Chapter 12: The Early Middle Ages Section 3: The Church in Medieval Times

1. Chapter 12: The Early Middle AgesSection 3: The Church in Medieval Times BearzRiot World History Period 1

2. A. The Importance of the Church • Men and women in the Middle Ages took part in the Roman Catholic Church as members or as monks and nuns.

3. A. The Importance of the Church • Religion in Everyday Life • The Village church was the center of village life during the early Middle Ages • The parish priest was the only one in the village with an education. • Everyone in the village was expected to go to church on Sunday and on other holy days.

4. A. The Importance of the Church • Religious Communities • Some men and women decided to practice their religion by withdrawing from society and joining religious communities called monasteries and convents • Monks were religious men who joined the monasteries • The Abbot was the head of the monastery, monks took vows of poverty, purity, and obedience to the Abbot

5. A. The Importance of the Church • The Roles of Monasteries and Convents • Monasteries and convents became a place for learning. • Some of the monasteries were known for the beautiful books they produced. • Other monks felt that they had to leave to spread the religious message.

6. A. The Importance of the Church • Benedictine Rule • A holy man named Benedict organized a monastery in Southern Italy in the 530’s. • The rules urged monks lead a simple orderly life of prayer, study, and work. • These rules were the Benedictine Rule and they were followed by most monasteries.

7. A. The Importance of the Church • New Religious Orders • Monks began to start their own religious orders. • Some religious organizations had nuns; the nuns were there to take care of the sick and the poor • The Franciscan order was another important group; they also helped the sick and the poor.

8. B. Church, Religion, and Power • During the early Middle Ages, the authority of the Church could be seen in the power of the Pope and in lavish cathedrals, while Jewish people were free to worship their own religion.

9. B. Church, Religion, and Power • The Pope’s Reach • Excommunication was the ultimate weapon for the Pope, the expelling of a person or group of people from The Church. • The punishment for nonbelievers were dreadful because their soul’s would not go to heaven • People will also avoid an excommunicated person for fear of being punished in the same way.

10. B. Church, Religion, and Power • Cathedral Architecture • The power of the church could be seen in the grand medieval cathedrals. • Cathedrals were designed to hold grand processions and religious celebrations involving many people. • Churches and cathedrals had thick walls, many pillars, and were built with round arches and heavy roofs

11. B. Church, Religion, and Power • Jewish People and European Economics • The Middle Ages was a time of attacks and prejudice against Jewish people. • Jews practiced their own religion and live quietly and peacefully • The Jews were very skilled at trading which made many Jewish families wealthy.

12. Lavish • Expending or bestowing profusely