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).
Cited
1. George, Leonard. Crimes of Perception: an Encyclopedia of Heresies and Heretics. New York, Paragon House, 1995.
2. Hamilton, Janet and Bernard Hamilton. Christian Dualist Heresies in the Byzantine World c. 650-c. 1450. New York: Manchester University, 1998.
3. Lambert, Malcolm. Medieval Heresy: Popular Movements from Bogomil to Hus. New York: Homes & Meier, Inc, 1976.
4. Leff, Gordon. Heresy in the Later Middle Ages: The Relation of Heterodoxy to Dissent c. 1250-c. 1450. New York: Manchester University, 1969.
5. Moore, R.I. The Origins of European Dissent. Oxford: Basil Blackwell, 1985.
6. Roach, Andrew P. The Devil?s World: Heresy and Society 1100-1300. United Kingdom: Pearson Education, 2005.
The Catholic Church referred to most groups that attempted to improve the Church and failed as ‘heretics;’ heresy could include “resistance to or rejection of Catholic sexual belief” (Crawford 73). Through use of this term, Catholics attempted to discredit these groups by categorizing them as counters to Catholic morality. Catholics previously had used this method to discredit groups like the Cathars, Waldensians, and Albigensians; all three of which rejected Catholic hierarchies regarding sex (Crawford 74). Like the Catholic Church, throughout the chronicle, Jeanne de Jussie continuously referred to Protestants as ‘heretics.’ Jeanne de Jussie too used the term to discredit the Protestants and to create a division between them and those who she considered to be true Christians: the
Since heretics were a big problem according to the church, Pope Innocent III got involved. Pope Innocent III called a crusade on heretics which started a war. Pope Innocent III called the crusade on heretics because he believed they were too big of a threat to ignore. It was a 20 year, long, bloody battle against the heretics. The result of the war was that the war destroyed many towns and thousands of people were killed. The war took place in France. He and the church wanted the country to be heretic free. Almost all heretics were killed during the bloody 20 year war. (Burstein and Shek).
"Inquisition." In New Catholic Encyclopedia, edited by Berard L. Marthaler, 485-491. Detroit: Thomson Gale, 2003.
Between the years 600 CE and 1450 CE in Europe, there was only one thing that stayed constant, and it was the Roman Catholic Church. The church remained a major influence on the people of Europe and the majority of the region continued to believe every single thing that the church preached. The only thing that did not stay constant was who had the power over the church and how the church made sure that everyone was following their rules that they had created. The church had varying teaching over the course of many years. It was also used as a tool for the rulers of that time.
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.
Lea, Henry Charles. [1966] A history of the Inquisition of Spain. AMD Press, New York, NY
Nicolas Eymerich The Inquisitor is a point and click game depicting the problems of heresy and the struggles with parallel beliefs in 14th century Europe. In the game, Eymerich is sent by Father Abbot Vinet to uncover the mystery of a number of strange sightings in the village Calcares. While on his search, he decides that the true danger does not lie in the Devil’s apparitions, but rather the heretics which have infiltrated the church. This holds true in our class studies of parallel beliefs in France, and the ways in which the clergy handled such threats. By playing Nicolas Eymerich The Inquisitor, I have gained an additional perspective of the role of religion during this time period which can be compared to what I have already learned in
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.
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.
Before the 16th century Protestant Reformation, Christianity it Europe was in a questionable and somewhat corrupt state. During the mid 15th century central and western Europe was set up in the form of a hierarchy, which was headed by the pope. At this period in time the pope claimed all spiritual authority over Christians, as well as political authority over all inhabitants of the Papal States. In addition to the claims the pope made, the church also owned close to one-fourth of the land in Europe that lead to a strong centralization of papal authority. Close to all of the Europeans at this time were Christian and would pay taxes directly to the church as a result of this ownership. European Christians were taught in their upbringing that without the guidance and rituals of the priests and the church, there would be no path for them to salvation. Despite the church attempting to teach morality among members, the clergy started to become greedy and full of corruption that fueled their desire for ...
Vogelpoel, Neroth Van. "The Context Surrounding the Nestorian Controversy." The Church of the First Five Centuries. 23 Nov. 2006. Web. 27 Mar. 2012. .
Roger Babusci et al. Englewood Cliffs: Prentice-Hall, 1994. 115-136. Print. “The Medieval Period: 1066-1485.”
Douglas, J. D., Philip Wesley Comfort and Donald Mitchell. Who's Who in Christian History. Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1992.