medieval church and christianity...

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The Church and Christianity

Papal Tiara (“Triregnum”)

n  The “Papal Monarchy” n  The Curia

n  Papal Court, Rome n  College of Cardinals

n  Advisors, legates n  Elected pope

n  Exercising Authority n  Excommunication

n  Exclusion from Christian community and sacraments

n  Interdict n  Pressure tactic n  Prohibition of Church

activities

The Church and Christianity

n  The Great Schism (1054) n  Eastern and Western

Churches had been at odds for centuries

n  Papacy “flexed muscles” at Constantinople (1054)

n  Legate sent, argued on behalf of papal claims of supremacy

n  Patriarch disagreed n  Legate excommunicated

patriarch à patriarch excommunicated legate

n  East and West no longer in communion

The Church and Christianity

n  Church vs. State: The Investiture Conflict n  Pope Gregory VII (r. 1073-1085) was skeptical about “lay meddling” in

church affairs n  Prohibited “lay investiture” (1075) à rulers’ privileges to appoint bishops,

invest them with authority were threatened n  Henry IV of Germany (r. 1056-1106) appointed new Archbishop of Milan

n  Investiture is tradition! n  Henry and German bishops called on Gregory to resign (1076) n  Gregory responded

n  Excommunicated Henry n  Deprived Henry of office à Christians were released from allegiance to him

n  Princes and bishops abandoned Henry n  Henry caved in à repented n  The victor: Gregory!

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The Church and Christianity

n  Church vs. State: John and Innocent n  Pope Innocent III (r. 1198-1216)

n  Trained in law n  Most powerful pope ever

n  Situation: See of Canterbury was vacant (1205)

n  King John favored one candidate n  Innocent consecrated another

(1207), sent him to England n  John refused to admit new

archbishop n  End Results

n  Innocent laid England under interdict (1208), excommunicated John

n  John yielded to Innocent à humiliated

Innocent III

The Church and Christianity

The Church and Christianity

n  New Monastic Orders n  The Cistercians

n  Founded at Cîteaux, France n  Goal

n  Get back to Rule of St. Benedict

n  Lives of simplicity and poverty

n  White habits

n  Bernard of Clairvaux (ca. 1090-1153)

n  Abbot n  Papal politics n  Writer, teacher n  Preached Second Crusade

Bernard of Clairvaux

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The Church and Christianity

n  The Franciscans n  Founder: Francis of Assisi

(ca. 1182-1226) n  Son of cloth merchant n  Conversion experience à

attracted to poverty n  Heard Gospel commands à

gave up all possessions n  No shoes, one robe

n  Franciscans (1215) n  Traits

n  Friars, mendicants n  Brown habits (or gray)

n  Activities n  Preached penance n  Served lepers and poor

Francis of Assisi

The Church and Christianity

Robe of Francis of Asissi, Basilica S. Francesco, Assisi

The Church and Christianity

n  The Dominicans n  Founder: Dominic Guzman

(1170-1221) n  Spanish priest, missionary n  Disillusioned by Church’s

method of preaching to heretics

n  Proposed method based on Gospels

n  Dominicans (1216) n  Traits

n  Friars, mendicants n  Black and white habits n  Intellectual order

n  Activities n  Preaching on foot n  Teaching

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The Church and Christianity

n  Questions?