www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life The Christian East & West Differences

Being a Baptist pastor in Ireland I am quite familiar with the Roman Catholic church, but I know nothing about your Church.

Could someone enlighten me to the basic differences?

Check my other recent posts for my motivation in being here,please .

Pastor:

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Please find a website that might help:

http://www.east2west.org/

Smar

Pastor:

Glory to Jesus Christ!

Please find a website that might help answer your questions: http://www.east2west.org/

Smar

Thanks for your help. I will have a look there.

Dear Pastor Berean,

There are many on all levels of the heirarchy, from patriarchs to the lay person, who believe that the two greatest differences are the filioque and the papal primacy. The Filioque has, in my view, had sufficient explanation to accept as orthodox. The papal primacy is acceptable, but should be confined in practice to extenuating circumstances, circumstances which future colloquies between Orthodox and Catholics will surely define.

Blessings,
Marduk

Thanks again for your gracious responses.
You have been very helpful to an "outsider" who will never become an "insider" but is just trying to learn some things.

You have shown yourselves true gentlemen (and ladies, I assume ).

Roger

if you are a Baptist pastor in Dublin, then you could become quite familiar with a Byzantine Catholic Church. Father Archimandrite Serge Kelleher pastors a parish in Dublin. Perhaps someone here has his address.

I am not in Dublin, but it might be worth a trip. I just assumed that all of the Catholic Churches here were RC.

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Berean:
[QB] Being a Baptist pastor in Ireland I am quite familiar with the Roman Catholic church, but I know nothing about your Church.

Could someone enlighten me to the basic differences?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Pastor,

I am not sure what you mean by 'differences' here. If you are referring to the differences between Roman Catholics and Byzantine Catholics I would say the primary difference is in the way the Liturgy is celebrated. Byzantine Catholics are also in Communion with Rome(the Pope) even though the Roman Catholic Liturgy differs from the Divine Liturgy of the East. Byzantine Catholic Liturgies(masses) are the Divine Liturgy of St. John Chrystosom and St. Basil, which, unlike the Roman Catholic Liturgy of today, have not undergone significant changes.

Besides the difference in Liturgy there is also a difference in theological emphasis in certain areas. One is that the Byzantine Catholics place much more emphasis on the Resurrection of Christ whle still giving great importance to the Cruxifiction. Byzantine theology is also much more Orthodox in content than Roman Catholic theology. But mainly, as I said, it is a difference in emphasis rather than basic beliefs.

Hope this helps.

Peace in Christ, Gal. 5:22-23


Porter aka Mary Jo <><

Pastor Roger:

It would be well worth the trip:

https://www.byzcath.org/~ireland/

Smar

Berean,

although it may not be the case in Ireland, you would probably be surprised to find among priests of the Byzantine Catholic parishes on the Continent that a majority of them are married and have families. As the norm, married men of the Byzantine Catholic Churches in central and eastern Europe (and the Middle East)are ordained to the priesthood. Celibacy is usually reserved for monks.

Thanks for the continuing help. I did realise that celibacy was not required for priests in the Byzantine Churches.

I have learned more here in two days than I would have learned in weeks of independent study [Linked Image]

Berean,

I'd say the biggest theological difference is the essence-energy distinction that is made in Eastern Theology and how east and west gloss divine simplicity. Although, more research needs to be done to end the polemically geared rhetoric of the past.

I recomend this book here The Ground of Union: Deification in Aquinas and Palamas [amazon.com] .

Daniel