Christianity, Feudalism, and Manoralism

1. Christianity, Feudalism, and Manoralism

2. Christianity • The attacks from the barbaric tribes weakened the empire fatally. • Many historians now believe that Christianity may have also weakened the defenses of the empire.

3. Christianity • In the Roman way of life, emperors, governors, and administrators stood far above the people and Roman religion provided little spiritual compensation for a low rank in the world. The Christian faith offered something better: the message that all persons are potentially equal in the eyes of God and may hope for a better afterlife through salvation. As the Western Empire came under constant attack, the increasing number of Christians may have been less eager to fight to preserve the old system.

4. Christianity • The triumph of Christianity within the Roman Empire was one of the most remarkable cultural revolutions in history—all the more extraordinary because it’s values were opposed to those of classical thought, which sought the good life in the present world. Carpe diem, “Seize the day” was the standard Roman motto. Classical values were failing to reach the disadvantaged, the subjugated, the losers.

5. Christianity • Christianity was born into a world alive with religious fervor. Christians were striving to lead lives of pure morals and would welcome everyone, commoner and intellectual alike, into God’s kingdom. • Martyrs testified for their faith with their lives. Within the church, some theologians took positions that the established leaders rejected and denounced. A world of debate and interpretation of Christian thought flowed from the pens of the scholars known as the Fathers of the church.

6. Characteristics of Christianity • This new religion hardly looked “religious.” Christians had no temples or other holy places, no priests, no ordinary sacrifices, no oracles, no visible gods, no initiations, they made no pilgrimages, would not venerate (worship, revere) the emperor. It is no wonder that some pagans accused Christians of being atheists who undermined traditional society. • Christians maintained that prophecies in the Bible (Old Testament) had foretold the coming of Jesus as the Messiah.

7. Characteristics of Christianity • All the first Christians had been Jews, but they parted company with Jewish tradition by insisting that Jesus’ life, sacrificial death, and his resurrection all meant that God’s community had become open to everyone, on absolutely equal terms.

8. Judaism and the Empire • In 6 A.D., Augustus made Judea a Roman Province. Rome still allowed Jews to practice their religion but treated them cruelly. Many Jews strengthened their hope that a Messiah would help them regain their freedom. Believing that God would intervene on their behalf, some Jews took matters into their own hands.

9. Judaism and the Empire • In 66 A.D., Jerusalem burst into rebellion. This great Jewish War as the Romans called it lasted until 70 when the Romans under the Emperor Titus demolished the Temple, except a remnant of the Western Wall, where Jews were allowed to pray once a year.

10. Jewish Factions • Back up to the time of Christ: Three principle factions (groups) arose in Jewish society each stressing the part of Jewish tradition it considered the most essentialfor the survival of the Jews as God’s people. • The Sadducees were composed of the landed aristocracy and high priests in Jewish society. They were religious conservatives who rejected belief in the afterlife and in angels because they did not find such teaching in the five books of Moses (The Torah).

11. Jewish Factions • The Pharisees were composed of pious middle-class laypersons who taught the resurrection of the dead, believed in angels, and accepted gentile converts. Historians call the modern rabbis the spiritual heirs of the Pharisees due to their organization of legal traditions into a book called the Mishnah. This book evolved into the Talmud, or general body of Jewish tradition.

12. Jewish Factions • The Essenes were austere priests who settled at Qumran, fifteen miles into the desert east of Jerusalem. They protested against the leadership of the Temple by high priests whom they considered corrupt and unworthy. The Essenes are most famous as the authors of the Dead Sea Scrolls. These scrolls have given historians an extraordinary view of the apocalyptic beliefs and strict practices of this faction that was active from 150 B.C. until 70 A.D.

13. The Origins of Christianity • Scholarly investigation of Jesus is difficult. He seems to have been a charismatic Jewish teacher, yet he wrote nothing that we know of. His existence and execution by the Romans are confirmed by such first and second-century historians as Tacitus. • For details we must sift the writings of early converts, such as Saul of Tarsus (Paul), who did not know Jesus, or the authors of the Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John), which focus on Jesus’ power over evil forces, his message of hope and moral demands, his miracles, and his radical inclusiveness.

14. The Origins of Christianity • Ancient writers had little interest in presenting his biography in chronological order or probing his inner life. We know almost nothing of his career as a youth and young adult apart from his being raised a Jew in Galilee, thus it is impossible to write a biography of Jesus.

15. Jesus as a Teacher • As his followers recalled his career, Jesus was born of a virgin named Mary who was betrothed but not yet married to a man named Joseph. At around age thirty, Jesus went to John the Baptist, and outspoken prophet, to be baptized. Soon afterward John was imprisoned and Jesus began to preach. Jesus declared that when God rules the poor, the meek, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and the justice seekers will be honored. He also taught that prayer and piety were matters of personal commitment, not public gestures to win society’s acclaim.

16. Jesus’ Death • Christian writers state that the high priests in Jerusalem accused Jesus of blasphemy, pretending to be the Messiah and king, and refusing to pay taxes to the Roman emperor. The Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, apparently feared that a riot, led by Jesus’ enemies was about to break out at the Passover. He washed his hands to make himself innocent of Jesus’ blood and handed him over to the crowd who chose to have him crucified. • Jesus’ followers believed that he was raised from the dead three days later and ascended into heaven after promising to return one day and establish his kingdom. Soon after the ascension, Jesus’ apostles began to preach Jesus’ message throughout Judea, win converts, and establish churches for worship, fellowship, and instruction.

17. The Spread of Christianity • Paul and His Mission (Paul: Roman, Saul: Jewish) • Saul of Tarsus (southern Turkey), a Pharisee, became a leader in persecuting Jews who had become Christians. About 33 B.C., on his way to Damascus he saw a vision of the resurrected Jesus who asked him to explain his hatred of Christians. As a result of this vision, Saul converted to Christianity and believed that he was the “chosen instrument” to bring the message of Christ to the Gentiles.

18. The Spread of Christianity • He is better known as the apostle Paul. He became the best known of all the early Christian teachers. His letters gave specific guidance to the congregations he founded; they were later collected and now make up much of the New Testament. Paul taught Christians to regard themselves as citizens of heaven and to live in humility and love. Paul is acknowledged as the second founder of Christianity. He was executed in Rome in 62 A.D.

19. Persecutions • The Romans asked that reverence be shown on official occasions to the traditional gods (of Rome) and to the deceased and god like emperors. Romans saw this as public patriotism not blasphemy as the Christians did. Christians refused to do this. Rome either lacked interest in the Christians or mercilessly persecuted them. • The first serious persecutions took place under Nero in 64 A.D. He blamed Christians for starting a vast fire that ravaged Rome. Many were put to death as scapegoats for the fire.

20. Persecutions • From 303-313 A.D. persecution intensified. The emperor Diocletian and his successors, tried to eliminate Christianity completely. Many were put to death but the persecution only strengthened the commitment and devotion of the church members. The persecution also created a list of venerated martyrs that led to the creation of these individuals as ‘saints’ that became an integral part of Christianity ever after. “The blood of the martyr became the seed of the church.”

21. Reasons for the Spread of Christianity • Followers of the “mystery cults” found Christian beliefs and practices familiar enough to convert easily to the new faith. The doctrine allowed women to worship with men, taught that all men were equal under God, and showed how the common man could achieve a better life in the next world. The persecutions united them together and the courage that they faced death impressed even their bitterest enemies. The church was eventually officially recognized by Rome in 311 A.D.

22. Reasons for the Spread of Christianity • An Emperor becomes the Church’s Patron • In 312, Constantine was battling a rival for supremacy in Italy. The night before the Battle of Milvian Bridge, he had a dream. In the dream he was told to decorate the shields of his men with the Greek letters chi and ro (the first two letters of the Greek word for Christ) and was told “In this sign you shall conquer.” He followed the instructions in the dream and did win the battle and thereafter recognized divine power in the name of Christ.

23. Reasons for the Spread of Christianity • He called for and held a conference at Milan and from that meeting issued the Edict of Milan which legalized Christianity. He also ordered the return of any and all confiscated goods to Christians. • During his reign, Christianity grew from a persecuted sect to the most favored sect in the Empire. • Just before his death, Constantine was baptized. The emperor Theodosius made Christianity the official religion, and prohibited all pagan cults.

24. Christianity and Roman Law • Constantine and his successors gave more and more privileges to the church. Christians became exempt from some civil service duties; 1-churches could own property and 2- enjoyed exemptions from some taxes.(Some taxes enriching the church) 3- Bishops were also allowed to judge the legal (not religion) disputes of the members of their congregations.(This is becoming a problem) Constantine repealed the laws of Augustus that regulated marriage and punished celibacy—a lifestyle now tolerated more easily because celibacy in priests was seen as a virtue.

25. Battles Within Christianity • Usually the Christian community did not bother to define matters of dogma or discipline until disputes threatened its internal unity. The losers in these disputes, if they did not amend their beliefs, were regarded as heretics, meaning those who had made a wrong choice. • Heresies caused the early church to redefine its positions. Out of the turmoil and disagreement, the Church emerged stronger even though sincerely held opinions were suppressed.

26. Battles Within Christianity • Orthodox theologians of the second century defined the canon of sacred writings to include the modern bible (Old and New Testaments). The church also declared that the era of divine inspiration had come to an end. All truths needed for salvation were complete with the work of St. John, and no new revelations were needed.

27. The Government of the Church • During the first century, the terms deacon, bishop, and elder appear in church language. During the second century, the bishop became the elected leader of a group of elders (later called priests) and of deacons (both men and women) who became responsible for collecting donations and managing the church’s material affairs.

28. The Government of the Church • Bishops gained the right to 1- appoint priests, 2- define doctrine, 3- maintain discipline, and 4- oversee morals. In the west, the number of bishops remained small and so obtained power over fairly large areas. • Bishops in Rome, Alexandria (Egypt), and Antioch (Holy Land) became the most influential due to the large Christian communities living in those cities. The Bishop of Rome became the head of the western church. The name for a bishop was papa or father, but eventually only the Bishop of Rome was called papa or pope.

29. Arius • In 311 A.D., a priest from Alexandria named Arius began to teach that Jesus was not coequal with God the Father but had been created by him. The teachings raised troubles throughout the Roman Empire. To restore peace, Constantine(Emperor) summoned a council of the church to meet at Nicaea in Asia Minor, May 325. • The council condemned Arius in the Nicene Creed which declared that Jesus was coeternal with the Father and of one substance with God. Arius was exiled.

30. The Fathers of the Church • Some of the most influential leaders of the early church lived in the late 300s A.D. • Ambrose (340-397) was the Bishop of Milan (Northern Italy). His most important doctrine was that the Church must be independent of the emperor and that bishops should have the right to chastise rulers. • In 390 Ambrose excommunicated the emperor Theodosius for massacring the rebellious citizens of Thessalonica and forced him to do public penance. Theodosius later admitted his guilt and repented. • Popes of later centuries who struggled with leaders of nations owed much of their power to Ambrose.

31. Jerome and Augustine • Jerome (340-420) was a learned priest who translated the Old and New Testaments into Latin. This version of the Bible is called the Vulgate version. This Latin version became the most widely used during the Middle Ages. • Augustine (354-430) became the most important of the Church Fathers. He was the leading figure in the development of church theology. He is one of the authors of the idea of predestination. He taught that sin descended from Adam into every human being, and doing good works could not guarantee salvation which was a gift of god alone. He profoundly influenced teachings on morality and marriage. He urged all Christians to a life of celibacy and banned sex before marriage.

32. Jerome and Augustine • He wrote one of the worlds first great autobiographies called Confessions. In his book The City of God, Augustine tried to show that there was an order to history and that God’s hand was directing people to their destiny. This book was the greatest work of philosophy in early Christendom.

33. The Rise of the Middle Ages

34. Invasions Triggered Changes • Repeated barbarian invasions and constant warfare sparked new trends. A series of changes altered the government, economy, and culture of Europe. Trade was disrupted; businesses collapsed; money became scarce. Established cities began to deteriorate. This led to a population shift in Europe. As the centers of trade and government collapsed, nobles retreated to the rural areas. Roman cities were left without strong leadership. Other city dwellers retreated to the countryside as well. During this time, the concept of government changed. People’s loyalty changed from loyalty to the government to loyalty to a single leader.

35. Invasions Triggered Changes • In this new civilization in the west, there were no: • 1-great cities • 2- no commerce • 3- no industry • 4- no strong central governments • 5- no universities. • Society was simple.

36. Assimilation and Synthesis • The shattering of the Roman world and its lifestyle by the barbarian invasions released the forces of creative energy. Adding Celtic and Teutonic elements to Roman Christianity enriched the culture of Western Europe.

37. Assimilation and Synthesis • The encounter of Latin-Christian civilization with the barbarians resulted in a double process of assimilation and synthesis. In assimilation, one culture conquers and absorbs the other. In many areas and in many aspects of culture, Latin culture absorbed barbarian; in others, the barbarian absorbed the Latin. In other respects a true synthesis between the two was attained.

38. Assimilation and Synthesis • Accompanying the process of assimilation and synthesis was a shift northward from the Mediterranean of the centers of culture. Also, the Mediterranean world became divided into three areas: 1-Western, 2- Byzantine, and 3- Islamic. The northern fringe areas of Greco-Roman civilization would become the heartland of the new Western civilization.

39. The Bible Translated Into Gothic • The conversion of the Germanic barbarians to Christianity began before they invaded. Their conversion began with Ulfilia, the son of Christian parents who lived in the land of the Goths. His parents had been captured by the Goths so he grew up a Gothic speaking Christian. He became a bishop in 341 A.D.

40. The Bible Translated Into Gothic • Ulfilia brought the Arian version of Christianity to the Goths and translated the Bible into their language. From this, Arian Christianity spread to the Visigoths, Vandals, and Ostrogoth's. One result of this conversion was to create in many kingdoms a tension between Arian Germans and Catholic Romans that would hamper the achievement of a peaceful synthesis. German Church believe in different things.

41. The Bible Translated Into Gothic • Two other European groups converted to Christianity: the Franks in Gaul and the Anglo-Saxons in England. Before these two groups controlled Northern Europe, the Celts were the dominant ethnic group. The Celts (Caesar’s group that he conquered, and have been absorbed since then.) migrated from their central European homeland around 5000 B.C. From around 400 B.C. to 100 B.C. they dominated Northern Europe. They were gradually conquered, killed, or expelled from their territories by the Latin Romans from the south and the Teutons, from the north. After Caesar’s conquest of Gaul, they retained independent control of Britain and Ireland.

42. Anglo-Saxons • The Anglo-Saxons originally dwelt along the coast of the North Sea, from the present nations of the Netherlands to Denmark. They began their conquest of Britain shortly after 410 A.D. The conquest was completed by 600 A.D. The Angles (English) were the only Teutonic people who chose to exterminate, rather than to rule or assimilate, the province they conquered.

43. Franks • The Franks were the most successful of the invading Teutonic peoples. This diverse group of tribes was formed some time in the 3rd century A.D. Early on there was very little political unity among the Franks. Each group or tribe was ruled by its own chieftain and pursued its own course of migration and settlement. Some tribes remained east of the Rhine River in an area known as “Franconia.” Others crossed the Rhine and settled in the empire where they entered into an alliance with the Romans. Around 410 A.D., other Franks crossed the river, refused and alliance, and penetrated deep into Belgium to set up their own kingdom. This was the beginning of the Merovingian Dynasty.

44. The Dark Ages • These years were stark in every dimension. Mediaeval man’s first goal was survival. There were famines and plagues that repeatedly thinned the population. The church remained as the only unifying force for the people of Europe.

45. The Time Period of the Middle-Ages 500-1500 A.D. • The decline of Rome and the barbarian invasions created three basic problems for European man, and created solutions for these problems: 1) Keeping his religious faith. Solution: establishment of the Mediaeval church. • 2) Restoring law and order to society. Solution: the gradual growth of the Feudal System. • 3) Making a living. Solution: establishment of the Manorial System.

46. Major Kingdoms out of the Many • Two of the groups of peoples of Europe organized into powerful kingdoms: Anglo-Saxons in Britain and the Franks in Gaul. These two kingdoms converted directly to Catholicism. Different that the Germans. • The Kingdom of the Franks • The Franks helped raise the Papacy to supremacy.

47. The Merovingian Kingdom 481-751 A.D. • This kingdom, initiated by Clovis I, presided over the synthesis of Roman and Germanic societies. Clovis was descended from the chieftain known as Merovech (Merovingian named for him) the king of the Salians. Clovis’ great accomplishment was the political unification of nearly the whole of Gaul. (Under his rule) One of the reasons Clovis succeeded in becoming sole ruler of Gaul was that he killed all his relatives who might challenge him. Clovis converted to Roman Christianity in 496 A.D. He was the first German king to become a Roman Catholic. This step facilitated his conquests and made possible the peaceful assimilation of the diverse peoples he ruled. His conversion is considered a decisive event in European history. Later, Catholic bishops wanted his help against other Germanic peoples (Ostrogoth's, Visigoths, and Burundians were all Arian Christians). His capital was at Paris.

48. Decline of the Merovingian's • Clovis died in 511 A.D. Upon his death, his kingdom was divided among his four sons: Chlodomer, Childebert I, ClotherI, and Theuderic. History calls these men the “Do-nothing Kings.” LOSERS THEY DON’T DO ANYTHING!!!! These men and their heirs were unable to conceive of the kingdom as anything but a private family estate. They divided and redivided their lands among their heirs. To resolve disputes over land, the Merovingian's relied primarily on violence. Eventually the Frankish kingdom was divided into three separate kingdoms. In fighting, constant chaos! • In each kingdom, power gradually fell to the chief official known as the mayor of the palace. The mayor’s official duties were to 1-manage the palaces and estates, 2-receive the taxes and 3-to lead the army in war. He was also able to 4- distribute land as he saw fit. Those who fought under him looked upon him as the real leader of the state. THE DAY TO DAY OPERATIONS.

49. Decline of the Merovingian's • A man by the name of Pepin of Landen was the Mayor of the Palace for Chlodomer. He was the first of the Carolingians. Pepin II of Heristal is given credit for really beginning the Carolingian Dynasty. He was a Mayor who already administered the eastern lands of the kingdom and then gained control over the western lands in 687, unifying the whole kingdom of Gaul under his administration. He retained the title of Mayor but exercised the powers of King. He ruled from 687-714 during which time he subjugated rebellious counts. He is called the second founder of the Frankish Kingdom. Exercised the powers of the king!

50. Charles Martel “The Hammer” 714-741 A.D. • Pepin’s son Charles helped his father bully the nobles. Upon the death of his father, Charles became the Mayor. He was said to be the best knight in all of Europe. He was ruthless, ambitious, and successful. He exercised all of the powers of a king. He created an army of mounted warriors. These warriors were very effective du to the introduction of the stirrup. This simple device totally changed the face of warfare. His army also pursued a “scorched earth” policy when fighting