"The Christian religion, though scattered and abroad will in the end gather itself together at the foot of the cross." -Johann Woldgang Von Goethe (1749-1832) German poet,novelist and dramatist.
During the medieval times, the dominant religion was Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicism. The word, “catholic” was derived from the Middle English word “catholic”, the Old French word “catholique”, and also the Latin word “catholicus” signifying “universe” or “whole. The Roman Catholic Church was the central church and other various religious institutions, such as convents and monasteries, also became important. Not only so, the Church gradually gained control and became the center of power. Religion and politics were
inextricable unlike today. However, Christianity had a rough beginning.
Christianity began with a small group of Jews in the Middle East. At first, it was treated as a threat to the Roman Empire because Christian refused to worship the Roman gods and emperors. It resulted in severe persecution of early Christian churches and Christians. Many became martyrs for their belief. However, their efforts did not go waste. In 313 AD, Emperor Constantine legalized Christianity as the religion of Roman Empire. Since then, Christianity rose to be the dominant religion of the Roman Empire and continued to grow during the Middle Age. It provided Europe with one of its first identities, Christendom.
Unfortunately, citizens of the Christendom had a misconception, their belief, was that the only way to go to heaven was with the Catholic Church’s permission, thus giving The Catholic Church great privileges and power. The Church held its own laws, land, and taxes. Additionally, the Church also received payments for various ceremonies such as weddings and baptisms, for instance, that needed to be conducted in the Church and also included gifts of different kinds from people who wanted to ensure a place in heaven. As a result, the Church became very wealthy as evident in many of the well-built elegant cathedrals (see picture below). Its power grew even stronger as it accumulated more riches. Kings and ruler were subjected to the Church. Any opposition would result in excommunication, which meant expulsion from the church, but in reality the person became an outcast of the Catholic society.
Despite the distorted doctrines, the Church did assist in some ways to stabilize the medieval society. For instance, the Church used its power to shave off some of the violence of feudal times. A doctrine called the Truce of God forbade fighting from Wednesday evening to Monday morning. Another law that was employed was called the Peace of God, in which priests denied sacrament to people who stole from the church and robbed property from the villagers. Throughout the Medieval Times, a general belief of Christian tradition helped keep the medieval society from utterly collapsing.
Video: Common Thread of Christianity
As mentioned above, regardless of the injustice that the Church imposed on people in the name of Christianity, Christian faith was a very important holding force of the medieval society in the chaotic time. The video below extracted from the History Channel talks about how Christianity was the common thread that connected the scattered medieval society. Through discussing about the conversion of a barbarian Frankish king, Clovis I, this video shows us how important Christianity had become in the Medieval Era.
Questions: Did u pay attention?
Who was the first Frankish King that converted to Christianity?
After the fall of Rome, Europe split into numerous small territories commanded by who?
Life was lack of _______? a)security b)hostility c)war
What was the common thread of the people at the time?
What did Christianity offer to the common people?
For the earlier Christians, what paid for the road to redemption?
Which Roman Emperor legalized Christianity in 313 AD?
What did Clovis do after he conquer a village?
What is the most important legacy of Clovis?
Answers*
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inextricable-cannot be separated. Chinese:糾結一起的 Spanish:inextricable
martyr-a person who's willing to die or suffer for his belief. Chinese:殉教者,殉道者 Spanish: mártir
Christendom-courties that are devoted to Christianity. Chinese:基督教國家 Spanish:-----
misconception-mistaken notion. Chinese:錯誤想法 Spanish:error
thread-the line used in sewing Chinese:線 Spanish:hilo
plunder-to rob of goods or valuables by open force, as in war, hostile raids, brigandage, etc.: to plunder a town. Chinese:掠奪,劫掠,搶劫 Spanish:saquear
ordeal-any extremely severe or trying test, experience, or trial. Chinese:嚴峻考驗;苦難,折磨 Spanish:terrible experiencia
(the Chidren's Crusade)
