1. Chapter 8 The Byzantine Empire and Emerging Europe
LESSON 1 – The First Christians
LESSON 2 – THE DECLINE OF ROME
LESSON 3 – THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
LESSON 4 – THE AGE OF CHARLEMAGNE
LESSON 5 – THE BYZANTINE EMPIRE
In early churches no pews, stood or kneeled

2. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
By the 4th century CE, the Christian Church had developed a system of organization and leadership - established: 1. parishes: local communities led by a priest 2. bishopric (or diocese): Group of parishes led by an archbishop 3. leading cities: each headed by a bishop 1. Rome 2. Jerusalem 3. Antioch 4. Alexandria
After the Roman Empire declined, a time period called the Middle Ages began ( )
A series of changes took place as Germanic groups moved into the former Roman Empire
Trade was disrupted
Cities declined
Populations moved to rural areas
Learning declined –
Mainly priests literate
Greek language lost
Latin changed; dialects formed – French…Spanish
Germanic kingdoms began to emerge
Different from Roman Empire
Loyalty to local lords; common, unwritten laws
No large centralized government

3. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The bishop in Rome began to assert primary authority over the others The Bishop in Rome would soon be known as Pope (papa - father) Western Christians accepted, Christians in the East did not This became the accepted structure of the Catholic Church based in Rome

4. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
Pope Gregory I (The Great)
strengthened power of papacy (office of the pope)
took control of Rome and surrounding territories
Later come to be known as the ` Papal States
^^^^^ Gave papacy political power
Increased the pope's authority over western Christians

5. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The Monks and their Missions
Monk: one who sought to live life cut off from
regular human society to pursue total dedication
to God
Monasticism: the practice of living as a monk
It was hard to live a solitary life, monks began to live in communities they would provide a moral example to the rest of society

6. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The Monks and their Missions
Benedict: founded a monastic house and established rules to be used by other monastic groups
Known as the Benedictine Rules
primary focus: prayer and manual labor (idleness was the enemy of the soul)
private meditation was important
they gathered for prayer and worship
Abbott: head of the monastery/complete authority
took a vow of poverty (gave up possessions)

7. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The Monks and their Missions
Monasticism: critical to the formation of the new European civilization after the fall of western Rome They:
1. provided: schools for children
2. provided: hospitals for the sick
3. cared for travelers
4. became centers of learning:
A. passed ancient traditions forward
B. copied ancient manuscripts
Who provide these services before?

8. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH ORIGINAL SLIDE
The Monks and their Missions 5. Missionaries: A. spread Christianity in Europe B. converted non-Christian people from German lands C. Nuns: women who dedicated themselves to God and lived in convents
Converted non-Christian people (I hope so you can’t convert Christians to Christianity.
Next slide shows how it should read.

9. THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
The Monks and their Missions
5. Missionaries:
A. spread Christianity in Europe
B. converted people from German lands
C. Nuns: women who dedicated
themselves to God and lived in convents