A C H A N G I N G C H U RC H

CHRISTIANITY FROM THE DARK TO MIDDLE AGES

THE HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE

• After the fall of Rome, the Catholic Church centered in Rome held together society in Western Europe.

• In the 8th/ 9th Century, a King named Charlemagne brought all of Western Europe under his rule. • He combined his own rule with that of the Church and

named this new Empire the Holy Roman Empire.

• The Holy Roman Empire: a confederation of Kingdoms united under the banner of the Roman Catholic Church.

CHARLEMAGNE

• Realized that he could use the Church to unify his Empire (much like Constantine) and utilized the Church structure.

• He was the official political Emperor, but was united to the Pope’s Authority.

CHANGES FOR THE CHURCH

Emperor Charlemagne strengthens the church in order to strengthen his empire.

• The Pope, although technically not the Emperor, was as powerful and if not more powerful than the Emperor himself.

• However, many bishops were elected by the Emperor Charlemagne. More and more, the clergy is a political position as well as religious.

EFFECTS ON EUROPE

• The Church, in league with the Empire, helps usher in a more unified Europe. • Europe was previously a warrior culture where

neighboring Kingdoms constantly fought for land and resources.

• The Truce of God: instituted by the Church, it made it illegal fight from Thursday-Monday. It couldn’t take place During lent or the Easter Season. Fighting was forbidden for half of the year! • The Empire’s might and the Church’s power together

brings people in line.

THE GREAT SCHISM

• Trouble on the Horizon• Divisions between East and West• Remember, the Roman Empire was split – Rome and

Constantinople.

• 1054 – The Great Schism• As the two halves of the Empire grew more and more

different from each other, the Church – which became engrained in those cultures – grew apart as well.

• The Patriarch of Constantinople (East) was at odds with the Bishop of Rome/Pope (West)

A CHURCH DIVIDED

• The Western Church – the Roman Catholic Church• The Eastern Church – Eastern Orthodox

THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH

• As the Church came into the Middle Ages (500- 1500), it coincided with a period of growth in Europe.

• Cities were becoming more populated. • Cities increasingly made up of rich merchants and

nobility. • Cathedrals and religious centers were at the

center of city life.

• Schools and University’s (religious) begin to spring up. • Time of Theology – like Thomas Aquinas.

RELIGIOUS ORDERS

• Many different Religious Orders spring up to see to the ever growing needs of cities. • Each order focused on something different to better serve the

people of God. • Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites, Capuchins,

Augustinians, and Jesuits: all spring up to help the people. • Benedictines: stuck to themselves. Many monasteries became wealthy.

Mendicant Orders: these were orders where you begged for your food. They were the lowest of the low, and people trusted and respected them.

IMPORTANT THEOLOGIES

• Atonement: • The idea that Jesus atoned – or paid for our sins – by dying on the cross. • Human beings owed a debt to God, through sin, and Jesus

pays for that debt. Since Jesus is God, all powerful and everlasting, his sacrifice is everlasting too! It covers everyone!

• The Summa Theologica • Written by St. Thomas Aquinas, it summarized and

expanded upon the Theology of the Church. • Still one of the most important works for the Church

today.

THE MARKS OF THE CHURCH

• ONE• The Church is a unified body – made one in Christ. The Pope

leads as a sign and symbol of that unification.

• HOLY• Because it is one with Jesus, and the treasury of grace through

the Sacraments.

• CATHOLIC• “Catholic” means universal, as in: 1) the gospel should be

spread all over the world, 2) the church has everything you need to receive salvation.

• APOSTOLIC • The Church goes back to the apostles through the bishops and

the bishops lead with their authority. • The Magisterium (bishops led by the Pope) are infallible. • Infallibility: led by the Spirit, the teachings of the Magisterium

are without error in matters of faith and morals.