Medieval Missions 1000-1517 Part 2

1
Medieval Missions 1000-1517Part 2

• The Crusades, Inquisition, Vikings and Black
  Plague were devastating to Western Christianity,
  while the internal battles over power, territory
  and authority over secular powers brought the
  Church from its highest power at the beginning to
  its lowest power by the end of this period

2
Inquisition

• Solidarity of a complex organization is
  maintained by fear and threat
• Suppression of heresy in Early Church (Arians),
  Dark Ages (Cathars or Albigensians), Medieval
  Ages (begins with the Waldensians)
• In 13th century Pope Gregory IX assigns Dominican
  Order to eliminate heretics lasted until the
  19th century!
• Medieval Inquisition (1184-1230)
• Spanish Inquisition (1478-1834)
• Portuguese Inquisition (1536-1821)
• Roman Inquisition (1542-1860)

3
Inquisition

• A 1578 handbook for inquisitors spelled out the
  purpose of inquisitorial penalties for
  punishment does not take place primarily and per
  se for the correction and good of the person
  punished, but for the public good in order that
  others may become terrified and weaned away from
  the evils they would commit ,
• There were few rights, accused could not face
  accuser, no defense counsel, no appeals, torture
  could be used for cooperation life and death
  sentences for non-cooperation

4
Inquisition

• Initially the Inquisition was against the
  Hussites, Lutherans, Calvinists and Rosicrucians
• Spanish inquisition (1478) and Portuguese
  Inquisition (1536) operated under the royal
  authority of the King and Queen.
• Spain estimates of 50,000 to 340,000 trials with
  2 to 10 of the population being executed!
• Anti-semitism increased in the 13th through 14th
  century
• Many non-Catholics converted (100,000 to 200,000
  Jews converted) -- called marranos (pigs)
• Muslims became main target from 1560 to 1571
  converts called moriscos (secret Moors)
• From 1550 to 1800 the primary targets were sects
  of Protestantism

5
Roman Catholic Missions
Francis before sultan

• Francis of Assisi (5th Crusade- 1220) boldly
  preached to sultan of Egypt, Malik-al-Kamil and
  was spared.
• Raymond Llull (1235-1315) taught confrontational,
  debate format of witness to Muslim stoned at
  80.
• Matteo Ricci (1552-1610) adapted Chinese culture
  early contextualized missions
• Robert de Nobili (1577-1656) extreme
  contextualized missions became as a Sadhus
  Brahmin (Hindu monk) his method rejected as
  being too syncretistic

6
Jesuits and Francis Xavier

• Francis Xavier (1506-1552) missionary to India,
  Japan, then died going to China

7
Xaviers evangelism practice

• On Sundays I assemble all the people, men and
  women, young and old, and get them to repeat the
  prayers in their language.
• They take much pleasure in doing so, and come to
  the meetings gladlyI give out the First
  Commandment, which they repeat, and then we all
  say together, Jesus Christ, Son of God, grant us
  grace to love thee above all things.
• When we have asked for this grace, we recite the
  Pater Noster Our Father together, and then
  cry with one accord, Holy Mary, Mother of Jesus
  Christ, obtain for us grace from thy Son to
  enable us to keep the First Commandment.
• Next we say Ave Maria Hail Mary, and proceed
  in the same manner through each of the remaining
  nine Commandments. And just as we say twelve
  Paters and Aves in honor of the twelve articles
  of the Creed, so we say ten Paters and Aves in
  honor of the Ten Commandments, asking God to give
  us grace to keep them well Refers to the
  repetition of the Lords Prayer and the Hail
  Mary of the rosary.

8
Royal Patronage

• Patronage means support, financial aid and
  authority to evangelize
• Given only to emissaries from Spain and Portugal
• Used religion to assure submission to nations
  commercial interests
• Ships of Spanish and Portuguese fleets sailed
  with priests to conquer new markets
• Non-Catholics not permitted on ships

9
Shaping of Medieval World

• Scholasticism
• Schools in cathedrals and monasteries developed
  into Universities to explain Gods Word
• Greek philosophy, Aristotelian and deductive
  logic formed a priori Catholic theology (by logic
  alone)
• Logical proofs derived from syllogism (two truth
  statements followed by logical conclusion)
• Mysticism
• Pursuit to acquire certainty of salvation through
  spiritual experience or conscious awareness of
  God
• Seeking a sense of divine presence whatever the
  experience
• Can be ecstatic revelation, enlightenment,
  epiphany and visions
• Monasticism
• Place to seek the presence of God and learn
  skills for life

10
Spread of the Black Death (1347-1353)
Est. 50 of pop. killed by plague!
11
Non-Catholic Dissident Movements

• Waldensians (Peter Waldo 1140-1218)
• Gave French the Bible in their language
• Lay preachers and duty to obey God, not men
• Rejected purgatory, efficacy of Mass and prayers
  for dead
• Most were massacred or killed by Inquisitions for
  200 yrs
• John Wycliffe(1330-1384) Lollards
• Popular professor of Oxford trained lay preachers
• Lollards believed that all people should have
  Bible in their language and it be the only
  authority in life
• Use of cell-groups to spread teaching

12
Non-Catholic Dissident Movements

• Jan Huss (1372-1415) Hussites
• Influenced by Wycliffes writings
• Rector of large church in Prague
• Denounced abuses of Church and proclaimed Bible
• Practiced utraquism (Eucharist in both kinds)
• Taborites or Bohemian Brethren (radical Hussites)
• Persecuted Hussites met on Mt Tabor
• One group became militant another group was
  pacifist (went underground)
• Crusades were led against Hussites (1420-1431)-
  Joan of Arc threatened to lead a crusade against
  them
• Followers formed the Moravian Church
• Brethren of the Common Life (14th century)
• Mystical movement founded by Gerard Groote,
  educator, who had a religious experience then
  taught a simple devotion to Jesus
• He sought to reform the decadence of the clergy
• Formed monastery communities which taught for
  the love of God alone
• Martin Luther studied under the Brethren before
  going to the University of Erfurt
• At first elementary school, then added
  humanities, philosophy and theology.