great schism
Học thuậtThân thiện
The Great Schism divided the Roman Catholic Church between rival popes in Rome and Avignon.
Definition
- Noun:
- A major split or division within a religious body, especially the Roman Catholic Church: The term "Great Schism" most specifically refers to the Western Schism (1378–1417), a period of crisis when rival claimants to the papacy created a split in Western Christendom.
- A profound and lasting division: More broadly, it can denote any significant rupture within a previously unified institution or group, though this usage often references the historical event.
Examples of Usage
- Noun:
- The Great Schism of 1378 weakened the authority of the Catholic Church for decades.
- Historians study the causes and consequences of the Great Schism.
- The council was convened to end the Great Schism and restore a single pope.
Advanced Usage
- "The Great Schism" (capitalized): Almost always refers specifically to the Western Schism of 1378–1417. It is a proper noun for this historical event.
- The resolution of the Great Schism required the Council of Constance.
- "a great schism" (lowercase): Can be used metaphorically to describe a major split in other contexts, such as politics or philosophy.
- The new policy caused a great schism within the political party.
Variants and Related Words
- Schism (n): A formal division or split within a religious body, or any division or disunion.
- The schism led to the formation of two separate churches.
- Schismatic (adj): Relating to or involved in a schism.
- Schismatic movements challenged the central authority.
Synonyms
- Split: A division or disagreement.
- Division: The action of separating into parts.
- Rift: A serious break in friendly relations.
Related Phrases
- Heal the schism: To repair a major division.
- The leader's goal was to heal the schism in the community.
- Cause a schism: To create a major split.
- The controversial doctrine threatened to cause a schism.
Related Idioms
- A house divided: (While not an idiom "schism," it describes a similar state of internal conflict often resulting from one.)
- The great schism left the church a house divided against itself.
The Great Schism divided the Roman Catholic Church between rival popes in Rome and Avignon.
Noun
- the period from 1378 to 1417 during which there were two papacies in the Roman Catholic Church, one in Rome and one in Avignon