1: Medieval Catholicism Flashcards
What is an intercessor?
Someone alive or dead who acts as a mediator between earthly Christians and God in heaven
What is consecration?
Re-enactment of the last supper, but also symbolic of Christ’s life, death, and resurrection
What is transubstantiation?
Belief that at the consecration, the bread and wine are physically transformed into the actual body and blood of Christ
What is the meaning of Eucharist?
“Eating Christ”- communion
What are the Seven Sacraments?
Rites of passages which the church endowed with a spiritual significant
List the Seven Sacraments
- Baptism
- Confirmation (Most important and regular)
- Mass
- Confession
- Ordination
- Matrimony
- Extreme Unction
Why were people so obsessed with the Eucharist?
-Receiving the Eucharist often equated as union with Christ, described often through images, art, and journal entries
What is a monstrance?
A vessel in which the Euchantristic host is carried
-Usually gold and decorated in gems and stones
Why was Christ in particular (rather than just God) so popular with Christians?
- He was seen as more approachable as he was half human, and understood the human condition and suffering
- The same can be said for Mary, who was seen as another powerful and approachable figure
Examples of Intercessors
- Christ
- Virgin Mary
- Saints
- Monks
- Nuns
- Priests
Who are Saints?
Humans who led especially devout lives obtaining divine, which was often demonstrated via miracles
- Saints could assist in times of crisis but also with every day problems
- Specific saints targeted certain issues, eg. ‘Patron Saint of ….’
How did the church work to make Catholicism stand out to people in the Middle Ages?
- Regular attendance at Sacraments was encouraged
- Visual representations Christ, Mary and Saints
- Preaching outside of churches in the vernacular of peasants (in contrast to Church services which were all in Latin.)
- The establishment of church buildings
- The creation of stain glass windows and paintings/painted church walls
What is purgatory, why and when was it ‘created’?
- 1300
- Halfway place between heaven and hell to pay penance for unattended sins
- But it was made as something temporary that you could escape for heaven
- it gave people hope
What were Indulgences?
Grants issues by the pope to eliminate some of your purgatory time
- Was popular in the 14th and 15th centuries
- The church exploited this greatly
Who were Heretics?
Heretics were defined by the church as anyone who questioned Church teachings or suggested alternatives
- They were believed to practice inversions of traditional Catholic practices
- These claims often targeted Jewish people and other marginalised groups
