Church Authority
In the Middle Ages by: Faith Freeman
Fall of Rome
The fall of Rome was very devastating. It was an chaotic period. The death of Marcus Aurelius in 180 A.D. was very tragic. Aurelius was an exceptional leader. He was one of the good five emperors. The political turmoil was even worse, emperor after emperor. Generals fought for power. Also, in one 50-year period there were 26 years. It was years and years of chaos.
Examples of the impact.
Roman secular authority declined, church authority grew.
People began to stop being unholy and realized that the way of God was they way they wanted to live. They told them that the power to condemn (forgive) is very powerful in uneducated people live's. The Bishops were appointed as administrators. In other words they were in charge of government.
Taking care of the poor.
Churches were responsible for taking care of the poor and sick. During the middle ages it was a very rough time, the economy was rough and people didn't really have the Faith to go on. Then the church came in and helped a lot. They took care of the people and gave them the hope they needed to live.
Monasteries preserved Greco-Roman culture.
Inside the libraries they copied manuscripts hand-written. They wrote beautifully. Drew elaborate illustrations making sure it was carefully written at each word. Created illuminated letters. Drew the carefully illuminated letters only to carefully join it with the illuminated manuscripts.