Download Middle Ages - Danville Baptist Church

Middle Ages
Fall of Rome
• With the fall of the Western Roman Empire, many
smaller independent kingdoms came into focus.
• The Vandals took Carthage in 439 and in 455
ransacked Rome heaping more destruction that
the Goths did 45 years earlier.
• Bad impact on the church as they were Arians
• Vandals ruled for a century until conquered by
Byzantine Empire
Germanic Tribes
• Northern Germania-Present day: Netherlands,
Belgium, Western Germany
• Southern Germania-Switzerland,
Southwestern Germany, eastern France
• http://www.vlib.us/medieval/lectures/germanic
_invasions.html
• http://www.centuryone.com/rmnwrd.html
Tribes
• Visigoths defeated Rome in 410 and in Spain in 415
where they remained until Muslims ran them out
in 8th century
• Visigoths were also Arian but did not persecute
like the Vandals did but eventually Arianism was
stamped out of Visigoths
• King Recared was converted to Nicene Christianity
• Visigoth Christianity said priests could only marry
with bishop permission and Jews who had been
forced to convert could not go back.
Visigoths
• Only 15 of 34 Kings died of natural causes
• King Recesvinth killed 700 of his enemies and
distributed their wives to his friends
• King Roderick, Muslim, conquered the area
and ended the Visigoth reign but Christianity
was imbedded
• This later led to Christians trying to take back
the land from the Moors
Gaul
• Present day: France, Luxembourg, Belgium,
Switzerland, Northern Italy and part of Germany
and Netherlands.
• In 5th Century divided by 2 invading groups:
Burgundians and Franks (later France)
• Burgundians didn’t persecute Christians as
Vandals did
• Clovis, Frank King, promised he would convert to
Christianity if God gave him victory in battle
Tribes
• In 534, Franks conquered the Burgundians
• Charles “The Hammer” Martel led troops against
Muslims, who had taken Spain, in the battle of Tours.
• Pepin, Charles’ son, became king and his son
Charlemagne is considered greatest ruler in middle
ages
• During these times, powerful Kings decided who
would be bishop
• Bishops acted as lords and not pastors
Scottish-Irish
• Scottish-Irish was different in that it was not
bishop ruled but led by monasteries
• They brought about confession to priests
• Sent missionaries and eventually reached land
held by Saxons and Angles (Great Britain)
• They also disagreed on date for Easter
Invasion
• Lombards (Germanic Tribe) invaded Italy and
Constantinople was weakening a little so the
Pope’s developed an alliance with Frankish
Kings thus ultimately crowning Charlemagne
emperor of the west
• 5th-8th century western Europe was hit hard by
invasions. Paganism and Arianism had ruled
much but invaders brought Nicene Christianity
and monasteries and Papacy played a role in
sustaining it
Papacy
• In 452, the west was invaded by Attila and the
Huns
• Constantinople diverted him to west by
offering him gold
• No leadership in west so Bishop or “Pope” Leo
was sent to negotiate and he turned Attila
back thus gaining much power and prestige
Beginnings
• According to Roman Catholic church, Jesus
established Peter, as bishop of Rome, as the first
Pope so his successors would follow
• Eastern Orthodox and Protestant churches deny
this
• Pope means father
• The term was only reserved for bishop of Rome in
6th century which is well after claims for the title
Pope
• Bishop of Rome had prestige: Imperial city,
church was largest and wealthiest
• By 3rd century, probably 30,000 in church of
Rome with 150 clerics and 1,500 widows
• Several writers refereed to Peter and Paul as
founders of church
• Until Constantine, the Roman Bishop did not
have an jurisdiction outside of Rome
Pope
• Church developed in 3rd-4th centuries into
importance of church councils and bishops
having authority over other bishops.
• Councils sent bishops but those whom the
apostles started had more influence
• Church adopted empire. This means Rome was
the imperial city so the “pope” was in Rome
Pope
• Country churches were established but
Bishops did not oversee them. Instead,
presbyters were sent to them.
• These were controlled by bishops but could
• Council of Nicaea recognized Rome, Antioch,
and Alexandria as preeminent in their areas
Pope
• When Constantine switched his imperial city to
Constantinople in 330, the bishop here gained
power as well
• In 381 at the Council of Constantinople,
Thesodious ruled the bishop of Constantinople to
be 2nd to Rome because this was the new Rome
• At a Synod in 382, the bishops said that Rome was
preeminent and thus the first saying of this
Pope
• Leo-On his entrance sermon he preached that
Christ had promised to build his church on
Peter and the bishops of Rome are his
successors in that authority
• Different political climate than in east where
Constantinople was still strong
• Rome relied more on bishops and this played
into them having more power
Pope
• Leo’s words were perfect timing for an uncertain
Rome
• In 445, Emperor Valentinian III issued a decree for
the army to bring to the imperial court any bishop
who refused
• This brought into law Leo’s words that the bishop
of Rome was the head of the church
• But, in 451 at Council of Chalcedon, the bishop of
Constantinople was given equal power thus
creating 2 heads
Pope
• In 455, the Vandals overtook Rome and Leo
again went to negiotate
• This time King Gaiseric did not destroy all of
the city but he looted for 14 days
• Leo was credited for saving the city as he
negotiated since the emperor Maximus was
slain by one of his bodyguards as he tried to
escape