Medieval

Christianity
Medieval Period (450 –
1450)
 Medieval
-
Period
Medieval comes from the Latin words 'med'
(meaning middle) and 'eval' (meaning age).
- Also known as Middle Age or Dark Ages.

Three Classes:
1. Nobility – knights, kings, queens, prince and
princesses.
2. Clergy – priests, monks (only powerful and
educated)
3. Peasants – lower class
 Characteristics
O
:
Pervasiveness of Christianity.
O People were deeply religious, and religion inserted
itself into all aspects of medieval life and society.
O The medieval Church had a great deal of influence and
power.
O High-ranking clergy members would often have
more influence, wealth and power than many
secular (non- religious) rulers.
• Constantine was born in
Naissus or Nish in
modern Serbia probably
from 274 to 288 CE.

• His parents were

Constantius, an
emperor, and Elena, a
Christian.
• When Constantius died
in 306 CE, his troops
proclaimed him
Augustus.
 What did
Constantine do for
the Christians?
O he favored Christianity openly and
supported it in every way .
O Christianity as full equality with the
religions in the empire.
O the abolition of death on the cross.
O gave the church permission to
accept bequests and donations and
decreed Sunday as a public
holiday.

In this council, Constantine was known as the Pontifex Maximus which

means “the greatest bridge-maker.”
 Church faced a truly new world
situation:

O Constantine was wary of alienating his pagan subjects by

seizing their sites and temples.
O a prophet of Apollo was tortured at Antioch, another at
Didyma was forced to confess to fraud, and a shrine of
Aphrodite was razed at the site of the crucifixion at
Jerusalem.
O Decreed that all pagan temples should close and he
prohibited sacrifices to the gods on pain of death.
O Christians turned from persecuted to persecutors.
Christianity: “Education as
an instrument of
salvation”
O Christianity came from Christ, the Greek word for
Messiah.
O Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based
on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ as presented in
the New Testament. Christianity is the world's largest
religion.
O It was founded on Judaism – also a monotheistic religion.
O Offered a new ethical force – humanitarianism –
that provided the education for all.
O Jesus – one of the three greatest teachers, the other
two being Socrates and Gautama.
 Church Officials:
1. Pope – “Papa”, means father, the head
2. Vicarius Filii Dei – Latin: Vicar or
Representative of the Son of God, named
the universal head of Roman Catholic
Church.
3. Archbishops – supervised provinces
or archdioceses.
4. Bishops – oversaw dioceses and
nearby areas.
5. Priests – took care of parishes in towns
and cities.
 Aims
:
OMoral regeneration and
salvation of an individual
OReform of the society
 Types of Education
O Moral and religious training. (given to prepare the
child or convert for baptism. Believed to be
necessary to save individual souls and to convert
their fellowmen)
O No physical or aesthetic training, only musical
training
in relation to church services.
O Intellectual education. (none at first but converts on
the educated class were trained later on to meet
opponents and heretics.)
 Content:

O Basic instruction to fit candidates for baptism,

basic elements of church doctrine, church
rituals and moral virtues of Christ like living.

O Eliminated were: physical training, art,

science, literature, and rhetoric because their
origins were Pagan and, therefore, full of
vices and corruption.)
 Methods
O As sole agency for education: impromptu
exposition
and exhortation

O In home: method of example

O In schools established: catechetical

(pertaining to teaching by question and answer.)
method and rote recitation (pupils memorized
to answer questions)
 Early Christian
1.
Schools
Catechumenal Schools
- new converts, or probationers
-give adequate introductory lessons on the basic
doctrine and dogmas of the church.
- catechumens were prepared for baptism
(required by the probationers and trial for Christian life
before they could be accepted as full-fledge
members of the church.)
2. Catechetical Schools
- new converts progressed in learning the
doctrines of the church and were given in-depth training
-helped in becoming steadfast in their faith and
strong against attacks of other beliefs and mysticisms.
-established by catechists to prepare adults for
baptism in early Christian church

3. Episcopal Schools
- organized by the Bishops to train the clergy in
the Churches under their supervision.
-it is housed in cathedrals/ cathedral
schools
Thank
You