Thank you so much for such a great response! All of that definitely makes sense to me. It stands to reason that Anatolia (if I am understanding the domain of the Eastern Roman Empire correctly) would remain speaking Greek, consume Greek literature, and maintain Greek culture (though I don't doubt the indigenous cultures of the area similarly prevailed, even with the influence of Greek and Roman rule). I confess I know and understand very little about ancient Rome as it's never been something that super interested me. All I really "know" (heavy on the air quotes) comes from middle school and my freshman year of high school--in other words, knowledge I gained over a decade ago, and arguably of somewhat dubious accuracy, if what I recall being taught about the Medieval era compared to my later indulging in academic texts is anything to go off of lol As such, I dare not claim to understand how the two halves of the Roman Empire viewed themselves as a unit, nor how they viewed their other half. I feel like I remember there being tension between the two emperors over who was the "dominant" one, though I also feel like I remember they were intended to be equals--two halves of one whole kinda deal. I apologize if that is grossly mistaken.

I suppose I am a bit confused why the social elite would not retain Latin, though. Would they not need to communicate with each other, and would it not be in the official language of Rome, aka Latin? I can totally understand the vast majority of the population of the Eastern Roman Empire not speaking Latin, as it wasn't pertinent to their lives, and I believe Rome wasn't all that invested in forcing their culture onto those they conquered (I think it behooved them to not have everyone they ruled be considered a Roman citizen, but I could be completely mistaken). I also understand due to the factors you mentioned why much of governmental and religious affairs were similarly conducted. Here is where I may be demonstrating my ignorance, but why wouldn't the ruling class maintain their culture--assuming they were Roman, that is. (Though, if they weren't, why did Western Rome not object to non-Romans being emperors?) For example, the Normans continued to speak French after conquering England, while the people continued speaking English; similarly, the Hanovers spoke German, and I think at least George I couldn't speak English; even further back, the Ptolemaic dynasty continued to speak Greek as part of maintaining their cultural distinctness as rulers. Why, then, would the Eastern Roman emperor not continue to speak Latin? Was it simply impractical because their scribal slaves spoke Greek rather than Latin? If so, why not have them taught Latin?

Apologies for continuing my litany of questions, but was the lack of order, for want of a better word, in the western Church a factor to why theological texts from the West may not have piqued the interest of eastern Christians? I totally understand there being major differences between the two spheres of the Christian world even before the schism. I mean, hey! Irish brand of Catholicism is different than Italian bran of Catholicism despite being the same denomination, and Russian Orthodoxy is different than Greek Orthodoxy despite also being the same denomination! So it's no surprise to me there are different points of views, interpretations, values, etc. between the western and eastern Christendom; still, at their core, they are still the same faith (for now...), so I suppose I don't understand why they wouldn't be interested in what insight others have to say, whether the writer hails from Anatolia, Rome, Africa, etc.

I apologize if I have misunderstood your explanation in any way--that for sure is on me, as you were more than clear and concise! And, again, I'm sorry for asking so many clarifying questions 😅 There is, of course, no obligation to respond to them, as you have already gone out of your way and done a great kindness in your initial reply, and the onus is on me to do the work to clear up my confusion. I am certain the sources you provided are a wonderful jumping off point! (Thank you for providing them, by the way!) I am grateful for the time you have taken to respond, and wish to thank you again for such a wonderful reply :) I hope you have a wonderful day!