another example of an
icon in this chapter.
authority.
L3
Have students go to PHSchool.com to
research iconoclasm. Have them share
their findings with the class. Give students
the Web Code below.
about the schism in the Christian Church. In the next section,
you will read about the contributions of Byzantine civilization.
H-SS: 7.1.3; E-LA: Reading 7.2.1
L1
If students need more instruction, have
them read this section in the Interactive
Reading and Notetaking Study Guide.
(Adapted version available.)
What led to the final split between the Eastern
Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches?
Section
L2
3. An example can be found on page 48.
4. Answers will vary but should demon-
strate an understanding of the words.
5. Possible answers: “at first,” “eventual-
ly,” “then,” “finally”
Answer
The final split was over
church rituals.
Chapter 2 Section 2 43