Key Ideas from L5: Dark Ages

•    The establishment of the papal states and the corruption that ensued had as much of a negative impact on the christian movement as constantine
•    Free land is not always good
o    Pepin= king of franks- gave his conquered territory to Stephen, Bishop of Rome- gave rise to the papal states which dominated the papacy until 1870
o    Role and nature of papacy transformed tragically into petty Italian princes more concerned with secular rule
o    Charlemegne (771-814) became Holy Roman Emperor and converted nations by force
o    “descent into darkness”—feudalism, bishops apptd for wrong reason, bishops captive to state controlled church, viking invasions- destroyed celtic monasteries
•    The church loses its power to transform culture when it completely identifies with culture
•    Context of 7-9th centuries:  barbarian control of Roman empire, people accepting christianity for political reasons, lost spiritual vitality, Islam took over middle east, north africa, and spain
•    Missionaries on the periphery
o    Willibrod (658-739)- to Frisians, had authonomy in Frisia and Germany
o    Boniface- central germany, formed monastic communities of men and women, power encounter at sacred tree in Geismar
•    Nestorian movement rivalved the Celts as most vital missionary group in church
•    5th to 9th century- went across Asia and reached India by 520
•    Nestorian church died out in China and central Asia- over contextualization, scriptures not translated, church still dominated by foreign missionaries, disunity btw. Fransicans and nestorians