LESSON 3.8 What was the power and authority of the Church in medieval times?
LEARNING INTENTION By the end of this lesson you should be able to: • explain Church’s power in terms of its control of wealth, land and labour • identify its hierarchical structure with the Pope at the top.
Tune in Imagine viewing this painting in a dimly lit medieval church with the smoky scent of incense in the air. Paintings such as this were common in churches in the medieval times. However, they were not there only as art, but rather to persuade the congregation about a particular viewpoint. Let’s look more closely at this painting to work out what that viewpoint was. 1. Examine the painting in SOURCE 1 very closely and discuss what is happening in each part of the scene. 2. Propose what effect a painting like this was intended to have on people’s behaviour. 3. Share your ideas on how images like this would increase the power of the Church in medieval times.
SOURCE1 A medieval painting depicting what happens to people when they go to hell
3.8.1 The authority of the Church and the Pope Christianity stemmed from the Jewish religion, Judaism, in the first century CE. It spread throughout Europe after becoming the official religion of the Roman Empire. Following the fall of Rome, it became entrenched as the principal religion across Europe. For many reasons, cultures turned away from their traditional belief systems and adopted Christianity. The Roman Catholic Church was the main institution in western Europe. Its rituals were similar everywhere, and it used Latin, though only the clergy spoke it. Everyone had to follow Church law and attend Mass . Priests often gave sermons in the local language to remind people of their Christian duties.
TOPIC3 Medieval Europe 75
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