Post on 14-Apr-2017
The Church
The Roman Catholic Church grew in importance after Roman authority declined. It became the unifying force in western Europe.
Missionaries spread Christianity to the Germanic Tribes, and bring with them the remains of Roman culture.
The Church, being the only organization left standing after the fall of Rome, becomes the central institution of the Middle Ages.
The Church served the social, political, and religious needs of the people.
The Church was the cultural center of the manor
Church Organization/Hierarchy
PopeArchbishops
BishopsPriests
Administered the Sacraments, gave advice, taught about right and wrong
Monks and NunsLived apart from society in monasteries or convents. Devoted their
lives to prayer and good works. Might teach skills like carpentry and weaving. Often set up hospitals and gave shelter to travelers. These
were also the missionaries of their day.
Supervised priests, settled disputes over Church teachings and practices
Supervised bishops and elected Popes
Head of the Roman Catholic Church
The Church and Medieval Life Canon Law – church’s code of laws Excommunication – to be cut off
from the church Heretics – people who denied the truth of
the church’s principles or who preached beliefs not approved by the church
The Church and Medieval Life Church also had the power to tax
Tithe – 1/10 of a Christian person’s income
Church Problems Corruption in the church People could buy high positions in the
church Some monks and nuns lived in luxury
even though they had vowed to live in poverty
Inquisition – the search for heretics (Church’s Justice System)During the inquisition, those who did not
confess were punished (execution)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=un2qxIlqLP8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fKE8X4piyKw
The Pope could interdict a noble which excludes an entire town, region or kingdom from receiving sacraments.
If you were excommunicated you would not receive proper burial and the belief was you would not go to heaven
Influence of the Church
The Church reached out across Europe in several ways:As Roman
authority declined, the authority of the Church grew
Popes claimed Papal Supremacy (authority over all religious rulers)
Influence of the ChurchThe Church
reached out across Europe in several ways:Missionaries carried
Christianity and the Latin alphabet to the Germanic tribes
Influence of the ChurchThe Church reached
out across Europe in several ways:Like Byzantine
libraries, and Islamic universities, monasteries preserved Greco-Roman culture
Influence of the ChurchA monastery is a place
where a community of monks live
Monks are men who have taken vows of poverty, chastity and obedience
http://www.cleanvideosearch.com/media/action/yt/watch?videoId=9wVTP2016G0
Influence of the ChurchParish priests, the local
priests, served the religious and social needs of the people.
Parish priest would baptize babies, perform weddings, and administer final death rites.
Church and EducationEducation was confined
to the clergy during the Middle Ages.
The peasants were too busy working the lord’s land (uneducated)
The Nobility were too busy fighting and taking care of their feudal obligations (uneducated)
Church and EducationChurch scholars preserved classical literature in monasteries throughout the Christian world.This is the time before copy machines. Many monks’ job was to copy and recopy the ancient texts.
Church and EducationOver a long period of
time, church scholars slowly became interested in the knowledge of the ancients.
European church scholars began to interpret and value this ancient learning.
The Role of Church Scholars
Church scholars were among the few in the Middle Ages who could read and write
Church scholars usually worked in monasteries.
Church scholars would translate Greek and Arabic works into Latin.
The Role of Church Scholars
Monks made available knowledge in the fields of philosophy, medicine, and science, which had been imported from the East (Byzantium and Islam)
Church scholars laid the foundation for the rise of universities in Europe