The Rise of Monasticism in the Dark Ages

1. Chapter 9 Trials and New Beginnings A.D. 300ish - 1054

2. Invasions from Many Sides • With the decline of the Roman Empire came a lack of security in the regions once controlled by its armies • Barbarian tribes overran much of Europe and portions of North Africa • Muslim armies of Arabia conquered much of the Middle East, North Africa, and Spain

3. Q: What is a barbarian? • A: Technically, a barbarian is someone with a beard. The clean-shaven Romans thought anyone with a beard was uncivilized

4. Can the Catholic Church survive? • The rise of monasteries put monks in contact with the pagans of the countryside • The monks became the evangelizers of the Early Middle Ages, spreading the good news of Jesus Christ

5. The Rise of Monasticism • The words monastery and monastic mean “living alone, away from the world” • Monasticism grew out of a desire by some to live solitary lives of deep prayer • Saint Antony of Egypt (251-356) was a hermit who lived such a life; many followed Antony out into the desert and lived by his example

6. St. Benedict • St. Benedict (about 480-550) of Monte Cassino is perhaps the most famous of the founders of monastic orders • The “Rule of St. Benedict” was a guide to all aspects of monastic life; his rule became the model for many future orders in Europe • The Benedictine motto is, “work and prayer” • Monasteries became powerhouses of the age, civilizing influences during barbaric times

7. Changing Times • A new monastery founded at Cluny, France, de-emphasized work and stressed prayer; eventually, the monastery grew to such a degree in affiliation, wealth, and power that it lost the character that St. Benedict envisioned • A new order, the Cistercians, rose as a result of the dissatisfaction with the Cluny influences; the Cistercians were even stricter than the early Benedictines • Many were attracted to the Cistercian order because of the leadership established by St. Bernard of Clairvaux

8. What was so great about Gregory the Great? • In a troubled time, Gregory (540 – 604) was elected pope • He defended the Romans against Germanic invaders • He devoted himself to the care of the poor • A man of great learning, he was declared a Doctor of the Church

9. What is a Doctor of the Church? • Word Attack!!! Remember that –doct- means learned or skilled. Doctors of the Church were those learned individuals who helped generate many doctrines of our faith.

10. Evangelization of Europe • Evangelization: the spreading of the good news of Jesus Christ

11. France • The conversion of Clovis, the king of the Franks, marked the beginning of the alliance between the rulers of France and the Church • In later years, a new Christian empire will be founded under Charlemagne

12. Ireland • Christianity became established in the fifth century, thanks largely to St. Patrick • Irish St. Columba went to Scotland and founded a monastic community on the island of Iona • Irish monks from Iona in turn began to evangelize northern England

13. England • In 597, Benedictine St. Augustine was sent by Pope Gregory the Great to convert the Anglo-Saxons • St. Augustine founded the first Benedictine monastery at Canterbury • By the seventh century, all of England was Christian

14. Eastern Europe • The most influential missionaries of eastern Europe were Sts. Cyril and Methodius; evangelizing the Slavic peoples • By the 12th century, virtually all of Europe was Christian

15. Charlemagne • Charles the Great, or Charlemagne, was crowned emperor of the Holy Roman Empire by Pope Leo III on Christmas Day 800

16. The Schism of 1054 • The Church was firmly established in the West (think Europe), with its seat of power in Rome • In the East (think Asia Minor), the seat of power was with the emperor in Constantinople • Tensions between the two powers came less over religious matters, but more over cultural and political differences • A split, or schism, occurred in 1054, with the establishment of the Eastern Orthodox Church