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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 Auctoritas Sacrata Pontificum: Gelasius The Rise of the Monk: Benedict, Brendan, and Dennis The Politics of Death: Justinian and Columba Kingdoms of God Streamlining the Church European Empires: The Carolingians European Empires: The Northmen Centuries of In-Fighting (part 2) TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges EvenEven thethe ChurchChurch waswas miredmired inin in-fightingin-fighting 903903 NewNew PopePope LeoLeo VV camecame toto powerpower ConsideredConsidered corrupt,corrupt, hehe gavegave specialspecial privilegesprivileges toto Church-friendlyChurch-friendly leadersleaders (such(such asas thatthat theythey nono longerlonger shouldshould havehave toto paypay taxes,taxes, etc.)etc.) WithinWithin twotwo months,months, aa cardinalcardinal priestpriest NOTE: That's a “hinge” (i.e.; “crucially important”) priest within the Catholic hierarchy: Laypeople Deacon (ordained) Priest Pastor (“Parish Priest”) Monsignor (“My Lord...”) Vicar / Archpriest Bishop Archbishop Cardinal Deacon Cardinal Priest Cardinal Bishop Pope TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges EvenEven thethe ChurchChurch waswas miredmired inin in-fightingin-fighting 903903 NewNew PopePope LeoLeo VV camecame toto powerpower ConsideredConsidered corrupt,corrupt, hehe gavegave specialspecial privilegesprivileges toto Church-friendlyChurch-friendly leadersleaders (such(such asas thatthat theythey nono longerlonger shouldshould havehave toto paypay taxes,taxes, etc.)etc.) WithinWithin twotwo months,months, aa cardinalcardinal priestpriest inin RomeRome namednamed ChristopherChristopher forciblyforcibly deposeddeposed himhim andand hadhad himhim thrownthrown intointo prison,prison, declaringdeclaring himselfhimself toto bebe thethe realreal popepope The Catholic Church now considers Christopher to actually be an “antipope” TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges EvenEven thethe ChurchChurch waswas miredmired inin in-fightingin-fighting 903903 NewNew PopePope LeoLeo VV camecame toto powerpower 904904 NewNew PopePope SergiusSergius IIIIII camecame toto powerpower byby murderingmurdering bothboth LeoLeo andand ChristopherChristopher toto solidifysolidify hishis powerpower basebase HeHe alsoalso re-exhumedre-exhumed Formosus'Formosus' corpsecorpse andand re-re- affirmedaffirmed thethe condemnationcondemnation ofof thethe formerformer PopePope byby thethe CadaverCadaver SynodSynod ofof 897897 HeHe alsoalso hadhad severalseveral affairs,affairs, includingincluding oneone thatthat producedproduced aa sonson whowho wouldwould laterlater becomebecome knownknown asas PopePope JohnJohn XIXI HeHe waswas alsoalso thethe firstfirst PopePope toto wearwear thethe officialofficial “Papal“Papal tiara”tiara” ((AKA crown)crown) apingaping secularsecular kingskings withwith hishis coronationcoronation As we said last week, this period of the Papacy has come to be known by historians as the Saeculum Obscurum—the “Dark Age” TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges InIn otherother worldworld news...news... 909909 InIn NorthNorth Africa,Africa, thethe MahdiMahdi roserose toto powerpower ImamImam AbuAbu MuhammadMuhammad AbdullahAbdullah al-Mahdial-Mahdi BillahBillah oror “guided“guided one”)one”) ledled aa ,,مهدي—”AKA “the“the Mahdi”—Mahdi)) ي revoltrevolt againstagainst thethe rulingruling AbbasidAbbasid dynastydynasty andand ,,الفاطميون)) establishedestablished thethe FatimidFatimid CaliphateCaliphate sincesince thethe MahdiMahdi claimedclaimed thethe rightright toto rulerule byby beingbeing descendeddescended fromfrom Muhammad'sMuhammad's daughter,daughter, Fatimah)Fatimah) TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— TheThe title,title, “Mahdi,”“Mahdi,” isis roughlyroughly equivalentequivalent inin IslamIslam toto thethe termterm “Messiah”“Messiah” inin JudaismJudaism (or(or “Christ”“Christ” inin Christianity),Christianity), andand signifiessignifies aa greatgreat leaderleader whowho isis toto comecome inin thethe futurefuture toto conquerconquer thethe EarthEarth onceonce andand forfor allall In fact, in the Ḥadīth known as the Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, verse 41:7023, Jesus is said to be coming back with the Mahdi to help him destroy the false Messiahs and unite mankind under the banner of Islam In the Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, 3:43:656, teacher Abu Hurairah said, Allah's Apostle [Muhammad] said, “The Hour will not be established until the son of Maryam [Jesus] descends amongst you as a just ruler; he will break the cross, kill the swine, and abolish the Jizya tax. Wealth will be in abundance so that nobody will accept it.” TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges FunkyFunky littlelittle teachingteaching moment—moment— TheThe title,title, “Mahdi,”“Mahdi,” isis roughlyroughly equivalentequivalent inin IslamIslam toto thethe termterm “Messiah”“Messiah” inin JudaismJudaism (or(or “Christ”“Christ” inin Christianity),Christianity), andand signifiessignifies aa greatgreat leaderleader whowho isis toto comecome inin thethe futurefuture toto conquerconquer thethe EarthEarth onceonce andand forfor allall MultipleMultiple leadersleaders havehave claimedclaimed toto havehave beenbeen ““thethe Mahdi”Mahdi” overover thethe centuriescenturies Abdullah al-Mahdi Billah is at least the fourth one that I'm aware of, and other claimants to the title include 19th century leaders Alí Muḥammad Shírází, known as or “the Gate”)—founder of what would باب) the Báb ultimately become the Bahá'í Faith—and the Sudanese leaderleader namednamed MuḥammadMuḥammad Aḥmad,Aḥmad, whowho ledled aa siegesiege against the city of Khartoum, and the modern Mahdi named Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi, who claimed to have met with Jesus in His home in America, but who has not been seen publicly since 2001 TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges InIn otherother worldworld news...news... 909909 InIn NorthNorth Africa,Africa, thethe MahdiMahdi roserose toto powerpower 911911 TheThe VikingsVikings gotgot aa footholdfoothold inin EuropeEurope LouisLouis thethe Pious,Pious, thethe sonson ofof Charlemagne,Charlemagne, waswas succeededsucceeded inin FranceFrance byby hishis son,son, CharlesCharles thethe Bald—whoBald—who waswas succeededsucceeded byby hishis ownown son,son, LouisLouis thethe Stammerer...Stammerer... whowho waswas succeededsucceeded byby hishis son,son, CharlesCharles thethe SimpleSimple The Viking, Hrólfr (AKA “Rollo”), was so much tougher than this pitiful line of in-bred monarchs that Charles the Simple was forced to give him Normandy as his own possession in France TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges InIn otherother worldworld news...news... 909909 InIn NorthNorth Africa,Africa, thethe MahdiMahdi roserose toto powerpower 911911 TheThe VikingsVikings gotgot aa footholdfoothold inin EuropeEurope AtAt aroundaround thethe samesame time,time, thethe VikingViking Rus'Rus' tribetribe putput pressurepressure onon thethe growinggrowing KhazarKhazar KhaganateKhaganate (remember(remember them?)them?) The Jewish-led Khaganate that had opened its doors to all religions—an openness that the Catholic Church had tried to send Cyril and Methodius as missionaries to suppress TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges InIn otherother worldworld news...news... 909909 InIn NorthNorth Africa,Africa, thethe MahdiMahdi roserose toto powerpower 911911 TheThe VikingsVikings gotgot aa footholdfoothold inin EuropeEurope AtAt aroundaround thethe samesame time,time, thethe VikingViking Rus'Rus' tribetribe putput pressurepressure onon thethe growinggrowing KhazarKhazar KhaganateKhaganate fromfrom thethe North,North, forcingforcing thethe TurkicTurkic MagyarMagyar andand VikingViking VarangianVarangian peoplespeoples toto migratemigrate westwardwestward intointo EasternEastern EuropeEurope NOTE: In 921, the Abbasid Caliph al-Muqtadir of Baghdad sent a delegation north to study and open trade with the Rus' and other tribes The notes made by Ahmad ibn Fadlān teach us a great deal about Viking life and culture TheThe EarlyEarly MiddleMiddle AgesAges InIn otherother worldworld news...news... 909909 InIn NorthNorth Africa,Africa, thethe MahdiMahdi roserose toto powerpower 911911 TheThe VikingsVikings gotgot aa footholdfoothold inin EuropeEurope AtAt aroundaround thethe samesame time,time, thethe VikingViking Rus'Rus' tribetribe putput pressurepressure onon thethe growinggrowing KhazarKhazar KhaganateKhaganate