Partakers Christian Podcasts

Bible Reading - Psalm 94

Psalm 94

¹ O Lord, the God of vengeance, O God of vengeance, let your glorious justice shine forth!

² Arise, O judge of the earth. Give the proud what they deserve.

³ How long, O Lord? How long will the wicked be allowed to gloat?
⁴ How long will they speak with arrogance? How long will these evil people boast?
⁵ They crush your people, Lord, hurting those you claim as your own.
⁶ They kill widows and foreigners and murder orphans.
⁷ "The Lord isn't looking," they say, "and besides, the God of Israel doesn't care."
⁸ Think again, you fools! When will you finally catch on?
⁹ Is he deaf-the one who made your ears? Is he blind-the one who formed your eyes?
¹⁰ He punishes the nations-won't he also punish you? He knows everything-doesn't he also know what you are doing?
¹¹ The Lord knows people's thoughts; he knows they are worthless!
¹² Joyful are those you discipline, Lord, those you teach with your instructions.
¹³ You give them relief from troubled times until a pit is dug to capture the wicked.
¹⁴ The Lord will not reject his people; he will not abandon his special possession.
¹⁵ Judgment will again be founded on justice, and those with virtuous hearts will pursue it.
¹⁶ Who will protect me from the wicked? Who will stand up for me against evildoers?
¹⁷ Unless the Lord had helped me, I would soon have settled in the silence of the grave.
¹⁸ I cried out, "I am slipping!" but your unfailing love, O Lord, supported me.
¹⁹ When doubts filled my mind, your comfort gave me renewed hope and cheer.
²⁰ Can unjust leaders claim that God is on their side - leaders whose decrees permit injustice?
²¹ They gang up against the righteous and condemn the innocent to death.
²² But the Lord is my fortress; my God is the mighty rock where I hide.
²³ God will turn the sins of evil people back on them. He will destroy them for their sins. The Lord our God will destroy them.

Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Church History Part 19

Church History Part 19

Church in the Middle Ages 2

During this time, there was a growing restlessness. Some people were starting to think about separating the church from institutional monarchies – particularly with England.

The Scholastics - The papal reforms in the 11th - 13th centuries saw a rise in interest in education. The Cathedral schools surpassed the monastic schools by the 12th century. The universities rose from the Cathedral schools. Oxford, Cambridge & Paris Universities date back to this period. All education was in the hands of the Church. The great thinkers were monks or clergy. There was great debate over theology & philosophy with many attempts to harmonise the thinking of Greek philosophers such as Aristotle with theology.

Anselm (1033-1109) – Anselm was born in Italy and raised in Normandy. Prior to becoming the Archbishop of Canterbury in 1093, he was a Benedictine monk, teacher, and abbot before continuing his church career in England. He is renowned as a great philosopher and theologian and during his time as Archbishop saw that the church was at least partly independent from the civil government. This was very radical for its time! Such a reformer, even before the reformation to come and worked to suppress the slave trade.

One of the things, amongst many, which we as 21st century church remember Anselm for is the satisfaction theory of the atonement, where God becoming man in the birth of Jesus Christ, the incarnation, guaranteed relief from God’s demands for strict divine justice.

He is also renowned for being the first to use the Ontological argument for the existence of God through philosophy, rationality and logic, in the book Proslogion. He did this on the basis of "that than which nothing greater can be conceived", or if it could exist in the mind, it could therefore exist in reality. If it only existed in the mind, then something or someone greater is possible – one which exists in both mind and reality. You can read more about it here as well as download some of his writings freely by visiting the CCEL website.

Thomas Beckett – Thomas Beckett was born in 1118 to a middle class family, was well educated including a time at the University of Paris. He was integrated into the household of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Theobald and completed several missions for him. In 1154 he was ordained as a deacon and appointed archdeacon of Canterbury. With this ordination by Theobold and the king, Henry II, Beckett would have been expected to represent their interests vocally.

Following the death of Theobald in 1161, King Henry II was hoping to stunt the demand for separation of church and state as well as cutting back on the power of the church. Beckett was quickly ordained a priest in 1162 before shortly after becoming Archbishop of Canterbury.

Despite opposition from King Henry II and others, Thomas Beckett endeavoured to make the church independent of the government. He took a form of ascetism upon himself, resigned from working for the King and put all his efforts and work tion the interests of the church alone. This led to frequent clashes with the English monarchy and under Henry II.

It subsequently led to his exile in 1164. Upon his return to England in 1170, he excommunicated several bishops who had opposed him. Later that year, he was killed in the cathedral by four knights under he orders of King Henry II.

That’s it for this time! Next time in our series HAHA, we will finalise our look at the Middle Ages, with a look at one of the supreme thinkers of the historical Church, Thomas Aquinas, as well as looking briefly to the East and the Orthodox church.

Tap or click here to download/ save this as an audio mp3 file

Bible Reading - Psalm 87

Psalm 87

A Psalm by the sons of Korah; a Song.

His foundation is in the holy mountains.
Yahweh loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob.
Glorious things are spoken about you, city of God.

Selah.

I will record Rahab and Babylon among those who acknowledge me.
Behold, Philistia, Tyre, and also Ethiopia:
“This one was born there.”
Yes, of Zion it will be said, “This one and that one was born in her”;
the Most High himself will establish her.
Yahweh will count, when he writes up the peoples,
“This one was born there.”

Selah.

Those who sing as well as those who dance say,“All my springs are in you.”

Right mouse click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

 

Church History Part 18

Church History - Part 18

Church in the Middle Ages 1

Today we look briefly at a monastic revival in the Middle Ages! As we saw last time, under the leadership of Hildebrande and Innocent III, there was a revival of monastic orders. Let us look briefly at some of the prime people from this period of our Church History.

Cistercians

This order of monks was founded in 1097 in France, the village we know now as Cîteaux, by a group of Benedictine Monks including Robert of Molesme, Alberic of Citeaux and Stephen Harding. The Cistericans are also known as the White Monks due to the colour of their clothing over which a black head-dress is worn. The Cistercians lifestyle emphasizes a manual labour rather than scholarship, an ascetic lifestyle and self-sufficiency. Many Cistercian abbeys supported themselves through brewing ales and from agriculture. One man who helped them spread rapidly throughout Europe was the next person we will learn about – Bernard of Clairvaux, who entered the monastery in the early 1100s with 30 companions.

Bernard of Clairveaux (1097-1153)

He was one of the most influential leaders and stressed a devotional relationship with God, and led many men into a monastic lifestyle.

Here are some quotes attributed to him, which reflect this:

• “The road to hell is paved with good intentions.”
• “There are those who seek knowledge for the sake of knowledge; that is Curiosity. There are those who seek knowledge to be known by others; that is Vanity. There are those who seek knowledge in order to serve; that is Love.”
• “Many of those who are humiliated are not humble. Some react to humiliation with anger, others with patience, and others with freedom. The first are culpable, the next harmless, the last just.”

By the end of the 12th century, wealth & laxity had crept into the monastic movement and as a result, declined rapidly. However, the preaching monks soon became more important.

Preaching Monks

These monks lived together under a strict rule, but went into the community to teach and preach. Friars were the most important preaching monks. Two such orders were the Franciscans (Grey Friars, Lesser Friars) and the Dominicans

Francis of Assisi (1182-1276)

The founder of the Franciscans was probably the man who is one of the most known monks of all. Francis was born the son of a wealthy Italian cloth merchant Pietro di Bernardone. During his early adulthood, Francis lived a typical life of most young and wealthy men, and even fought as a soldier. He had a vision when at war in 1204, which directed him back to Assisi. Here he lost his taste for his wealth and worldly life.
Francis gave away his possessions to live a simple lifestyle, begging and giving to the poor and caring for the sick. He gained many followers and was given his official status by Pope Gregory IX, when on July 16, 1228, he was pronounced a saint. Francis’ lifestyle and teaching stressed simplicity, poverty, genuine devotion to God, preaching and charity.

Here is a copy of his famous prayer:

Lord, make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred, let me sow love;
Where there is injury, pardon;
Where there is doubt, faith;
Where there is despair, hope;
Where there is darkness, light;
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled, as to console;
to be understood, as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to Eternal Life.
Amen.

Dominicans

(Black Friars, founded 1220). This order of Monks was founded by a Spanish priest, Dominic de Guzman. While he made his headquarters in Rome, he did travel widely to visit the growing brotherhood of friars under the Dominican movement. They were renowned for the fact that they owned no property and had no revenues – simply trusting in God to provide. He emphasised the Friars role of teaching and they rapidly spread throughout the lands. They quickly became known as the "Watchdogs of the Lord", and were renowned for hunting down heretics.

Here are some quotes attributed to him:

• Arm yourself with prayer rather than a sword; wear humility rather than fine clothes.
• A man who governs his passions is master of his world. We must either command them or be enslaved by them. It is better to be a hammer than an anvil.

Tap or click here to save download this as an audio mp3 file

Bible Reading - Psalm 117

Psalm 117

Praise God, everybody!

Applaud God, all people!

His love has taken over our lives;

God's faithful ways are eternal.

Hallelujah!

Right mouse click to save/download this Psalm as a MP3 file

Church History Part 17

HAHA Part 17

The Papacy at its Height

Today we look at the papacy at the height of its power…

After Charlemagne, the church declined rapidly into its lowest point - immorality, corruption, simony (buying positions in the Church). However that was soon to change! Throughout Europe, civil authorities sought power over the church and endeavoured to limit the power of the Pope. However, reform was coming and the church started to get its own house in order.

The Cluniac Monastic Movement -  This as a reform movement started by Duke William 1 in the year 910, in a monastery in Cluny, France to purify the monastic movement. Most of the needed reforms were undertaken by Odo and quickly spread throughout France, England, Spain and Italy.

The catalyst for this reform was the large scale corruption with the church. Simony and concubinage were rife and resulted from secular interference and the Church’s strict integration with the ruling systems.

The reforms set in place, quickly spread quickly, to over 350 houses in the 10th century. This produced many prominent leaders who set out to reform the Church. We will see more of those leaders in coming episodes of this series. In 1059, the papacy was removed from interference from secular powers. The creation of the College of Cardinals was formed to elect new Popes.

Hildebrand – He is also known as Pope Gregory VII. Before he came to power, he was an archdeacon. He strongly advocated the celibacy of the clergy and attacked simony and corruption. Hildebrand fought for freedom of the church from the state. He claimed everyone was to be subject primarily to the Pope, before they were subject to the civil authorities.
He had a long battle with the Holy Roman Emperor Henry IV, and was eventually placed in exile. He did perpetuate the thought that pope was the visible head of the church and the presence of Peter in all bishops of Rome, the Pope. The church attained a state of power and authority over the lives of all people and sought to influence every aspect of their lives.

The Crusades (1095 - 1270) - These were religious wars fought by the Western empire to recover Holy Land from Islam and to protect Constantinople. There were 7-8 major crusades, although this was a continual flow of people. People were offered incentives to join - miraculous provision; no tax; free from purgatory etc. Thousands died on the long journeys. Only the 1st crusade was successful in regaining Jerusalem. They arrived in 1099, and subsequently lost it in 1150, and it was never regained. The remaining crusades achieved very little despite the great efforts. Chief behind these crusades was Pope Innocent III.

Innocent III (1198 - 1216) - Pope Innocent III humiliated the kings of England and France, and forced them to be obedient to himself and his whims. This shows that he had great power and control over nearly all Christian kings in Europe. Innocent III had the same policies as Hildebrande, but carried them out to a greater success rate He presided over the 4th Lateran Council - one of the Roman Catholic churches greatest councils.

4th Lateran Council - This Council called by Pope Innocent III and began November 11, 1215 in Rome’s Lateran Palace. It is also sometimes called the General Council of Lateran with over 1400 participants from the breadth of the church clergy, as well as representatives of several monarchies.

Innocent III presented 71 decrees over the course of the Council. This included the decree to free the holy Land from Islam rule, which was part of the Crusades. Those decrees were ratified with little discussion and enacted upon.

Some of the things ratified at the Council included:

• Procedures to penalise heretics and their protectors
• Great encouragement to the Orthodox church to reunite with the Roman Church and accept its decrees, that there may visibly be only one church.
• The decree Omnis Utriusque Sexus, whereby all Christians were to confess their sins at least once a year to their own priest. This was ratification of earlier decrees, therefore making confession before a priest a sacramental obligation.
• Jews and Muslim peoples were to wear special clothing in order to distinguish them from Christians.
• Christian authorities were to take action against blasphemous behaviour.

That’s it for this time! Next time in our series we will start to look at the Church in the Middle Ages. Thanks for listening! Come back to Partakers, where every day there is something new to encourage your walk as a Christian in the 21st century.

Tap or click here to save this as an audio mp3 file

Bible Reading - Psalm 90

Psalm 90

90:1 Lord, you have been our dwelling place for all generations.
90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, before you had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
90:3 You turn man to destruction, saying, “Return, you children of men.”

90:4 For a thousand years in your sight are just like yesterday when it is past, like a watch in the night.
90:5 You sweep them away as they sleep. In the morning they sprout like new grass.
90:6 In the morning it sprouts and springs up. By evening, it is withered and dry.
90:7 For we are consumed in your anger. We are troubled in your wrath.

90:8 You have set our iniquities before you, our secret sins in the light of your presence.
90:9 For all our days have passed away in your wrath. We bring our years to an end as a sigh.
90:10 The days of our years are seventy, or even by reason of strength eighty years; yet their pride is but labor and sorrow, for it passes quickly, and we fly away.

90:11 Who knows the power of your anger, your wrath according to the fear that is due to you?
90:12 So teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom.
90:13 Relent, Yahweh! How long? Have compassion on your servants!
90:14 Satisfy us in the morning with your loving kindness, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days.

90:15 Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, for as many years as we have seen evil.
90:16 Let your work appear to your servants; your glory to their children.
90:17 Let the favor of the Lord our God be on us; establish the work of our hands for us; yes, establish the work of our hands.

 

Click or tap here to save this Podcast as a MP3.

Church History Part 16

Church Part 16

Debates! Decretals! Donation! Doctrinal Disputes

G’day and welcome to Partakers and to our series, HAHA – Heroes and Heretics Abound. Together we are looking at the story of the church from its origins to the Age of Reasoning in the 18th century.

Today we will look very briefly at debates, decretals, a donation and doctrinal disputes! All of which help to make up what makes Church History so fascinating!
Debates!

Use of images and pictures - During the 8th century, there was intense debate over the use of images and pictures to aid in worship. Pope Gregory 1 had allowed them to stimulate worship, but was very clear in that they were not to be objects of worship or adoration. However, they quickly became objects of worship and adoration, with the Eastern Church eventually allowed salutation and honorific worship of images, which in turn led to the strong use of images. This practise is still alive in the Orthodox churches today. The Roman Church however, have resisted their use.

The False Decretals

In about the year 850, documents, which we know to be decretals or papal orders, purporting to go back to the 1st century, were discovered. These documents, or Decretals, contained decisions and laws of the Roman bishop, the Pope, and designed to elevate the power of the Papacy. This was an attempt to prove the original power of the Pope and the bishops against the metropolitan and secular authorities.
These documents mainly consisted of material plagiarised from older writings, including genuine documents, and pieced together. The excerpts were freely altered, and at times concluded differently to the originals. Chiefly, these False Decretals safeguarded the privileges and choices of the bishops, because the bishops were the pillars of the Christian church. Therefore they deserved protection from the laity and other bishops. They were later found to be forgeries in the 15th century, but by that time they had already been well used by the Papacy. These were discovered to be a forgery in the 15th century by an Italian Catholic priest Lorenzo Valla.

Donation of Constantine

Part of these False Decretals was the Donation of Constantine, quite possibly the most famous of the Decretals. This forged document claimed that Constantine presented the Pope with the insignia of the Western Empire, giving him authority over all the Empire. However, there had been some doubt over their authenticity since the 11th century.
Here is an excerpt:

Emperor Constantine yielded his crown, and all his royal prerogatives in the city of Rome, and in Italy, and in western parts to the Apostolic See. … The Emperor Constantine the fourth day after his baptism conferred this privilege on the Pontiff of the Roman church, that in the whole Roman world priests should regard him as their head, as judges do the king.
We-together with all our satraps, and the whole senate and my nobles, and also all the people subject to the government of glorious Rome-considered it advisable, that as the Blessed Peter is seen to have been constituted vicar of the Son of God on the earth, so the Pontiffs who are the representatives of that same chief of the apostles, should obtain from us and our empire the power of a supremacy greater than the clemency of our earthly imperial serenity is seen to have conceded to it, choosing that same chief of the apostles and his vicars to be our constant intercessors with God.

And to the extent of our earthly imperial power, we have decreed that his holy Roman church shall be honoured with veneration, and that more than our empire and earthly throne the most sacred seat of the Blessed Peter shall be gloriously exalted, we giving to it power, and dignity of glory, and vigour, and honour imperial. The Pontiff, who at the time shall be at the head of the holy Roman church itself, shall be more exalted than, and chief over, all the priests of the whole world, and according to his judgment everything which is provided for the service of God and for the stability of the faith of Christians is to be administered.

Doctrinal Disputes

Eastern & Western Church Moves Apart - During this period there was also upheaval within the churches. The Eastern and Western churches moved even further apart during this period. What were some of the differences between the Eastern and Western churches?
Language – Eastern church spoke Greek, and the West church therefore spoke Latin.

Theology - There was debate over the role of the Holy Spirit. The Eastern Church believed that the Holy Spirit was sent from the Father through the Son. The Western Church believed that the Holy Spirit was sent from the Father and the Son.

Transubstantiation - Paschasius Radbertus wrote a treatise in 831 'on the Body and Blood of the Lord' defining the real presence of Christ in the Eucharist. This was accepted as official doctrine at the Lutheran Council in 1215.

Confession - popularised during the 8th century, and first commanded by the bishop in 763.

Priesthood - the priesthood was considerably elevated by now with the priests becoming a class of mediators between 'man and God'.

Next time we will look at the Papacy at its very height! Thanks for listening! Come back to Partakers, where every day there is something new to encourage your walk as a Christian in the 21st century.

Tap or click here to download and save this as an audio mp3 file

Testimony - Glimpses 33 - Dave

Why I am a Christian?

Right mouse click to save/download this testimony as a MP3 file

The Apostle John, writing in 1 John 5:9-12 - "We accept man's testimony, but God's testimony is greater because it is the testimony of God, which he has given about his Son. Anyone who believes in the Son of God has this testimony in his heart. Anyone who does not believe God has made him out to be a liar, because he has not believed the testimony God has given about his Son. And this is the testimony: God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son. He who has the Son has life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have life."

Why Is It So?

A testimony is an assertion offering firsthand authentication of a fact. For the Christian Disciple, classically it is generally expressed as how they became a Christian Disciple. But I think it is more than just how, and should expressly include why you are a Christian Disciple. I wonder what is your testimony about how you became a Christian Disciple? When was the last time you thanked our God for your testimony? Have you even thought about your testimony of how you became a Christian Disciple? I am sure you have all heard kids in the supermarket yelling out "Why?" to their parents. We all have, I am sure, questions we want to know the answer to. Why? The question I am often asked is "You are a Christian. Why is it so?" My father, was and remained throughout his life a convinced agnostic and in the few conversations we had about religion and Christianity, he could never understand why it was, that I could not just admit that I would never know if God existed or not, far less a God who was personally interested in me. I was frequently told that Churches were dangerous places and Christians merely deluded fools... My reply as ever, was that the very question "Why is it so?" needed to be answered, in order for me to be satisfied.

Why I am a Christian?

Now I could say that at the age of 12, we moved to a town on the coast of Australia, and was invited along to a local youth group and several weeks later, gave my life to Christ and became a Christian. Of course that is partly true. I can't even claim to be a Christian because I was raised in a Christian country. Australia was and is probably the second most secular country on this planet. Sure Australia has its moral base grounded in historic Christianity, but for the latter part of its history, Australia has been thoroughly secular and non-religious. Even if I had been raised in a country such as England, with Christian parents, that would also, only be partly true and I could have rejected Christianity as many people do. The reason that I am a Christian is not because I chased God, but rather He chased me. Unknown to me at the time, God was chasing me and following my every path with the urgency of a lover after the beloved, just as described in the Song of Songs (Song of Songs 2:2-14).

God had been pursuing me

This piece of poetic Scripture speaks about the love that God has for his people, and the energy He puts in to calling his people to Himself. He is always reaching out, for all to return to His arms. As for me, it wasn't until I was a 12 year old that I heard that I needed to accept Jesus as my Lord and Saviour. Before that I didn't know I had to do anything with this Jesus. Jesus was only a curse word for me at the time. That or was just someone or something that the RE teachers bored me with at school. We are primarily Christians, not because we come to church services or just happened to have been born in a supposedly Christian country. We are primarily Christians, because God first chased and harried us into His arms.

We are Christians, if you are one, because God first loved you. And as a tremendous lover, He beckons and calls people all the time to respond to His call, and back to Him. How does He chase us with His love? He chases each person differently, just as each Christian testimony is different. Take for instance the Apostle Paul in Acts 8 & 9. God chased him through Paul's mind and his religious upbringing and education. Paul had known about God from his childhood. Paul was a righteous Pharisee who saw persecuting these ‘Christians' as his religious duty, so that he may somehow find favour with God. As Paul was gloating over the death of the martyr Stephen, God was pursuing Him, probably raising doubts in Paul's mind as to why Stephen would say at the point of death "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit and forgive them for what they do" (Acts 7:54-60). Surely doubts must have been raised in Paul's mind as he approved of this death (Acts 8:1). Paul was also wrestling with his conscience. Externally he was a righteous man, a Pharisee of Pharisees. Yet when he internally examined himself and his heart, he found himself failing regarding covetousness, which is the last of the Ten Commandments. Then finally, Jesus himself makes a sudden and dramatic appearance before Paul and confronts him directly, "Why are you kicking against me? Why are you rejecting my advances?" (Acts 9)

Paul's conversion to Christianity is often described as being sudden. But the only thing sudden about his conversion was this climatic appearance of Jesus. Just as that was true of Paul, it is true of me, just as it is true of all those who profess to call themselves a Christian Disciple. I am a Christian Disciple not because of anything I have done, but rather because He first chased me, and because He first loved me. Jesus himself said "I came to seek and to save the lost" (Luke 19:10).

If you are a Christian today, it is not because of anything you have done. It is because of the events at Christmas and Easter that you are a Christian, when God entered this world as a human baby and took all the necessary steps so that all people could have the choice to be His people or not. In my more smug moments I used to congratulate myself for being a Christian. How proud I was that I, was a Christian and that God was a jolly lucky God that I had decided to follow Him. It was during one of my less self-deluded moments, that I examined myself and I found God pricking my conscience and correcting me, and I read the New Testament "For the Son of Man came, not to be served but to give His life as a ransom for many" (Mark10:45).

Right mouse click to save/download this testimony as a MP3 file

Church History Part 15

Church History Part 15

United We Fall?

In Europe, various barbarian factions ruled yet many held the unity of the Roman Empire in their imagination. The barbarous factions were often at war with one another, yet there was an underlying yearning that one day Europe would once again be united under a new Roman Empire! In all of this there came a time when a new centre of power arose from within the landlord aristocracy, as power was greedily gobbled up and transferred to them. Amidst this, one central figure arose the “mayor of the palace.”  The first of these we will look at is Charles Martel.

Charles Martel: The family of Charles Martel were a rising political force in France and Europe in the 8th & 9th centuries. Charles Martel had been successive in his battles against the invading Islamists, form which he got the name “Martel”, which means “The hammer”. He had hammered the Islamists from central Europe back to the Iberian peninsula.

Charles Martel had performed as well as allowed great acts of violence against the church. He did however change and sought to set about restoring the rights of the Roman Catholic hierarchy. In 723, Boniface was protected by Charles Martel, which Boniface later exuded that without such an act, he could not govern the church, prevent idolatrous worship or defend the clergy.

When Charles’ son Pepin rose to power he made a pact with the Roman Catholic church, which stipulated that whoever was in actual power should be the actual ruler. Pepin was duly appointed King of the Franks and declared himself the “Chosen of the Lord.”

Under the guidance of Boniface, the church was reformed, there was a revival of religion and education; and they became the "protectors of Rome". More was to come with the advent of Charles Martel’s grandson however.

Charlemagne (Charles the great): The next person we look at is perhaps one of the most famous in both secular and religious European history of this period: Charlemagne. When Pepin died in 768, his realm was divided between his two sons, Charlemagne and Carloman. Charlemagne became sole ruler when Carloman died suddenly in 771.

On Christmas day 800, in St Peter in Rome, Pope Leo III, crowned as the Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire, the King of France, Charlemagne. When Charlemagne came to power, he had 3 goals in mind: military power to crush his opponents; religious power to direct his people’s religion and intellectual power to guide their intellect and minds.

The church & state were to work hand in hand, but there was a continuous struggle between emperor and pope, over who was the final authority. Charlemagne duly returned the lost provinces to the Pope. Charlemagne died after about 13 years as emperor in the year 814, but his influence remains.

His empire was vast and he had succeeded in ensuring that, at least nominally, Christianity survived. Charlemagne successors lacked the will, imagination and drive to continue in his footsteps and the empire soon descended back into chaos. Both the current German and French monarchies consider themselves to descendants of the empire of Charlemagne.

As for the church, the Holy Roman Empire, barely outlived Charlemagne, but it has, as we shall see, had a lasting influence in the revival of religion and education within Europe.

Tap or click here to download and save this as an audio mp3 file