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Medieval Religion
Religion in the medieval period is frequently depicted as a "time of ignorance and superstition," defying reason and logic. While Christianity and its denominations made up the majority of medieval religion, Germanic paganism and Islam also existed.
956 Questions
What did a joker do in medieval times?
Jokers or 'jesters' during the medieval era were those whose profession was to entertain the rich and powerful. They were sort of buffoons who played pranks, tell jokes and did tricks. They were in charge of providing humorous commentary of current events and often have more freedom of speech, due to the foolish nature of their identity and words.
Either the previous bishop of that area, or the Vatican, in special cases.
Do you have to go to school to become a monk?
To fully express my answer, firstly i need to give you some facts:
It's very simplificated, but in Christianity there are two types of people, that devote their lives completely to God (beside of them there are also "normal" people):
Priests and monks.
Priest can celebrate Holy Mass, forgive your sins, baptize, assist in wedding and many other things. He Tells people how to live, and (what is most difficult i.e. for me) tries to live himself what he is teaching to others - to pray and follow commandments and teachings of Christ in your everyday life.
Monks (if a woman is a monk, she is called nun) lives in monasteries (convents, priories...) and spend their lives praying, and doing different things according to the type of Order (one of "ways" or "organizations" for monks) like teaching in schools, or preaching in distant countries (missions) and so on.
When you want to be a priest you study in a seminary (it's six years in my country - Poland)
And to the point: If you want to be a monk you also have certain time for preparation, according to the Order you choose. There are many names for that period of formation in different orders
The most complex is that some of the monks are also priests (but nuns can't as women). And if you want to be a monk-priest (as i.e. me) firstly you prepare for your vows in a novitiate, and then study philosophy, theology, and other sciences in a seminary. Usually it's mixed - you prepare to vows and priestly ordination simulationeusly. To distinct monks from monks-priest, often first are called "brothers", and second "fathers". Nuns have also "sisters" and "mothers", but "mothre" is only a nun who is in charge of other nuns. She is not a priestess.
I hope this helps.
Why were nuns from the ranks of landed aristocracy?
In the medieval period nuns came from many social classes, including royalty. It is a fact that many came from the aristocracy and this was for several reasons.
1) Aristocratic ladies tended to be very religious in their daily lives and did no physical work of any kind - many used rosaries (paternosters) to recite prayers and they had time to attend many church services (peasant women had little spare time since they were generally working from sunrise to sunset).
2) There was no welfare system or pension arrangement for elderly ladies, so entering a nunnery ensured constant care, food, warmth, clothing and companionship. A widow whose husband had been a knight would usually find herself homeless, since the eldest son inherited everything, including all lands, manors and wealth, so entering a nunnery solved all her problems.
3) The aristocracy would be in a position to fund the establishment of a new nunnery and give donations of cash, land and valuables to ensure its continued upkeep. When these noblewomen grew old they expected something in return, treating it as an investment for their own security and wellbeing.
4) A girl from a wealthy family might decide not to marry and to devote herself entirely to the service of God. This might well involve personal fears about marriage, since people were not so informed as they are today.
How were monks and monasteries alike?
Monks were, and are, men who are devoted to religious life. They live in buildings called monasteries. So monks are people are monasteries are buildings, so in that way they are not alike at all.
Can christian monks drink coffee or wine?
OMG, I personally think it would be coffee because if monks drank loads of wine they would be alcoholics and they would get drunk and it might look funny and cool but for the Church it wouldn't be.
What was the middle ages monastery like?
Monasteries were not all the same size, nor did they always have the same layout; Cisterciuan monasteries housed both professed monks and also large numbers of lay brothers who did all the manual work - they had their own separate accommodation.
In very general terms, you approached the locked door of a walled monastery precinct and knocked. The porter (door-keeper) would be an older, more reliable monk who would receive you kindly, ask you to be as quiet as possible and stay away from the cloister range and the church - he would direct you straight to the hospital (the guest-house). You would probably pass stables and a small chapel for the use of guests, you would be shown to a small room with very little furniture (a bed with a straw mattress, a chest for clothes and a wooden bench or chair, perhaps a metal brazier for warmth. You would be given food and drink and you were not charged so long as you only stayed a night or two..
If you did approach the church and cloister, you would see the amazing size of the church building, with the cloister ranges to the south. These were arranged in a square around the cloister itself, which was often a square with a garden or lawn in the centre and a covered walkway around all four sides. The church occupied the whole of the north side; on the east would be the chapter house, library and monk's dormitory with the reredorter (lavatory block) behind; to the south would be the warming room, refectory and kitchen; to the west would be the cellarium or stores.
Within the precinct, but outside this central cloister range, would be the lodgings of the abbot or prior in charge, the bakery and brewhouse, the orchard, herb garden, monk's cemetery and the infirmary. Here old and infirm monks would be cared for and often had their own small garden and chapel.
If there were young boys being schooled at the monastery, they would have their own room beneath the dormitory where the master of boys would teach and instruct them.
There might be a mill, fish-ponds, a barn and workshops.
The daily routine was precisely regulated and every minute was allocated to prayer, work, study, meals or sleep. No free time, no recreation, no fooling about, no idle chatter or gossip, no leaving the cloister without permission.
Services (8 each day and night in total) were marked by the sounding of the monastery bells. Meals were eaten in silence and strict silence was enforced at certain other times, such as after Compline (the final service of the day) when the monks retired to their beds.
The regime was strict and punishments often severe, particularly for repeated infractions which included falling asleep in services, being late, breaking or losing anything and even having impure thoughts. Senior monks would regularly check on the others and would report any faults at the daily Chapter meeting - the accused monk must accept a punishment without objection (even if he had not done whatever he were accused of).
Lack of sleep and a limited, boring diet were the major causes of unrest in monasteries.
Monks live in monasteries, and nuns live in convents or in monasteries.
Allegiance to an immediate superior. Society was not static & feudalism/manor economy became less stable. The Church changed also.
Who did the knights serve why did they serve?
According to the code of Chivalry, knights in the middle ages would learn to fight and serve their leige lord. Knights should be brave and show qualities of loyalty and generousness.
What would you do to help you meet a witch on Halloween night?
It was said that to meet a witch on Halloween night, you had to put your clothes on inside-out and walk backwards.
How was power used and abused during the Middle Ages?
The medieval church used its religious power to manipulate people into thinking that if they did not do what the church mandated, they would go to hell. The church took advantage of the superstitious people and medieval kings and used its religious power to take over the world. Power in the middle ages was used and abused the same as it is today - the rich and powerful do as they want, and the lesser people get trampled on.
During the middle ages were there many religions being practiced in Europe?
Yes, there were many religions in medieval Europe.
At the beginning of the Middle Ages, the area of the Roman Empire was largely Christian, and the areas to the north were nearly all pagan. The Christians gradually converted the pagans, but this was not a quick process, and continued through most of the Middle Ages. The pagans were of many different types, and there were many different religions among them
Christianity was not uniform, and there were many branches of it. The Catholic Church was the official Roman religion, but there were many others, including the Coptic Orthodox Church, Oriental Orthodox Church, Celtic Church, and others. Some of these were absorbed into the Catholic Church, and others continue today. The Catholic Church split into Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches in 1054. Other Christian churches, such as the Cathars, arose, though they were considered heretical.
Islam arose in the 7th century beginning in Arabia. It spread, mainly by conquest, to all of North Africa, Palestine, Asia Minor, Spain, and even parts of Italy, all of which were parts of the Roman Empire at one time. It also spread to other parts of the world, in Asia and Africa. In Europe, it was primarily important in Spain, from 711 to the end of the Middle Ages, and in the Balkans, where it remains as an important religion today.
What religion do the medieval bishops follow?
Medieval Europe, not just the bishops, followed Christianity, in the form of the Catholic religion, those head was the Roman Pope.
What are some of the grandest indicators of the strength of religious belief in the Middle Ages?
The way they restrain from the things forbidden in their religion.
What was The role of a monk in the 16th century?
There were many roles for a monk in the 16th century. There would be a silent monk, who would live his life in silence as an act of honorary to his religion, a Prior who would be a deputy head monk, a Frior who would be the head monk, and Community monks who would help out with the community.
The medieval church taught that salvation was?
A joint venture, a combination of divine mercy and human good works.
What religions spread throughout the roman empire during the middle ages?
None. There was no Roman empire during the middle ages. The western part of the empire fell roughly in 476. The eastern part hung on until 1453 but their religion was Christianity. They were conquered by the Ottoman Turks who were Muslim, but were not part of the Roman empire.
What was it called when you went against the church?
The general terms are:
heresy - expressing a belief counter to those held by a church or faith
apostasy - renouncing one's former religion or belief
blasphemy - a statement expressing contempt or irreverence toward the sacred
Galileo was charged and convicted of heresy for saying that the Earth revolved around the Sun, which violated the tenet of the Roman Catholic Church that Earth was the center of the universe.
How important were images of heaven and hell in the middle-ages?
In the middle ages people could not read or write, so they would look at pictures instead to understand the story of the bible.
Since this was the only religeon, people had to stick with it or they would be threatened by the pope, the leader of the church, that they had to follow it.
The pictures of Hell were so frightning that the people did not dare to commit a sin.
What was the role of the church in maintaining social and political oreder in the middle ages?
My balls
What vows did monks take during the middle ages?
Monks took vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience. There is a link below to the section on early Christianity of an article on Christian monasticism.
How did the Church shape Medieval life?
- People when to church every Sunday and were awoken by the church bells every morning
- Had to pray every night
- The only way they believed they could get into heaven was if the Catholic Church let them, so they always went to church
- Payed tithes
