Church History Chapter 5

The Church and World Unite

Chapter 5 Vocabulary
• Medieval
o Pertaining to the middle ages
• Christendom
o The Christian world as dominated by Christianity; used
during the middle ages to denote W. Europe
• Feudalism
o A social form of interlocking relationships based on the use
of land in payment for military services.
• Lay Investiture
o The practice of lay persons, such as kings, appointing
bishops, priests, abbots, and abbesses.
• Simony
o The payment of money to be appointed to a church office.
• Truce of God
o A rule enacted by the medieval church forbidding warfare
during certain holy days of the year
• Conclave
o A meeting of cardinals to elect a pope.
• Filioque
o Latin term meaning “and the son.”
• Iconoclast Controversy
o Disagreement caused by the Eastern emperor’s decision to
condemn the use of icons in worship

Charlemagne & the Holy Roman Empire

 Crowned by Pope Leo III:
– It was an attempt to bring back peace and stability of
earlier days of glory
– Emperor in the east was furious, adding to the rift between
E & W.
 Often called the 2nd Constantine:
– Formed all of Europe into one family of faith.

Charlemagne the Christian Emperor

 Decreed that every monastery have a school where boys could
be educated:
– Brought Alcuin, most learned monk of the time, to teach at
the finest school.
– Arranged for manuscripts to be brought and copied.
  Believed he ruled the empire in God’s name:
– Arranged for a uniform manner of worship throughout the
empire.
– Attempted to establish a procedure for choosing bishops
and leaders of abbeys and monasteries to ensure worthy
people held positions of power in the church.
– Instituted rules for clergy
– Enacted laws against heresy

Three Problems that Plagued the Medieval Church

 Lay Investiture
– Lay rulers expected favors in return
– This is one of the main causes of Church related problems
in the Middle Ages
 Simony
– Wealthy lords paid for positions of power in the Church
– Person might not carry out their duties responsibly
 Disregard for Celibacy
– A large number of priests and bishops lived with women
without being married.

Hildebrand – The Reforming Pope

 Pope Nicholas II reformed the process of selecting a new Pope:
– When a Pope dies, all cardinals who could be in Rome
within 9 days would go into a secret meeting (Conclave)
and vote on the new pope.
– This practice continues to this day.
 Hildebrand = Pope Gregory VII
– Initiated measures to eliminate corruption known as
Gregorian Reforms.
– Among these:
• Election of Pope by Conclave
• Celibacy for Priests
• Papal power to choose bishops and abbots.

East – West Schism

 As the Eastern and Western sections of the Empire grew apart,
so did the E and W Churches.
 In the East:
– Viewed Patriarch of Constantinople as head
– Little had changed
 In the West:
– Saw the Pope as the head
– Faced challenges that required change
 Schism happened in 1054:
 – Breaking of a relationship between 2 groups who still hold
essential beliefs in common

Controversies
 Filioque Contraversy:
– West changed the wording of the Nicene Creed to say that
the Holy Spirit proceeds from the Father and the Son.
– East was angry: they disagreed with the change and were
not consulted about it.
 Iconoclast Controversy:
– Eastern Emperor forbade the use of Icons, Patriarch of
Constantinople agreed.
– Pope in the West, supported the use of icons in liturgy.
– 2nd Council of Nicea upheld the use of Icons

Eastern Orthodox vs. Eastern Rite Catholics

 Eastern Orthodox:
– No longer in union with Rome
 Eastern Rite Catholics:
– Accept the Pope as head of the Church, but follow the
practices and worship of Eastern churches.
– They are Fully Catholic.