The Church in the Middle Ages Essay - 2025 Words

The Church in the Middle Ages By The Middle Ages, one understands a relatively long historical period extending from the end of the Roman Empire to the 1500s. The conquest of The Roman Empire by Germanic tribes, and synthesis of Germanic and Roman ways of life formed the civilization which we call medieval (medieval-from Latin words; medium (middle) and aevum (age)). Medieval civilization was greatly influenced by the Muslims in Spain and The Middle East, and by Byzantine Empire and Christians in Southeast Europe. The power of The Church, in The Middle Ages, was enormous. It touched almost everyones life in many important ways. The Church baptized a person at birth, performed the wedding ceremony at people marriages, and†¦show more content†¦As one of most valuable works on this topic one can name St. Thomas Aquinas Summa Theologiae, in which he states that existence of God, can be demonstrated in five different ways. Aquinas, Saint Thomas was born at approximately 1225 at Aquino castle in Roccasecca, Italy. As a philosopher-theologian he was arguably the most influential thinker of the medieval period. He produced a powerful synthesis that combined Aristotelian and Neoplatonic elements within a Christian context. He maintained the Christian theological traditions, inspired by Aristotles approach sought his own argument for Gods existence. Some people might say that proof of Gods existence empty of concept. Others, that Gods existence can not be rationally justified and acceptance of creator, no less than that of a Savior is a matter of Faith. But I agree with Anthony Kenny who wrote #8230; a valid philosophical proof of Gods existence would be sufficient, though not a necessary, condition for the possibility of a rational acceptance of theism#8230; That is why I would like to examine the five ways introduced by St. Thomas. St. Thomas combined, as I mentioned before, Aristotles teachings with Christian doctrine. For example, Thomas argued that no conflict exists between reason and faith. Philosophy is based on reason, he declared, and theology comes from faith in divine revelation, yet both come from God. So Thomas believed that any differences between divineShow MoreRelatedThe Church Of The Middle Ages3873 Words   |  16 PagesThe Church is a highly acclaimed power that is still in power to this day. The Pope is still in power and the Catholic Church has been in power for almost 2000 years. The Church has a huge following and many people follow it blindly. Though there is no feudal system to put the Church on top and there is now a separation of Church and State, it was not always like that. The Church’s history is anything but pure. It constantly used it’s power against those that relied on the Church for answers andRead MoreMedieval Church And The Middle Ages1435 Words   |  6 Page s The time period lasting from approximately 800-1500 A.D. was known as the Middle Ages. The most important component of the Middle Ages was feudalism, a system of social hierarchy. In the European feudal pyramid, the uppermost ranking was the king, followed by nobles and church officials, knights, and peasants. One’s social ranking determined their place in society as well as their amount of power. The manor system was the economic system associated with feudalism. In the manorial system, a landownerRead More The Church and the Middle Ages Essay596 Words   |  3 PagesThe Church and the Middle Ages The Middle Ages were a period in Europe dating from the collapse of the Roman Empire in the West, around the 5th century. However, the fixing of dates for the beginning and end of the Middle Ages is arbitrary. 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Yes, circumstances like this may have beenRead MoreThe Church: The Guardian of Culture in the Middle Ages1135 Words   |  5 PagesThe Middle Ages were characterized by a rigidly hierarchical society, which was justified by the view that, like the branches of a tree, every level of society was preordained and important. While the nobility and the clergy stood at the top of the society hierarchy, Jews and those who pursued dishonorable professions were branded outsiders. The Church acted as guardian of culture, particularly within its monasteries and convents. They preserved the scholarship of antiquity, often through theRead MoreThe Decline of the Medieval Church at the End of the Middle Ages678 Words   |  3 PagesTowards the end of the Middle Ages and into the duration of the Renaissance, the Medieval Church’s social and political power dwindled. Centuries prior the Catholic Church gained a surplus of control, largely due to the stability it maintained during the chaotic breakdown of the Western Roman Empire . Yet toward the end of the Middle Ages the Church set in motion factors that would ultimately lead to its downfall as the definitive figure of authority. However, despite political and social controversyRead MoreThe Changes in the Catholic Church during the High Middle Ages972 Words   |  4 PagesRoman Catholic Church became divided when the King of France decided to replace the current Italian Pope with one that he elected. During the Great Schism, there were two popes claiming authority over the Catholic Church. Following the sp lit, the papal offices began to lose their authority. Ultimately, the cardinals of both popes decided that an ecumenical council of godly men could collectively possess more divine authority that just one pope. In 1409 at the council of Pisa, the church council was