The Middle Ages through the

Reformation

Part One

The Church in the Middle Ages

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Disclaimers…

Not a comprehensive history of middle ages

A personal view A Protestant view

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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But first…

What are the middle ages? – Was there a “dark age”?

A brief introduction – a quick timeline– Constantine and a Christian state

The role of the emperor– The great Church Councils of

Nicaea – Christ is God Constantinople – The Holy Spirit is God, Ephesus – Man is totally depraved, Chalcedon – Christ is both man and God.

– Church Fathers Ambrose Augustine of Hippo Jerome

– The fall of Rome

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

A brief introduction – a quick timeline

AD 300 350 400 450 500 550 600 650

313 Constantine signs Edict of Milan

325 Council of Nicea

381Council of Constantinople

431Council of Ephesus

451 Council of Chalcedon

363 Julian the Apostate defeated

Jerome

Augustine

410 Rome sacked by the Visigoths

432 Patrick's mission to Ireland

496 Clovis King of Franks converted

451 Attila the Hun defeated

456 Rome sacked by Vandals

406 Jerome's Vulgate

622 Birth of Islam

540 Benedict's Rule

312 Conversion of Constantine

Ambrose

570 Birth of Muhammad

Pope Gregory I

476 End of Roman Empire in West

Emperor Justinian

545 Columba mission to Scots

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But first… (cont.)

Developing Church Organization– Centralized structure developed to determine and state orthodox

views – Bishops of large cities became archbishops. Archbishops

assumed authority over Bishops– Rome became known as Chair of St Peter and claimed headship

over church - Conflict with Eastern Empire over Leadership and division between east and west

Initial development of new doctrines not found in scripture, but developed by the Church

– These views were influenced by the paganism of Rome (no longer a Jewish sect centered in Jerusalem).

All had sacrifices All had priests All had rituals

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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But first… (cont.)

Growing wealth and power of Church polluted leadership

Beginning of struggles between Church and King By 500 AD we find:

– Purgatory developed– The Lords Supper (communion) as a sacrifice (the Eucharist)– The Priest as mediator between God and man. The

development of Clergy v. Laity– The veneration of saints and relics and adoration of Mary– Development of ritual and de-emphasis of preaching.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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The Fall of Rome

The Fall of Rome– Was the church responsible?– Was the empire worth saving?

Barbarian attacks in the eastern empire failed, but over a 100 year span, eventually succeeded against the west

Rome was sacked by Visigoths in 410 – This is the same time as Jerome and

Augustine– Augustine’s great City of God largely a

response to these days of terror.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Barbarian Invasions Of The 4th And 5th Centuries

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Meanwhile….

The Eastern Church under Emperor Justinian was briefly able to take back part of Italy around 550 AD – However, they had their own issues with the

Persians, barbarians and later the Muslims

The eastern church begins its tradition of being strongly controlled by the emperor (unlike in the west).

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Barbarian Kingdoms About 600 AD

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The Fall of Rome

Ironically the winner out of the Barbarian attacks and fall of Rome was, over time, the Roman Church

– The Barbarians are eventually converted – Clovis – leader of the Franks around 500– No more Roman emperor to deal with– Patrick’s mission to Ireland in 426– Columba founds monastery on island of

Iona and begins missions to Scotland and Picts

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

Timeline for the Middle Ages 600-1500 AD

AD 600 700 800 900 1000 1100 1200 1300 1400 1500

622 Birth of Islam

732 Battle of Tours

1095 First Crusade

Donation of Constantine written

1050 Turks Occupy Holy Land

Vikings invade Europe

Iconoclastic Controversy in East

Emperor Charlemagne

Pope Innocent III

Universities developed

1066 Norman conquest of England

Romanesque architecture

Major Crusades

Height of the Papcy

Thomas Becket

Francis of Assisi

Thomas Aquinas

Dante

John Wycliffe

transubstantiation adopted as orthodox

John Huss

England & Ireland evangelize Europe

Popes at Avignon

Great Papal Schism

1417 Council of Constance

Plague - The Black Death

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By 600 AD the effective leadership of Western Europe was provided by the Christian Clergy.

Gregory I is considered the model for all Popes of the Middle ages to follow

First Pope to assume broad political power– Upheld Rome’s authority over all of the Christian Church– Sent missionaries to England and Ireland– Gregorian chant

Taught that:– communion was a repetition of Christ’s sacrifice on the cross (see Heb

10:11-14)– Saint’s and Mary were intercessors for sinners (see 1 Tim 2:5)– Purgatory (see 2 Cor 5:6-8)

After Gregory, European Catholicism went through a difficult period and decline.

Pope Gregory the Great

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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The Rise of Islam

Mohammed dies in 632. By 718, Islam had conquered Arabia, Persia,

North Africa and Spain up to the Pyrenees Mts. In 732 Muslims crossed Pyrenees and were

defeated at the Battle of Tours by Charles Martel, Leader of the Franks.

Islam became Christianity’s greatest global opponent throughout the rest of the middle ages.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance

The son of Charles Martel was Pepin the Younger (Pepin the Short).

– He sought the approval of the Pope and was crowned king in 751.

Pepin had two sons Carloman and Charles. Carloman died in 771 and Charles ruled alone

Christmas day 800 Pope Leo III crowned Charles Emperor

Charles later became Charlemagne (Charles the Great) and stood for 3 things:

– Law and Order – Civilization and culture (education)– Christianity

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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Charlemagne and the Carolingian Renaissance

Charlemagne tirelessly warred against Barbarians in the North and Muslims in the South.

Although his empire barely outlived Charlemagne, the period of time from Charles Martel to Charlemagne is known as the “Carolingian renaissance”

– A great resurgence in learning and theology English and Irish missionaries came in

great numbers to convert Northern Europe’s barbarians

– Boniface “Apostle to the Germans”

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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The Papacy is strengthened

The conquests of Islam in the 8th century ironically strengthened the position of the Pope in Rome.

Around 800 AD there appeared the “Donation of Constantine”

Later in the 800’s another document called the “Isidorian Decretals” was discovered.

– It claimed that neither the Pope nor the Bishops were subject to secular governments.

In 1440 documents were proven to be fakes. No Pope ever made greater claims to papal power than

Nicolas 1 from 858-867.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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Europe falls into disorder

The successors of Charlemagne were not able to hold the empire after his death in 814.

The Norsemen or Vikings began raiding Northern Europe, England and Ireland.

Out of the disorder a decentralized way of life developed called feudalism.

– This was a structured social and government order that went from King, to Noble, to lesser noble, to serf.

– The idea of nations disappeared into smaller principalities. Some Norsemen settled in Northern France and were called

Normans in what is now called Normandy.– In 1066 the Normans invaded England and defeated the English at the

Battle of Hastings. – They also conquered southern Italy.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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The West Under Threat: 700-900AD

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The Papacy Falls Into Disgrace

Between 891 and 955 there were 20 Popes– Italian feudal lords fighting each other for supremacy controlled

the Papacy. In 962 the strong German King Otto I came to the aid of

Pope John XII and was rewarded by being crowned emperor of what was now called the Holy Roman Empire.

Again, between 1033 and 1054 the Papacy fell into scandal and there were at one time 3 popes claiming authority.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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Monasticism and the Cluny Reform

Monasteries were a reaction to deterioration and corruption of the outside world.

– People did not return to the scriptures, but to asceticism and mysticism.

– However, the monasteries saved western learning from the tide of barbarism.

In the late 500’s Bennedict of Nuresia provided the definitive rule for monasteries in the west. This became known as Bennedict’s rule.

– It is based on two primary activities – work and prayer. – Established the governing order of monasteries.

William the Pious, Duke of Aquitaine founded a new monastery at Cluny in Eastern France in 910.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8

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Monasticism and the Cluny Reform (cont.)

Focused on asceticism, a powerful force for reform of the clergy

The Cluny reformers led synod’s that deposed all 3 Italian popes and caused a German to be named Pope (Clement II).

Leo IX (1049), a strong supporter of Cluny reform cleaned up the college of Cardinals

– However, he totally broke with the Eastern Church – The reform party eventually came under control of Rome. – The method of electing Popes was moved into the college of

Cardinals.

The grass withers, the flower fades, but the word of our God stands forever.” Isaiah 40:8