www.byzcath.org Forums Faith & Christian Life Faith & Theology Clarification of Church History

So in the beginning Jesus tough his apostles. After the ascension of Christ, the apostles took a different area. The most known being Peter and the Roman Catholic Church. But then the church split. I'm confused to who split with whom, why, and when. What is the difference between eastern catholic (coptic catholic, Byzantine catholic, Syriac catholic) and Eastern Orthodox (Russian orthodox, Greek Orthodox). Is there a difference. Tell me as much as you can in a basic way I can understand.

In a nutshell, the Eastern and Western Churches drifted apart over time; sometimes there were definite events to date the separation, but usually it was a more gradual process. The split between the Eastern Orthodox and the Roman Catholics is conventionally dated to 1054, but it began before that and was not truly final for some long time after. The Eastern Catholic Churches, for the most part, are Eastern Churches who reestablished communion with Rome at various points in the second millennium for reasons that vary from Church to Church.

A good history from the perspective of the Eastern Orthodox Church is the series put out by St Vladimir Press, I believe it is in 6 Volumes I don't know if all are completed I think I have 4 of the set.