European Middle Ages - The Papacy

[skip.knox]

An article on the medieval papacy is now up on my European Middle Ages website.This is part one of three, covering the early Middle Ages.
http://europeanmiddleages.info/papacy/
The index to all the articles is here:
History by Ellis L. Knox

 

[ThinkerX]

like the way you dodged various theological controversies (Gnosticism, Arianism) plus the likes of Sol Invictus, Mithraism, Nicean (sp?) council, and assorted issues revolving around the Trinity.

(looked into the history of Christianity many years ago - probably around the time you were teaching this stuff. fascinating, bloody, corrupt mess)

 

[skip.knox]

Dodged on purpose. All these essays were originally lectures, and I was mainly laying the groundwork for the medieval papacy, so I kept theology at arm's length. Plus, it was a Western Civ course. A person really needs some grounding before wading into theology, in any era.

Fascinating ... agreed. Bloody ... no more so than the general run of human nonsense. Ditto for corruption. I would pay due credit for the many who were sincere, peaceful (and even pacific), honorable, courageous. And the vast numbers who were ordinary folk with ordinary virtues and failings. One day, very eventually, I'll post my essay on Bishop Otto of Bamberg and the conversion of the Pomerani, a story that illustrates (as do many) both virtues and failings.