Denominations

[FresnoJoe]

6th Century

We are now in the early Middle Ages. Frankly, this, the longest era in Christian history, is the one we find most difficult to grasp and interpret.

It seems such an alien time, yet there was an amazing and gradual progression that paved the way for us to receive the gospel. Then, as now, the pure molten gold of the gospel went forth in crucibles of iron.

At the risk of gross oversimplification, let me suggest ten "M" words to give some overview hooks for the Middle Ages:

-- Migrations of barbarian tribes that reshaped Roman world
-- Missions--often heroic ventures that over seven centuries reached all Europe
-- Monasticism--first a reaction against worldliness, becomes preserver of learning, Scripture and spearhead of missions and education
-- Men of the papacy
-- Manorial culture and economy
-- Mutuality of Church and State
-- Menace of Church divisiveness--quest for truth has never been easy nor always clean
-- Islam which overtook established Christian centers and posed grave threat to Christianity
-- Mentality of accommodation to paganism as "the stream imbibes the color of the soil through which it flows."
-- Mysticism of High Middle Ages

As one who has always had difficulty understanding monks and popes, this by historian Norman Cantor has given me much to think about: The Latin church was preserved from extinction, and European civilization with it, by the two ecclesiastical institutions that alone had the strength and efficiency to withstand the impress of the surrounding barbarism: ...monasticism and the papacy.

The Civilization of the Middle Ages, p. 146 - Ken Curtis

• 529--Responding to growing secularization of the church, Benedict of Nursia establishes monastery of Monte Cassino and the Benedictine Order. Benedict's "Rule" for monks (c. 540) will become the most influential over future centuries.

• 530-532--Boniface II, first pope of Germanic ancestry

• Church and State are becoming more closely intertwined. Emperor Justinian (483-565) closes 1,000-year-old School of Philosophy in Athens 529, issues Code of Civil Laws reflecting Christian morals, sends missionaries as spies to China to smuggle out silkworms, reconquers N. Africa from the Vandals.

• Church buildings become more monumental. Justinian builds Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, dedicated to Christ as the "Holy Wisdom." Constructed 532-537.

• Dionysius Exiquus (d. c. 550), a monk in Rome, establishes modern system of dating, using events after Christ as "Anno Domini," in the year of our Lord. (He missed the date of Christ's birth by a few years.)

• Columba (c. 521-597) goes as missionary to Scotland. Mission headquarters at Iona.

• Conversion of barbarian groups continues. Recared, Visigoth King in Spain and an Arian, becomes Roman Catholic.

• By the end of century the Western church tolerates magic and other manifestations of pagan spirituality as diverse cultures are incorporated into the church.

• Pope Gregory the Great ((c.540-604) gives the mass much of the shape it has today. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/6th-century-11631965.html

[FresnoJoe]

7th Century

• 600-636--Isidore, Bishop of Seville. His writings provide invaluable and encyclopedic knowledge for the Middle Ages. He is known for important efforts to resist barbarism and heresy in Spain, found schools and convents and evangelize Jews.

• 609--Pagan pantheon in Rome consecrated as church of St. Maria Rotunda. As part of the dedication, Pope Boniface (609-610) confirmed All Saints' Day.

• Organs begin to be used in churches. Church bells are used to call people to worship and to give the hours to the monks in the monasteries.

• Learning flourishes in Anglo-Saxon monasteries

• 648--Emperor Constans II issues "The Typos" limiting Christian teachings to that defined in first five ecumenical councils. Pope Martin I (d. 655) refuses to sign Typos. Martin is seized and banished to Crimea and dies. He is last pope to be venerated as a martyr.

• 664--After conflict between the original Celtic church and the Roman missionaries, England adopts the Roman Catholic faith at the Synod of Whitby.

• Mohammed (c. 570-629) begins the religion of Islam, which begins to supplant Christianity across the Middle East and North Africa.

• 638--Islamic capture of Jerusalem

• 690--Two Anglo-Saxon bishops, Kilian and Willibrord, carry on extensive evangelistic mission on the continent among the Franks. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/7th-century-11631966.html

[FresnoJoe]

8th Century

• 731--The "Venerable Bede" (c. 673-735) completes his Ecclesiastical History of the English People.

• Spain is invaded by the Moors, Moslems from North Africa; Charles Martel defeats them at the Battle of Tours in 732--a decisive juncture in Christian resistance to Moslem advance.

• Boniface of England is a missionary to the Germans for 40 years. Finally is murdered by pagans in 754.

• Iconoclastic controversy over the veneration of images divides the Byzantine Emperor and the Pope.

• Papacy asserts its earthly rule and establishes the papal states in Italy. Pope Leo III (d. 816) separates from the Eastern Empire and becomes supreme bishop in the West.

• Charlemagne becomes sole King of the Franks in 771; later is crowned "Holy Roman Emperor," establishing dream of a kingdom with a Christian king.

• Nestorian Christians in China develop missionary activities and build Christian monasteries.

• Schools for church music are established at Paris, Cologne, Soissin, and Metz.

• 781--Alcuin of York, England becomes advisor to Charlemagne and catalyzes the "Carolingian Renaissance."

• 793--The North Men invade Lindisfarne and invade Iona in 795. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/8th-century-11631967.html

[FresnoJoe]

9th Century

• 800--On Christmas day Charlemagne (Charles the Great, c. 742-814) is crowned the first "Holy Roman Emperor" by Pope Leo at St. Peters in Rome. Charlemagne noted for military conquests, strong central government, ecclesiastic reform and educational patronage.

• 831--Radbertus (c. 790-865) publishes first writing in the West on the Eucharist. It provokes controversy and anticipates later Roman Catholic doctrine of transubstantiation.

• John Scotus Erigena (c. 810-877), one of greatest theologians of early middle ages, helps pave way for scholasticism. Involved in eucharistic controversy with Radbertus and maintains in the supper we partake of the Lord "mentally not dentally."

• Anskar (801-865), "Apostle of the North," lays foundation for Christianity in Scandinavia.

• Significant missionary efforts make further inroads among heathen peoples of Europe. Cyril (826-869) and Methodius (c. 815-885), the "Apostles of the Slavs," work in Moravia and invent an alphabet for the Slavs.

• Photius (c. 820-895), a renowned scholar and layman, made Patriarch of Constantinople in 858. Later deposed and reinstated at least twice. Conflicts with pope and Rome over spiritual jurisdiction and doctrine ("filioque controversy") foreshadow deepening rift and eventual split between churches in East and West.

• Alfred the Great is King of Wessex in England. Translated Christian writings into the language of the common people. Set up a palace school and founded two monasteries. Devoted half his time and money to religious purposes. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/9th-century-11631968.html

[FresnoJoe]

10th Century

Christianity continues to spread among the peoples of eastern Europe during this century.

• To the east, Hungarians and Poles begin to convert to Christianity, and Christianity reaches Iceland and Greenland to the west.

• Ecclesiastical leaders were increasingly becoming embroiled in the political struggles of the European continent.

• Benedictine monastery established 909 at Cluny; becomes the center of a reform movement for the church to rid itself of the increasing secularization of its institutions and practices.

• Bohemian people embrace Christianity, but their "Good King [Duke] Wenceslaus" is soon murdered c. 929 by opposing pagan rivals.

• 988--Vladimir, sole ruler of Kievan Rus is baptized. There people were baptized at Pentecost. That same year Vladimir married Princess Anna, sister of Basil II, Emperor of Byzantium.

• Otto the Great (emperor 936-973) revives Charlemagne's dream of a Holy Roman Empire among the German people. In some form Otto's empire continues until the time of Napoleon.

• 993--Saints begin to be officially canonized by the Roman church.

• Private confession develops from public confession in both Eastern and Western Churches. The Roman Church begins the concept of indulgences. (No sure evidence of this before the 11th century.)

• Papacy reaches a low point in morality.

• As the year 1000 approaches, many fear the end of the world and the Last Judgment. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/10th-century-11631969.html

[FresnoJoe]

11th Century

• The expansion of Islam continues to occupy Christian thought and activities.

• 1009--Moslems sack Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.

• 1054 The East-West Schism. Brewing for centuries, rupture finally comes to a head with the fissure that has lasted to this day.

• 1071--Seljuks conquer Armenia, ending the Byzantine Empire in Asia Minor.

• 1095--Pope Urban II proclaims the First Crusade to reclaim Jerusalem from the Moslems.

• 1099--Crusaders take Jerusalem.

• A century and a half of weak popes ends by the middle of the century, and papal authority begins to increase. Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085), "Hildebrand," moves to reform the church with emphasis on priestly celibacy and complete freedom of the Church from the State.

• Renewal of church through new monastic orders

• 1098--The Reform-minded Cistercian order founded at Citeaux

• William of Normandy conquers England, appointing Lanfranc Archbishop of Canterbury in 1070. Lanfranc reorganizes and reforms the English church.

• Anselm succeeds Lanfranc as Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093. Wrote Why Did God Become a Man? explaining the reasons for Christ's death.

• Musical developments: In 1015 Pomposa Monastery near Ravenna introduces sight singing. By the middle of the century, polyphonic singing replaces Gregorian Chant, the harp arrives in Europe, and the first German Christmas carol is written. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/11th-century-11631970.html

[FresnoJoe]

12th Century

Gothic architecture, with its pointed arches and high, vaulted ceilings prevails in church building.

• 1182--Notre Dame Cathedral consecrated

• 1194--Chartres Cathedral begun

• The medieval papacy, at the height of its power and influence, continues to encourage crusades to liberate the Holy Land from the Moslems.

• 1104--Acre taken by the Crusaders, fell to Moslems again in 1191

• 1147--Second Crusade (supported by Bernard of Clairvaux) fails, with most Crusaders dying in Asia Minor.

• 1187--Loss of Jerusalem by the Crusaders

• 1190--German Hospitalers founded (later becoming the Teutonic Order)

• Belief in immaculate conception of Mary spreads.

• 1170--Pope Alexander III established rules for the canonization of saints, the same year Thomas Becket is murdered in England. Becket is canonized in 1173.

• 1173--Waldensian movement begins in Lyons, seeking truth in Bible rather than medieval tradition. The church persecutes these devout believers sometimes seen as predecessors of Protestant reform.

• Monasticism continues to be main source of reforming church.

• 1115--St. Bernard establishes monastery at Clairvaux. He will become the "greatest churchman of the 12th century."

• 1155--Carmelite Order founded http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/12th-century-11631971.html

[FresnoJoe]

13th Century

We are presently in the high Middle Ages. As a Protestant believer, I absorbed a common attitude among us that asks: How did the church ever survive the Middle Ages? How could the church sink so low? Why did God allow the papacy to develop as it did? How could both doctrine and practice become so corrupt?

I have to now admit that the more I learn of this period, the more I come to marvel they did as well as they did. In every generation there were godly men and women who followed Christ with a devotion we would look far to find today. The medieval church met just about every barbarian threat across Europe and brought brutal peoples to some level of Christian understanding and practice.

I dreamt recently that we 20th-century Christians and churches will have far more to answer for than our medieval 'dark age' predecessors at the Great Judgment when the Lord takes into account the light we each had. -- Ken Curtis

• This century is often called the high point of the middle ages, with the papacy reaching its greatest power, scholastic philosophy reaching its zenith, and Gothic Cathedrals towering over the landscape.

• Crusading cause and spirit continues.

• 1204--Europeans, with Vienna taking the lead, capture Constantinople.

• 1212--Children's crusade

• Mendicant orders of friars established, another effort at church reform. These reemphasize the importance of the sermon.

• 1209--Francis of Assisi establishes Franciscans (canonized 1228).

• 1220--Dominican Friars established as a teaching order, later entrusted by the Pope with the Inquisition. Some became missionaries to Central Asia, Persian Gulf, India, and China.

• Salisbury Cathedral built within one lifetime (1220-1258), a rarity for medieval cathedrals!

• With Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) the papacy was at the height of its powers. Affirmed all churches were under his control. Developed theory of papal power that allowed him to interfere in political affairs of nations. Approved 4th Crusade. Established Dominicans and Franciscans. Instituted Inquisition, joining powers of church and state to punish heretics.

• 1215--Fourth Lateran Council summarized and reinforced medieval doctrines and practices.

• Thomas Aquinas summarizes Scholastic Theology in his Summa Theologica, 1271, writing, intelligo ut credam "I understand, in order that I may believe." http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/13th-century-11631972.html

[FresnoJoe]

14th Century

We have now reached the 14th century in our ongoing series of century summaries. My Christian hero from this century is John Wycliffe--commonly hailed as "the Morning star of the Reformation." It was my privilege to produce a film on his life.

During the preparation phase of the production, our director, Tony Tew, and his family moved from London to Dorset in the south of England. One day a woman in her eighties welcomed them to the neighborhood. She inquired about Tony's profession. He told her he was a filmmaker preparing a film on a late medieval clergyman named John Wycliffe. The dear lady was stunned and almost passed out. When she was able to speak, she revealed her name as Marcella Wycliffe -- Thompson, the only known living descendant of John Wycliffe, from the lineage of Wycliffe's sister. She had lived her life as a Christian and devout daughter of the Church of England and never once heard the life and ministry of Wycliffe emphasized. That a film would now be made on his life exceeded her fondest dreams that her ancestor would not be forgotten. What a joy it was to bring this aged woman to the set and let her meet the actors. She gazed for a long time into the face of Peter Howell, who played the role of Wycliffe, in beard and costume. Then she asked him a few questions, before turning to me to say: "Yes, that is he all right!" She, of course, had drawn her impression of Wycliffe from historic paintings just as we had in preparing the actor. - - Ken Curtis

• The Papacy, having reached its high point with Innocent III (1160-1216), begins a decline under Boniface VIII (c. 1234-1303).

• 1302--Papal bull "Unam sanctum" pronounces the highest papal claims to supremacy

• 1309-1377--"Babylonian Captivity" of papacy. Pope resides in Avignon, France, strongly under the control of the French King.

• 1378-1417--Great Schism, with two or three popes claiming authority.

• The Black Death or bubonic plague ravages Europe; 25 million Europeans, over 1/4 of the population, dies.

• Mysticism flourishes in many areas, especially Germany and the Low Countries.

• Meister Eckhardt teaches the nature of God is unknowable except through the inner knowledge of Himself God has placed in each soul.

• Catherine of Siena has a vision joining her with Christ in a mystical marriage; spends her life in serving others, including trying to end the Great Schism of the papacy.

• Seeking forgiveness from sins, bands of "flagellants" roam the countryside beating themselves as penance.

• 1305-1314--Dante writes his Divine Comedy mirroring the heights and depths of the Christianity of the 13th and 14th centuries.

• John Wycliffe transforms Oxford into the spiritual center of England. Looks to the Scriptures for authority and truth.

• 1382--Wycliffe is expelled from Oxford, translates Bible into English, and trains lay preachers to spread the Scripture.

• 1398--John Hus begins lecturing on theology at Prague University and spreads Wycliffe's ideas. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/14th-century-11631973.html

[FresnoJoe]

15th Century

• 1414 -1417 - The Council of Constance seeks to end the Great Schism, the embarrassment of having two or three popes competing for authority and power. This same council burns Czech priest John Hus as a heretic and condemns John Wycliffe posthumously.

• Religious beliefs continue to be matters of political concern.

• Thomas a' Kempis' classic Imitation of Christ written.

• 1431 -- French peasant woman Joan of Arc is burned at Rouen as a witch.

• 1453 -- The Turks capture Constantinople and turn St. Sophia Basilica into a mosque. The many scholars fleeing west encourage a revival of classical learning - the Renaissance.

• 1453 -- Johann Gutenburg develops his printing press and prints the first Bible.

• 1479 -- The Inquisition against heresy in Spain set up by Ferdinand and Isabella with papal approval. Under Torquemada Jews are given 3 months to become Christians or leave the country.

• 1498 -- Savonarola burned. He was a great preacher of reform in Florence, Italy.

• Florence under the Medicis becomes the center of Renaissance humanism. Brunelleschi, Donatello, Michelangelo, Botticelli, and Leonardo da Vinci all create important works of art with Christian themes. At the same time the Medicis become supporters of a papacy more worldly than ever before.

• The Vatican Library is founded by Nicholas V.

• 1492 -- Columbus' voyage and a new age of exploration and Christian expansion begin. http://www.christianity.com/church/church-history/centuries/15th-century-11631974.html