The Church in the Middle Ages

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

Inquisitions (torture was used to get people to confess.

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

Review Questions

1. How did monks serve god?2. Who was in charge of a group of parish

priests?3. What was Canon law?4. What was the purpose of the inquisition,

and how were people treated during it?5. Why was the church such a powerful

force in the Middle ages?