Church History - Test #3 Flashcards
When was the dark ages?
about 814-962 CE
What was the dark ages?
the time between Charlemagne & Otto I, the 1st real Holy Roman Emperor
How did failure in the Carolingian Dynasty lead to disintegration of the empire?
- Italy suffered attack from Muslim nomads called the Saracens
- much of Europe suffered raids from the Magyars of the east
- the Vikings attacked coastal areas
What is feudalism?
- “a social form of interlocking relationships based on the use of land in payment for military services”
- a hierarchic society in which the vast majority were poor & vulnerable, a few were in the middle & the local king was on top
What are serfs?
those who filled the soil & were bound to the will of her landowner
What are lords?
essentially “regional manager”
What are vassals?
subject to & protected by another person
What is the king?
only landowner
Did Bishops & abbots own land?
Yes
Who worked the land for bishops & monks?
They employed serfs
What influenced Church structure?
Social-stratification
Describe the structure of the Church
Pope
Bishops
Priests & Deacons
Laity
What were the Gregorian Reforms?
Pope Gregory VII - a series of efforts to eliminate corruption from the Church such as lay investiture & simony
What is lay investiture?
lay people (i.e. kings) appointing Popes, abbots and/or abbesses
What is simony?
the buying & selling of church/religious offices & goods
What is the Conclave
a meeting of cardinals to elect a new pope
Describe the Conclave
a reform begun in 1057 by Pope Nicholas II
Describe the literal meaning of con clave
con clave - “cum claves” means “with keys”…. Literally “locked” in until new pope is chosen
What are 3 of the things that were part of the Gregorian Reforms?
- Conclave
- celibacy
- papal appointment of bishops/abbots
Describe the Concordat of Worms
- Agreement between Pope Callistus II & Henry V
- Pope would pick bishops & convey spiritual powers
- Emperor would approve & convey symbolic temporal power
Define schism
official separation of churches
What is the East-West Schism referred to as?
“The Great Schism”
Define Excommunication
most severe punishment in Church law
Describe excommunication
- no receiving Communion or other sacraments
- no burial in Catholic cemeteries
Define Filioque
Latin term for “and the Son”
Describe the Creed at the Council of Nicaea 325 CE
…We believe in the Holy Spirit… who proceeds from the Father. With the Father and the Son…
Describe Charlemagne’s Change in the Creed
…We believe in the Holy Spirit… who proceeds from the Father and the Son. With the Father and the Son…
What are the 2 objections from the East?
- This changes their understanding of the Trinity
2. Charlemagne is a secular ruler, not one carrying spiritual/religious authority
Describe how the word change changes the East’s understanding of the Trinity
- Father is sole foundation and ground of God’s unity
- Son/Spirit = two hands of God the Father
When did Orthodox (eastern) & Catholic (western) churches formally split?
1054 CE
What did Pope Leo IX do to the Patriarch of Constantinople & the whole Greek Church?
he excommunicated them
In retaliation, what did Patriarch Michael Cerularius do to the pope & the whole Latin Church?
he excommunicated them
How do orthodox & Catholic Churches get along now?
Both Orthodox & Catholic Churches are by & large over the filioque disagreement (Basically only a semantic difference)
Describe orthodox & catholic heritage
-Common heritage - ecclesiastically, theologically, & historically
Describe the catholic & Christian common goals
Social justice
Upholding Christian morality in western civilization
Describe the main difference between catholic & orthodox
The key difference is the perspective on the place of the Bishop of Rome
What were the Crusades?
Series of religious wars, blessed by the Pope & the Catholic Church between 1095-1291
What was the main goal of the Crusades?
Main goal: restoring Christian access to the holy places in & near Jerusalem
What were the Crusades originally launched for?
Originally launched in response to a call from Byzantine Empire for help to fight Muslim expansion which had cut off access to Jerusalem
Describe crusaders
Crusaders were from all over Western Europe & were not under unified command
Who fought who in the Crusades?
Fought by Roman Catholics primarily against Muslims
What is the significance of the Crusades?
The crusades started out with good, religious intentions, but by the 4th Crusade it was all about economics and greed and had very little religious motivation
Describe Pauper’s Crusade
- Poor folks attempt to overtake Jerusalem
- Most starved to death on the way
- The rest were annihilated at Jerusalem
Describe Children’s Crusade
- The failure of earlier crusades was blamed on sinfulness of crusaders
- Children - pure of heart - sent to take Holy Land
- These either starve to death or were sold into slavery
Describe the leader of the Waldensians
Started by Peter Valdes (Waldo), a wealthy merchant who threw away his riches to live in poverty around 1173
What did the Peter Waldo start / do?
WOMEN & men gathered around him, & together they preached radical gospel values
What lead to the Waldensians excommunication?
Their criticism of the Church hierarchy, wealth, & refusal to work within church structure
What does The Cathari mean?
“The Pure”
What was The Cathari?
a dualistic movement very similar to earlier heresies
Describe the Cathari followers
followers lead austere lives, were to extinguish all sexual desires, & to contribute to the livelihood of the leaders
What did The Cathari reject?
- all of the material world, including sacraments (which require water, oil, bread, wine)
- rejected the incarnation of Jesus Christ himself
Were the Cathari excommunicated as heretics?
Yes
Did movements such as the Waldensians & The Cathari have the best of intentions?
Yes, but their beliefs & practices took them outside the reasonable boundaries of Catholic Christianity
Give a couple examples of other movements that would arise during the High Middle Ages that would take the necessary steps to reform the Church from within
- Renewed Benedictine monasticism
2. The rise of mendicant religious orders
Beginning in 910 CE, monks at Cluny, France led to what?
a reform of monastic life (& of the whole Church)
The Benedictians led what?
a renewed emphasis on prayer, especially the Divine Office & artistic expression
[Albeit at the expense of the work in the fields (Ora w/out Labora)]
The Benedictians remained defiantly what?
independent from the state & princes, championing the authority of the pope
What was special about Cluny’s pop.?
Cluny = essentially its own state w/ 50,000 monk-citizens
By 1100, monks in Citeaux would attempt to do what?
reform the Cluny reform by regaining the austerity of the Rule of St. Benedict
Responding to the legitimate criticisms of the otherwise heretical reform movements, mendicant orders do what?
join the radical simplicity of the Gospels & fidelity to the Church
Describe 4 characteristics of Mendicant Orders
- Live among “the people”
- Beg for what they need to survive
- Work low-paying jobs if begging is impossible/impractical
- Live by a rule of life similar to monastic rules