Schism in Christianity

In Christianity, a schism occurs when a single religious body divides and becomes two separate religious bodies. The split can be violent or nonviolent but results in at least one of the two newly created bodies considering itself distinct from the other. This article covers schisms in Christianity.

In the early Christian church, the formation of a distinction between the concepts of "heresy" and "schism" began. In ecclesiastical usage, the term "heresy" refers to a serious confrontation based on disagreements over fundamental issues of faith or morality, while the term "schism" usually means a lesser form of disunity caused by organizational or less important ideological differences. Heresy is rejection of a doctrine that a Church considered to be essential. Schism is a rejection of communion with the authorities of a Church.

Definition of schism in Christianity

In Christian theology, the concept of the unity of the Church was developed by the Apostles, Holy Fathers and apologists. The greatest contribution to the doctrine of church unity was made by the apostles Peter and Paul, Ignatius of Antioch, Irenaeus of Lyons, Cyprian of Carthage, Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian, John Chrysostom, and John of Damascus. Christian ecclesiology insists on the statement that unity and the Church are synonymous, as John Chrysostom wrote: "the name of the Church is not one of separation but of unity and harmony".

Canon 751 of the Latin Church's 1983 Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope John Paul II in 1983, defines schism as the following: "schism is the refusal of submission to the Supreme Pontiff or of communion with the members of the Church subject to him". This definition is reused in the Catechism of the Catholic Church.

Lists of Schisms

Schisms in the early Church

Since the early days of Christianity, many disputes have arisen between members of the Church.

The following are instances of denominations are considered as schisms of Early Christianity by the current mainstream Christian denominations:

• Marcionist schism (c. 150)
• Montanist Schism (c. 156)
• Monarchianist schism (c. 100-200)
• Sabellianist/Patripassianist schism (c. 200)
• Novatianist schism 250 onwards. Novatianism survived until the 8th century.
• Donatist schism (c. 300-500)
• Arian schism (325)
• Quartodecimanist schism (325)
• Macedonian schism (342)
• Luciferian schism (355)
• Appolinarist schism (381)
• Collyridianist schism (c. 376)
• Nestorian schism (431)
• Eutychian schism (451)
• Monophysite schism (451)
• Acacian schism (484)
• Schism of the Three Chapters (553)
• Armenian Apostolic schism (610)
• Monothelitist schism (629)
• First Iconoclast schism (787)
• Second Iconoclast schism (814)
• The Great Schism of 1054

Schisms in Catholicism before the Reformation

• 1130 papal election (1130)
• Catharism schism (1147)
• Bosnian schism (1199)
• Waldensian schism (1215)
• Western Schism (1378)
• Bohemian Reformation (1415)

Reformation

• The Swiss Reformation 1516
• The Anabaptist Reformation 1525
• The English Reformation 1529
• Schism of 1552
• The Scottish Reformation 1560

Post Reformation schisms before the Second World War

• Melkite-Orthodox Schism 1724
• Orthodox Reformation 19th century
• Restorationist movement begins 1850s
• (Bulgarian schism) 1872
• Old Catholic Church schism 1879
• Philippine Independent Church 1902
• Liberal Catholic movement 1913
  • Liberal Catholic Church schism 1916
• Watch Tower Society presidency dispute 1917
• True Orthodox movement 1920s
  • Old Calendarism schisms 1923

Post Reformation schisms since the Second World War

• (Church of the East Schism) 1964
• Montaner Schism 1967–69
• Continuing Anglican movement schisms begin since 1977
• Society of Saint Pius X became schismatic in 1988
• Apostolic Catholic Church 1992
• Second Moscow–Constantinople schism 1996
• Anglican realignment schisms begin since 2002
  • The separation of the Anglican Church in North America from the Episcopal Church and the Anglican Church of Canada 2009
• Community of the Lady of All Peoples Quebec, Excluded from the Catholic Church in April 2007
• North American Lutheran Church, founded in 2010 by congregations that left the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada
• Third Moscow–Constantinople schism 2018
• Global Methodist Church formed by Conservative Methodist who left the United Methodist Church 2022
• Diocese of the Southern Cross formed by Conservative Anglicans who left the Anglican Church of Australia 2022

See also

• Ecclesiastical separatism
• Old and New Lights

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Sources

• Hovorun, Cyril (2014). "Ecclesiological foundations for Ecumenism". Orthodox Handbook on Ecumenism. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Thomas Fitzgerald, Cyril Hovorun, Aikaterini Pekridou, Nikolaos Asproulis, Guy Liagre, Dietrich Werner (1st ed.). Oxford: Regnum book international. pp. 77–85. ISBN 978-1-908355-44-7.
• McGuckin, Fr. John (2014). "The Role of Orthodoxy in World Christianity Today – Historical, Demographic and Theological Perspectives – An Introduction". Orthodox Handbook on Ecumenism. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Thomas Fitzgerald, Cyril Hovorun, Aikaterini Pekridou, Nikolaos Asproulis, Guy Liagre, Dietrich Werner (1st ed.). Oxford: Regnum book international. pp. 3–9. ISBN 978-1-908355-44-7.

Further reading

• Ionita, Fr. Viorel (2014). "Bilateral Theological Dialogues of Orthodox Churches – a General Introduction". Orthodox Handbook on Ecumenism. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Thomas Fitzgerald, Cyril Hovorun, Aikaterini Pekridou, Nikolaos Asproulis, Guy Liagre, Dietrich Werner (1st ed.). Oxford: Regnum book international. pp. 457–472. ISBN 978-1-908355-44-7.
• Kalaitzidis, Pantelis (2014). "Theological, historical, and cultural reasons for anti-ecumenical movements in Eastern Orthodoxy". Orthodox Handbook on Ecumenism. Pantelis Kalaitzidis, Thomas Fitzgerald, Cyril Hovorun, Aikaterini Pekridou, Nikolaos Asproulis, Guy Liagre, Dietrich Werner (1st ed.). Oxford: Regnum book international. pp. 134–152. ISBN 978-1-908355-44-7.
• Christine Chaillot, Alexander Belopopsky (1998). Towards Unity. The Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the Oriental Orthodox Churches. Geneva: Inter-Orthodox Dialogue. ISBN 9788390695846.
• Dvornik F. (2008). The Photian Schism: History and Legend. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. ISBN 9780521101769.
• W. H. C. Frend (2000). The Donatist Church: A Movement of Protest in Roman North Africa. Oxford: Oxford University Press. ISBN 978-0198264088.
• Gary L. Ward (1990). Independent Bishops: An International Directory. Omnigraphics Inc. ISBN 978-1558883079.