1. Christianity in Late Antiquity/Early Middle Ages
Western Civilization
Ms. Tully

2. The Middle Ages Western history divided up into roughly 3 eras:
1. Ancient/classical era (aka. Antiquity)
2. The Middle Ages
3. Modern era

3. The Middle Ages Middle Ages: 5th – 15th century
Early Middle Ages: 5th cent. (fall of Rome)  1000 CE
High Middle Ages: 1000 – CE
Late Middle Ages: 1300 – CE

4. Church/State Relations
after fall of Western Roman Empire, 2 sources of continuity:
Eastern RE/Byzantine Empire
Christian church
worked closely together in 4th-5th centuries

5. Church/State Relations
312 CE: Constantine makes Christianity legal, encouraged
no Roman taxes for clergy
made Sunday a public holiday, day of rest
built Christian churches, Lateran Palace (Pope’s home until 14th cent.)

6. Lateran Palace

7. Lateran Palace

8. Church/State Relations
380 CE: emperor Theodosius makes Christianity official religion of empire
practicing old Roman religion = treason!
allowed church to make own courts for clergy/religious issues (canon law)
***church becoming independent, powerful political entity***

9. Church/State Relations Get Nasty
political tension between church and state
Theodosius orders Bishop Ambrose of Milan to hand over cathedral to empire

10. Bishop Ambrose’s Response
At length came the command, “Deliver up the basilica”; I reply, “It is not lawful for us to deliver it up, nor for your Majesty to receive it. By no law can you violate the house of a private man, and do you think that the house of God may be taken away? … But do not burden your conscience with the thought that you have any right as Emperor over sacred things … It is written, God’s to God and Caesar’s to Caesar. The palace is the Emperor’s, the churches are the Bishop’s. To you is committed jurisdiction over public, not over sacred buildings.

11. Bishop Ambrose, cont.
Statement served as cornerstone of Christian theory of civil-ecclesiastical relations for centuries
Church independent of state jurisdiction
Bishops judge of emperors
Church ultimately the superior power
Orthodox church (Byzantine) less independent of secular control than Western church

12. Church/State Relations
empire becoming a Christian society
church ultimately more powerful entity, because everyone (even the emperor) answers to God

13. Organization of Church
Church filled power vacuum after fall of Rome
Diocletian ( ) divided empire into “dioceses” for administrative purposes
Bishops est. headquarters in dioceses
Central of authority = cathedral (Latin cathedra)
Bishop of Rome = Pope (Latin papa)
Church leaders capitalized on Roman imperial method of organization and adapted it to ecclesiastical purposes

14. Monasticism Rejected immorality of society – first real nonconformists
Began in Egypt in 3rd century
Individuals and small groups withdrew from city
Eremitical life – hermitism
Hidden life
Coenobitic monasticism
Communal living in monasteries

15. St. Benedict
Benedict of Nursia ( ) established regulations for monks – The Rule of St. Benedict
Influenced all forms of religious life in Roman church
Regularity, discipline, moderation, silence
Balance between asceticism and activity
Became dominant form of Western monasticism

16. Christianity & Classical Culture
Hard-lined piety
“The wisdom of the world is foolishness, we preach Christ crucified.” – St. Paul
“We have no need for curiosity since Jesus Christ, nor for inquiry since the gospel.” – Tertullian
Others argued acceptance of Greco-Roman (pagan) culture
Result = compromise
The best ancient literature should be interpreted in light of the Christian faith

17. Christian Notions of Gender and Sexuality
Jesus was a feminist!
Believed women equal to men – no disreputable qualities, not inferior
Women some of Jesus’ earliest and most faithful converts
Active role in early spread of Christianity
“Virgins in the service of Christ”
Worried Roman officials

18. Superiority of celibacy
Paul’s Influence
Forbad women to preach, hold offices in church
Saw celibacy as superior to marriage
Jewish and classical Mediterranean culture viewed female subordination as natural and proper
Superiority of celibacy
Mind superior to body
Self-denial led to misogyny
Women and female sexuality chief obstacles to preferred existence
Same-sex relations esp. evil/unnatural

19. The church fathers’ misogyny and hostility toward sexuality had a greater influence on the formation of later attitudes than did the relatively egalitarian actions and words of Jesus.