The Christian Church in the Middle Ages played a significant role in society. Unfortunately though, the church is often regarded as the capital of corruption, evil, and worldliness. Today, so many people depict the medieval church as being led by materialistic popes, devouring tithes from poverty-stricken peasants, having various illegitimate children, and granting indulgences for money from wayward believers. Yes, circumstances like this may have been the case, and is often hard to disapprove, considering the fact that this notion is often advocated in movies. But we must open our mind, and look at the situations first before jumping to conclusions.
As many things define the distinct characteristics of history, the Christian church has made a remarkable milestone especially during the Middle Ages. Christianity?s emergence as an official religion influenced not only the church, it enabled people to look beyond the obsession of power and worldly pleasures, but to a final and ultimate reward for a life well spent. Everybody put their faith in the hope and love of the Christian God. It gave the people goals and led them to the right path, yet why is it looked down upon so harshly? Maybe it was because of the wealth it exemplified, or the deterioration of morality in the popes. One can heedlessly conclude that the Medieval church was corrupt and unholy, but that would not justify its existence. Accordingly, the church was just trying to adjust itself to an age of chaos and uncertainty.
The idea that the medieval church was immoral can be rooted on a few methodological errors. The arbitrary use of historical evidence and the ignorance of the circumstances are a couple to name. Maybe putting together one thousand years of the history of the church with a disregard to any historical development may represent the medieval church as a corrupt institution, but still it is not necessary to go as far as to say that the church was corrupt. It is also worth noting that not all contemporaries who were interested in the reformation, such as Erasmus, joined Luther in his famous feat, the Reformation. With this in mind, Luther and other reformers are usually credited with bringing the church back to the New Testament ideal, which is not necessarily the case.
Luther and his contemporaries definitely did not introduce the concept of ?reform?. Actually, during this time of the wealth and luxury of monastic orders, reform was a recurring theme. But considering the way various popes around Europe tried to bring the church back to its wholesome state, is good to note that most monastic treatises arguing the moral decline of the church do their best to make the church appear as black and unholy as possible. They depict every little thing that is in the least tainted with anything immoral ten times as worse as it really was, alleging that it was excessive with luxury, worldliness, and corruption.
Another element that contributes to the misleading idea that the church was corrupt were the clerical abuses taken place during the later Middle Ages. Many people picture the church being run in an authoritarian and totalitarian way by misguided popes, hungry for money and power. This was not always true but trying not to contradict that fact that there were cases of clerical abuses during the medieval times would be a lie, which were accurately addressed by Protestant reformers.
The major problem relating to the maltreatment of power between the popes was commonly known as the traffic in indulgences, which certainly was a commercial exploitation. Essentially, it meant to basically pay off for forgiveness whatever you are going to do or did wrong. With this money was the church able to build various art forms that made it clearly visible of the popes abuse because of its elaborate existence. An example of this would be in the Vatican, which we can still see today.
With this, the sales of indulgences brought forth a major factor concerning the corruption of the church. The granting of indulgences was accepted from the Crusades and grew more popular during the later Middle Ages. This practice of Tetzel, Luther?s adversary went way beyond the doctrinal limits the church set long ago, though it was readily encouraged by the financial policies of popes such as Julius II and Leo X, who were only looking for a way to get some extra money. Aware that this was unacceptable and corrupt, Pius V prohibited the commercial trafficking in indulgences in mid 1500?s. Also, sexuality among the popes was unbelievable. ?Priests by the thousands found it impossible to live in celiabacy.?1 The result of all this was a misuse of church funds and an increasing decline in the morality of the clergy.
A major theme that is often used to show how corrupt the medieval church was is the Western Schism that lasted from 1378 to 1417. Although this was a brief period in the long span of medieval history, and it was also the first time that two popes (sometimes even more) ruled over the churches all over the Western world. The Western Schism definitely hurt the churches monarchy that has been around since the early thirteen hundreds. In this time, the cardinals were divided between the Italian and French. While the French cardinals were still at Avignon, the Italians elected their own pope out of impulse, known as the Italian Urban VI.
With this new pope, corruption became overbearingly existent. The Italian Urban VI was not exactly a discreet person, he was harsh, extravagant, and overbearing, known for usually insulting and threatening the French cardinals. The Italians were horrified at his irregular behavior and soon withdrew their obedience. The French proclaimed that the Italian election was not valid and selected a new pope, Clement VII. Clement VII was an ethical person and knew what was needed of him, a stable and moral pope. He resided in Avignon with the other cardinals and won the adherence of the French king. The only good thing that came out of this ordeal was the growth of a ?papal council?, where not only the pope, but all the bishops are able to discuss issues and make decisions together.
Apart from the Protestant reformers, there were other historical facts of the late medieval church that contributed to the tenacious myth of corruption. During the time that the papacy remained in Avignon is often used as an example of the deterioration of the church. After all, hardly any of the popes lived in Rome, which was and is considered the inalienable habitat of Saint Peter. Going back to Avignon, the popes who lived there were usually subject to nepotism and were in constant fights between the Italian cardinals.
Of course, these are the downsides to the papacy in Avignon. Many of the popes were dedicated to make the church a more holier and reformed place, abolishing the clerical abuses. For example, what John XXII started off, the reformation of the administration and sanitization was soon taken over by Benedict XI. He strongly dedicated himself to end nepotism, unethical conduct, and immorality among the papacy. He greatly reduced the papal bureaucracy and free distribution of benefices, ensuring that the benefices were given only to a commendable clergy. However, one of the undesired effects of Benedict XI?s reform was the expanding concentration and bureaucratization of the church.
In church history, the period from five hundred to fifteen hundred AD was defiantly not a thousand years of uncertainty. During this time, Christianity fixed itself rigidly in Western Europe, and it had much energy and refinement, being somewhat a successful political experiment. It was the diversity of the church itself that called for a reformation, not because of the corrupt leaders. Studying Christianity in the Middle Ages, one is bound to find the various forms of the religious orders, depending on the social class, various monastic orders, between monks and beggars, etc.
Finally the question once again arises. How immoral or corrupt was the church? Sure, there were various imperfections about the church, but considering the spirit and diversity that the church distinguished, there is no justice to go as far as to say that the church was corrupt in the Middle Ages. It is simple to call the imperfections that happened in the Middle Ages characteristic of the medieval church, but depicting its reforms as surpassing in its own time would only contradict that statement. The church in the Middle ages does not mean that what happened then does not happen now, if anything, today we still can witness pastors, clergymen, televangelists, all abusing their power of religion just to get money as Julius II and Leo X did centuries ago. As a conclusion, the medieval church was not uniquely corrupt and immoral; it was just adjusting itself to an age of chaos.
Другие работы по теме:
A Study Of Catholicism Essay Research Paper
When “catholic” is used as an adjective, it means universal, open or general. I have read art magazines and reviews that have described certain art collections as “catholic in its uniqueness.”
The Catholic Mass How I Understood It
In My Faith Journey. Essay, Research Paper THE MASS: How I experienced and understood the Mass in my faith journey. I have been going to church every Sunday since I could remember. Every Mass that I attend throughout my life I have felt that I have been getting closer to God. I sometimes look forward to attend Mass and sometimes I do not.
Hypocrisy In The ChurchYoung Goodman Brown Essay
, Research Paper People use one major excuse for their refusal of embracing Christianity in the Church:hypocrisy. This something that has been present in the Church since “Day One.” People use many of the misdeeds done in the of Christ as evidence, such as Crusades, the Inquistion, witch trails, and many other horrible acts.
Vicky Essay Research Paper Maniac Soft Animated
Vicky Essay, Research Paper Maniac Soft Animated GIF Viewer AGV 1.0 ======================================= Hi there, thank you for using AGV 1.0. My name’s Christian “Maniac” Stauffer from Maniac Soft.
English Revolution Essay Research Paper During the
English Revolution Essay, Research Paper During the early 1600’s, there was much political struggle in England. These struggles led to a civil war between cavaliers, or royalists, who were mainly Anglicans; and Roundheads, or parliamentarians, who were Puritans.The Anglicans belonged to the Anglican Church (the Church of England).
John Wesley Essay Research Paper Making the
John Wesley Essay, Research Paper ?Making the Gospel Live? The ideas of Christianity before the time of John Wesley were definitely present, but not very defined or acknowledged. The Christian faith was very unstable and many common people were not sure of what to believe when it came to religion and faith.
The Church In The Middle Ages Essay
, Research Paper During the Middle Ages, the Catholic Church directed its main goal as a basis for unity. Ironically, they preached so much on this theme that more people looked to the
Brothers Karamazov Essay Research Paper Dostoyevsky tries
Brothers Karamazov Essay, Research Paper Dostoyevsky tries to show the importance of believing in God in the novel The Brothers Karamazov. Fyodor Dostoyevsky was raised in a very religious environment. Much of Dostoyevsky s early learning was taught to him by his loving and devout Christian mother. His father was not as much a positive influence on him as his mother because he was a drunk.
Christians Essay Research Paper I agree with
Christians Essay, Research Paper I agree with the Uncle that the Bible should be analyzed and interpret like any other book. Just because you are a Christian does not mean you can interpret it correctly. I come from a Christian family and we all have read the Bible. But I know that I have interpret parts of the Bible in a different matter then other members of my family, they have as well.
The Protestant Reformation Essay Research Paper I
The Protestant Reformation Essay, Research Paper I walked around town thinking about the Reformation that would make great impacts on the history of my village in Germany and other lands. Most people in Europe are prayer people who accept all aspects of the church, whether or not they personally believed in the idea or not.
Christian Reformation Essay Research Paper The Protestant
Christian Reformation Essay, Research Paper The Protestant Reformation Many ideas of the Renaissance like humanism, individualism and secularism stimulated a strong critique of the church+s policy and the clergy+s behaviour. Many people regarded it as a scandal that the catholic church sold indulgences.
Baptism Essay Research Paper Baptismis the door
Baptism Essay, Research Paper Baptism is the door to life and to the kingdom of God. Baptism in Christian churches, the universal rite of initiation, performed with water, usually in the name
La Madeleine Church Essay Research Paper La
La Madeleine Church Essay, Research Paper La Madeleine is a church in Paris that started during the reign XV, and designed by Constant d’Ivry using plans based on the St-Louis-des-Invalide church.
Religion Essay Research Paper Religion912
Religion Essay, Research Paper Religion912 There are many different cultures and religions in this world. I was assigned to attend a different denomination church then my own. I attended St.Nick s liturgy. St.Nick s is a Greek Orthodox Church.
The Protestant Reformation Essay Research Paper AP
The Protestant Reformation Essay, Research Paper _______________ AP European History Period 4 The Protestant Reformation The Protestant Reformation changed the course of European history very strongly, and rapidly. This paper will talk about what exactly the reformation did to Europe, in terms of social, political, and philosophical impacts.
Christian Essay Research Paper Christian was a
Christian Essay, Research Paper Christian was a young man that lived long ago. In his time, they didn?t have the same technology as we do today. Christian wanted to explore the world as we know it, so he decided to have a time machine transport him to the future a few hundred years later, during the 1990?s. He was the most curious and interested in what we call the mall, which has many weird and fascinating things in it.
The Eoropean Renaissance Essay Research Paper The
The Eoropean Renaissance Essay, Research Paper The Renaissance, which began in Italy in 1300s, was one of the largest periods of growth and development in Western Europe. There were many factors leading to the Renaissance. First was the development of Scholasticism. This was an attempt to mix Christian beliefs with non-Christian philosophy.
Church Existence Essay Research Paper The Church
Church Existence Essay, Research Paper The Church exists to call sinners out of the muck and mire of an evil world system that has pitted mother against daughter, father against son, woman against man, man against nature and all humanity against God into a transforming and healing community that can undo the damage that the world has done to us through the building of GOD Kingdom here on Earth.
Reputation Essay Research Paper TIMOTHY
Reputation Essay, Research Paper TIMOTHY – A CHRISTIAN REPUTATION Scripture: Acts !6 vs. 1-3, Galatians 5 vs. 16 Timothy had grown up knowing the bible his mother Eunice, and
Greek Orthodox Church Essay Research Paper The
Greek Orthodox Church Essay, Research Paper The Greek Orthodox Church The Greek Orthodox Church is one of the three major branches of Christianity, which “stands in today’s society as one of the communities created
Sacred Divine Essay Research Paper The Sacred
Sacred Divine Essay, Research Paper The Sacred Divine I believe the Divine sacred is something more powerful than anything on earth. Not necessarily in a physical sense but more in a spiritual. I feel that the
AngloSaxon Religion Essay Research Paper AngloSaxon ReligionIt
Anglo-Saxon Religion Essay, Research Paper Anglo-Saxon Religion. It is difficult to generalize about an era as lengthy as the Dark Ages, but it will be done. The Anglo-Saxons were pagans when they came to England. They worshipped gods of nature and held springs, wells, rocks, and trees in reverence. Religion was not a source of spiritual revelation, it was a means of ensuring a success in material things.
Thw Wife Of Bath Chaucer
’s Feminist Character Sketch Essay, Research Paper In the medieval period when women were viewed as property, held to sexual double standards and considered to be little more than heir-makers, Chaucer wrote a rather biting piece that draws attention to the inequalities in standards for men and women that were supported by society.
Trip To Mother Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church
Essay, Research Paper I thought the field trip to Mother Bethel Methodist Episcopal Church was a great experience. I enjoyed it a lot, infact, I am thinking about revisiting the church again. There were a lot
King Arthur And The Catholic Church Essay
, Research Paper Daniel Cappadora Monsignor Farrell Ms. Brickey The Catholic Church has many influences on King Arthur and the rest of his Knights of the Round Table. The knights depended on the church for its teachings and the great power the church held in society. The Knights of the Round Table pledged great loyalty to the church.
THE CANTERBURY TALES Essay Research Paper The
THE CANTERBURY TALES Essay, Research Paper The Canterbury Tales Chaucer uses satire in the Canterbury Tales to expose his attitude towards the Catholic Church of the Middle Ages. The first way in which he does this is by satirizing a common nun of the Middle Ages. Chaucer, in The Canterbury Tales, tells of a nun who is supposed to be married to the church.
Roman Catholic Churchhds4lessCom Essay Research Paper The
Roman Catholic Churchhds4less.Com Essay, Research Paper The Roman Catholic Church is the single largest Christian body. Catholics are Christians who follow the pope in Rome in matters of faith. Jesus’ Church is called catholic because it is his gift to all people. The word catholic means “universal” and has been used to identify the church since its early period when it was the only Christian church.