Download C.H. Chapter 6 `10-`11

Chapter 6: Growth in a
Crumbling Empire
Spreading the Faith, Bringing
Order to Chaos
Text Pages 103-122
A Picture of Christian Life
In Cp. 5 we saw:
 Monasticism
 Church scholarship
 Role of the papacy
All flourish in spite of a failing empire in
the West.
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Life: 450-750
Termed the “Dark Ages”
Fall of the Western Empire>476 AD
Continuing barbarian raids
Most of what is now Europe was divided
into areas ruled by local kings…often at
war with their neighbors.
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4 Views into Christian life
1) God as Ruler
 Life was very difficult
 Inconsistent food supplies
 War, disease
 Short life span...45
4 views
2) The Mass and Sacraments> WEST
>Worship especially Eucharistic worship
was central to Christian life.
 The form of the Mass was standardized
by the 500’s
 Said in Latin
4 views
Worship in the East
 Highly decorated wall panels separated
the altar from the congregation (pg 104)
 Liturgy of the Word in Front, Liturgy of
the Eucharist behind
 Sense of mystery
 Greek, sometimes other languages
could be used.
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4 views
3) Veneration of Saints
 Increasingly important> martyrs
 Called upon in prayer and in liturgy
 Honored NOT worshiped
 A human connection
 Relics of saints become important
 People/localities had “favorite Saints”
4 views
4) The Clergy
 Qualifications for the priesthood become
stricter/more standardized
 Minimum: not have done public penance
( why??)
 Have not served in the army since the time of
their baptism ( why??)
 And not have paid for public pagan games
and
 Not have been a pagan priest
4 views
4) The Clergy continued
Nearly a century later the list of
qualifications was expanded to specify
that :
No women
No illiterate person
No proven criminal
No physically deformed
4 views
4) Continued
>In these centuries the priest was often chosen
by the town’s people or by the ruler in the
local castle
 Enforcement of qualifications was often weak
due to distance, slow communication
 Staying unmarried was encouraged but not
required
Questions
How was the Mass in the East different
from the Mass in the West during the
6th century?
 What are some qualifications that began
to emerge as required for the clergy?
 What qualifications would you make for
today’s clergy?
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The Political scene: West
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Invasion! Goths split West into 2
kingdoms>Franks in the North and Goths in
the South
 Clovis king of the Franks converts> his
soldiers and people do too. Rise of
Christianity in West.
 Church stronger than state> Pope and church
offer leadership, order, peacekeeping efforts.
The Political Scene: East
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Justinian rules both Church and State
Persecutes Jews and other non-Christians
Justinian Code
Hagia Sophia Church
State is stronger than Church
Emperors = “super-bishop” role
Emperors dominate Church affairs
Justinian Code

Reform of Civil Law
 Written in pre-Christian times > did not reflect
Christian values
 7 yrs later Justinian Code, in Latin>basis for
European law
Fathers could no longer send children into
slavery to pay his debts.
Women could own property
No easy divorce
After>>>>>
After Justinian the emperors were weak
 New barbarian invasions began
Like the West before it, the East begins to
decline.
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Questions
How were the East and West different
politically?
 How did Arianism affect Church
developments in the East and West?
 How was Clovis’s conversion significant
for Christianity?
 +‘s and-’s of Justinian’s reign
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In two columns, one labeled “Dark Ages” and the other
labeled “Today”, compare the beliefs people had about God
in the Dark Ages with the beliefs many people you age
have about God today?
Discuss your opinion of the requirements for the
priesthood of the fifth, sixth and seventh centuries. Be
prepared to share your thoughts with the class. List a set of
6 requirements you would recommend for the priesthood
today.
Describe someone who you know who is tolerant of others
even though the others disagree with him or her about
important things. What do you think motivates this person
to be tolerant?
Why would masses of people follow their king to baptism?
How might this sort of baptism have affected the people’s
religious beliefs and practices?
Benedict: A Balance of Work and
Prayer
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Law student
Sin and crime and confusion everywhere!
Seeks God in the countryside
Others gather around him
Food, Shelter, Clothing
ORA ET LABORA
A balanced life between prayer and work.
Pope Gregory the I (The Great)
Lived from 540-604
Rome is in shambles people were moving
away> no food , no water
In spite of being young Gregory was
named prefect of Rome> Governor>
Chief of police> Chief justice
All this authority did not bring him
happiness
Gregory
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When his father died: Resigned and began
giving away his money. He turned the family
mansion into a monastery and became a
monk. He did not want to be abbot.
 The pope asked Gregory to go to
Constantinople and tell the emperor of
Rome’s needs.
Gregory
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Returns to Rome
 Tiber river floods
 Disease
 The pope dies and
 The people of Rome elect
Gregory to be their Pope
At age 50 Gregory becomes the Pope.
Gregory: An Able
Leader
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As the bishop of Rome Gregory was
responsible for the poor. There was no other
welfare agency.
 Fed the poor, repaired buildings with profits
from church owned farms.
Gregory: Church Educator
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Poorly educated clergy, often chosen by local
rulers or the residents.
Bishops to open schools for young men
wanting to be priests.
They in turn would open schools for children
Church schools and monastery schools were
the only sources of education at the time.
900 of Gregory’s letter still exist.
Topics: Bible, liturgy, duties of pastors
Liturgical Music
Keeping a written record of music for the
liturgy.
One of the ways we learn is by song.
Words very important.
If the melody changes, the words will
change.
This could open the door to singing what
we do NOT believe…
Illuminated music text
Gregory: Diplomat

Missionaries to the various barbarian tribes
 Alliances and convert rather than resist.
 This decision eventually led to the conversion
of what is now Europe
 40 monks sent to Britain> fearsome tales of
barbarian atrocities.
Gregory: Diplomat
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When the monks reach Britain> peaceful
greeting by the Anglo-Saxon king Ethelbert.
Ethelbert so impressed with the life of the
monks that he converts.
Ethelbert did not force his people to convert.
They came voluntarily into the church
In 100 years all of Britain will be Christian
Gregory: Conclusion
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Far-reaching effects
Solidified the church in a time of calamity
Education
Diplomacy
Mission work
Even feeding the poor and building churches
and the walls of Rome.
And yet humbly saw himself as “ Servant of the
Servants of God”.
The Rise of Islam
While Gregory was working in the West
The followers of a prophet named
Muhammad ( 570-632) were spreading
their new religion.
Followers= Muslims
Religion = Islam
Both terms refer to “submission to God”
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Rise of Islam
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Central belief> there is one God, and Allah is
his name
Islamic scriptures> Koran> Qur’an
Revealed to Muhammad by the angel
Gabriel.
Honor Allah by spreading the faith.
Did NOT force conversions. But did collect
taxes from infidels> those who refused to
convert
Rise of Islam
To avoid taxes many Christians in the
East converted to Islam
 The sea belongs to the Muslims.
 Trade cut between East and West
 700’s Spain comes under rule of the
Moslems.
 Moors=Muslims who conquered Spain.
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Rise of Islam
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Muslims begin to march towards Gaul (
France)
Defeated in 732 by Charles Martel at the city
of Tours, near Paris.
“Martel” means “the hammer”
His victories prevented Islam from spreading
over Europe.
Medicine, Math, Art, Architecture, even Greek
Philosophy which had been learned by
Muslim scholars.