The Revival of Imperialism in the West
590 – 880
Apostolic Church
Apostolic Fathers
Church Councils
Church History
Ca. 30AD 590 AD 1517 AD
Golden Age of Church Fathers
Reformation & Counter Reformation
Rationalism, Revivalism, & Denominationalism
Revivalism, Missions, & Modernism
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Ancient Church History Medieval Church History Modern Church History
The Pre-Reformers
The First Medieval Pope
The Rise of the Holy Roman Empire
The Crusades
The Papacy in Decline
Popes & the Rise of the Papacy
Early Church – 313 One of many bishops equal in rank,power and function
313 - 450 The Roman bishop came to be acknowledged as the 1st among equals
450 - 590 Roman bishop began to claim supremacyover other bishops
The roots of its authority lay originally in the location, wealth,and make-up of the Roman church.
The church would later justify its claim to supremacy basedon the bishop’s succession to Peter.
Bishops In Rome
Damasus I (366-384) 1st to call Roman bishop, “Apostolic See”
Leo I “Leo the Great” (440-460)
1st to use “papas” pope445 – Emperor Valentinian issued edict recognizing the supremacy
of the bishop of Rome in spiritual affairs452 & 455 – Barbarian Invasions
Leo insists that all appeals from church courts be heard by hiscourtHe defines orthodoxy in his work Tome
Gelasius I (492-496)He will write – God gives sacred/royal power to popes & kings,but since pope answered to God regarding the king, pope issuperior, and thus, rulers should submit to the pope
Bishops In Rome (cont’d)
Gregory I “Gregory the Great” (540-604)Born to a wealthy family
570 – made prefect of RomeGives up his father’s fortune to build 7 monasteries in Italy
578-586 serves as the pope’s ambassador to ConstantinopleReturn to Rome and made abbot of St Andrews Monastery590 – Pope Pelagius dies in the plague and he is made Pope
Great Achievements
Expanded the power of the Roman bishopExercise all the powers of later popes
He exercised episcopal care over churches in Gaul, SpainBritian, Africa, & Italy. He appointed bishops & sent the “pallium”John the Foster of Constantinople
Bishops In Rome (cont’d)
Missionary Work – particularly to Britian
Able Administrator – able to raise an army against the Lombards
Gregorian Chant
Good Preacher – practical/ stressed humility, used allegory
Prolific Writer
Theologian“soften” Augustinianism – man didn’t inherit Adam’s guilt, but
only his sin as a disease to which all are subject, taught freewill, predestination of the saved only, denied irresistible grace
Taught purgatoryHeld to verbal inspiration of the Scriptures, but gave tradition
equality.The Canon of the Mass – sacrifice of Christ’s body/bloodInvocation of saints
Roman Empire Breaks Up 476
Asia – EastTill 1453
Greco-RomanByzantine Empire
Empire fallsto Muslims 1453
Africa - South
Vandals
Muslims7th Century
Europe - West
Germanic kingdoms
ArianVisigoths
Spain
PaganFranks
Clovis - 496EnglandPagan
Anglo-Saxons
Charlemagne 800
Otto’sHoly Roman Empire 962-1800
The Franks
200’s – settled in Germany
300’s – became a Roman Ally
400’s – embraced Arian Christianity
481 – Clovis becomes king, conquers Gallo-Romans &Germanic tribes in present day France.
He marries a Burgundian princes - Clotilda
Clovis will establish the kingdom that will be used ofGod to preserve Western Christianity
Restoration of the Roman Empire
He converts to Christianity and all of his kingdom“follows his conversion.”
1st Dynasty – Merovingian
Clovis
Weak Rulerssupplanted by
Mayors of Palace
Charles Martel – Mayor689-741
Battle of Tours - 732
Pepin 570-639Supported missionaries to pagans
(Frisians, Hessians, Saxons)
2nd Dynasty - Carolingian
Pepin the Short714-768
Pope Zacharias consecrated Pepin King Pope Zacharias – Lombards
Pepin defeated Arian Lombards 754Donation of Pepin – Papal States
CharlemagneCharles the Great
1st Time a Pope had claimed apostolic authority involved the rightto dethrone a King & to grant it to another
Severed link between Roman papacy & the Byzantine Empire
Sealed military, political, & religious bond between the Franks & papacy
Pepin gave papacy a huge independent state in Italy, transformingpopes into secular/governmental rulers as well as spiritual leaders.
Important Consequences
Charles the Great reigns 771-814
Creates the first great empire since Rome
“The Moses of the Middle Ages” – led Germanic people out of barbarism by giving a new code of civil & ecclesiastical laws.
He was 7 feet tall and had long flowing white hair,He love hunting, swimming, and riding, but hada real interest in culture – music & literature.
Major Contributions of Charlemagne
Military Conquest – 50 campaigns conquering Lombards in Italy,Muslims in Spain, expanding German frontier (Bavaria), defeatingpagan Avars in Hungary, and 18 campaigns over 30 years againstSaxons. Expand the kingdom. Forced conversions of enemy ended in 797.
This established order during a period of barbarian chaos.
Able Administrator – He had an unique gift in organization and administration that enable him to sustain a large empire.
Carolingian Renaissance
Charlemagne recruited Alcuin from England to come and establisha palace school. This palace school carried on the Roman highereducation and was instrumental in Germanic people assimilating classical and Christian learning flowing out of the Roman empire. Alcuin in charge of all learning in the empire.
The monasteries became focal point of knowledge of culture in West
1. Language – developed our modern printed letters.2. Literature – directed monk-scholars to preserve ancient works &
established libraries to contain them.3. The Bible – Revised the text of the Latin Bible4. Education – established that every parish must have a school and
encouraged the study of logic, philosophy, and literature.
The Emperor of the Romans
Pope Leo III was forced to flee Rome by factions in Rome. He fledto Charlemagne and Charlemagne returned with his army to supportLeo III. As a return favor, on Christmas Day, 800, Leo III crownedCharlemagne emperor while he was kneeling to receive communion.
“To Charles Augustus, crowned by God, great and peace-making emperor of the Romans, long life and victory!”
This made Charlemagne supreme ruler of the Western worldmuch to the dismay of the Byzantine emperors.
Chiefly this made the King subservient to the pope, though he wouldfight this and seek to maintain control of the church in his kingdom.
Religious Influence
Charlemagne saw himself as the spiritual and political leader of hisempire. He would appoint all bishops in his kingdom.
He reformed the monasteries by establishing a moral code of conduct.He forbid work on Sundays and made payment of tithes compulsory.
He entered in a doctrinal debate by condemning Adoptionism whichtaught Christ had two natures. He took a middle position regarding icons, stating they should not be worship, but could adorn churches.He also supported the insertion of the “filioque clause” into the NiceneCreed which stated the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son. He did this against the Pope and the Eastern Church.
Gottschalk 808 - 869
Augustianism
God, according to an unconditional decree out of his own freegrace, chooses some to whom he imparts the grace necessaryfor their conversion and leaves the rest to suffer the penalty ofthe law according to merit.
Synod of Mayence 848
The elect are sure of salvation, whatever their conduct, and thatthe non-elect could have no opportunity.
His views were condemned and He was scourged and imprisoned
LESSONS FROM THE LIFE OF GOTTSCHALK
1. The doctrine of God’s absolute sovereignty over allthings has never been a widely popular doctrine dueto men’s sinful hearts.
2. We should beware of imbalance, tactlessness, anda lack of moderation and charity in our zeal to promote thebiblical truths of the doctrines of grace.
3. Although the truth may appear to be compromised and“counciled” away by professing Christians, it cannot ultimately be destroyed or kept from triumphing, becauseit is God’s truth.
A political structure is established to replace Rome and provide social structure.
The Frankish kingdom supported orthodox Christianity.
The intellectual emphasis preserved the classical & Christianheritage.
Modern Europe is beginning to take shape.
God’s moving to preserve His truth, His church, & His people.