Many are interested in what is the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. Trying to answer the question posed, most Orthodox Christians mention the Pope, purgatory, Filioque, but in fact there are much more differences, and they can be quite fundamental. In this article we will touch upon such an important aspect as the relationship of the Christian faith and reason in religion, which largely determines the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism. The approach to this issue was different from the very time when the separation of the Orthodox and Catholic churches took place in the middle of the 11th century , and in the course of history the difference in relation to this subject only became larger.
Reason and Christian Faith in Orthodoxy and Catholicism
It is worth noting that the Catholic and Orthodox churches do not neglect philosophy and science in order to justify and explain their faith. Unlike Catholicism, Orthodoxy is not based on scientific and philosophical conclusions. It does not seek to justify the words of Christ addressed to believers scientifically or logically, it does not try to reconcile faith and reason. If physics, chemistry, biology or philosophy support the Orthodox Church, it will not abandon it, however, Orthodoxy does not bow to the intellectual achievements of mankind. The church does not lead its doctrine to consistency with scientific discoveries.
In this sense, the differences between Catholicism and Orthodoxy can be demonstrated by the position of Basil the Great, who instructed young monks to use Greek philosophy, just like a bee uses a flower. It is necessary to extract only “honey” - the truth - which God placed on the earth in order to prepare humanity for the coming of the Lord.
For example, the Greeks had the concept of the Logos. The Gospel of John begins with the famous line: “In the beginning was the Word” (“logo” in Greek). For Gentiles, the Logos was not God in the sense in which Christians understand him, but was the principle or power by which "God gave form to the world and ruled it." Priests pointed to the similarity between the Logos and the biblical Word, saw in him God's providence.
The difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism is that the former refers to the sinfulness of man and the weakness of his intellect. It refers to the words of the Apostle Paul in the Epistle to the Colossians: “Look, brethren, lest anyone carry you away with philosophy and empty seduction, according to human tradition, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ” (2: 8).
Catholicism, on the contrary, attaches great importance to the human mind, and its history demonstrates the reason for this trust in the intellectual abilities of man. In the Middle Ages, the philosopher-theologian Thomas Aquinas created a synthesis of Christianity with the philosophy of Aristotle - since that time, Catholics have never deviated from their respect for human wisdom. This was one of the reasons for the radical changes and reinforced the difference between Orthodoxy and Catholicism.