"The Unleavened Dispute"

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The dispute over unleavened bread is a controversy that arose between Greek and Latin theologians in 1053 over whether unleavened or leavened bread should be used in the sacrament of the Eucharist.

This dispute was one of the formal causes of the Great Schism.

During the dispute, the Orthodox contemptuously called Catholics “Azimites” () – “unleavened”, Catholics contemptuously called Orthodox “prosimites”.

Before the dispute began.
Until the middle of the eleventh century, the question of Eucharistic bread was not discussed by Latin and Greek theologians. By this time, two traditions were formed: in the Latin rite, yeastless bread was used in the sacrament of the Eucharist - unleavened bread, in the Greek rite, the liturgy was celebrated on yeast bread. There are absolutely no historical sources as to when these two traditions became commonplace in each of these rites. Historical information on the composition of the Eucharistic bread is scarce. Epiphany of Cyprus in the Panarion reports that the Ebionites served on unleavened bread. In the Patrologia Graeca there are two works against unleavened bread, one signed in the name of Athanasius the Great, the other signed in the name of John of Damascus; both of them spuria are false. The Armenian Apostolic Church from the VII century serves the liturgy only on unleavened bread. In 862-63 years in Shirakavan was a church cathedral, where the question of the union of the Greek and Armenian churches. Patriarch Photius sent a letter to the Armenian Catholicos Zacharias with anathematisms, which he proposed to sign; in his message, unleavened bread is not mentioned at all. Patriarch Photios wrote in 867 a circular letter against Latin errors; his epistle does not mention unleavened bread.

History of the dispute
In 1053, a church confrontation for influence in southern Italy began between Patriarch Michael Kerularius of Constantinople and Pope Leo IX. Churches in southern Italy belonged to Byzantium. Michael Kerularius learned that the Greek rite there was being supplanted by the Latin, and closed all the temples of the Latin rite in Constantinople. The Patriarch instructs Archbishop of Bulgaria Lev Ohridsky to compile a message against the Latins, which would condemn the service of the liturgy on unleavened bread; fasting on Saturday during Lent; the absence of singing “Hallelujah” during Lent; eating strangled food. The epistle was sent to Puglia and was addressed to Bishop John of Tranius, and through him to all the bishops of the Franks and to "the most venerable pope." Humbert Silva-Kandidsky wrote the work “Dialogue”, in which he defended Latin rites and condemned the Greek. In response, Nikita Stifatt writes the treatise “Antidialogue”, or “The Word on Unleavened Bread, the Sabbath Fast and the Marriage of the Priests” against the work of Humbert. In 1054, Humbert, as a legate of the Pope, went to Constantinople, visited the Studio Monastery with the emperor, a colloquium was arranged between him and Nikita, following which the latter admitted himself to be a loser and refused his treatise, which was burned at the monastery court. 16 June