I-II The Rise of Christendom and Papal Power Flashcards
What is the general consensus as to when the middle ages began? When did they end?
500AD
1300 or 1500 AD (we’ll go with 1300)
When did the disintegration of the Roman empire begin?
shortly after Christianity emerged
The emperors eventually became…
figureheads reduced to the status of puppets
What was the Praetorian Guard?
The Praetorian Guard assured the safety of the emperor and imperial family
What does the existence of the Praetorian Guard illustrate?
the fact that one was needed indicated the low state of things
Many Roman generals were more loyal to…
…their own interests than the Empire as such
Why was the economy of the empire crumbling?
the land (latifundia) was all passing to aristocrats and the people became serfs called coloni, taxes were raised to extortionist levels and public morale had evaporated
What did the Praetorian Guard do in 193AD?
They sold the throne to the highest bidder
To whom did the Praetorian Guard sell the throne in 193AD?
Julianus (Marcus Didius Julianus) His reign lasted 3 months during “the year of the 5 emperors.”
Which two emperors were able to prolong the length of the empire? When did they reign?
Diocletian (284-305) and Constantine (306-337)
Name the group of people which crossed the Rhine in 407, wandered across France and Spain, crossed the Straits of Gibraltar in 429, and took Carthage in 439. They became masters of the northern coast of Africa and took to the sea, occupying Sicily, Corsica, and Sardinia. When did they sack Rome? Why was their rule in North Africa disastrous for the church?
The Vandals sacked Rome in 455AD. Their rule was disastrous because they were Arians and they brought repeated persecutions against both catholics and Donatists. (They were conquered half a century later by the Byzantine Empire. The result in the area was a divided Christianity which disappeared easily after the Moslems conquered)
Name the group of people which defeated the Romans at the battle of Adrianople in 378, then swept through the Balkans and eventually took Rome. They then were in Spain and ruled that country until they were overthrown by the Moslems. When did they conquer Rome? When were they taken over by the Moslems? Which heresy did they embrace and how did it disappear?
The Visigoths conquered Rome in 410AD. They were overthrown by the Moslems early in the 8th century. They embraced Arianism for almost two centuries until the Visigoth King Recarred (586-601) was converted to Nicene orthodoxy. After him, the vast majority of the nobles became catholic, and Arianism soon disappeared.
Who is the outstanding Christian leader of the entire history of the Visigothic kingdom?
Isidore of Seville (he preserved and passed on the glories and the wisdom of antiquity)
What role did the church play for the Visigoths after the conversion of Recarred? How would this be described?
The church played the role of legislator. It provided a measure of order, but injustice and inequality reigned..
During most of the fifth century, Gaul was divided between which two groups who could be described religiously as what?
the Burgundians, who were Arians, and the Franks, who were still pagans (The Burgundians did not persecute catholics though)
When and how did the Burgundians become catholic and why didn’t this ensure Nicene faith for Gaul?
The Burgundians became catholic in 516AD when King Sigismund was converted to orthodox Trinitarian doctrine. But they were conquered by the Franks in 534.
What prevented the Moslems from taking over Gaul?
Charles Martel (the “Hammer”) - who was a “chamberlain” or prime minister - led the Frankish troops against the Moslems, who had taken Spain, crossed the Pyrenees, and threatened the heart of Europe. He defeated them at the Battle of Tours in 732.
How did Charles Martel’s descendants claim the title of king?
Charles Martel did not claim the title of king though he had virtually earned it by winning the Battle of Tours. His son Pepin the Short rid himself of the useless king Childeric III (known as “the Stupid”) by working through the pope to force him to abdicate and become a monk. Bishop Boniface then appointed Pepin the Short king (by papal instruction). Pepin the Short’s son was Charlemagne.
How did the Franks become Christians?
Clovis (the dyansty founder Meroveus’ grandson) was married to a Christian Burgundian princess, and on the eve of a battle promised that he would be converted if his wife’s God gave him victory. As a result, he was baptized on Christmas day, A.D. 496 along with a number of his nobles.
Which events led to the rampage of the Visigoths?
The Huns crossed the Volga River and subjugated the easternmost Germanic tribe - the Ostragoths. The Visigoths were terrified and petitioned the Romans for permission to settle as allies inside the empire. In 376 the entire tribe crossed he Danube into Roman territory, but the Roman officials mistreated them and they went on a rampage.
In what battle did the Romans lose to the Visigoths?
The battle of Adrianople (in today’s Turkey) in 378
Which event prompted the sack of Rome by the Visigoths?
the death of Theodosius I in 395 began their migrating and pillaging under Alaric - they sacked Rome in 410AD
Which event resulted in the Fall of Rome in 493AD?
Vandals sailed from their stronghold in Carthage, marched on Rome, and took it. Count Rikimer set up and pulled down powerless puppet emperors, the last of which was a little boy called Romulus Augustulus. In 475 another commander (Odovacar) deposed him and proclaimed himself head of the government. Then, in 493 the Ostrogoth Theodoric invaded, had Odovacar stabbed to death and declared himself King of the Romans. He had a long and good reign, but following his death everything in Italy was split into factions.
What initially allowed so many german leaders to gain power in Rome?
With the invasion of the Huns, the Romans took Germanic leaders into their own to fight against the Huns.
What prompted Augustine to write The City of God?
After the Visigoths stormed Rome in 410AD, many said that the reason it happened to Rome was that they were tolerating the false religion of Christianity. Augustine took the challenge to defend Christianity and extol the sovereignty of God.
Name the areas conquered by each of the Vandals, the Visigoths, the Anglo Saxons. Following these invasions, Rome became a picture of what?
The Visigoths conquered Gaul and Spain. The Anglo-Saxons invaded the Roman province of Britain and forced imperial armies to withdraw from the British Isles. The Vandals took control of North Africa and the Mediterranean. Rome was now a picture of political fragmentation.
Why were the Goths largely Arian?
A half century after the Council of Nicea in 325, an Arian missionary named Ulfilas (or Wulfila) crossed the Danube and worked amount them. He translated most of the Bible into the Gothic language (with the exception of Kings) and from the Goths, Arian Christianity spread to other German tribes. Their Arianism was apparently more ecclesiastical than theological, but they thought of Christ as the firstborn creature and a glorified warlord.
Describe the last Roman Imperial victory.
The Battle of Chalons took place in 451 AD led by the Roman general Flavius Aetius and the Visigothic King Theodoric I against the Huns commanded by king Attila. Germans composed the majority of the imperial army. Attila died only two years later and his Hunnic Empire was dismantled by a coalition of their Germanic vassals.
From 455-476AD, Rome had how many emperors?
9 incompetent emperors and the empire continued to suffer
What kind of Christian did Clovis in Gaul declare himself to be and what did that mean?
Clovis in Gaul declared himself a Christian of the catholic persuasion (specifying against many heresies, especially arianism). This meant he claimed to believe in one God revealed as the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. As Dr. McGoldrick noted, it’s a big deal to believe in a God who is pure spirit who created a material world. Why do we believe it? Because it’s the Word of God.
We can only know as much about God as…
He has permitted us to know.
Describe what we can know from general revelation.
General Revelation reveals a living and true God. It’s not sufficient for salvation though.
What is the greatest revelation we’ve ever had?
the person of work of Jesus Christ
How might we drift into our own arianism?
We have to remember that Jesus is the Son of God AND God the Son. Jehovah’s Witnesses deny Jesus as God the Son.
Clovis was baptized on Christmas day with 3,000 of his followers. Why was this problematic?
It was personally advantageous to agree with the king. This is a shabby way to start a new religion.
Name the military man who wanted to restore the empire, but died before he could.
Justinian I, Eastern Emperor (527-565)
As rulers such as Clovis and Recarred became catholic, it put arianism in a difficult position, but it also had negative effects on catholicism itself. Why is this?
These rulers were able to make themselves practically governors of churches. Some kings could intrude into church affairs - sometimes ousting a catholic bishop and putting their own guy there).
Barbarian invasions disrupted trade and harmed the economy, how did they also negatively impact the church?
many pagan influences infiltrated the church
By 900AD, throughout western Europe, there was nothing approaching…
…a national or international government.
Despite the lack of unity in the rest of Western Europe, the catholic church was remarkably successful at maintaining unity due to…
…many courageous and intelligent popes.
From 440-461AD, the bishop of Rome was who? What event caused him to take on a new role and stake a fresh claim of power on the future?
Bishop Leo I and 2 clergymen (notably not the emperor) encountered Attila the Hun at the Po River, gave him gits, and convinced him to spare the capital. (Of course, Attila had probably already decided to turn back as epidemics and famine were ravaging his army) Leo did not prevent them from plundering the capital, but they did not destroy it.
The Visigoths defeated the Romans at which battle in which year?
The Battle of Adrianople in 378AD
Name the emperor who did NOT meet Attila the Hun. Tell what you know about him.
Valentinian III - son of Emperor Honorius, grandson of the great Theodosius I (the last to unite the Eastern and Western Empires). He became emperor as a boy and was son, grandson, great-grandson, cousin, and nephew (twice over) of Roman emperors. Needless to say, all of this confusion did not unite to turn him into a powerful leader. He did reign for over 30 years, but his reign was dominated by powerful generals vying for power amid civil wars and the invasions of Late Antiquity’s Migration Period, including the campaigns of Attila the Hun.
The barbarian attacks in Italy made the imperial court at Ravenna desperate for the support of any authority that might help to hold the empire in the West together. Leo I was already arguing for papal primacy, thus, in 445 the Emperor Valentinian III issued a decree instructing Aetius, the Roman commander in Gaul, to compel the attendance at the papal court of any bishop wo refused to come voluntarily.
His imperial document ran: “As the primacy of the Apostolic See is based on the title of the blessed Peter, prince of the episcopal dignity, on the dignity of the city of Rome, and on the decision of the Holy Synod, no illicit steps may be taken against this See to usurp its authority. For the only way to safeguard peace among the churches everywhere is to acknowledge its leadership universally.”
Who is Theodoric I? What is he famous for?
Theodoric I was the Visigothic king who led the last Roman Imperial victory - the fight against the Huns in the Battle of Chalons in 451AD. He died there. (and is not to be confused with the Ostrogothic Theodoric the great who killed the emperor and took over in 493AD)
What were coloni?
land passed often to the aristocrats and the peasants gradually became serfs the peasants were known by the roman term coloni c-o-l-o-n-i it’s not a funny name for peasants but that’s what the romans called them and to deal with the crisis of the economy and the political structure taxes had to be raised to extortionate levels and as a consequence public morality almost evaporated public moral more not morality but not public morality too i guess but public morale evaporated
In the late Roman Empire and the Early Middle Ages a colonus (plural: coloni) was a tenant farmer. Known collectively as the “colonate”, these farmers operated as sharecroppers, paying landowners with a portion of their crops in exchange for use of their farmlands.
The coloni’s tenant-landlord relationship eventually degraded into one of debt and dependence. As a result, the colonus system became a new type of land tenancy, placing the occupants in a state between freedom and slavery. The colonus system can be considered a predecessor of European feudal serfdom.
What were latifundia?
A latifundium is a very extensive parcel of privately owned land. The latifundia of Roman history were great landed estates specializing in agriculture destined for export: grain, olive oil, or wine. They were characteristic of Magna Graecia and Sicily, Egypt, Northwest Africa and Hispania Baetica. The latifundia were the closest approximation to industrialized agriculture in Antiquity, and their economics depended upon slavery.
The latifundium first appears extensively during the later Roman empire as a type of large agricultural enterprise which obtained labour services from a resident workforce (coloni) in return for the temporary use of a plot of land, when the slaves on the estates created from the land of conquered communities became too costly. As the Empire declined, the latifundia also became local centres of economic and political power, absorbing the free peasantry into villein or ‘servile’ status, and providing the foundation for the manorial system of rural organization in the Middle Ages
Define comitatus
Comitatus was in ancient times the Latin term for an armed escort or retinue. The term is used especially in the context of Germanic warrior culture for a warband tied to a leader by an oath of fealty[1] and describes the relations between a lord and his retainers, or thanes (OE þegn). The concept is generally considered by scholars to be more of a literary trope rather than one of historical accuracy.[2][3]
Scholars Bruce Mitchell and Fred C. Robinson describe the comitatus more fully:
An heroic warrior brought up in this [comitatus] tradition would show a reckless disregard for his life. Whether he was doomed or not, courage was best, for the brave man could win lof [glory among men] while the coward might die before his time. This is the spirit which inspired the code of the comitatus. While his lord lived, the warrior owed him loyalty unto death. If his lord were killed, the warrior had to avenge him or die in the attempt. The lord in his turn had the duty of being generous to his warriors. He had to be the great fighter to attract men, a man of noble character and a generous giver of feasts and treasure to hold them.[4]
The comitatus ideal is seen in Old English heroic literature, such as The Battle of Maldon, Beowulf, The Battle of Brunanburh,The Battle of Finnsburh, and the story of “Cynewulf and Cyneheard.” The comitatus is also examined through a Christian context in works such as Dream of the Rood, where Christ is depicted more as a warrior-king doing battle with the Devil and accepts physical defeat for spiritual victory. The rood, or cross, in the poem acts as a retainer “who is forced by his very loyalty to become the instrument of his beloved Lord’s execution.”[5]
Who is Sylvester?
St. Sylvester was the first Pope of Rome to reign entirely under the liberty of the Church, guaranteed by the Edict of Milan in 313. Sylvester - a priest of Rome and the son of one Rufinus, according to the Liber pontificalis - was elected to the See of Peter in 314. During Sylvester’s reign, the city began its transition into its Christian era, with the construction of the great Constantinian basilicas - including the Basilica of St. Peter on the Vatican Hill, which was erected above a temple dedicated to Apollo, to mark the burial place of the first Bishop of Rome. St. Sylvester and Emperor Constantine also collaborated on the the Lateran Basilica and Baptistery, which were built adjacent to the former imperial palace where the Pontiff lived, as well as the (Roman) Basilica of the Holy Cross in Jerusalem, and the Basilica of St. Paul outside the walls. Sylvester’s memory, however, is most closely tied to the church of St. Martin and Sylvester (known as the titulus Equitii, owing to its building site’s having been donated by a priest, Equitius) which still stands in Rome’s Monti neighborhood.
Who suddenly ordered the most vicious of all persecutions of the Christians two years before the end of his highly effective reign?
Diocletian (284-305)
What was the Edict of Milan?
After the battle of the Milvian Bridge, Constantine was made master of the entire western part of the Roman Empire. In the city of Milan, Constantine issued an edict
“Our purpose is to grant both to the Christians and to all others full authority to follow whatever worship each person has desired, whereby whatsoever Divinity dwells in heaven may be benevolent and propitious to us, and to all who are placed under our authority. Therefore we thought it salutary and most proper to establish our purpose that no person whatever should be refused complete toleration, who has given up his mind either to the cult of the Christians or to the religion which he personally feels best suited to himself. It is our pleasure to abolish all conditions whatever which were embodied in former orders directed to your office about the Christians, that every one of those who have a common wish to follow the religion of the Christians may from this moment freely and unconditionally proceed to observe the same without any annoyance or disquiet.”
The rescript goes out of its way to ensure evenhanded treatment for all: “no diminution must be made from the honor of any religion. “ But the strongly pro-Christian flavor is tasted in the instructions to restore to the Christians all property that had been appropriated during the persecution. This applied to property belonging to individual Christians as well as to churches—and without regard for the present owners, who could apply to the state for compensation.
In battling heresies, bishops generally took the lead. during this era certain bishops became more prominent than others and they gradually acquired recognition as archbishops and in the east as patriarchal bishops so titled upon title there were four of them that acquired the dignity and authority of patriarchs. Name the four.
Constantinople
Antioch
Alexandria
Rome
All of those four exerted great influence over the development of the catholic church.
Of the four, Rome had some particular advantages. Name 5.
- Rome was always being connected with saint peter although there is no absolute proof that Peter ever was in Rome. It’s likely that he was but there’s no real confirmation for it.
- Rome though did have the reputation of strict orthodoxy and therefore the guardian of the apostolic faith
- Rome was the largest and wealthiest diocese in the church and there are some very prominent Roman citizens who were contributing members of that church
- Where the Roman empire was invaded by barbarians in the west as we’ve seen the bishop of Rome sometimes led to defense in Italy
- Once the capital moved to the east the bishops of Rome acquired even more political power in the west then too a number of powerful personalities occupied the roman bishopric and they were able to take advantage of a tendency to look toward Rome for theological advice for religious authority and even for political matters as early as the year 402
- the eastern church suffered badly from assaults of Islam and Christianity suffered heavy losses (for example in persia which is iran and north africa egypt syria all of those countries had a rich christian heritage in the past not any longer they’re all gone and christianity barely has a present in this presence in any of those countries the one exception is Egypt about 10 of the egyptian population claims to be christian that includes some roman catholics many more eastern orthodox and even a few protestant bodies but the others most of persia north africa and syria the christian presence is almost none )
On which Biblical text did they authorize their claim that the bishop of Rome could claim a papacy of supreme power?
eventually they got the bright idea that they found a biblical text which authorized that can you imagine where that biblical thanks might be on this rock i would build my church yeah matthew chapter 16 right matthew chapter 16 jesus was in the company of his disciples and he asked them whom do you say that i am or first he asked whom do people say that i am and they say well some say you’re elijah some say you’re john the baptist but the state of public opinion was one of a lot of confusion and then jesus said but you my close comrades and friends whom do you say that i am and peter took the occasion to make a statement and he said you are the christ son of a living god and how does jesus respond to that blessing blessed are you blessed are you simon bar jonah for flesh and blood of death revealedness unto you but my father who is in heaven and i say to you you are peter and upon this rock i will build my church and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it well that’s exciting language isn’t it uh-huh and the bishops in rome now latched on to that and they said see jesus himself authorized the of roman bishopric and so therefore the bishop of rome is the primate over the entire church well the passage was before that had usually been associated with the forgiveness of sins and the forgiveness of sins was granted to all christians not just to the pope or the bishop or the priest or whatever first was an able theologian and he led the church in defending itself against various heretics such as the mana keys and the the pelagians which we’ll look at more later
Name the most powerful pope of all time who in the 13th century claimed the title vicar of Christ
Innocent III
Name 5 things about Leo I.
- able theologian
- led the church in defending against many heresies including Manichees and Pelagians
- enjoyed reputation of being champion of catholic orthodoxy
- He did regard preaching as absolutely indispensable to church
- He awarded himself the title, “vicar of St. Peter”
What is a vicar?
One who takes the place - or stands in - for another
What were the results of the General Council of Chalcedon in 451AD?
- recognized Constantinople as the practical equivalent of Rome
- Leo I protested and when the Patriarch at Constantinople protested, Leo did the outrageous thing of excommunicating him.
- The emperor supported him and the Roman emperor decreed that the Bishop of Rome alone could validate the acts of church councils so whether it be a local council or a general counsel the findings and decisions of councils were subject to the confirmation or rejection of the Pope in Rome
- This led to a political struggle which went on for a very long time and eventually produced an apparently permanent separation between east and west. I say apparently for a very long time the pope in Rome and the patriarch in Constantinople were arch enemies each one excommunicated the other and the Greek Orthodox Church focused in Constantinople severed its relations with the latin church of the west
west that’s no longer the case we live in a so-called ecumenical era and today the two churches have drawn very close together they are they’ve always been very similar they have bishops and archbishops that their doctrines are almost identical in most things the churches are organized pretty much in the same way but in 1453 the turks conquered constantinople and put an end to the patriarch patriarchy at least for the time being that was a heavy blow and by that time the two churches had separated the date usually assigned to that separation is 1054
How did the myth of St. Peter holding the keys to the gate of heaven arise? What other myth was spread in the same way?
arose when catholic missionaries began entering into non-catholic areas to spread their message and gullible people such as the barbarians were were likely to believe a myth and they did they believe that some athletic missionaries conveyed to them another myth claimed privacy for rome over all the churches since the beginning of christian history well that too is nonsense in fact there are some documents that have survived which are now proven forgeries that argue for the supremacy of rome but catholic historians now are frank to admit that they are forgeries and they’re of no value historically
Name the three complaints Boniface made to the pope shortly before anointing Pepin as king.
- the church was practically in the hands of lay lords
- many bishops acted as lords rather than as pastors
- the notion of a council of bishops gathered to bring order and renewal to the life of the church was unheard of in the Frankish kingdom
(Such conditions would continue until the time of Charlemagne)
____, who occupied the episcopal throne in Rome between _____ and _____, was the ablest occupant of that chair until Gregory I took that position in 590.
Leo I (440-461)
In 452, Leo I persuaded __________ to let the city of Rome alone.
Again in 455, when ________ and his ____ followers from North Africa came to sack Rome, Leo persuaded them to save the city from fire and pillage
Attila the Hun
Genseric
Vandal
(he had to agree to a two-week period of sacking by the Vandals)
