Christianity in Europe SOL WH1.9a
The Roman Catholic Church After the fall of Rome, the Church grew in power and acted as a unifying force in Europe Christian missionaries converted the pagan barbarian tribes of Europe Many groups adopted the Latin alphabet
The Roman Catholic Church The Church served the political, social, and religious needs of the people Daily life revolved around the Christian calendar—a cycle of feast days, and holy days
The Roman Catholic Church Services provided by priests Marriages Baptism (initiation into the Church) Last Rites and burial Daily church services (mass ) Care for sick and poor
The Benedictine Rule St. Benedict founded communities of clergy that lived apart from society and worked together (monastery) Strict schedule of prayer and work Ran hospitals Grew crops Educated children Copied books by hand
Women in the Church The Church taught that men and women were equal before God, but women were naturally more sinful The Church provided opportunities for women to be independent and have an occupation
Corruption in the Church As the wealth of the Church grew, discipline weakened. Monks and nuns ignored their vows of poverty and clergy members lived in luxury. Some members of the clergy had families which distracted them from religious duties. Simony – selling Church offices for profit Indulgences were sold to fund large building projects. In exchange for a large amount of money, people could lessen the time their souls spent in purgatory.
Church Reform Marriage for priests and simony were outlawed in 1073 C.E. Medieval church corruption directly contributed to the start of the Protestant Reformation
The Inquisition In Spain, a Church court was established to try people accused of heresy or having incorrect religious beliefsheresy Many of those who refused to conform were burned at the stake Muslims and Jew fled and Spain lost many of its most skilled and educated people
Non-Christians Jewish communities existed in Europe for centuries. Many were moneylenders since Christians were not allowed to enter that profession As Europe became more Christianized, tolerance for non-Christians decreased Jews sought refuge in Eastern Europe and the Holy Land
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