Sparks Commentary: A review of “Orthodox and Roman Catholic Christianity” (audiobook)

“I believe in one, holy, catholic and apostolic Church.

I confess one Baptism for the forgiveness of sins

and I look forward to the resurrection of the dead

and the life of the world to come. Amen.”

– Closing lines of the “Niceno-Constantinopolitan Creed” (381 CE), a modified version of the “Nicene Creed” (325 CE) – as translated by the 1975 ecumenical version from the “International Consultation on English Texts” (or ICET)

In the eleventh century, Christianity was split into two groups: the Eastern Orthodox Church, and the Roman Catholic Church. These churches are the subjects of this audiobook.

Many Americans have never even heard of Orthodox Christianity, which is the smallest of the three major Christian branches. But the Roman Catholic Church is different. It remains a powerful force even today. According to a recent survey, it is still a slight majority of the world’s Christian population. Protestants account for most of the rest, although this audiobook does not claim to cover Protestantism. They leave it to a separate audiobook to cover Protestant Christianity, which I will review once I’ve listened to this audiobook (or reasonably soon afterward).

Cross of Mathilde, made in the eleventh century

This audiobook begins with the birth of Christianity itself in the first century. They talk about Jesus Christ and his apostles, and the celebrated missionary work of Paul the Apostle. They also talk about some early church councils – such as the Council of Nicaea, which produced the Nicene Creed. These had massive effects on Christian history. They mention several church councils, and famous saints like Augustine of Hippo. For the most part, they even observe a chronology here, so that one might take this to be a history of the churches being covered here. But the focus of this audiobook is actually on their beliefs, and how they were shaped by these kinds of councils.

16th-century fresco depicting the Council of Nicaea in AD 325

Nonetheless, they do spend much time on the separation between the Catholic and Orthodox Christians. This is sometimes known as the “East-West Schism.” (“Schism” is just a word for a formal separation, particularly in a religious context.) I will not attempt to go into the reasons for their separation here, but this audiobook does examine them in some detail. Basically it falls under the heading of “irreconcilable doctrinal differences.” There were times when both sides hoped for reconciliation and even reunion. However, it is now clear to both sides that the tide of history is against this, so neither side now hopes for a reunion. Nonetheless, they have much in common, which is why it seems to make sense to cover them together here. Incidentally, this audiobook was written by Jean Porter, a scholar from the University of Notre Dame. Thus, it seems safe to presume that the author was herself a Catholic.

Hagia Sophia, the cathedral in Constantinople at the time of the schism

Orthodox Christianity accounts for more than 10% of the world’s Christian population, according to a recent survey. Orthodox Christianity has since split into many churches. Often, a particular Orthodox Church has been the official religion of one Eastern European nation or another. There is also a Russian Orthodox Church, which is the largest of the Eastern Orthodox branches. Most versions of Orthodox Christianity were officially banned under the rule of the Soviet Union. This was because the Soviets’ communist ideology mandated “state atheism.” Nonetheless, they maintain a presence in Russia and Eastern Europe despite this persecution.

St. George’s Cathedral, a famous Orthodox church in Istanbul, Turkey

As expected, they also spent a significant amount of time on the Roman Catholic Church. In addition to the major councils mentioned earlier, they talk about its conflicts with other belief systems. For example, they mention the Crusades, in which Catholics fought against the new Muslim faith. They mention the Inquisitions, and church policies towards people like Galileo. And they mention the Protestant Reformation, which had a massive effect on larger Catholic history. The author does not portray her own church as perfect, but it is clear that she is a true believer in it. This was most welcome for me, since I wanted to hear about Catholic beliefs from a true Catholic. I would prefer to learn about what people really believe, rather than what someone else says they believe.

Sistine Chapel – Vatican City

So I learned a lot from this audiobook, regarding both the Catholic and Orthodox Christians. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to learn about these two faiths. I will cover Protestant Christianity in a later blog post, and leave it to another website to cover my own version of Christianity (which I disclose here, for anyone who is interested).

“And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.”

– The New Testament, “The Gospel According to St Matthew,” Chapter 16, Verse 18 (as translated by the King James Version of the Bible)

Audiobook at AudiobooksNow.com

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A review of “Peter, Paul, and the Christian Revolution”

A review of “Ancient Roads from Christ to Constantine”

A review of “St. Augustine” (audiobook)

A review of “St. Thomas Aquinas” (audiobook)

A review of “Duns Scotus and Medieval Christianity” (audiobook)

Part of an audiobook series