Global 8.3 The Medieval Church



After the fall of Rome, the Christian church split into eastern and western churches. The western church was lead by the pope and is known as the Roman Catholic Church. Eventually, it started becoming more secular (worldly). Eventually the pope claimed to have authority over political rulers, creating a power struggle between the pope and secular rulers.
 * The Roman Catholic Church taught that a person could only avoid the tortures of hell by faith in Christ AND by following the "sacraments," which are sacred rituals of the Church.
 * The Church also had its own set of laws known as cannon law. These rules applied to religious teachings, behavior of priests, and marriages and morals. If the cannon law was broken, people could be punished by excommunication, kicking a person out of the Church and refusing to give them the sacraments.
 * One of the sacraments, holy orders, encouraged a Christian to join a monastery or convent to become a monk or nun. Once in a monastery, a monk would follow the Benedictine Rule, swearing to a life of poverty, purity, and obedience.
 * Monks would dedicate their lives to worshipping God but would also spend their time doing physical labor.
 * Monasteries became centers of learning and education, and played an important role in preserving the writing of the ancient world.
 * In addition to their service to the monastery, monks would also provide basic service for society. They tended to the sick, set up school for children, provided housing for travelers, and gave money to the poor.
 * If a noble violated the laws of the Church, he could face an "interdict," which excluded an entire town, region, or kingdom from receiving the sacraments and denied them a Christian burial. Typically, this presence was enough to convince the noble to get back in line with the Church.
 * Churches would get income by requiring Christians to pay a tithe, or a percentage of their income, to the Church.
 * As the Church gained power, corruption became a problem among its leaders. Monks and nuns ignored their vows and clergy became worldly and often used church funds to live in luxury.
 * New monasteries strove to reinstate the simple lifestyle of the monks of the past. Pope Gregory VII prohibited simony (selling church positions) and outlawed marriage for priests. New classes of monks were established that would travel the world, bringing their teachings to many different people.