Religious Life Flashcards
(40 cards)
What were saints believed to be?
Intermediary between heaven and earth
Focus of a cult
Possessed super natural powers because they were holy
What were many saints in the beginning and how did this affect contemporary behaviour?
Early saints mostly martyrs (minority in Roman empire/late antiquity)
People tried desperately to be martyred so many people travelled to the holy land
Why did saints need to be popular in all senses of the word?
Gain a devoted following (like local football team)
Pilgrims
Powerful people could promote saints/cults for own repute and that
Early on, was there a strict criteria to be a saint?
No
Pope doesn’t have exclusive power over canonisation at this point - so long as someone supported it, there were cults
What is the relationship between Saint Marshal and Saint Steven in France?
Land of clergy considered property of the Saint
Competition between these (and other) churches as saints play to their prestige/brand
When did the papacy have the exclusive of canonisation?
Late 11th CE
What did Pope Alexander III say to the Swedish king?
“It is not permitted to venerate him as a saint without the authority of the Roman Church”
After the papacy claims the rights, what was the general process in getting someone canonised?
- Had to bang on about them for ages
- Then the pope sends 3 commissioners to the region
- Proctor represents the petitioner’s case
- Witnesses are thoroughly questioned
- The man’s miracles had to be common knowledge in the area (eg inquest into Elizabeth of Hungary - 700 witnesses)
How did canonisation become political and give an example of the figures
1198-1500, only 40 saints canonised
In Avignon, it could take up to 30yrs for the process to be completed and approved –> half of petitions didn’t even get to an investigation, just ignored
This meant saints needed powerful lobbyists (eg kings and bishops), making canonisation political
Despite canonisation becoming a rarity, what was the reality of worship?
- Uncanonised saints still worshipped by local cults, papacy deemed them inferior
- Canonised vs uncanonised = 1:21
- eg Simon de Montfort, even Franciscans supported him
Who believed common vernacular society and the literate elite were against each other?
Jacques le Goff and Jean-Claude Schmitt
What is important to remember in Robert Ian Moore’s statement, “Heresy is in the eye of the beholder”?
No strict criteria in acting and worshipping the right way - no one medieval culture shared by all nations (eg the differences in religious practice between catholic and orthodox church)
Why did saint cults get smaller and smaller over time?
Christ and Mary got bigger and bigger (eg reformation)
What did ‘The Church’ mean to contemporaries?
Every member of the church (including peasants and dead members)
What does the term regular mean?
‘Regular’ is following a rule (eg Monks)
What did the secular church deal with?
The everyday world (eg Bishops, archdeacons, deacons, priests etc)
What is important to remember about the papacy and the fourth Lateran council?
Pope doesn’t control everything, factions within this
What is a canon
An ecclesiastical law
Provide some background surrounding the fourth Lateran council
The 4th crusade saw the sacking of Constantinople, kept it going with a Catholic ruler so catholic influence then extended across the Mediterranean
There was now papal supremacy across all Christian churches
What is important to note about the first canon of the 4LC?
It is a ‘Confession of faith’ not a law - main priority to get everyone on the same page as to the nature and extent of belief, so people would agree that catholic church is right way of doing it (hence problems with heresy)
First 4 canons are about establishing the truth and true faith
How did Innocent III describe the position of pope?
“Higher than man but lower than God”
Who were legates?
Act as pope’s representatives (usually Cardinals)
What shows a huge growth in papal power and influence?
- 1050: Pope Leo IX couldn’t appoint anyone outside of central Italy
- 1342: Pope Clement VI nominated candidates for 100,000 church offices
What was a Decretal?
A papal decree containing a judgement concerning a point in canon law
