Acacian schism

The Akakianische schism ( 484-519 ) introduced the first fundamental schism ( schism ) between the Eastern and Western Christendom dar.

It is named after the Patriarch Acacius of Constantinople Opel ( 471-489 ), who developed a Henotikon -called formula of faith on behalf of the Eastern Roman Emperor Zeno, which should reconcile the Monophysites ( Miaphysites ) with the orthodox imperial Church: At the core of this formula, which initially is ran probably had only addressed to the Christians in Egypt, boils down simply to conceal the controversial Council of Chalcedon (451 ). The adoption of this compromise decree by the Emperor brought about initially actually a certain approximation to the Monophysites (though no reconciliation ), thereby strengthening the internal unity of the Eastern Roman Empire. However, the Henotikon was mainly vehemently rejected by the territories of the former Western Roman Empire, where they understood the decisions of Chalcedon as a victory of their own thing - (. , Or III) stood by Pope Felix II ( 483-492 ), advised by Acacius with the warring Joannes Talaia, at the head of the resistance. Since Italy was in fact at this time under Germanic rule and theoretically the emperor was subject to the bishop of Rome could act freely and 484 denounce the Church Fellowship with Ostrom.

Especially Zeno's successor Anastasius ( 491-518 ) held in the negotiations with Rome for its part, strictly fixed at Henotikon. The new Germanic masters of the West, which were mostly Arians themselves, saw this alienation of their Roman subjects of the Emperor usually with pleasure - and vice versa, it looked Theodoric the Great with concern, when Ostrom under the new, derived from the Illyricum Emperor Justin I, who was close to the papal position, eventually to found willing to take back the Henotikon. The negotiations to end the schism led by Dioscorus, who would later (530 ) briefly ascend to the anti-pope. As 519 the schism ended by Konstantin Opel under the Patriarch John II Kappadokes under pressure from the Emperor the Hormisdas formula of the Roman bishop accepted this measure led on the one hand to an intensification of the conflict with the Monophysites in the Eastern Roman Empire, and on the other hand they can be as interpret a first step towards the little later tried under Emperor Justinian political reunification of the West with the eastern Empire.