Orthodox Christians valued doctrinal purity over military alliance with Rome.

Evidence

While the Orthodox did see the Muslims as a threat, the danger posed by them could never be enough to require a compromise in doctrine. The Orthodox held so firmly on to their sense and definition of Christianity, despite the presence of a “common enemy,” the Orthodox refused to yield to the conditions of the Latin West for military aid. While some Orthodox clergy did make way for union with the Latin church at the Council of Florence, when they arrived back to Constantinople, most reneged their signatures. — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 49

Categorization

• QUESTION: The reneging on Council of Florence signatures — what were the political and theological pressures behind that reversal once home?
• XREF: connects to: The schism within Christianity was perceived as a greater threat than that of a foreign invasion; the Orthodox were relatively receptive towards having the Ottomans as material rulers in contrast to the Latins.; The fall marked the end of the Eastern Roman Empire and highlighted the deep-rooted theological tensions within Christianity, tensions that were so profound that many Orthodox Christians preferred Ottoman rule over submission to the Latin Church. This preference stemmed from a desire to maintain theological autonomy and avoid the doctrinal compromises required by the Latin Church.; In regards to the doctrinal differences of the Latins, some Orthodox had particularly staunch views. Patriarch Michael I Cerularius would state that Latin interpolations in the doctrine of the filioque constituted, ‘an evil and even the worst of evils.’ While the Orthodox did see the Muslims as a threat, the danger posed by them could never be enough to require a compromise in doctrine. The Orthodox held so firmly on to their sense and definition of Christianity, despite the presence of a ‘common enemy,’ the Orthodox refused to yield to the conditions of the Latin West for military aid. While some Orthodox clergy did make way for union with the Latin church at the Council of Florence, when they arrived back to Constantinople, most reneged their signatures. (+13 more)

Broader Connections

• Orthodox authorities perceived an invasion by the Latins as worse, for they would not afford them autonomy which might be hoped under Muslims. The land might remain under Christian rule, but the… #expands (0.90)
• Intra-Christian schism outweighed the foreign threat for Orthodox Byzantines. #corroborates (0.80) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 61
• The Orthodox church retained virtually all the traditional apparatus of their administration without having to compromise and alter a part of their beliefs or practice. As the millet system was a… #expands (0.80)
• Doctrinal inflexibility within Orthodoxy undermined defense against the Ottomans #expands (0.75) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 24
• Medieval Christian infighting outweighed the shared threat of Islam #corroborates (0.75) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 45
• Christian communities sometimes preferred Muslim rule to Latin Christian dominion. #corroborates (0.70) — Ali Qureshi, The Fall of Constantinople, 54
• The essay critically assesses the contemporary scholarship on Christian Islamophobia, arguing that it often overlooks the internal Christian divisions and portrays Christianity as a monolithic… #corroborates (0.70)
• Christians preferred Ottoman tolerance over Catholic persecution #corroborates (0.65) — Deepa Kumar, Islamophobia and the Politics of Empire, 75