Early Medieval Christianity Notes

Gregory the Great and Canon Law

Gregory the Great contributed significantly to the development of Canon Law, which encompasses the laws and regulations of the Catholic Church and its universal teachings. This is relevant as it sets the stage for understanding the development of religious law and structure in the church.

Division of Christian Civilizations

Two distinct Christian civilizations emerged from the split of the Roman Empire:

  • East: Practiced Greek Orthodoxy with Greek as the official language of the church, centered in the Byzantine Empire.

  • West: Practiced Roman Catholicism with Latin as the official language, encompassing feudal kingdoms.

These civilizations expanded through religious missionaries, primarily northward due to the inability to convert each other. This geographical and linguistic division is crucial for understanding the divergence of Christian traditions.

Byzantine Empire

  • Constantinople: Founded by Emperor Constantine, it became the capital of the Eastern Roman Empire. The fall of Rome intensified the division between East and West.

  • Wealth and Culture: Constantinople was wealthy due to its location on the Mediterranean Sea and commerce with Asia. It preserved much of the culture and politics of the ancient world.

  • Territorial Influence: The Byzantine Empire extended its influence into the Balkans and Western Russia, facilitating the spread of the church.

  • Emperor Justinian: The empire reached its peak under Justinian, who regained lost territories in North Africa and Italy. He was an autocratic ruler who expanded the empire and rebuilt parts of the Roman Empire.

  • Legal Codes and Renovations: Justinian systemized legal codes to unite the empire and initiated building projects to renovate Constantinople.

    The emperor of Constantinople rebuilt the Roman Empire and regained territories in North Africa and Italy. He also systemized legal codes and renovated Constantinople. The Pope was becoming a political and spiritual leader, defending the city with regional wealth.

  • Blending of Styles: Justinian blended Greek, Roman, Persian, and Middle Eastern styles in his reconstruction of Constantinople. The Church Of The Hagia Sophia stands as a prime example.

Byzantine Art and Icons

The Byzantine Empire made significant contributions to art, particularly through icons, which are images of Jesus, the Virgin Mary, and other holy figures.

  • Purpose of Icons: Icons were intended to create a sense of the holy person's presence. Halos symbolized holiness.

  • Controversy: The use of icons became a point of contention between the East and West.

  • Artistic Style: Mosaics, made of inlaid pieces of stone arranged on religious themes, were a key artistic medium.

Iconoclasm

  • Lombard Invasions: After Justinian's death, the Lombards established a powerful kingdom in Northern Italy, conquering almost the entire peninsula except for Rome, Naples, Venice, and Ravenna.

  • Papal Authority: The church had to assume the role of the state, with Gregory increasing the power of the papacy to fill the void of civil leadership.

  • Further Invasions: Invasions by groups like the Lombards, Huns, Visigoths, and others further destabilized the region.

  • Eastern Immunity: The Byzantine Empire was initially immune to these invasions but maintained Western traditions and spread Orthodox Christianity to Eastern Europe, Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia.

Conflict Over Icons

  • Eastern Orthodox Christianity: Orthodox Christianity was practiced in Eastern Europe, adhering to the gospels and accepted writings.

  • Western European Christianity: Illiteracy was widespread in Western Europe, leading to diverse practices of Christianity.

St. John Damascene: I worship the image of Christ as the incarnate God, that of our lady the mother of us all, as the mother of God's son, that of the saints as the friends of God.

Icons as Teaching Tools: Byzantine iconography served theology and salvation, acting as a complex, spiritual, and educational tool to elevate and reveal truth.

  • Icon Interaction: Icons were physically interacted with through rituals like lighting candles, sensing, kissing, dressing, anointing, and washing.

  • Incarnational Theology: The theology behind the use of icons is incarnational, emphasizing Jesus' dual nature as both human and divine. Attacks on icons were seen as attacks on the incarnation of Jesus.

  • Emperor Leo III: Emperor Leo III ordered the removal of icons from churches in 726 AD. Government officials enforcing this order were known as Iconoclasts. This dispute damaged relations between Rome and Constantinople.

  • Seventh Ecumenical Council: The council addressed the use of icons. Objections from the West claimed icons were idols and that the infinite God cannot be depicted.

  • Council Decision: The council decided that incarnation justifies the use of icons, leading to increased icon usage in the West.

Early Medieval Christianity and Invasions

  • Western Pressures: The West faced increasing pressure from tribes like the Goths, Visigoths, and Vandals.

  • Sack of Rome: After Rome was sacked in 410 AD, the center of power shifted to Constantinople.

  • Eastern Period: The East entered a period ruled by warring Germanic tribes.

  • Monasticism and Ascetical Life: The increasing power of Rome and the Pope led to a resurgence of monasticism and ascetical life.

Benedict of Nursia and Benedictine Monasticism

  • Benedict's Birth: Benedict of Nursia was born during the disintegration of the Roman Empire.

  • Disgust with Paganism: He abandoned Rome due to his disgust with paganism and immorality.

  • Hermit Life: Benedict retired to a cave at Subiaco, living as a hermit.

  • Monte Cassino: Benedict formed a community that became the monastery known as Monte Cassino, which became a self-sustaining community.

Religious order founded by Saint Benedict's sister, Scholastica, demonstrating the spread of monastic ideals to women.

Rule of Saint Benedict

  • Moderation: Benedict's rule emphasized moderation in all things. Monks ate two meals a day instead of extreme fasting.

  • Vows: Monks took vows of chastity, poverty, and obedience.

  • Community Life: The rule prescribed the way of life for the community, including prayers, work, study, and a balance between them.

  • Organization: The community was organized by an abbot, monks, and novices.

  • Historical Context: Benedict created this rule during the collapse of the Roman Empire, when Europe was being overrun by barbarian tribes. Benedictine monasteries played a crucial role in preserving the Christian faith.

Benedictine Rule and Leadership

The Benedictine rule, with its simplicity and comprehensiveness, allowed monasteries to spread rapidly across Europe.

  • Obedience: The Benedictine rule was strict, requiring absolute obedience to the abbot.

Benedict's rule provided a structured and supportive environment for those seeking a religious life, offering a step up from the harsh conditions of medieval Europe.

  • Monastery Purpose: The monastery was intended to be a loving community that helped individuals find their vocation and submit to God's will.

Monastic governments often appointed abbots, provosts, or deans after a year-long trial period, involving manual labor and prayer, to ascertain the suitability of new members.

  • Missionary Activities: Independent missionary activities from Rome spread to Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of Europe.

Missionaries played a key role in spreading Christianity, adapting to local contexts and bringing about significant cultural changes.

Monasticism underwent changes, shifting from contemplation and prayer in the early Middle Ages to a return to stricter Benedictine practices under different empires.

Transition from Merovingians to Carolingians

  • Competing Tribes: As the Romans receded, numerous tribes competed for land holdings.

  • Franks: The Franks conquered Gaul, establishing their kingdom in the late fifth century.

  • Merovingians: The Merovingians were the first dynasty to rule the Franks. Clovis, the most important Merovingian king, converted to Christianity, Christianizing the Franks and the Frankish kingdom.

The dynasty of the Merovingians, after Clovis, became known as the "do-nothing kings," who left governmental affairs to mayors of the palace.

Charles Martel and the Carolingian Dynasty

  • Charles Martel: Charles Martel, Mayor Of The Palace, earned the nickname "the hammer" for his decisiveness and victories. He defeated the Muslims at the Battle of Tours in July, preventing Islam from advancing into Central Europe.

  • Carolingian Dynasty: Charles Martel's son became king of the Franks, starting the Carolingian dynasty.

  • Pepin the Short: Pepin the Short asked the Pope to crown him king, establishing a covenant between the kingdom and the papacy.

The church and kingdom began to cooperate with Pepin being crowned King of the Franks by the Pope in exchange for territory of the Papal States.

Charlemagne and the Holy Roman Empire

  • Charles the Great (Charlemagne): Charlemagne extended the Frankish kingdom, unifying territories of Gaul and Eastern Europe.

  • Emperor of the Romans: Charlemagne restored Pope Leo, who crowned him the Emperor of the Romans, securing the relationship between the Frankish kings and the papacy. Charlemagne became the first ruler of the Holy Roman Empire, which lasted for over seven hundred years.

With the crowning of Charlemagne, the Papacy started to have a measure of supremacy with the power to crown religious leaders.

Charlemagne valued education, ordering the standardization of Latin textbooks, manuals, preaching and schools for clergy and people.

Consequences of Charlemagne's Crowning

  • Papal Supremacy: The Pope gained power over secular rulers, solidifying the Roman Catholic Church as a government institution.

The crowning of Charlemagne lead to the Protector of the Franks being known as the Protectorate of Christendom.

Educational Advancement: Education was promoted, with the establishment of monasteries and palace schools.

Division of the Carolingian Empire

With the rule of Louis the Pious, his empire was split into three, which lead to the creation of the Treaty of Verdun, dividing the empire into three kingdoms.

As a result, the Carolingian kings began to lose power which lead to a less rule over the Holy Roman Sea.

Monastic Reforms

  • Desire for Change: Reforms from within and without reflected a desire for change, including clerical celibacy and opposition to simony (the buying and selling of ecclesiastical privileges).

  • Cluny: Cluny, in East France, was the birthplace of the reform movement, rejecting subservience to secular authorities and advocating for papal authority, condemning concubinage among the clergy and enforcing celibacy.

Reform bans extended into the areas of Simony selling governmental territories, as well as demanding clerical marriage by a priest only.

Cistercians and New Monastic Orders

Founder of Cluny ordered that those living within the community were to elect their own abbot, the Pope would remain as a title protector

  • Cistercians: The Cistercians sought stricter Benedictine practices, living outside of towns and dividing time evenly between prayer and labor.

A community that did not follow the customs of Cluny found themselves in need of isolation, leading to the order of the Cistercians.

  • Other Orders: Other new orders appeared, emphasizing stricter practices and hermit-like lifestyles.

The Great Schism of 1054

  • Disagreements: Major disagreements arose over issues like the source of the Holy Spirit, the use of unleavened bread in the Eucharist, and papal primacy.

  • Excommunication: The Greek and Latin churches excommunicated one another, formally recognizing the schism.

  • Eastern and Western Churches: The Greek, Roman Catholic (Eastern Byzantine) churches and the Latin Roman Catholic churches became distinct entities.

Pope Gregory VII and Papal Power

Pope Gregory the seventh attempted to expand the political power of the pope, declaring him beyond judgment, infallible, and supreme over bishops and emperors.

Carolingians and Merovingians Mix-up

The crowning of Charlemagne elevated the power of the Pope in politics and the secular empire, which Gregory the Great sought to expand further.