A Christian World

HSTY1025 – THE MIDDLE AGES

LECTURE 1 – WEEK 2

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Lecture’s summary

1. Christianity, Christendom, Church

2. Belief in the daily life: the Christian medieval
framework

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christianity
Origins

 A sect of Judaism, appeared in Judea, 1st c.

 Jesus: leader & savior-God
 A monotheistic religion  rejection of all other
deities

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christianity
Fundaments of the Christian beliefs and debates

The Christian creeds

(from Lat. credo, i.e. ‘I believe’) Early doctrinal controversies

 One God, in three persons, the  On the nature of Jesus:

Trinity:  Arius (d. 336): Jesus inferior to God
 God, the Father  Arianism
 Jesus, the Son (Christ = ‘the
anointed’)
 The Holy Spirit
 Resurrection of Christ
 Judgment Day  Monophysitism (5th c.): divine
 Holiness of the Church nature of Jesus superior to his
humanity
 On the hierarchy within the
Church
 Catholics: authority of the Pope

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christianity
Texts of reference

The Bible (i.e. ‘the book’) Canon law

 Old Testament: history of the  Councils and synods = meetings of

people of Israel since the creation Christian authorities
of the world
 Resulting laws = canons
 New Testament: accounts on
Jesus’ life:
 Gospels by Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John
 Narratives about the Apostles
 Letters
 Apocalypse
 Originally in Greek and Hebrew
 Official Latin translation by St.
Jerome (4th c.)  Vulgate

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christendom
Definition

 Two meanings:
1. The collectivity of the Christian people
2. The moment of history, in the Middle Ages and Early modern
times, when Europe was unified or determined in all the
aspects of its life, by Christianity
 Medieval Civilization
 Western Christendom (Catholics)
 Eastern Christendom (Byzantine Empire)

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christendom in 737

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christendom
From Jesus to the 8th c.

 Jesus, born around 4 B.C., crucified around
30 A.D.
 Christianity as sect then autonomous religion
 Rejection of other religions
 Proselytism, evangelization
 Christians troublemakers and persecuted
 Emperor Constantine (d. 337)
 Battle of the Milvian Bridge (312): “In this sign,
you shall conquer”
 Edict of Milan (313)
 Christianity tolerated and sponsored
 Conversion of the German peoples (often to
Arianism), 5th-6th c.
 Christianization promoted:
 By the Church authorities: e.g. Pope Gregory the
Great (d. 604) and his missions to evangelize the
Anglo-Saxons in Britain
 By public authorities: e.g. Frank king Charles
Martel (d. 741) supported St. Boniface (d. 754)
and his missions in Germany

 Edict of Thessalonica (380)

 Catholicism as state religion

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 Christendom around 1000

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 The Church
Definition

 Three meanings:
 church: building for public worship

 Church: the community of the Christian people (from Lat.

ecclesia, i.e. ‘meeting, gathering’)
 Church: the established institutions and people supervising the
Christian community (adj.: ecclesiastical)

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 The Church
Organization

THE POPE
SECULAR CLERGY
• Saecularis = ‘worldly’
• Tonsured REGULAR CLERGY
1. Baptism
• Administ the sacraments
2. Confirmation • Monks and nuns
3. Matrimony • Regula = ‘rule’
Archbishops • Secluded life
4. Extreme
Invest unction
in their function • Monasteries and abbeys
(province)
5. Holy orders
6. Penance
Bishops (diocese)
7. Eucharist
Priests (parish)

Clergy (ordinated)
Take care of spiritual needs

Lay people (laity)

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 The economy of Salvation

Coronation of the Virgin Mary, by Enguerrand Quarton (1545)

The Virgin Mary and
the Holy Trinity

Saints

HEAVEN
Earthly life: a place of
sins
7 deadly sins: wrath,
greed, sloth, pride,
Souls ascending to
lust, envy, gluttony
Heaven

Clergymen =
experts in
Salvation
EARTH

Purgatory
and limbo UNDER
WORLD

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine Hell

 The Church in the worldly life

 Prayers, offerings to the

Church = a means to
achieve Salvation
 Lots of donations to the
Church
 Ecclesiastical regulation of
daily life:
 Violence: movement of the Peace
of God (c. 1000)
 Economics: prohibition of usury
 Sexual practices: marriage as a
sacrament
 A powerful sanction:
excommunication

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 The rhythm of Christianity: Christian times

 The time of History: biblical History

Creation Apocalypse

 The time of life: the sacraments

Baptism Confirmation Marriage Extreme unction
Charity Confession Pilgrimage

 The time of the year: holidays

Christmas Easter
Sundays dies dominus

 The time of the day: the hours

Matins lauds terce sext none vespers compline

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 The rhythm of Christianity: Christian places

 Invisible boundaries: parishes, dioceses, provinces,

Christendom
 Visible:
 churches
 Cemetery
 Monasteries and abbeys
 Chapels, calvaries
 Educational ornaments

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine

 References

 John A. M. Thomson, The Western Church in the Middle Ages,

London: Arnold, 1998. Particularly pp. 3-37 (early Christianity), pp. 54-
65 (Church organization), pp. 65-78 (belief and practices) [Fisher 2-
hour]
 Robert N. Swanson, Religion and devotion in Europe, c. 1215-c 1515,
Cambridge-New York: Cambridge University Press, 1995 [Fisher 2-
hour]

Coord.: Dr. Hélène Sirantoine