CHRISTIANITY UNDER SEIGE 600-1400 AD
In 1348 the Black Death coming out of the East reached the shores of Italy and quickly spread throughout the rest of Europe. The bubonic plague had come and many people thought that this was a judgment from God because of their sins.
During this time, as well as with the onslaught of Islam into Europe, we had a problem with the church. Christianity had dominated Europe and had become accepted instead of persecuted. This brought about a certain peace and people’s devotion to the Lord began to wane. The church began to take on pagan characteristics.
We know from pagan rulers that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. This began to happen to the church. Church was weak and did not have a strong theology for the kingdom of God.
The spirit of passivity began to set in. Not only did devotion to God and the things of God diminish, but God was taken for granted. The church had become powerful and wealthy. When the plague came the church reacted in several different ways. Some turned to God and prayed for salvation, some turned to debauchery and increased in sinful behavior with the attitude of ‘drink and be merry.” Superstition and scapegoats entered the scene. Religious fervor and fanaticism were some of the ways considered in dealing with the problem of the Black Death. Some even thought that the ringing of the church bells would drive the disease away.
Before this pandemic would runs its course almost ½ of Europe (about 25 million people) would be killed. Today that would be like two billion people. About this time was the start of what is known as the “flagellant movement.” These were people who traveled from town to town whipping themselves with leather thongs hoping to stay the ‘wrath of God.’ It could very well be that these people actually helped in spreading the disease.
People had looked upon the church as being all powerful, but now the reputation of the church declined because the priests as well as doctors did not know what to do. Although there were some doctors and priests who cared for the people unselfishly there were far more of those who left their post and those who had not contracted the deadly disease died. It is said that Pope Clement VI was forced to grant remissions of sins to all who died of the Black Death and allowed “confession” to be to one another and even to a woman.
Just from this one act one can see how the church was moving away from the Word of God. James tells us that we should confess our sins to one another and pray for one another that we might be healed. It would seem from this proclamation that Pope Clement VI and the Black Death was being used to bring people back to a more Biblical practice.
Several things with the church happened after the pandemic. First the new priests were more inexperienced and less educated than their predecessors which in turn led to a worse reputation of the church.
The church charged money for some of their services. The result was that the church became richer. So, because of the inadequacies of the new priests stepping in, the church not having any answers regarding the Black Death and the church becoming richer off her services, people started to question and even revolt against the church. This was actually laying the seeds for the reformation that was going to come.
The view on children had changed when the Black Death had run its course. Children were considered ‘not worth the trouble to raise’ and the birth rate dropped. It is said that it took almost 400 years to raise the population back to pre-Black Death figures.
Looking at this period of time one sees the need for right theology and a close walk with the Lord.
It is amazing to think that one tiny flea riding on the back of a rat changed the course of Europe – socially, economically, politically and religiously.