Heresy, as defined by the medieval church, is 'an opinion chosen by human perception, found on the scriptures, contrary to the teachings of the church, publicly avowed and obstinately defended' (Moore ix). The word 'Heresy' originates from the Greek word, 'Hairesis', meaning 'choice' (George xi). During the Medieval time period, which stretched from the 700's to the 1400's, heresies became sought out as religious alternatives to the constraining Catholic Church (George 342, Roach 11). The common people began to become increasingly more educated (Roach 52). With this came the ability, the need, to question authority (Moore 3, Roach 59). Because of the Church's religious monopoly and the laity's demand for knowledge, heresy became a widespread practice across Europe during the Middle Ages, causing the Church to reconsider their methods of controlling the spread of heresy and devise new ways to appease the opposing heretical factions.
The Roman Catholic Church, which had once been a unification of the churches of both the Byzantine Empire and the Western Empire, divided into the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Western Roman Catholic Church (Hamilton and Hamilton 4). The Eastern Orthodox Church, located in Constantinople, spoke out greatly against heresy: ?The Faith of the three hundreds and eighteen fathers assembled at Nicaea...shall not be set aside, but shall remain firm. And every heresy shall be anathematized? (Roach 10). The Church despised heresies and tried to abolish heresy using any method they could (Moore 8-10).
Heresy?s spread through Europe was not appreciated by the Church, but it remained unquestioned by the larger part of the civilian population for a time because people began to make more choices in their lives...
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...orced to reevaluate their means of suppressing the rising heresies and the heresies devised new ways to fit better into society (George xiv).
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The church’s robust grip on religious expression shattered as medieval society transitioned into a period known as the Reformation. Characterized by the rejection of common ideology, the Reformation sparked religious curiosity. Reformers such as John Calvin and Martin Luther offered interpretations of the Bible in direct opposition to the Catholic Church’s teachings, forcing Europeans to examine and formulate their own beliefs. This style of thinking was foreign to European society because up to this point in history Europeans were passive absorbers of Catholic Church ideology. Hence, it was natural that an era considered the Age of Enlightenment followed the period of rejection and questioning known as the Reformation. The Age of Enlightenment did not merely confine itself to religious expression, but spread throughout natural and social science. Thus, the Age of Enlightenment marked the beginning of academic and religious philosophy and allowed great minds to think free from restriction and condemnation of established institution. As the perception of natural
Before the split of 1054, the Roman Catholic Church or Western church and the Eastern Orthodox Church or Byzantine church were almost one with each other. The two churches held the same ideals and got along with one another the majority of the time. They had previous splits in the past but they were never a permanent situation because they usually found a solution to their issues and differences. The split between the Eastern Orthodox Church and the Roman Catholic Church in 1054 seemed to have no resolution when their theological, political, and cultural differences became too much for them to harmonize upon.
Lea, Henry Charles. [1966] A history of the Inquisition of Spain. AMD Press, New York, NY
The post-pagan West experienced frequent resurgences of paganism in various forms. If we date this at 1000 CE for convenience, we see first the Inquisitorial perio...
...ced by permission of." Renaissance and Reformation Reference Library. Ed. Julie L. Carnagie, Peggy Saari, and Aaron Saari. Vol. 1: Vol.1: Almanac. Detroit: UXL, 2002. World History in Context. Web. 30 Apr. 2014.
In this brief monograph, we shall be hunting down and examining various creatures from the bestiary of Medieval/Renaissance thought. Among these are the fierce lion of imperious, egotistical power, a pair of fantastic peacocks, one of vanity, one of preening social status, and the docile lamb of humility. The lion and the peacocks are of the species known as pride, while the lamb is of an entirely different, in fact antithetical race, that of humility and forgiveness. The textual regions we shall be exploring include the diverse expanses, from palace to heath, of William Shakespeare, the dark, sinister Italy of John Webster, and the perfumed lady's chambers of Ben Jonson and Robert Herrick.
When Martin Luther nailed his 95 theses to the door of his local monastery in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31, 1517, Europe was plunged in political and social turmoil. With only a few notable exceptions, a wave of political unity and centralization swept across the Western world. Papal power was perhaps not at its height, yet its corruption and increasingly secular values could be seen from St. Peter's in Rome to John Tetzel in Germany. Furthermore, in the economically prospering towns and cities, the middle class was facing an increasing volatile political situation with the growing national monarchies. All of these factors were to only catalyze the reactionary religious movement which would begin to sweep across Europe by the 1520's. The Protestant Reformation, as it would soon be called, set back years of national centralization by strengthening the aristocracy and dividing countries and regions religiously. Moreover, the strict religious and ethical guidelines of the new Protestant sects forever changed the culture of cities and town across Northern Europe; thereby bringing drastic social reform along with widespread religious fervor. In the first half of the sixteenth century, however, these Protestant movements were only beginning to form, yet their impact has had a lasting effect on the politics of Europe and the rest of the world well in the 20th century.
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The middle ages saw the rise of many “cults” or “sects;” most notably the Cathars and the Flagellants. The Cathars appeared in 1143 and were subject to rumors about their supposed immoral acts such as consuming the ashes of dead babies. They became so influential that they were considered to be a major threat to the dominant Church. After the Cathars managed the assassination of one of Pope Innocent III’s legates, a crusade was organized against them and they were eventually wiped out. Their views were partly Gnostic and their view of dualism was varied from radical to moderate. They subscribed to high ethical standards, rejected the Old Testament and denied the Trinity.
Heresy in general refers to a doctrinal belief held in opposition to the recognized standards of an established system of thought. Theologically it means an opinion at variance with the authorized teachings of any church, notably the Christian, and especially when this promotes separation from the main body of faithful believers. By the time Irenaeus wrote Against the Heresies the word became fixed to designate a group cut off from the Church by reason of false doctrine.
Vogelpoel, Neroth Van. "The Context Surrounding the Nestorian Controversy." The Church of the First Five Centuries. 23 Nov. 2006. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. .
Ullmann, Walter. A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages. 2nd ed. New York City, NY: Routledge, 2003.