Who were the Heretics in Medieval Europe - Report Example

Medieval Europe Who were the heretics in Medieval Europe? Heretics as used in Middle Ages referred to people who claimed to be Christians with contradicting belief and practice. Heretics’ beliefs and practices did not follow the doctrines of Christianity as described in the bible and through Churches such as Roman Catholic. Heretics differed from other conflicting religious beliefs such as infidels and pagans. Pagans differed from infidels as the latter referred to individuals who never practiced Christianity because they had not learnt of the doctrines of the church. On the contrary, infidels consisted of individuals who had known Christianity but did not practice it. Heretics practiced heresy, which had a fair definition in the church (Deane 2). According to Medieval history, individuals did not just become heretics because they proclaimed different beliefs and practices as outlined by the doctrines of Christianity. Beliefs and practices adopted by heretics had to remain obstinately and consistent. Heretics had the chance of recanting their views before declaration as practicing contradictory beliefs1. Heretics emerged after Emperor Constantine announced Christianity as tolerable. European churches then faced challenges in deciding over differences in Christianity beliefs and ways of accommodating people with lost faith. As the church made critical decisions, various they tolerated some Christianity concepts and disputed others. The controversial group who mainly consisted of the Arians had heretics label while the Trinitarians won the favor and support of Roman Emperor. As a result, heretics suffered persecution and extinction. What were the various techniques of the church in combating heresy? Early church leaders dealt with heresy by excommunicating heretics. The fear installed by excommunicating activities resulted into instilled discipline in the remaining members of Romans. Excommunicating not only caused thoughts of torments in the afterlife but also caused fear of punishment from Christians who hated heretics. Emperor allowed Christians to commit a crime against heretics or take their property. Among Christians, murder was an excellent weapon of fighting heresy. Christian prosecutors used medieval cannons and other painful murder weapons in executing heretics. For instance, church leaders excommunicated Arius after preaching contrary information about Jesus Christ. Church doctrines described that Jesus co-existed with God and was eternal contrary to Arius teachings that Jesus was God’s creation. In a similar case, Christians also burnt Bishop Priscillian of Avila after he portrayed Gnosticism. Roman Catholic Church also developed inquisition institutions that acted as judicial systems in dealing with dissent. Inquisition groups that started in France had the purpose of combating spread of Cathars, Waldensians, and another religious sectarianism (Deane 65). Medieval inquisition consisted of courts throughout the 14th century that consisted of local clergy and inquisitors. Medieval inquisition2 relied on Roman law had primary concern with heretical behaviors shown by Catholic converts or adherents. Inquisitorial tribunals convicted unrepentant heresy suspects and handed them to secular authorities for sentencing. Verdict for heretics included death by burning or banishment. Medieval inquisitions caused a decline in heresy as people lived in fear of death and exile. Roman Catholic Church adopted Inquisition of medieval Europe with the aim of suppressing heresy. Roman church used inquisitors to interrogate heretics’ suspects and obtain information or confession regarding existence of other heretics. Inquisitors approved use of inquisitorial manuals that assisted in extreme torture or even interrogation. How did the church view heretics? Roman Catholic Church considered medieval heresy as a strategy to overthrow the church. Christians believed that the medieval heresy remained a long-term aim of persecuting believers in Jesus Christ. Heretics regarded Christianity and the church as an evil entity that deserved replacement. Cathars3, for instance, viewed the church as a corrupt group. Other heretics such as Arnold of Brescia claimed that the church doctrines need reforms and overall re-organization. `Christians regarded him as a sinful human who had no living rights. Christians also viewed medieval heretics as outcasts who deserved execution. Christians opted to execute heretics through inquisition, excommunication4, and using medieval cannons. Roman community had no reservation of heresy amongst them and those who practiced had their property robbed. Roman emperor also made rules that discouraged heresy. Medieval Europe viewed heretics as non-humans and forced them to either comply with church doctrines or die. Cathars who refused matrimony mass or baptism had to escape to England to avoid prosecution. Roman kings in 1166 presided over cases of heretics in ecclesiastical courts. Guilty heretics had their forehead seared inhumanly with hot irons. Roman authorities legalized whipping heretics along the streets, stripping them to waste, and sending them to the countryside to die due to exposure of winter snow. Christians hated heretics and always denied them food. How did the heretics view themselves? Heretics believed in their philosophies and way of worship. Heretics had the conviction that the church needed reforms. They defended their philosophies even when Christians persecuted them. Heretics believed that Christians were not true worshippers. Heretics alleged that heresy would accommodate more religious faiths than the established Roman church. Roman church could not accommodate views of other religious denominations and heretics demanded an overhaul. Role of Dominicans and Franciscans Dominicans and Franciscans5 mendicant friars played an essential role in medieval society. Medieval society and church in early thirteenth century faced numerous challenges by the existing confident secular cultures. The church also faced challenges such as articulate laity and rise of the contrary literature. Mendicant orders that emerged after charismatic personalities of Saint Francis and Saint Dominic of Osma aimed at confronting the challenges (Deane 102). The two saints encouraged church leaders and preachers to spread the gospel of Christianity around the world. Saint Dominic, who founded Dominicans and Saint Francis, the founder of Franciscans convinced preachers not to retire from God’s work by enclosing themselves in monasteries, but they should reach out other believers around the world. Dominicans and Franciscans preaching in later Middle Ages created significant reforms in Christianity. Religious orders given by the s Dominicans and Franciscans caused renewal of ways of living in the 14th and 15th centuries through spirited efforts to return the rules and lifestyles of early years. Spirited effort that the Saints referred to as observant movement created reforms through invigorated public preaching. Sharp movement transformed medieval society by rebuilding it and proclaiming peace. Preachers inspired by Dominicans and Franciscans devised penitence methods in championing for remedies for devastations and sin and the proper conduct of lay individuals. Preachers had the role of denouncing individuals who strayed from societal views and beliefs. The preachers designed models for holiness proclaimed peace and devised ways of eradicating sin. Ancient Franciscans reformers opted for eremitical life though the concept later revived through preaching. Preachers such as Bernardino of Siena revived Christianity by preaching in the cities and towns of Tuscany. Bernardino condemned vices of the Italian community such as usury, gambling and civil strife. Dominican priests also remain fundamental to the reforms of medieval society and church. Antoninus, who preached as an Archbishop in Italy, advocated the sense of humanity and holiness within the streets of Florence. Antoninus composed several transformative sermons and literary works such as a treatise on the seven sins. Dominican preachers such as Giovanni Dominici railed against Jewish moneylenders and the concepts of usury. Franciscans and Dominicans developed into spiritual animators of medieval Europe. They created profound insights into the practice of pastoral strategy, which suited social changes. Friars Minor and other preachers travelled with missionary fanaticism in implementing rural strategies among converts. Role of women in the evolution of heresy Women had outlets for religious activity in the Catholic Church that entailed female championship. Women had the opportunity of operating as godmothers at baptisms and had a role in charitable network activity within the parish. Catholic women6 also listened to the sermons the Friars within the medieval city. Medieval city women also participated in processions that honored Virgin Mary and patron saints of the city (Deane 40). In Medieval heretical sect, women remained famous in their devotion to Eucharist worship. Christianity concept of sacrament and their belief of its connection to Christ body and the Virgin linked women to Eucharist worship. Women actively participated in Eucharist worship than male Romans. Catholic women also had a role in Corpus Christi processions. Corpus Christi remained the brainchild of mystic nun and Juliana of Liege. Women participated in individual preparation for Corpus Christi events such as sawdust spreading along streets and making floral decorations. Medieval women also acted as beguines and contributed to strategies of reducing the growth of heresy. Beguines spread religious practices within the medieval city through promotion of chastity and simplicity of life. They championed for moral behaviors among Christians in Medieval Europe. Beguines helped the society by meeting the needs of displaced people, attending to the sick, and consoling the poor along the growing cities of Europe in the 13th and 14th century. Beguines had no bounds to any order within Roman authority. They chose to live in the homes and with individuals who supported them. Beguines operated without influence from medieval men. Beguine movement remained an exceptional religious wave in middle Ages conceived and managed by females. The movement remained independent of direction and support of men. Beguines did not owe its impetus to men in middle ages. Women in middle ages also occupied different social roles within the medieval city. Between 5th and 15th-century women participated in familial roles such as childbearing and other family chores. They also acted as nuns in Catholic churches where they assisted in preaching Christianity. Women also participated in significant leadership roles such as queen regnant and abbess. What are the limitations of the surviving source evidence for understanding medieval heresy? The available sources of information about medieval heresy do not extensively cover all the relevant information. The information available mostly concentrated in a single variety, for instance, spiritual Beguines and Franciscans. Other sources of information also resulted from philosophical and theologians interpretations. Medieval heresy information mainly resulted from primary sources that included the existing heretics or the Christians themselves. Primary sources frequently remain biased, as the individuals tend to remain biased by either providing wrong information about opponents or giving credit to their beliefs (Deane 5). Christians dominated medieval Europe and most likely provided partisan information about heresy. Christians hated heretics and documented biased information about them. Modern history sources information from original texts created by the Romans, which remain biased. Information relied on by modern historians about heresy resulted from accessing ancient medieval documents. Catholic Church according to medieval history wrote documented such information regarding heretics that they persecuted and killed. They believed that heresy had no place in the society and remained inclined against them. Therefore, medieval documents provide partisan information that the modern society cannot rely on. Moreover, Roman emperor supported Christians in their quest for persecuting heretics and probably allowed them to give contrary information. In addition, heretics who also existed gave biased information, as they also hated the Christians. How have the ideas of modern historians about heresy changed? Modern historians remain biased on the issue of dissent and Christianity. Most modern historians have replaced confessional dogmatism with varieties of academic correctness. Contemporary historians prefer to deconstruct original historical sources in a manner that presents orthodox as unsympathetic and heretic as more sympathetic7. Modern historians sympathy writings on heretics have mainly resulted from contemporary political influence. However, as society learns more information about medieval heresy, modern historians views transforms. For instance, historians have come to comprehend the transformational symbiosis, which exists between dissent and order entirely. Transformational symbiosis existed as medieval dissent after the council of Chalcedon. Modern historians believe that Bogomil theology was originally considerate and only became extreme during struggles with Byzantine orthodoxy. Bogomilism that began in Bulgaria in 940 reached Western Europe and caused radical influence on reformists heretics. Reformist heretics had dualist tendencies that resulted into a new western heresy called Catharsis. Historians have changed their preference and ideologies from ancient oral sources of information to written sources. The transition have resulted into the change of believe to Christianity mainly because of the Bible; that is a written history. Modern historians believe in Christianity. They have condemned and disregarded heresy in their writings. Christian historians have now shifted their focus to the development of religious societies around the globe by spreading biblical books. Modern historians believe in Christianity and not heresy has resulted from greater understanding of Christianity. Work Cited Deane, Jennifer Kolpacoff. A History of Medieval Heresy and Inquisition. Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011. Print. Read More