The Age of Innocent III 2000 Years of Christ’s Power: Volume 2: The Middle Ages: Ch.8 contents 1. The papacy in Italy and Europe 2. Internal Church affairs 3. The Church, its adversaries and the inquisition 1. The Waldensians 2. The Cathars 3. The Albigensian Crusade 4. The Petrobrusians 5. Joachiam of Fiore (1135-1202) 6. The inquisition 7. The Eastern Orthodox Church 4. New religious movements within the Church 1. The Franciscans 2. The Dominicans 3. The Carmelites and Augustinians 4. The Beguines and Beghards 5. Missionary Expansion Extracts Further reading 1. The Papacy in Italy and Europe p.325-330
Lothario Conti, born 1160, became Pope 1198
‘vicar of Christ,’ ‘vicar of God,’ ‘universal vicar’ The Pope’s ‘plenitude of power’
Political opportunist and bully
Germany – c.1214 Frederick v Otto
England – c.1213 King John v Archbishop Langton
France – c.1200 King Philip and Ingeborg
Died 1216 2.Internal Church Affairs p.330-32
Ecclesiastical reforms
Papal legate system expanded
Authority to appoint disputed Bishoprics
General income tax on all Catholic clergy
1215 Fourth Lateran Council
412 Bishops, 800 Abbots & Priors etc., etc. present
Transubstantiation officially defined
Condemned teaching of the Waldensians and Cathars
Anti-Judaism (over money-lending) 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.332-34
1150 on – religious dissent and heresy increased
Social and economic change in Europe led to a loss of security and belonging The Waldensians
d.1205 - Valdes (Peter) – rich young ruler ‘The poor men of Lyons’ Preached without approval of the Bishop – excommunicated & expelled
Rejected many RC teachings
Many martyred
‘Protestants before the Reformation’ in some ways
Became a significant, influential movement Waldensian regions 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.335-36
The Cathars
Gr. = ‘pure ones’ – a Gnostic movement - Patarenes / Albigensians 1140 – began – strong in northern Italy (Languedoc) 1200 – had become a powerful force in southern France
Political support
Teachings -
Gnostic = early Church Gnostics, Bogomils
2 classes: ‘believers’ and ‘the perfect’
Catholic Church = prostitute of Rev.17
Papacy = the Antichrist Cathar- from N Italy 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.336-37
The Albigensian Crusade
1208 Innocent’s legate in Southern France murdered 1209-29 – Innocent used northern France nobility to crush southern France Albigensians and Waldensians
Crusaders caused horrific and savage destruction
Albigensians wiped out
Languedoc and surrounding regions desolated
Waldesnians restricted to Alpine valleys Languedoc, (Occitane) France 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.337-38
The Petrobrusians
1105 founder: Peter de Bruys (southern France) – reform movement
1126 burned at the stake (replaced by Henry of Lausanne)
Teaching:
Denied infant baptism
Denied holiness of church buildings and altars
Refused to venerate the sign of the cross
Denied transubstantiation and sacrifice of the mass
Denied prayers and works for the dead
Opposed clerical celibacy
Rejected singing as a true act of worship 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.338-39
Joachim of Fiore (1135-1202)
1192 founded monastery at Fiore (N Italy) - became new Order of St John
Writings: The Everlasting Gospel – world history viewed in 3 parts
OT – age of the Father – under law – characterized by fear
NT – age of the Son – under grace – characterized by faith
New age – age of the Holy Spirit – ‘golden age’ - characterized by love (begin 1260)
Spiritual Franciscans saw themselves as the monastic Order predicted by Joachim to purge the Papacy of corruption
Significant influence on Reformers and Puritans – cf. postmillennial view of history Joachim of Fiore monastery at San Giovanni 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.339-40
The Inquisition
1227 Inquisition = ‘holy office’
An organization within the RC Church accountable only to the Pope
Aim: to uncover and punish heretics in catholic Europe
Became the most feared organization of later Middle Ages Europe
Effect on dissenting voices
Church used the state – the ‘civil sword’ - to punish physically those judged spiritually by the ‘spiritual sword’
Bernard of Clairvaux did not approve the use of force against heretics 3. The Church, its adversaries and the Inquisition p.341-42
The Eastern Orthodox Church
1204 Fourth Crusade captured Constantinople
Set up a Western Catholic Patriarch
Byzantine population forced to follow Western Church practise
1261 End of Western control of Constantinople
Widened gulf between East-West Churches
4. New Religious Movements within the Church p.342-46
The Franciscans 1182-1226 Francis of Assisi (N Italy) 1209 called to be a preacher through Matthew 10:7-10 Emphasised childlike simplicity of faith Wrote a rule for his followers – who married ‘Lady Poverty’ – called mendicants 1210 Papal support - became large monastic movement – ‘Grey Friars’ Struggled to maintain simplicity and ideals – liberty of conscience Mission to Muslims Stigmata 1270-1349 Nicholas of Lyra ‘the most brilliant Bible scholar the Western medieval Church ever produced’ p345 Literal, grammatico-historical interpretation of Scripture ‘If Lyra had not played his lyre, Luther would never have danced.’p345 Conventual v spiritual/observant Franciscans 4. New Religious Movements within the Church p.346-48
The Dominicans
1171 1221 Dominic Guzman (N Spain)
1214 gathered followers and trained them to preach (as mendicants) to outperform the lives and preaching of dissenters
1217 Papal support – ‘the Order of Friars Preachers’ – ‘Black Friars’
Evangelism and teaching theology (scholastic)
Focus on scholarship
Thomas Aquinas
Rivalry with Franciscans 4. New Religious Movements within the Church p.348-49
The Carmelites and Augustinians
1247 Carmelites
first established 1154 on Mt Carmel
Mendicants
‘White Friars’
1256 Augustinians
Originally hermits
Became mendicant order like Dominicans
Martin Luther
Mendicant Friar v traditional monk - differences
4. New Religious Movements within the Church p.349-50
The Beguines and Beghards
Beguines
Lambert de Begue d.1177 – founded hospital and house for women
Spiritual communities of female laypeople in Netherlands, Germany, France
Partly mendicant, no monastic rule, vow of celibacy, or obedience to superior
Beghards
Dutch for ‘beggars’
All-male counterpart of Beguines
Suspected of heresy and dissent
Famous Beguine: Mechthild of Magdeburg 1212-80
Spiritual poetry influenced Dante (1265-1321) and his The Divine Comedy 5. Missionary Expansion p.350-54
Missionary Peoples Evangelised
Raymond of Penafort Muslims in Spain
William of Tripoli Muslims in Palestine
Conrad of Ascoli Muslims in Lybia John of Plano Carpini & William of Pagan Mongols Ruysbroeck John of Monte Corvino Pagan Mongols (Peking)
Missionary contraction:
Chinese Ming dynasty (1369-)
Mongol leader Tamarlane (1360-1405)
Black Death plague (1347-c.1400) John of Mont Corvino sent in response Black Death Plague p.354 Extracts p.355-363
Letter 1 (1198), Innocent III: on Church and State
Letter to King John of England (1214), Innocent III: receives England
The Everlasting Gospel, Joachim of Fiore: the end of this present age and dawn of the new
Canticle of the Sun, Francis of Assisi: Glory to God for nature
Later Rule of 1223: The Franciscan Rule
The Mirror of Perfection, ch.95,99, Leo of Assisi: spiritual joy, temptation
Third Letter to Agnes of Prague, Clare of Assisi: Christ-bearers
Mechthild of Magdeburg: Christian Behaviour Further reading
1. Austin, Bill, Austin’s Topical History of Christianity, p.190-95
2. Ferguson, Sinclair B., Beeke, Joel R., Haykin, Michael A.G., Church History 101: The Highlights of Twenty Centuries: ‘Ninth Century: Struggle for Power in the Church; Ratramnus and Gottschalk;’ ‘Thirteenth Century: Francis of Assisi and Thomas Aquinas,’ Kindle p.447-482 3. Miller, Andrew, Miller’s Church History: From the First to the Twentieth Century, p422-508.
4. Renwick, A.M., Harman, A. M., The Story of the Church, p.93-94
5. Shelley, Bruce L., Church History in Plain Language 4th Ed., ch.21: ‘A Song to Lady Poverty.’
6. Walker, Williston, A History of the Christian Church 4th Ed., p359-372.