Christian Faith in the Byzantine and Medieval Worlds

Mary Cunningham

Description

This is an accessible two-part introduction to key periods of Christian history. Faith in the Byzantine World For many people the Byzantine world is an intriguing mystery. Here, Mary Cunningham presents readers with an ideal guide to this most fascinating of empires. Covering the period between 330 and 1453, the author begins by providing an outline of the history of the Byzantine Church, and then looks at key aspects of its outward expression, including the solitary ideal; holy places and holy people; service to the community; the nature of belief; and art, architecture and icons. Faith in the Medieval World The medieval period constituted a turbulent stage in religious history. Gillian R. Evans begins her immersive account by providing an overview of the development of Christianity in the West in the Middle Ages, before looking at key aspects of medieval faith: the Bible and belief; popular piety and devotion; the Crusades and the idea of 'holy war'; politics and the Church; rebellion against authority; and the road to Reformation. This analysis is a must for all those keen to understand one of the most enthralling periods of history.

Sujets

• Philosophie et théologie
• History of religions

Informations

• Publié par: Lion Hudson
• Date de parution: 22 mars 2019
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781912552290
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 3 Mo

Extrait

CHRISTIAN FAITH IN THE BYZANTINE AND MEDIEVAL WORLDS
Mary Cunningham
Gillian R. Evans
 
Text copyright ‘Faith in the Byzantine World’ © 2002 Mary Cunningham Text copyright ‘Faith in the Medieval World’ © 2002 Gillian R. Evans
This edition copyright © 2019 Lion Hudson IP Limited
The right of Mary Cunningham to be identified as the author of ‘Faith in the Byzantine World’ and the right of Gillian R. Evans to be identified as the author of ‘Faith in the Medieval World’ has been asserted by them in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopy, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher.
Published by Lion Hudson Limited Wilkinson House, Jordan Hill Business Park Banbury Road, Oxford OX2 8DR, England www .lionhudson .com
ISBN 978 1 9125 5226 9
e-ISBN 978 1 9125 5229 0
‘Faith in the Byzantine World’: first paperback edition 2002 ‘Faith in the Medieval World’: first paperback edition 2002
Acknowledgments
‘Faith in the Byzantine World’
Scripture quotations taken from the New Revised Standard Version Bible , Anglicized edition, copyright © 1989, 1995 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America. Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
‘Faith in the Medieval World’
Unless otherwise stated, scriptures and additional materials quoted are from the Good News Bible © 1994 published by the Bible Societies/HarperCollins Publishers Ltd UK, Good News Bible © American Bible Society 1966, 1971, 1976, 1992. Used with permission.
Extracts from Common Worship (the Apostles’ Creed and the Nicene Creed) copyright © The Archbishops’ Council, 2000. Reproduced by permission. All rights reserved. [e-mail]
Maps pp. 12–13 , 14–15 , 16–17 , 237 , 238–39 by Lion Hudson IP Limited
Cover image: © Raylipscombe / istockphoto.com
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
 
Faith in the Byzantine World
To Richard, Emily and James
 
CONTENTS
Part 1
Faith in the Byzantine World
Introduction
1 A Christian Roman Empire (330–843)
2 The Parting of the Ways (843–1453)
3 Church and State
4 Service to the Community
5 The Solitary Ideal
6 Holy Places, Holy People
7 The Kingdom of God on Earth
8 Doctrine and the Seven Ecumenical Councils
9 Faith and Worldview
10 Art as an Expression of Faith
11 The Legacy
Chronology
Part 2
Faith in the Medieval World
Introduction
12 The World Through Medieval Eyes
13 What Did Medieval Christians Believe?
14 Bible Study
15 Defining the Church
16 Laypeople
17 Politics and the Church
18 The Rebels
19 Monks, Saints and Christian Examples
20 Holy War
21 Tradition and Continuity: The Road to Reformation
Chronology
Further Reading
Faith in the Byzantine World
Faith in the Medieval World
Index
Faith in the Byzantine World
Faith in the Medieval World
 
PART 1
FAITH IN THE BYZANTINE WORLD
 
INTRODUCTION
From obscure roots in Palestine, Christianity slowly became the dominant religion in the territories of the later Roman empire and beyond. In this earliest period, the Christian Church was one entity, united by a network of bishops, as well as a shared faith and sacraments. It is out of this unified Church of the early centuries that the two main branches of Christian tradition, the Roman Catholic and the Eastern Orthodox Churches, developed. The former was based primarily in the region of Western Europe, whereas the latter developed in the empire which we now call ‘Byzantine’; this had its centre in the capital city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, in modern Turkey). It is important to remember that the two halves of Christendom remained officially joined throughout the whole of the first Christian millennium.
The decisive split occurred in 1054, although a growing separation between Latin-speaking and Greek-speaking Christians had been visible long before this date. Nevertheless, we can speak of unity throughout the Christian world even after this time. Western and Eastern Christians shared essentially the same doctrine, methods of worship and objects of veneration – such as the cross and the Bible. Minor differences did exist, however, in musical traditions, disciplinary matters and the formulation of doctrine. The Orthodox use of holy icons, for example, remained foreign to Western Christians even though they also sponsored religious art in their cathedrals and homes. Perhaps the greatest source of friction lay in the issue of authority: Roman popes increasingly felt that they should represent the highest source of power in the Christian Church. Eastern bishops and patriarchs, on the other hand, believed in a pentarchy, that is, five ancient leading dioceses, or patriarchates, namely Rome, Constantinople, Alexandria, Antioch and Jerusalem. Although Eastern bishops acknowledged the pope as the first in importance among bishops, they were unwilling to grant him complete supremacy in the Church.
This account covers the history of the Byzantine Church between the dates 330 and 1453. To some extent these boundaries, especially that which is usually regarded as the beginning of the Eastern Roman empire, are open to debate. Nevertheless, Constantine’s foundation of a new capital city at Constantinople in Asia Minor may legitimately be seen as the start of this new Christian empire. The fall of the city to the Ottoman Turks in 1453 effectively ended the long and varied history of Byzantine dominion. The title of this section, ‘Faith in the Byzantine World’, is also in some ways inaccurate. People of many different faiths lived in Byzantium at different times, including not only Christians, but also Jews, Samaritans, ‘heretics’ or those who deviated from the ‘right’ faith, and even pagans in the earlier period. Nevertheless, Orthodox Christianity had become the dominant faith in this empire by the end of the fourth century. Not only were the daily lives and attitudes of most citizens shaped by this faith, but the government and official Church were imbued with its teachings. Various aspects of this Christian civilization will be explored in the chapters which follow, including the close relationship between Church and State, doctrine and worldview.
The Byzantine empire has traditionally been viewed as a conservative and repressive society. Churchmen, scholars and politicians alike looked to a classical past and attempted to preserve its culture, laws and values – although, of course, within a Christian framework. Historians, beginning with Edward Gibbon in the eighteenth century, have stressed not only the traditionalism of this society, but also its corruption and lack of creativity. In fact, this view of Byzantium is inaccurate in many respects. If we study the texts and artefacts of the Byzantines carefully, it is clear that creative thought and religious views did flourish and develop in the course of 11 centuries. Most of these productions also reveal a deeply Christian view of the world, a sense of God’s immanence and involvement in creation and human history. The expression of Orthodox Christian faith by means of the tools and ideas of classical civilization was consistently both innovative and successful.
Furthermore, the Eastern Roman empire contained in most periods a diverse, multi-ethnic population. The governing elite in Constantinople and a few other cities represented a tiny minority within the population as a whole. Perhaps as many as 90 per cent of the Byzantines were peasants living in rural areas, most of whom were probably illiterate. Not all of these people even spoke Greek; at the outer frontiers of the empire there were Armenian, Slavic and Syriac or Arabic-speaking communities, to name only a few. We are thus attempting to describe here a period and culture in Christian history which almost escapes precise definition. At the same time, however, it is clear on the basis of the surviving literary texts and artefacts that Byzantine Orthodoxy provided most of its adherents with a unified and comprehensive worldview. Belief in the triune God, whose definition was established by biblical revelation and in the course of the ecumenical councils, formed the basis of this worldview. Beyond this basic Christian doctrine, the cults of the Virgin Mary, the saints and holy symbols such as icons and relics, as well as religious practices such as attendance at church, keeping the fasts and celebrating the feast days, helped to define Byzantines’ sense of cultural identity.
It is with some regret that I have decided not to cover in detail other faiths in the Byzantine world. The reasons for this are primarily those of space. Separate books on Byzantine Judaism, ‘heretical’ groups such as the Paulicians and Bogomils and, perhaps even more importantly, all the Churches now called the ‘Oriental’ Orthodox, which survive to this day in Syria, Lebanon, Israel, Egypt, Ethiopia, India and Armenia, are required for each of these topics. This account, alongside ‘Faith in the Medieval World’, is concerned primarily with the dominant religion in the region that it covers, in this case Orthodox Christianity. The first two chapters provide a broad chronological outline of the history of the Byzantine Church and State; after these, a more thematic approach is adopted. It is inevitable that some repetition will occur; nevertheless, it is hoped that each chapter may be read on its own as well as in conjunction with others. It would be impossible to cover every subject in detail in an account of this size. Further reading are therefore provided at the end, including both primary and secondary sources.
Finally, it is necessary to add a word about the technical terms and spellings that are used here. It seems impossible to