Chapter12 The Early Middle Ages Section 3 The Church in Medieval Times World History 5 th Period Darknezz

A. The Importance of the Church. Men and woman in the Middle Ages took part in the Roman Catholic Church as members or as monks and nuns. Monks are religious men who joined monasteries. Nuns are religious woman who joined a convents.

The Church in Medieval Times Religion in Everyday Life The parish (village church),was the center of village life during the early Middle Ages. Everyone was expected to go to church on Sundays and on other Holy Days such as the feast days of important saints. The parish priest was often the only educated person in the village or town. His job was to perform marriages, baptisms, and funerals. The services of the church were paid for by the parishioners. They were obligated to pay to the church a tithe, or a tax that equaled one-tenth of their income. Their money or goods went to care for the parish church and to provide food and shelter for the parish priest.

Religious Communities Some men and women chose to practice their religion by withdrawing from society and joining religious communities called monasteries and convents. Religious men who joined monasteries were monks. Religious woman who joined convents accepted only well-born woman who brought with them inheritance of land and money. Later convents accepted woman from all social classes.

The Roles of Monasteries and Convents In addition to being places of prayer, monasteries and convents filled other roles in society. They became places of learning. Some monasteries were known for the beautiful books they produced. Other monasteries and convents served as hospitals. Travelers could say at a convent or monastery at night, knowing that they would be safe and fed. Some monks felt that they had to leave the monastery and spread their religious message. The monks, call missionaries, help convince most of western Europe to become Roman Catholic by 1050.

Benedictine Rule Around 530, a holy man named Benedict organized a monastery in southern Italy. During his time as abbot, he wrote a series of rules for his monks to follow. The rules urged the monks to lead simple orderly lives of prayer,study, and work. The rules also had monks lead lives of poverty so that they could concentrate on their religious duties. The rules were called the Benedict Rule.

New Religious orders The Franciscan order was another important group. Founded in France by Francis of Assisi, members of this order chose to live as beggars'. They traveled about helping the poor and sick. Members of this order called themselves friars, which means brothers. The Franciscan friars were deeply respected because of their simple lifestyle and good works.

B. Church, Religion, and Power During the early Middle Ages, the authority of the Church could be seen in the power of the Pope and in lavish Cathedrals, while Jewish people were free to worship their own religion. A Pope is the bishop of Rome as head of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Popes Reach The ultimate weapon of the pope was excommunication,the expelling of a person or group of people from the church. To believers, this punishment was dreadful, because it meant that a person’s soul would not go to heaven. The Pope could also issue an order to excommunate an entire town or kingdom.

Cathedral Architecture The outward expression of the power of the Church could be seen in the grand medieval cathedrals. A cathedral is a church that houses a bishop’s throne, or cathedral in Latin. The cathedral was usually the largest church in a parish. Cathedrals were designed to hold grand processions and religious celebrations involving many people.

Jewish People and European Economics The middle ages was a time of Anti-Semitism, or attacks and prejudice against Jewish people. Jews were restricted from working in most professions. Jewish merchants were able to keep the lines of trade open between the Middle East and Europe during times that Muslims and Christians were at war.