I noticed an article on CNN today which covers a split between the global Orthodox church and its Greek head.
This lead me to do a little more research (mostly because I wanted to see more pictures of guys with long beards), and I came across an oped by Rev. Dr. Miltiades B. Efthimiou on the occiasion of the 800th anniversary of the Fourth Crusades, for which the Roman Catholic pope issued an apology.
This op-ed explains some of the basic difference between the Eastern and RC faiths. You know what seems to be #1? The issue of "filioque". Rev Dr Efthimiou's article didn't explain this difference to me, but more research seems to indicate that it's a slight semantic difference in the Nicene Creed. In the RC version, the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father and the Son", to the EOs, the Holy Spirit "proceeds from the Father".
Rev Dr Efthimiou suggests that the RC version emerged from an error in transcription, which may be reasonable, but - holy smokes! - that's the crux of a thousand years of schism? Ridiculous.
Posted by msouthwo at May 1, 2004 07:41 PM