The Reformation

The Reformation

The Reformation is generally understood in Orthodoxy as a Western family dispute that did not address the deeper theological and ecclesiological issues that had already divided East and West for centuries.

From an Orthodox perspective, the Reformation was a reaction to very real problems within the Roman Catholic Church, including papal abuses and a form of scholastic theology that had become detached from lived spiritual experience.

However, Orthodox Christians would argue that the Reformers were still operating within a fundamentally flawed framework, one that the Eastern Church had already rejected during the Great Schism of 1054. While they challenged papal authority and certain doctrines, they did not return fully to the conciliar and sacramental vision preserved in Orthodoxy.

Interestingly, some early Reformers viewed Eastern Orthodoxy as a closer expression of the Apostolic faith when compared to late medieval Roman Catholicism. Nevertheless, these encounters did not result in sustained reunion or theological alignment.

Ultimately, the Reformation contributed to the fragmentation of Western Christianity, giving rise to the modern landscape of numerous Christian denominations, each with differing interpretations of authority, doctrine, and tradition.