10. Part Two: The Church in the Middle Ages

Part Two
THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES
(From Pope Gregory the Great to the Reformation, 604-1517)

• Church Loses Territory

• Church Is Divided into Two Parts

• Church Forms an Alliance with the Franks

• Church Develops Its Organization Church Comes into Bondage to the

• The Church Develops Monasticism

• The Church Makes Efforts to Free Itself

• The Church Continues Efforts to Free Itself

• The Church Faces a Great Struggle The Church Is Forced to Compromise The Church Inspires the Crusades

• The Church Rises to the Greatest Height of Its Power

• The Church Declines in Power

• The Church Is Stirred

TIME LINE - PART II - THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES

PART TWO THE CHURCH IN THE MIDDLE AGES In this second part of our book we are going to follow the Church’s history from the time of the Mohammedan conquest to the dawn of the Reformation.

During this period, known as the Middle Ages, the Church divided into two parts — an eastern and a western church. From that point on our attention focuses on the Latin Western Church. To the great distress of its leaders, the Church with its huge organization came under the control of the civil government. Re­peatedly it tried to free itself and gain control over the State. Popes and emperors schemed for power, and many a dramatic scene took place as the one or the other bowed in defeat.

Another striking series of events were the Crusades, or holy wars, in which the Western Church sent armies of volunteers against the Turks in the East to fight for possession of the Holy Land. The contacts thus made with the ancient and rich civilizations of the East stimulated thought and study in the West. The popes became more interested in pagan culture than in Christian truth. People began to question the teachings and practices of the Church. Some began to spread non-Christian ideas. Others, who were steadfast in the faith, clamored for reform. The time was growing ripe for a tremendous upheaval in the Church and in the entire western world.