The Roman Catholic Church, the largest denomination of Christians worldwide, has a glorious history as the church of Jesus Christ and the sole Christian Church in the West during the high and late Middle Ages (1054-1550 AD). Explore the history of the Roman Catholic Church before the Reformation in this brief guide, the second in a series of articles about the Roman Catholic Church's history.
Early Christianity Splits and Forms Roman Catholic Church
In the crumbling Roman Empire, the Christian Church struggled to maintain unity between East and West. When the Eastern half of the Roman Empire fell (circa 400 AD), the pope became the spiritual and political leader for Western Europe. The patriarch of Constantinople served as head of the Eastern
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Early missionaries, such as St. Patrick of Ireland, St. Augustine of Canterbury, and St. Boniface of Germany spread Christianity throughout Western Europe and with it political connections with Rome, the seat of the pope. The Benedictines, a religious order, founded monasteries that offered the modern day equivalent of social services- health care, food, and protection- as well as education to future priests and scholars. Entire communities poured hundreds of years of time and money into magnificent cathedrals such as Notre Dame de Paris to honor God and the …show more content…
Apart from towns and cities, run by guilds of craftsmen, and lands owned by local kings and noblemen, Church officials held much political as well as religious power in Europe.
Why the Catholic Church Didn't Split Before the Reformation
The rise of universities such as the University of Paris and Oxford University during the Middle Ages created a movement of new scholarship in the church, explaining everything through the lens of previously held Church doctrine. Great thinker theologians like St. Thomas Aquinas (1225-1274) and St. Bonaventure (1221-1274) enhanced the Church's teaching and thought with answers to questions about God, life, and faith.
Though some believers challenged the Church's teaching and practice during the Middle Ages, the majority founded new monastic communities to preserve their diversity. St. Bernard of Clairvaux' passionate preaching against the wealth of Benedictine monasteries inspired the Cistercian Order (1098). St. Francis of Assisi's call to serve the poor founded the Franciscans, a group of mendicants, or wandering monks (1223). Before 1500, no serious widespread challenge to the Catholic Church's authority threatened schism, or a split, within the Church in
From 300-600 CE The Roman Empire allowed new religions to be formed and universalized. The Religion that was associated with The Roman empire was Christianity. Christianity became the religion of Rome because of a man named Constantine who allowed Christianity to spread and flow throughout the empire create a harmony throughout the people. Constantine allowed for the Roman officials to adopt Christianity and this led to the building of the Constantinople. Christianity had basilicas which were opulent churches that were open to all which meant any person could go there allowing Christianity to be very universal. Christianity was also very appealing because the worshiped deity walked on land with the people. Christianity split and became the Roman Catholic church which consisted
...an to emerge. Christianity, the religion founded on the teachings of Jesus Christ, became a major pillar of Western Civilization. The Roman Empire eventually collapsed, but its influence continued to live on.
By the fourth century C.E., the Roman Empire was declining. After so many years of perseverance the Roman Empire began to give into the changes that were happening all around them. One change in particular was the spread of Christianity. This new religion went against the traditions of the Romans, it was monotheistic and focused on the will of God. A religion that began small and under persecution became the official religion of the Roman Empire.
With the decline of the Western Roman empire Western Europe was a disjointed land that had no true unifying structure till the rise of Christianity. In Roman antiquity people used the State or empire of Rome to define themselves and give them a sense of unity despite having a diverse group of people within the empire. When Western Rome fell this belief based on a Roman cultural identity disappeared and no longer were people able to identify themselves with any particular group as they once have. The Christian religion was able to fill this vacuum by having the people associate themselves to a religion instead of a given state or cultural group. During Medieval Europe Christianity became the unifying force that would define what it meant to be European. Christianity gave political leaders legitimacy by showing that they have been favored by the gods. The clergyman that recorded the histories surrounding the kings of the Medieval Europe also provided a link to the Roman Empire to give the Kings a link to Roman empire of antiquity. Christianity became the center of the cultural life in western Europe and created a new social elite in Europe which would dominate literacy and knowledge within Europe for centuries. Christianity provided Europe with an escape from the disorder of the Medieval ages and give them a spiritual outlet for their fears and desires for a better life, whether in the physical life or in the spiritual world after death.
With the fall of Rome, the world saw the rise of Christianity, specifically the Roman Catholic Church, which was created when a Roman Emperor named Constantine adopted Christianity as his own personal and the Roman Empire's official religion. From that time through the middle ages, Christianity grew in power and influence, the church enjoying a cozy relationship with the state. By the early fifth century, a mere one hundred years after Constantine issued the Edict of Milan, the church and state's power structure were deeply intertwined.
Monks and nuns were preachers who spread the word of God, helped the needy and cared for the sick. They offered hope and salvation for the people in an otherwise desolate world. Monks and nuns devoted their day to prayer and also had daily tasks such as cooking, cleaning, washing, brewing ale etc. Written in the ‘Cesarius of Heisterbach’ is a passage which outlines the deeds monks and nuns completed for the sick people, “During the famine off 1197, our monastery… gave help to many… the abbot had a whole ox stewed and gave a ration to every poor person.” This source clearly displays the compassion monks and nuns had the hope and salvation that The Church offered for the people.
During the reign of Charlemagne, the church in Rome was going through tough times with a string of disliked popes and problems with the Byzantine church. After the death of Pope Adrian I, his predecessor Pope Leo III, relied on Charlemagne to be the protector of the Holy See. Charlemagne too, even as Pepin had done, made the same gift of donation to St. Peter and his successors, Charlemagne actually did more, he added to what was done in the past...
Christianity greatly influenced the Early Middle Ages. This epoch existed between 500-1000 C.E. There was little stability during this time. Western Europe was under attack from Germanic tribes and Eastern Europe was battling against the Arabs. Fiero (2002) states, “the Germanic tribal people and practices blended with those of classical Rome and Western Christianity to forge the basic economic, social and cultural patterns of medieval life” (p.69). According to the website German Culture, in the Merovingian Dynasty (482-751 C.E.) under the rule of Clovis, “the Franks reluctantly began to adopt Christianity following the baptism of Clovis, an event that inaugurated the alliance between the Frankish kingdom and the Roman Catholic Church” (Medieval Germany -, n.d.). Christianity would reach an all time high during the reign of Charlemagne. After being crowned emperor of the Romans in 800 by Pope Leo III, Charlemagne brought education and enlightenment to his people (Fiero, 2002, p.74-75). The Metropolitan Museum of Art website outlines Charlemagne’s accomplishments
The Church played a vital role in the kingdom of Charlemagne. It gave a sense
In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s “Young Goodman Brown”, Goodman Brown struggles with staying pure and not giving in to the devil. Hawthorne utilizes allegory and ambiguity to leave unanswered questions for the reader.
established things like the Justinian Code, which in some ways benefited the Church as a
Another saint who played a major influence on the church was St. Augistine. St. Augistine held the idea that Christianity gave ones life meaning and purpose. He believed that “Christians are not born but made. ” St. Augistine was the author of a very influential book in the history of the church. This book was “The City of God.” This book told the history of the church and proved it to be a historically valid one. He believed that there was no use to civilization, and as faith increases civilization should decrease. The “City of the World” is the opposite of the “City of God”, and brings temptation and must be resisted. This reference to civilization was aimed towards Rome.
The medieval Roman Catholic church was extremely powerful and influential through their taxes and ability to control peoples beliefs and religious ideas. The Church acted as a sort of over-lord to the monarchs of the European Christendom, encouraging and in some cases forcing rulers to act by their will and influencing the citizens of the country. The Pope gave himself the power to bestow the power of Holy Roman Emperor, a position which gave the emperor power over a large area of Europe. This ability gave the Pope power over the emperor therefore making the Pope ultimate leader of the continent. Because of all the Popes abilities, the Church became an extremely significant institute and force in the middle ages. Although the church is not nearly as powerful as it was, the remnants of its most powerful times can still be found today.
The Church In the Middle Ages, from 500 to 1500 CE, the Catholic Church was a big deal in Europe. It wasn't just about religion—it had a lot of power in politics, society, and culture, and it was like a central part of life back then. In the Middle Ages the Catholic Church was crucial in Europe, shaping politics, society, and culture. Politically: The church has a lot of authority.
The Roman Catholic Church’s reputation in wealth and power furnished them with the ability to have a major impact over feudal society. Their wealth earned them great power and loyalty from the royals and citizens. Their power was used to restrict not only peasant folk but also nobles and the monarch in following the Catholic faith. This influenced everyone’s daily life and morals. The Church was similar to a government institution where it sustained its own laws and rights. This provided stability to the land as people have benevolent morals with the assistance of religion. Education from the Church has initiated structural learning which made a gradual end to the barbaric era (Dark Ages). The Church’s legacy gained them the medieval reputation from society and this has influenced the reputation of the Church today.