Lecture 11: The Rise of the Roman Catholic Church & Islam PDF

Lecture 11: The Rise of the Roman Catholic Church & Islam During the Early Medieval Ages (c. 500-1000) the Roman Catholic Church was the most important “civilizing” institution in Western Europe. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire people looked increasingly to the Church for help,...

Lecture 11: The Rise of the Roman Catholic Church & Islam During the Early Medieval Ages (c. 500-1000) the Roman Catholic Church was the most important “civilizing” institution in Western Europe. Following the collapse of the Western Roman Empire people looked increasingly to the Church for help, leadership, and salvation. The Catholic Church exercised enormous influence in Medieval life through its various sacraments, which included baptism, confirmation, the Eucharist (mass), matrimony, and extreme unction (last rites). The Church was organized along a Roman territorial plan, in which each community (or diocese) was headed by a Bishop, who were like great and powerful noble lords. The most important and powerful bishop was the Bishop of Rome or Pope. After the collapse of the Roman Empire, the pope seemed to many people the most important man in the world. The early church was based on the Petrine Theory – a Roman Catholic Church doctrine which maintains that Peter was the first pope and that his authority over all Christians passes down onto his successors in Rome. During the early Medieval era, the Popes not only claimed to be the heirs of St. Peter, but of the Roman Emperors as well. One of the most important popes was Gregory the Great – an early Medieval pope (590-604) famous for his promotion of monasticism and the religious chants named after him. Pope Gregory did not have an army, but legions of well-organized and disciplined priests and monks who travelled as far as Britain, where the Catholic faith was promoted at the court of King Ethelbert of Kent. Monasteries were crucial to the spread of the Medieval Roman Catholic Church. One of the first monastic orders to emerge were the Benedictines – an early Medieval (6th c.) monastic order whose members accepted oaths of poverty, chastity, and obedience. There were also female monks, or nuns, who followed the Benedictine Rule. Be sure to read the following primary source document regarding the monastic Rules established by Benedict of Nursia at: http://homepages.neiu.edu/~wbsieger/Art311/311Read/311- Benedict.pdf Figure 1 Image of Gregory the Great Figure 2 Image of St. Benedict of Nursia  The Rise of Islam Islam was founded by the Arab prophet Mohammed (570 – 632) in the early 7th century. Mohammed believed that he was sent as a prophet to organize the Arab people to worship Allah, and all powerful divinity/monotheistic god. The basis of Islam arose from Mohammed’s teachings and emphasizes Five Pillars: 1. Belief in Allah and his prophet Mohammed. 2. Pray at least five times a day in the direction of Mecca. 3. Give alms (donations) to the poor. 4. Observe the Holy Month of Ramadan, by fasting. 5. Make at least one pilgrimage (visit to a holy site) to Mecca. Within 100 years, Mohammed’s successors built a huge empire that stretched from Spain to India (Taj Mahal built by Muslims), and included Iraq, Persia, Palestine, Syria, North Africa, and parts of the Byzantine Empire. This empire was united by a common Arab language and Muslim faith. Be sure to read the following primary source document about the prophet Mohammed at: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/source/muhammadi-sira.asp Be sure to read the following excerpts from the Koran at: https://history.hanover.edu/courses/excerpts/165Koran.html Figure 3 FIVE PILLARS OF ISLAM