medieval church – early and medieval christian heresy

Jan Hus and the Hussites

Published on June 4, 2015 Author smoholt@uoregon.edu2 Comments

Through the structural system forming around Prague and Bohemia at large, it comes as little surprise that they would function as a center for heretical thought in the fourteenth and fifteenth century. Prague, being at the intersection of Italy and Germany made it an ideal location for merchants, and as a result, economic activity. As such,… Continue reading Jan Hus and the Hussites →

Jan Hus

Published on June 4, 2015 Author tmcmill4@uoregon.edu2 Comments

The Roman Catholic churched played a political role that lead to a religious schism in Bohemia. There were two rivaling popes at the time that lead to disputes regarding piousness and political opinion. Another reason for the political upheaval and unrest in Bohemia was the political dispute between the Germans and the Czechs. Their rivalry… Continue reading Jan Hus →

Jan Hus background

Published on June 3, 2015 Author msherwoo

A few thoughts – I’m too burnt out from Tuesday to come up with anything coherent. Mengel, David “A Plague on Bohemia? Mapping the Black Death.” Past and Present 211 (2011): 3-34. The often-cited “fact” that Bohemia and southern Poland escaped the mid-14th century bubonic plague epidemic rests on shaky evidence, but total mortality was… Continue reading Jan Hus background →

Inquisition In the Early Medieval Church

Published on May 21, 2015 Author smoholt@uoregon.eduLeave a comment

When discussing the role of inquisition in the fight against heresy, intention becomes a topic of tricky distinction. While the general desire was that of rehabilitation as the inquisitors were tasked with herding lost sheep, the struggles for power cannot be denied. As heretics ultimately stood as a symbol of opposition towards the church, their… Continue reading Inquisition In the Early Medieval Church →

Papal and Decrees

Published on May 21, 2015 Author tmcmill4@uoregon.edu

The main group of heretics, which posed a threat to the church, consisted of the Cathars, Albigensians, Manichaeans and Good Christians.Pope Innocent III spearheaded the first notable action against heretics; he said that any act of heresy would be considered treason. This decree would be known as Vergentis Ad abolendam. If you were found guilty… Continue reading Papal and Decrees →

The Construction of Heresy

Published on May 21, 2015 Author msherwoo

The twelfth and thirteenth centuries saw the development both of active, widespread movements that challenged the official theology and hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church, and the development of an apparatus, the Inquisition, to systematically identify and extirpate heretical communities. The earliest sect to pose such a challenge was that variously called the Cathars, Albigensians,… Continue reading The Construction of Heresy →