Читать книгу The World's Christians - Douglas Jacobsen - Страница 47

During the years 500 to 1000, the geographic center of Catholicism moved northward from the Mediterranean Sea to western Europe. This geographic shift was the result of two developments. The first development was the so‐called “barbarian” invasion of the western Roman Empire, and the subsequent conversion of these non‐Roman people to Christianity. That process began in 496 with the conversion of King Clovis of France and was mostly complete by the year 1000, when Christianity reached Scandinavia. The second development was the rise and spread of Islam, which effectively ended the Christian domination of north Africa. As a result, Western Europe began to be considered as Catholic territory, and Catholic Christians began to view themselves as Europeans.

These five centuries were a time of considerable social disorder in Europe. As older political structures faltered and then collapsed, Catholic bishops often assumed some local governmental responsibilities, and the Pope, as the Bishop of Rome, became the only individual who had any authority over the entire region. The resulting social structure, which mixed religious and political concerns, came to be known as Christendom. Not surprisingly, European Christendom was fraught with disputes as church leaders and local governmental leaders clashed over who was ultimately in charge. The situation became even more complex in 781 with the creation of the Papal States, a separate country which included almost all central Italy and over which the Pope ruled as monarch. (Today’s Vatican City is the last remnant of this ancient Catholic nation.) The social disorders of this era had a permanent influence on Catholic theological beliefs, including a new emphasis on the sacrifice and the death of Christ. This new emphasis found visual representation in the crucifix, which became an important object of Catholic devotion during the closing years of this period (see Figure 2.5).