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Chapter 2: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, c.700–c.1500

Chapter 2: The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, c.700–c.1500

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The Middle Ages and the Renaissance, c.700–c.1500

With the collapse and gradual disintegration of the western Roman empire in the fifth century, the face of western Europe began to change. A patchwork of regions and city-states began to emerge, each in fierce competition for territory and influence. Yet, during this period of fragmentation, the Christian church gradually began to develop a political and temporal role that placed it at the heart of western culture. As some degree of political and economic stability emerged around the year 1100, the church was poised to exercise a major role in shaping the culture of the Middle Ages.

The expansion of Islam around the Mediterranean in the seventh century led to widespread political destabilization and further structural changes in the region. By the eleventh century, however, a degree of stability had emerged within this area, as three major power groupings emerged to take the place of the former Roman empire.

  • Byzantium, centered on the city of Constantinople (now Istanbul, in modern-day Turkey). The form of Christianity that predominated in this region was based on the Greek language and was deeply rooted in the writings of patristic scholars of the eastern Mediterranean region, such as Athanasius (c.293–373), the Cappadocian fathers, and John of Damascus (c.676–749). A discussion of some distinctive themes of Byzantine theology may be found on pp. 27–9.
  • Western Europe, mainly regions such as those now known as France, Germany, the Low Countries, and northern Italy. The form of Christianity that came to dominate this region was centered on the city of Rome and its bishop, known as “the pope.” (However, during the period known as the “Great Schism,” some confusion developed: there were two rival claimants for the papacy, one based at Rome, the other at the southern French city of Avignon.) In this region, theology came to be concentrated in the great cathedral and university schools of Paris and elsewhere, based largely on the Latin writings of Augustine (354–430), Ambrose of Milan (c.337–97), and Hilary of Poitiers (c.300–68).
  • The Caliphate, an Islamic region embracing much of the extreme eastern and southern parts of the Mediterranean. The expansion of Islam continued, with the fall of Constantinople in 1453 sending shock waves throughout much of western Europe. By the end of the fifteenth century, Islam had established a significant presence in two regions of the continent of Europe: Spain and the Balkans. This advance was eventually halted by the defeat of the Moors in Spain in the final decade of the fifteenth century, and the defeat of Islamic armies outside Vienna in 1523.

    • The Middle Ages represented an immensely creative and innovative period in Christian theology. The courts, the monasteries, and later the universities of Europe became centers of excellence for theological reflection, where new approaches to the relation of Christian thought and life were developed. The period was given an added injection of vitality through the rise of the Renaissance in western Europe. This dynamic cultural program aimed to reinvigorate the life and thought of the church and society as a whole through the creative reappropriation of the classical past. As so many theological landmarks date from this period, it is important to identify and reflect on its achievements and contributions to the theological agenda. But first, we must reflect on some problems of definition.

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