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The Early Middle Ages ChurchChurch HistoryHistory ChurchChurch HistoryHistory IntroductionIntroduction toto ChurchChurch HistoryHistory st rd TheThe AncientAncient ChurchChurch AD 11st-3-3rd centuriescenturies th th TheThe RiseRise ofof ChristendomChristendom AD 44th-5-5th centuriescenturies th th TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges AD 66th-10-10th centuriescenturies th th TheThe AgeAge ofof CrusadesCrusades AD 1111th-13-13th centuriescenturies th th TheThe RenaissanceRenaissance AD 1414th-15-15th centuriescenturies th ConquestConquest andand ReformationReformation AD 1616th centurycentury th th TheThe AgeAge ofof EnlightenmentEnlightenment AD 1717th-18-18th centuriescenturies th TheThe AgeAge ofof RevolutionRevolution AD 1919th centurycentury th TheThe ModernModern AgeAge AD 2020th centurycentury st TheThe PostmodernPostmodern AgeAge AD 2121st centurycentury ChurchChurch HistoryHistory IntroductionIntroduction toto ChurchChurch HistoryHistory st rd TheThe AncientAncient ChurchChurch AD 11st-3-3rd centuriescenturies th th TheThe RiseRise ofof ChristendomChristendom AD 44th-5-5th centuriescenturies th th TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges AD 66th-10-10th centuriescenturies The “Dark Ages” Overview Flagrant Abuses of Authority: Zeno, Theodoric, and Clovis Auctoritasuctoritas SacrataSacrata Pontificum:Pontificum: GelasiusGelasius TheThe RiseRise ofof thethe Monk:Monk: Benedict,Benedict, BrendanBrendan andand DennisDennis TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges Post-RomanPost-Roman leadershipleadership waswas upup forfor grabsgrabs StrongStrong leadersleaders arosearose toto grabgrab powerpower forfor themselvesthemselves TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges Post-RomanPost-Roman leadershipleadership waswas upup forfor grabsgrabs StrongStrong leadersleaders arosearose toto grabgrab powerpower forfor themselvesthemselves 492492 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II waswas electedelected inin RomeRome HeHe declareddeclared thatthat thethe churchchurch inin RomeRome waswas sovereignsovereign overover allall ofof thethe otherother churcheschurches inin aa unified,unified, worldwide,worldwide, CatholicCatholic ChurchChurch HeHe declareddeclared thatthat thethe ChurchChurch andand thethe StateState werewere separate,separate, withoutwithout oneone havinghaving thethe rightright toto judgejudge thethe other—orother—or thethe other'sother's officialsofficials HeHe declareddeclared thatthat thethe Pope—asPope—as leaderleader ofof thethe sovereignsovereign churchchurch inin Rome—isRome—is thethe VicarVicar ofof ChristChrist (and(and thus,thus, toto standstand againstagainst thethe PopePope isis toto standstand againstagainst God)God) HeHe declareddeclared thethe booksbooks ofof thethe ApocryphaApocrypha toto bebe fullyfully Scripture,Scripture, andand beganbegan thethe processprocess ofof book-burningbook-burning ofof paganpagan authorsauthors suchsuch asas AristotleAristotle andand PlatoPlato acrossacross EuropeEurope TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges Post-RomanPost-Roman leadershipleadership waswas upup forfor grabsgrabs StrongStrong leadersleaders arosearose toto grabgrab powerpower forfor themselvesthemselves 492492 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II waswas electedelected inin RomeRome 496496 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II abolishedabolished LupercaliaLupercalia EvenEven thisthis farfar intointo thethe “Christian“Christian Era,”Era,” thethe RomanRoman peoplepeople werewere stillstill celebratingcelebrating thethe paganpagan festivalfestival ofof LupercaliaLupercalia TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— LupercaliaLupercalia waswas aa baudybaudy pre-Romanpre-Roman festivalfestival thatthat conflatesconflates thethe mythologiesmythologies ofof thethe shepherdshepherd godgod LupercusLupercus andand thethe she-wolfshe-wolf namednamed LupaLupa whowho raisedraised thethe orphanedorphaned RomulusRomulus andand RemusRemus Actually,Actually, itit waswas alsoalso basedbased onon anan eveneven earlierearlier EtruscanEtruscan festivalfestival ofof purificationpurification calledcalled FebrualiaFebrualia,, namednamed afterafter thethe verb,verb, februare—februare— aa wordword forfor ceremonialceremonial washingwashing (which,(which, byby thethe way,way, gavegave thethe RomansRomans thethe namename ofof theirtheir monthmonth ofof purification,purification, Februarius,Februarius, whichwhich camecame betweenbetween thethe monthsmonths ofof thethe gatekeepergatekeeper god,god, Janus,Janus, andand thethe warwar god,god, Mars)Mars) TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— LupercaliaLupercalia waswas aa baudybaudy pre-Romanpre-Roman festivalfestival thatthat conflatesconflates thethe mythologiesmythologies ofof thethe shepherdshepherd godgod LupercusLupercus andand thethe she-wolfshe-wolf namednamed LupaLupa whowho raisedraised thethe orphanedorphaned RomulusRomulus andand RemusRemus TheThe wholewhole pointpoint waswas toto purgepurge yourselfyourself throughthrough intenseintense dissipation—sex,dissipation—sex, drugs,drugs, andand rockrock 'n''n' rollroll YoungYoung menmen wouldwould runrun nakednaked throughthrough thethe streets,streets, beatingbeating peoplepeople withwith whipswhips asas theythey wentwent alongalong Young women often purposefully got in their way so that they would be beaten, since it was believed that these beatings would make barren women fertile, and pregnant women give birth easier And then there would be a lot of drinking and sex with strangers at orgies TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— LupercaliaLupercalia waswas aa baudybaudy pre-Romanpre-Roman festivalfestival thatthat conflatesconflates thethe mythologiesmythologies ofof thethe shepherdshepherd godgod LupercusLupercus andand thethe she-wolfshe-wolf namednamed LupaLupa whowho raisedraised thethe orphanedorphaned RomulusRomulus andand RemusRemus TheThe wholewhole pointpoint waswas toto purgepurge yourselfyourself throughthrough intenseintense dissipation—sex,dissipation—sex, drugs,drugs, andand rockrock 'n''n' rollroll InIn pointpoint ofof fact,fact, itit waswas inin directdirect oppositionopposition toto LupercaliaLupercalia andand toto thethe RomanRoman practicepractice backback inin thethe 33rd centurycentury ofof prohibitingprohibiting RomanRoman soldierssoldiers toto marrymarry (so(so thatthat theythey wouldn'twouldn't settlesettle down,down, butbut ratherrather staystay outout onon thethe battlefields)battlefields) thatthat thethe RomanRoman priest,priest, Valentinus,Valentinus, foundfound himselfhimself imprisoned,imprisoned, sincesince hehe arguedargued forfor aa purepure andand holyholy formform ofof lovelove Valentinus was martyred during Lupercalia—on February 14 TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges Post-RomanPost-Roman leadershipleadership waswas upup forfor grabsgrabs StrongStrong leadersleaders arosearose toto grabgrab powerpower forfor themselvesthemselves 492492 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II waswas electedelected inin RomeRome 496496 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II abolishedabolished LupercaliaLupercalia EvenEven thisthis farfar intointo thethe “Christian“Christian Era,”Era,” thethe RomanRoman peoplepeople werewere stillstill celebratingcelebrating thethe paganpagan festivalfestival ofof LupercaliaLupercalia GelasiusGelasius sawsaw thisthis festivalfestival asas abominable,abominable, andand decrieddecried thosethose ChristiansChristians whowho stillstill tooktook partpart inin itit When the old Roman senators chuckled at his “prudishness,” he replied, “If you believe that this rite has powers of health, celebrate it yourselves in the ancestral fashion; run nude yourselves that you may properly carry out this foolishness...” TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges Post-RomanPost-Roman leadershipleadership waswas upup forfor grabsgrabs StrongStrong leadersleaders arosearose toto grabgrab powerpower forfor themselvesthemselves 492492 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II waswas electedelected inin RomeRome 496496 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II abolishedabolished LupercaliaLupercalia EvenEven thisthis farfar intointo thethe “Christian“Christian Era,”Era,” thethe RomanRoman peoplepeople werewere stillstill celebratingcelebrating thethe paganpagan festivalfestival ofof LupercaliaLupercalia GelasiusGelasius sawsaw thisthis festivalfestival asas abominable,abominable, andand decrieddecried thosethose ChristiansChristians whowho stillstill tooktook partpart inin itit ToTo trytry toto overshadowovershadow Lupercalia,Lupercalia, GelasiusGelasius emphasizedemphasized thethe celebrationcelebration ofof thethe FeastFeast ofof thethe PurificationPurification ofof thethe VirginVirgin MaryMary ((AKA CandlemasCandlemas)) onon FebruaryFebruary 22 (or(or 4040 daysdays afterafter Christmas)—theChristmas)—the celebrationcelebration ofof bringingbringing JesusJesus toto thethe TempleTemple forfor HisHis dedicationdedication But why focus on Mary's purification (see Leviticus 12:2-6, Luke 2:22) instead of on Christ's dedication when celebrating this event from Scripture? It's to give February an entirely different focus on purification, women, and babies Define “syncretism” TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges Post-RomanPost-Roman leadershipleadership waswas upup forfor grabsgrabs StrongStrong leadersleaders arosearose toto grabgrab powerpower forfor themselvesthemselves 492492 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II waswas electedelected inin RomeRome 496496 PopePope GelasiusGelasius II abolishedabolished LupercaliaLupercalia 500500 MonasteriesMonasteries
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