which of the following was a political cause of the East-West Schism?
disputes over the role of religious icons
disputes over the leadership of the christian chruch
disputes over the nature of god and the nicene creed
disputes over the language of religious service
disputes over the leadership of the Christian Church
The political cause of the East-West Schism was primarily disputes over the leadership of the Christian church.
The political cause of the East-West Schism was disputes over the leadership of the Christian Church.
To arrive at this answer, let's analyze the given options:
1. Disputes over the role of religious icons: Although religious icons had some role in the division between the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic Churches, it was not a primary political cause of the East-West Schism. The debate over the use of icons, also known as the Iconoclastic Controversy, took place several centuries prior to the schism.
2. Disputes over the leadership of the Christian Church: This is the correct answer. The East-West Schism was primarily caused by disagreements between the Pope in Rome (Western Church) and the Patriarch of Constantinople (Eastern Church) over authority and jurisdiction within the Church. This led to the formal split in 1054.
3. Disputes over the nature of God and the Nicene Creed: While theological disputes existed between the Eastern and Western Churches, they were not the main political cause of the schism. These theological differences were more related to the overall religious divide between the two branches.
4. Disputes over the language of religious service: Language played a role in the split between the Eastern and Western Churches, particularly the use of Latin in the West and Greek in the East. However, it was not the main political cause of the schism.
Therefore, the correct political cause of the East-West Schism was disputes over the leadership of the Christian Church.