Page:Nicolae Iorga - My American lectures.djvu/35

 Church and its Slavonic variants which were formed in the 9th century. Other churches using other languages, representing other countries, other races and other ancient states have these features. And, speaking of schisms, was it not a schism rather than a heresy — and all schism is for each of the parts separated a heresy — the existence of an Armenian, a Syrian or a Coptic Church, each of them presenting differences at least as great as the filioque in the creed, the use of baked bread in the Communion, acceptance of Purgatory and adherence to the Pope?

The occidental church remained Roman in the ancient and popular sense, both in the civil and political sense of the word. Organised on the same lines as the Roman Empire, with bishops and archbishops instead of chiefs of provinces and of legions, subjected to a discipline demanding blind obedience, inflamed by a spirit of conquest comparable only with that of the old centurions and legionaries, retaining in the open basilica-tribunal all forms of a laical place of judgment. No iconostasis, no mystery concealed from the worshippers, no priest appearing in heavy eastern garments, no crown on the head