06 III. The Midieval Church

III. The Midieval Church III. THE MEDIEVAL CHURCH ( I ) (Sermon Delivered Over WAPO, April 28, 1940) The Roman Empire fell apart following the fall of Rome, the capital city, in 476, and with its dissolution the leadership of the Mediterranean world was destroyed. As the political authority lessened, the world turned to some other power capable of leading during the Dark Ages. This was found in the bishops of Rome. From the time of Boniface III, the first recognized universal head of the universal church, the Popes loomed larger in the affairs of the world, both political and religious. The medieval period is essentially a church period, and the religious motive dominated in the life and government of the people. With the crowning of Charlemagne as Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 800 A.D. by the Pope begins the political supremacy of the Papacy. From this time the doctrine was held that no king or ruler had any authority over his people unless he had been crowned either by the Pope himself or his duly appointed representative. If princes refused to abide by the papal decisions they were robbed of their realms and their peoples absolved from serving them. The doctrine was based upon the idea that the pope as Christ’s representative on earth should be looked to in every relationship for complete guidance. With the blending of the religious and political power, all religious decisions could be enforced by the political authorities. Thus when heretics were pointed out by the papacy, the civil governments of earth were called upon to use for ce in liquidating such groups. The blending of these powers served to keep the masses under the authority of the medieval church.

Let it not be thought that all kings and princes submitted without contest to this doctrine. Several famous discussions are recorded between monarchs and the Papacy. Among the most notable is that between Henry IV of Germany and Pope Gregory VII. Gregory was one of the most powerful popes ever to rule from Rome, and he believed very strongly in the absolute and complete power of the Papacy. Henry, feeling very keenly the threat to his own power, called the bishops of the Holy Roman Empire and proceeded to depose Gregory. The pope then exercised his power to absolve all his subjects from allegiance to him. Henry, thus reduced to dire straits, was forced to make a journey over the Alps in the dead of winter and approach the Pope in his palace at Canossa. After being forced to stand for three days outside the palace in the snow, clad in the garments of a penitent, he was admitted into the Pope’s presence on bended knees. Having asked his forgiveness and pardon, Henry was reinstated as the king in Germany.

Another famous instance occurred later during the time of Pope Innocent Ill, who deposed John as King of England for opposing the Papal authority. These are but two of the many instances where there was conflict between the civil and religious authorities. One can readily see just how far the Papacy carried its aims of political domination. Down even to 1870 at the time of Italy’s unification, the Pope ruled over the Papal States as a temporal sovereign. When at that time the ltalian government took control of these states, the Pope in protest to their seizure of his realm retired to his Vatican Palace and became a voluntary prisoner. Only after the concord at with the Italian government made in 1929 did the Pope receive the control of a little strip of land around the Vatican known as Vatican City and thus again became a political ruler. The Papacy has always desired temporal as well as religious power and no student can be disillusioned by any present promises into thinking that there are now no political desires connected with the Papacy. Our democracy was founded upon the idea of freedom of worship and a complete separation of church and state. These two institutions have entirely different spheres and the spheres of distinction are defined by the Constitution. Any tendency to bring church and state together must be viewed with alarm on the part of all lovers of freedom. This accounts for the recent protests of many Protestants who, have viewed with dismay the recent move of this government in sending an envoy to the Papal court as a representative of this government. If the head of one religious group is thus recognized, when being only a figure head as an earthly ruler, why not recognize every religious group in this country thus? The Papacy collected taxes from the people in Europe and thus supported its many activities. The threat of excommunication was often enough to bring many erring ones into line. Excommunication was not ordinarily against immorality but rather against those who protested the authority of the church officials. With this much of the political activities of the Pope in the Middle Ages before us, let us approach the question of the basis of papal authority. To substantiate the power of the pope over all affairs, the argument is advanced that Peter was the first Pope so appointed by our Lord and was selected as the visible head of the church on earth. Let us first note before entering into this discussion that the Scriptures teach Christ as the head of the church. (Colossians 1:18 ; Ephesians 1:22-23) The passage used to support the primacy of Peter is Matthew 16:3-20. Here Jesus in pronouncing a blessing upon Peter for his confession of faith said, "And I say unto thee that thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it." The word Peter means a rock, and therefore, Gatl 1;J; argu eclthat our Lord said He was going to build the church upon Peter, the rock . Peter thus was the rock that Jesus was talking about, according to this argument. But any careful study of the original Greek will destroy such an interpretation. Certainly any further study of the rest of the New Testament would for ever destroy any idea of complete superiority on the part of one disciple over all the rest. This is just precisely what our Lord taught against when he rebuked them for their arguments over who would be greatest in the kingdom of God. See John 13. Two words are used for "rock" in Matthew 16:18 in the original Greek. "Petros " is masculine , and means a stone. This was the name applied to Peter. However, "petra" is feminine and signifies the rock upon which the church was to be built. -"Thou art Peter (a stone) and upon this rock (great ledge of rock, foundation block) I am to build my church." The foundation upon which the New Testament Church was built was not Peter, a man, or a set of men. The rock upon which the church is built was the great truth that Peter had confessed, namely, that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Paul likewise bears this out in saying, ’’For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ." (1 Corinthians 3:11)

It is claimed claimed that there can be no salvation without submission to the Pope. Cardinal Gibbons declares, ’To be true followers of Christ, all Christians , both among the clergy and laity, must be in communion with the See of Rome, where Peter rules in the person of his successor." ls it not strange that so important an office as Pope is never mentioned in the New Testament? ls it not important that even no hint is contained in the New Testament of any man being Christ’s representative on earth as its head? ls it not significant that no rules are found in the Scriptures to guide in his selection or provide for his appointment? ls it not important also that Rome as the seat of church government is entirely left unnoticed in the Scriptures? Never did Peter even act as though he thought of himself as head over the church. No references are made during the early writings of the church to any such idea, for there was no office in existence. As we have already shown, even a bishop of Rome, Gregory the Great, rebuked the bishop of Constantinople for assuming the title of universal bishop of the church. Thus without any scriptural teaching and no allusion to such in Je sus’ instructions, I cannot accept the authority of the Pope in matters spiritual. No hint in the Scriptures is given of where our Lord ever delegated to any man or set of men the right to make laws for the church or to change the laws he has set down in the New Te stament . It is dangerous to follow anything else than the word of Christ. The core of the medieval church doctrines may be found in the development of the sacramental system. Seven sacraments are listed by their theologians, namely, baptism, the holy eucharist, confirmation, penance, extreme unction, holy orders and matrimony. These sacraments are the most important part of Catholic teaching, and we note them here because they were developed during this period of the medieval church.

Baptism has ever been the teaching of all true followers of our Lord, and likewise it has been performed for every member of the bod y of Christ. Its importance is atte sted in every New Testament conversion. It was in New Testament times a burial in water, for the r mission of sins (Acts 2:38; Acts 22:16) and was performed in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Ghost. Much later the practice developed of sprinkling people for baptism in the place of immersion. However, it was not until the Council of Ravenna in 1311 that sprinkling was made a part of canon law as the acceptable form of baptism. From 1311 sprinkling was the only form of baptism used, and thus to the present it has been continued by many who have never thrown off the council of Ravenna. Infant baptism was not a practice of the apostolic age, for the first reference that even hints of such was 190 A.D, and it is very vague. The baptism of the New Testament was a believer’s baptism, a burial in water for the remission of sins. The Holy Eucharist is the Lord’s Supper if we used Bible language, and was called by the theologians, the Bleued Sacrament. The doctrine of transubstantiation in connection with the Eucharist held that at the moment of consecration when the priest says, ’’This is my body," the bread changes into the literal flesh of Christ, and when the priest says, "This is the new testament in my blood," the fruit of the vine changes into the literal blood of our Lord . However, it waa not universally accepted aa a doctrine of the medieval Catholic church until the time of Gregory VII in the middle of the 11th century. The Scriptures represent the Lord’s Supper as a memorial feast, in which we remember Christ in his death and sufferings and show forth that death until he come again. Thus he said, "Do this in remembrance of me ." The idea that at the pronouncement of a magic formula of words a miracle is worked and Christ’s literal body and blood takes the place of the bread and wine is foreign to the early period of the church’s history.

Confirmation, another sacrament, simply means that the baptized child at the age of understanding which enables it to participate in the service is confirmed by the bishop and thus given the right to partake of the communion and be a full Hedged member . This sacrament was made n e cessary when infant baptism began to be practiced widely.

Penance is everywhere in the New Testament substituted for the word repent in the Douay Version of the Scriptures. Thia simply means that in order to receive remission of sins one must confess those aina to t-he priest. Upon confession the priest imposes certain works of penance which when performed make the individual free from guilt of am . The priest then can absolve the individual from the guilt of hia sins. The sacrament is based upon the idea that the priest alone has the power to forgive sins, and unless one comes and intercedes to God through the priest he has no forgiveness. The passage used to support this contention is James 5:16 which says, "Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for the other, that ye may be healed." No hint is contained in this passage or elsewhere in the New Testament that one must make such confession to an official in the church known aa a priest. The Scriptures teach that we are all priests as Christians, and therefore can approach God as such. See1 Peter 2:9. One cannot be a loyal follower of the Catholic faith, however, and not make confession to the priest. Penance, with its works, must be practiced before forgiveness can be obtained . Thia brought to the fore the doctrine of justification by works alone .

Extreme unction is the sacrament that related to the last rites before dying. Before a faithful one dies he calls for the priest who anoints him with oil and says certain ceremonies over him which prepare him for dying. The language used to justify this practice is James 5:14-15. Oil was used extensively as a healing medium in that age, and would signify all the natural means used to aid in the recovery of the sick individual. We should make use of all our knowledge and skills in the treatment of diseases by the natural means, and couple with that the prayenr of faith for recovery. It is right for us to pray for the sick, and to pray for his forgiveness, but no such rite aa is indicated in extreme unction can be found in the Scriptures. Such a term is not used therein.

Holy orders is the sacrament dealing with the priesthood, as well as the monastic and convent vows. All those who desired to enter into the service of the church were required to take certain vows of devotion to the church and especially to refrain from marriage. No member of the clergy can ever marry and remain faithful to his vows. Also among some of the special orders of priests as well as the sisterhoods, there is an additional vow of poverty taken, which means that they will hold no property but will be paupers, living from the resources of the order. All are bound to obey implicitly the commands of their superiors and are to follow those vows until death. Any one who leaves the priesthood or convent after having taken these vows or holy orders is guilty of breaking a sacrament and therefore is under great condemnation. One must realize that it was not the universal and complete practice of all the clergy to remain unmarried until about the middle of the 11th century. It was Gregory VII who really enforced the ideal of clerical celibacy in 1074, after which date there was little or no deviation. Before this time many of the priests were married, and continued to perform their priestly tasks. The Eastern church continues to have married priests, although many of its highest officials are celibates . It may be said that the idea behind requiring celibacy is that the priests may be entirely devoted to the church and their work without any distractions. If that could always be true it might be a fine ideal, but there have been ages when the clergy became very corrupt, and unnatural relations were forced because of this binding law. No one is required to remain unmarried by the New Testament, even as no one 1s required to marry in order to minister in divine things. See I Cor. 7. The last of the sacraments is matrimony. The apostate church has always held rigidly to the ideal of oneness in marriage and emphasizes the sanctity of the marriage vows. According to its teachings there are no reasons for divorces to be granted by the church. It has always placed the weight of its influence against divorce and has proclaimed the marriage relationship as one of great importance and holiness. For its attitude I have admiration and praise. There is no way out of the marriage relationship that is honorable save the death of one of its members. If divorce is granted by the civil authorities, it always leaves one of the parties if not both stained and besmirched. While the Scriptures indicate that fornication is a possible cause of divorce and breaking of the marriage tie allowed by God, even that makes the soul’s salvation of one member an impossibility unless he repents and makes restitution as far as he possibly can. It seems a shame that we have allowed so much disorganization to arise in family relationships and have not fully emphasized the importance of marriage as more than a civil contract, as a moral and spiritual contract made before Almighty God.

These people are taught to marry in the church and if they do marry outside of their church to make sure their children are brought up in the . faith. Every loyal Christian should follow the same example, and be not unequally yoked together with unbelievers, but if one is in that condition, to exert every influence to convert the unbeliever and to instruct the children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Some valuable lessons can be learned by all of us from our friends on these points.

Protestants in general reject all the sacraments except two, baptism and the Lord’s Supper . These two are mentioned in the New Testament although they are not called sacraments therein. One must recognize that these many doctrines were the result of gradual development through the centuries, with the scholars and theologians exerting profound influence to bring about the changes. Such men as Anselm and Thomas Aquinas in the medieval period helped to shape the train · of thought and develop doctrines that were to guide the church even to the present. The medieval period was essentially the apostate church pe riod, during which the hierarchy was supreme in power and heretics as well as dissenting voices were very few. Because of that we have developed these main points in this lesson, g1vmg to you some background for the later developments during the Reformation, which we shall discuss on next Sunday .