Which religion was split into Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic?

Answer 1

Catholic AnswerThere is no "Roman Catholic Church". It’s just Catholic, not Roman Catholic. Roman is an epithet first commonly used in England after the protestant revolt to describe the Catholic Church. It is never used by the official Catholic Church. The split between the Orthodox Churches and the Catholic Church is called the Eastern Schism by the Catholic Church. The Great Schism, in Catholic parlance, refers to the Western Schism otherwise known as the Avignon Papacy.

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Schism of the East: the estrangement and severance from the Holy See of what is now called the Orthodox Eastern Church was a gradual process extending over centuries. After a number of minor schisms the first serious, though short, break was that of Photius; from then on tension between East and West increased, and the schism of Cerularius occurred in 1054. From then on the breach gradually widened and has been definitive since 1472. There was a formal union from the 2nd Council of Lyons in 1274 until 1282, and a more promising one after the Council of Florence from 1439 to 1472. After the capture of Constantinople it was in the Turkish interest to reopen and widen the breach with the powerful Roman church; the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were dragged into this policy, Russia and the Slav churches stood out the longest of any: none of these churches, except Constantinople itself in 1472, formally and definitely broke away from the unity of the Church. But in the course of centuries the schism has set and crystallized into a definite separation from the Holy See of many million people with a true priesthood and valid sacraments. The origins, causes and development of the schism are matters of much complication, still not fully unraveled.

from

Modern Catholic Dictionary by John A. Hardon, S.J. Doubleday & Co., Inc. Garden City, NY 1980

Separation of the Christian Churches of the East from unity with Rome. The schism was centuries in the making and finally became fixed in 1054, when the Patriarch of Constantinople, Michael Cerularisu (died 1059), was excommunicated by the papal legates for opposing the use of leavened bread by the Latin Church and removing the Pope’s name from the diptychs or list of persons to be prayed for in the Eucharistic liturgy. A temporary reunion with Rome was effected by the Second Council of Lyons (1274) and the Council of Florence (1439) but never stabilized

Answer 2

"Orthodox Catholic Christianity".

Orthodox means the exactly correct faith that Christ created, and Catholic means the exact same "Kingdom of Heaven" (aka Church) that Christ created. It is called both Orthodox and Catholic because it is both Orthodox ("correct profession") and Catholic ("for the whole"). The four characteristics of this religion are professed in the Nicene-Constantinopolitan creed:

One (unified),
Holy (made by God himself),
Catholic (for the entire world)
Apostolic (unchanging).

Is this the same as Orthodoxy? As Roman Catholicism? As both? As neither? It depends on whom you ask.

Roman Catholic perspective: The schism split the Original Church into two halves. Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy are both continuations of the Original Church, wherefore they are both canonically valid as the "true church". However, the Orthodox Church is not in communion with the patriarch of Rome (the Pope), who is the "vicar" (representative) of Christ as the supreme hierarch of the Church, and so it is not in the same entirety of oneness, holiness, catholicity, and apolosticity as the Roman Catholic Church is. The relationship between Rome and Orthodoxy is imagined as two lungs, where Rome is the lung that breathes correctly. The original Church will be manifest once again when the two Churches reconcile and recommune.

Orthodox perspective: The schism resulted in Rome leaving the original Church. The Orthodox Church IS the original Church, still living this day, and is still one, holy, catholic, and apostolic. The Roman Catholic Church, despite being an apostolic patriarchate, is not in the living original Church, because (1) it is out of communion with the original Church AND (2) it does not profess the same faith as the original Church. The Orthodox Church will always remain the original Orthodox Catholic Church, regardless of whether the Roman patriarchate is part of it.

Neither perspective: If the original Church ceased to exist after the schism, then we are in a time when the "Kingdom of Heaven" on earth is not, which means that the Holy Spirit did not do His job.

If one of these two is the true Orthodox Catholic Church, who's right? Depends on what your criterion is for "original Church":

Does the original Church preserve the legalistic order of hierarchy by continuously adjusting the faith to the interpretations of the vicar of Christ regardless of what the rest of the Church says? Then the original Church is Rome.

Does the original Church act as a family, organically making decisions together, and preserving the faith passed down to it from its intimate Bridgegroom, the faith which was once and for all delivered to the saints? Then the original Church is Orthodox.

Ultimately, it's your decision to make. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. My decision was Orthodox.

Answer 3

Roman Catholic AnswerChurch historians refer to this as The Schism of the East

from A Catholic Dictionary, edited by Donald Attwater, Second edition, revised 1957

The Schism of the East the estrangement and severance from the Holy See of what is now called the Orthodox Eastern Church was a gradual process extending over centuries. After a number of minor schisms the first serious, though short, break was that of Photius; from then on tension between East and West increased, and the schism of Cerularius occurred in 1054. From then on the breach gradually widened and has been definitive since 1472. There was a formal union from the 2nd Council of Lyons in 1274 until 1282, and a more promising one after the Council of Florence from 1439 to 1472. After the capture of Constantinople it was in the Turkish interest to reopen and widen the breach with the powerful Roman church; the patriarchates of Alexandria, Antioch, and Jerusalem were dragged into this policy, Russia and the Slav churches stood out the longest of any: none of these churches, except Constantinople itself in 1472, formally and definitely broke away from the unity of the Church. But in the course of centuries the schism has set and crystallized into a definite separation from the Holy See of many million people with a true priesthood and valid sacraments. The origins, causes and development of the schism are matters of much complication, still not fully unraveled.