Transcript The Middle Ages 590 - 1517 Church History Ancient Church History Ca. 30AD Medieval Church History Modern Church History 590 AD 1517 AD Apostolic Church The First Medieval Pope Reformation & Counter.

The Middle Ages
590 - 1517
Church History
Ancient Church History
Ca. 30AD
Medieval Church History
Modern Church History
590 AD
1517 AD
Apostolic Church
The First Medieval Pope
Reformation &
Counter Reformation
Apostolic Fathers
The Rise of the Holy Roman Empire
Church Councils
The Crusades
Golden Age of
Church Fathers
The Papacy in Decline
The Pre-Reformers
Rationalism, Revivalism,
& Denominationalism
Revivalism, Missions,
& Modernism
?
The Medieval Period
Medius - middle
Aevium
- age
*Death
of Augustine
450/500
*Council of Chalcedon – the doctrine of Christ
*Fall of Rome (476)
*Leo the Great (440-461) – authoritative Pope
*Gregory the Great – missionary Pope
1000 Years
1500
*The invention of the printing press 1452 (information)
*The rise of Nationalism in 15th & 16th Century (security)
*The discovery of the Americas in 1492 (economic expansion)
*The work of Martin Luther in 1517 (spiritual revival)
500 to 1500 - “The Dark Age”
Created by the humanists during the Renaissance of the 15th & 16th century
Because of their rediscovery and return to classic Greek & Roman
culture – they compared the post Ancient Period with the static
traditionalism, unrefined barbarity, and generally unhappy character
of the middle age.
Is this a fair judgment?
Morris Bishop – “We are too vain; we think we are the summit of
history.”
The Division of these 1000 years
500 - 1000 The Dark Age
Fall of Rome, Barbarian Invasion, Rise of
Feudalism*, Spread of Islam, (Carolingians)
New wave of invasion, uncertainty – 900’s
1000-1300 The High Middle Ages
As a result
the Nationalism
Barbarian invasion,
smallerofunits
gradually
developed
Riseof of
- Rise
cities,
castles,
to control
the territoriesinnovation
previously ruled
Rome. Largeuniversities,
tribal areas
cathedrals,
&byadvances,
were subdivided in small areas and even smaller areas, with a lord and
material prosperity, the height of the papacy
vassals. Great estates were established with servants loyal to the lord
living
on the estate. Farmers
and soldiers
were very important. Scholars
1300-1500
The Waning
Years
were not
important.
This wasthe
the period
of knights.
Peace was
the
Clash
between
Popes
and nation
states,
greatest
commodity.
Christianity
was the one
the
Babylonian
Captivity,
theunifying
Greatfactor.
Schism,
spiritual decline, the plagues
The Barbarian Invasion & the Fall of Rome
Why did Rome fall?
Intellectual Answer – the Romans conquered the world with their
Republican principles, they changed the principles to fit an
empire, and the new principles destroyed it.
Answer
– license,was
luxury, like
and sloth,
a decline in character
&
“The Moral
Roman
Empire
a declining
business,
discipline.
whose program is retrenchment and retreat, whose
Rationalist Answer – Christianity, teaching nonresistance, otherventures
are desperate,
whose
employees
can only
worldliness,
disarmed the Romans
in the
face of the barbarians.
shrugPathological
their shoulders
andand
hope
that
thelead
oldpoisoning
Answer – plague
malaria,
or even
from cooking pots and water pipes.
enterprise
will last out their time.” Morris Bishop
Economic Answer – trade stagnation, low productivity, scarcity of
gold and silver.
Physical Answer – soil depletion, deforestation, climatic change,
drought.
The Barbarian Invasion & the Fall of Rome
Many of the Barbarian Invaders were already Arian Christians
because of missionary work. Many more would be converted
and establish the Christianity once again as the dominate religion.
The Barbarians, though they appeared to be looters, aspired
to settle within the borders of the Roman empire and enjoy the
benefits of the Roman civilization.
During the 4th thru 8th centuries, western Europe was swept by a series
of invasions that brought chaos and upheaval and destroyed
education and culture established by Rome. These invaders were
either pagan or Arian. They would generally be converted to the
Nicene faith. The Papacy and monasticism would be instrumental in
preserving the Christian faith and ancient learning.
The Huns Migrate West
Source of Barbarian
Invasion
Pagan
Pagans
Arian
Arian
Arian, persecuted Catholics
The Western & Eastern Roman Empires in 476
The rise of the Roman Papacy – Leo I (440-461)
The Rise of Islam
Asian Christianity
Because of a Western bias, much of the Eastern Christianity is
ignored.
The Persian Church (Iraq/Iran) sent out many missionaries east.
The church in India, founded perhaps by Thomas, prospered
well into the 1000’s.
Asia – the church grew rapidly in China until the late 800’s.
By 800, more Christians east of Damascus than west.
What happened – persecution and alignment with the state
Africa
Roman Africa – destroyed by Vandals, then Islam, Egyptian Coptic
church remained
In Nubia (Sudan), Christianity prospered until 1000, then disappeared
Ethiopia has had a continuous Christian church since Apostolic times
Why Study the Middle Ages?
1. The true church and Christians didn’t cease to exist in 500 A.D.
What of God’s promise to be with the church until the end of
the age? Did Christ found the church only to leave it to
Antichrist for one thousand years and then reclaim it later?
Let us not forget that we know little of the Asian and African
Church. A western bias may have blinded us to the work of
Christ in His Church.
“Yes, there was life in the medieval Church, a great deal of life. What
if this life was corrupted by various diseases? Disease attacks life,
not death. After all the Reformation itself was nurtured in the bosom
of medieval Rome. Protestantism sprang not from the dissenting
movements – the Waldensians, Lollards, the Hussites – but from the
parent body, Mother Church, whose pious sons wanted to reform her,
but were cast out for their pains. “ Needham
Why Study the Middle Ages?
1. The true church and Christians didn’t cease to exist
2. The contrast between the Medieval Era & the Modern Era
3. The Days
darkness
found during
the Middlehindered
Ages willthe
help
In Medieval
– convulsion
and confusion
Church.
us appreciate
the light
we enjoy
today. How is success
Today peace
and prosperity
hinders
the Church.
achieved in either case?
4. Errors that began in the Early church came to
fruition during the Middle Ages. Asceticism & Monasticism
5. The events of the Middle Ages were God’s preparation
for the Reformation