Church and people at the close of the Middle Ages - The shape of the Church
4 important questions on Church and people at the close of the Middle Ages - The shape of the Church
Why are the personal beliefs of late medieval Europeans difficult to gauge?
What was the hierarchy inside the Church?
- The highest position was occupied by the Pope, acknowledged as the successor of the Apostle Peter, to whom Jesus had imparted special authority.
- Further down the pyramid, the whole territory of Catholic Europe was divided into archbishoprics, bishoprics, archdeaconries and well over 100000 parishes. They were secular clergymen.
- Alongside the secular hierarchy, the medieval Church had a 'regular' branch: a range of orders of monks, nuns and friars who had taken vows of chastity and obedience and observed a specific rule.
How did ordinary people look toward clergymen?
- Medieval society contained within it a large number of professional Churchmen, who collectively formed the estate of the clergy with privileges like immunity from taxation and the right to be judged in separate ecclesiastical courts. Their special status caused feelings of anticlericalism.
- On the other hand, clergymen were accepted and indeed often honoured, because they were essential for the most important goal of human life: to win salvation (entry into heaven after death).
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What decree was of utmost importance for scholastics?
- Specific guidelines were codified in decrees of councils (general assemblies of bishops) and synods (gatherings within particular dioceses).
- Of key importance was the Fourth Lateran Council of 1215, which ordered all Christians to make confession annually and to receive communion in their parish church.
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