Published: March 23, 2023

Wednesdays, April 12, 19, 26, 6-7 pm, Fellowship Hall

Led by Dr. Jeff Brubaker

Many of us know Jeff as the spouse of our Director of Communications, as an expert of ancient church heresies, and as a new dad to Eirene. In addition to these accolades, Dr. Brubaker recently celebrated the publication of his first book, The Disputatio of the Latins and the Greeks, 1234: Introduction, Translation, and Commentary. And while this title may not lend itself to becoming a New York Times Best-Seller, Jeff has put together an enticing 3-session course that will be accessible to all. This course will highlight some of the histories that led up to the “Great Schism” of the East and West churches, and the subsequent conversations of church leaders who ostensibly were working to heal this divide.

Here is an outline of the discussions for each week:

1. A Brief History of Schism (to 1234): What caused the division between the Western Roman and Eastern Greek Churches? History shows that the schism between these two Christian communities was complex and often confrontational. What provoked the initial divergence between these sibling churches? How did these issues evolve over the medieval period?

2. Overtures toward Union: This session seeks to understand the roles of Patriarch and Pope over the Greek and Roman Churches. How did the two communities organize their hierarchies? What impacted their roles in the years leading up to the meeting of 1234? Do the letters between Pope Gregory IX and Patriarch Germanos II shed any light on their intentions or possible outcomes of that encounter?

3. Report of the Friars: Four friars representing Pope Gregory IX left a detailed account of their dialogue with the leadership of the Greek Church in 1234. What does their recollection tell us about how Christians of East and West saw one another? How does their report reflect the larger and longer effort to heal the Great Schism? Can we accept their comments as a faithful account? If not, what causes us to question their account?
 

Contact Mike Mullin (mmullin@asburyfirst.org) with any additional questions.