History and Influence of Western Christianity:
– Western Christianity is one of two major subdivisions of Christianity, alongside Eastern Christianity.
– It includes the Latin Church, Western Protestantism, and offshoots like the Old Catholic Church, Independent Catholicism, and Restorationism.
– The majority of the world’s 2.3 billion Christians are Western Christians, with around 2 billion Latin Catholics and 800 million Protestants.
– Western Christianity, under the bishop of Rome, gave rise to Protestant denominations like Lutheranism and Anglicanism.
– It has played a significant role in shaping Western civilization and spread through European colonialism to various continents.
Cultural Divide and Development:
– Historically, the Christian church was divided between the Latin-speaking West centered in Rome and the Greek-speaking East centered in Constantinople.
– Tensions over doctrine and ecclesiology led to the schism between Western and Eastern Christianity.
– Both branches trace their roots to the apostles, with Latin becoming the principal language in Western Christianity.
– Distinctions in organization emerged as the West looked to Rome and the East to Constantinople.
– The concept of Europe as a cultural sphere emerged during the Carolingian Renaissance, encompassing Western Christianity territories.
Theological Concepts in Western Christianity:
– Original sin, also known as ancestral sin, is a fundamental belief in Western Christianity, stemming from Adam and Eve’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden.
– Most Western Christians use a version of the Nicene Creed with the Filioque clause, stating that the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
– Differences in the date of Easter exist between Eastern and Western Christianity due to calendar variations.
– Western Christianity lacks the essence–energies distinction present in Eastern Orthodoxy, emphasizing divine simplicity and knowing God through His attributes.
Denominations and Figures in Western Christianity:
– Western Christianity constitutes nearly 90% of Christians globally, with the Catholic Church representing over half and various Protestant denominations making up about 40%.
– Major figures in Western Christianity include Clement of Rome, Pope Leo I, Gregory the Great, Jan Hus, Martin Luther, John Calvin, and other pivotal figures from the Protestant Reformation.
– Archbishop figures like Augustine of Canterbury and Thomas Cranmer played significant roles in reform movements.
– Examples of small Protestant churches include the Moravian Church and Waldensians.
Geographical Spread and Modern Context:
– The term Western Christianity now refers to a collective of denominations rather than a specific geographical area.
– The distinction between Western and Eastern Christianity is more about historical origins and theological differences than geography.
– The Latin Church maintains Latin liturgical rites, while Protestant denominations have diverse practices.
– Various Christian holidays’ dates also differ between Eastern and Western Christianity.
Western Christianity is one of two subdivisions of Christianity (Eastern Christianity being the other). Western Christianity is composed of the Latin Church and Western Protestantism, together with their offshoots such as the Old Catholic Church, Independent Catholicism and Restorationism.
The large majority of the world's 2.3 billion Christians are Western Christians (about 2 billion – 1.2 billion Latin Catholic and 800 million Protestant). One major component, the Latin Church, developed under the bishop of Rome. Out of the Latin Church emerged a wide variety of independent Protestant denominations, including Lutheranism and Anglicanism, starting from the Protestant Reformation in the 16th century, as did Independent Catholicism in the 19th century. Thus, the term "Western Christianity" does not describe a single communion or religious denomination, but is applied to distinguish all these denominations collectively from Eastern Christianity.
The establishment of the distinct Latin Church, a particular church sui iuris of the Catholic Church, coincided with the consolidation of the Holy See in Rome, which claimed primacy since Antiquity. The Latin Church is distinct from the Eastern Catholic Churches, also in full communion with the Pope in Rome, and from the Eastern Orthodox Church and Oriental Orthodox Churches, which are not in communion with Rome. These other churches are part of Eastern Christianity. The terms "Western" and "Eastern" in this regard originated with geographical divisions mirroring the cultural divide between the Hellenistic east and Latin West, and the political divide between the Western and Eastern Roman empires. During the Middle Ages adherents of the Latin Church, irrespective of ethnicity, commonly referred to themselves as "Latins" to distinguish themselves from Eastern Christians.
Western Christianity has played a prominent role in the shaping of Western civilization. With the expansion of European colonialism from the Early Modern era, the Latin Church, in time along with its Protestant secessions, spread throughout the Americas, much of the Philippines, Southern Africa, pockets of West Africa, and throughout Australia and New Zealand. Thus, when used for historical periods after the 16th century, the term "Western Christianity" does not refer to a particular geographical area, but is rather used as a collective term for all these.
Today, the geographical distinction between Western and Eastern Christianity is not nearly as absolute as in Antiquity or the Middle Ages, due to the spread of Christian missionaries, migrations, and globalisation. As such, the adjectives "Western Christianity" and "Eastern Christianity" are typically used to refer to historical origins and differences in theology and liturgy, rather than present geographical locations.[citation needed]
While the Latin Church maintains the use of the Latin liturgical rites, Protestant denominations and Independent Catholicism use a wide variety of liturgical practices.
The earliest concept of Europe as a cultural sphere (instead of simply a geographic term) appeared during the Carolingian Renaissance of the 9th century, which included territories which practiced Western Christianity at the time.
