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Christendom
Religious life attracted many people during the Middle Ages. The Church was often the only way to get an education. It also allowed poor people to escape a dreary life and possibly rise to power. Religious workers are called clergy. In the Middle Ages, the Pope ruled the Christian Church. Other clergy included bishops, priests, nuns, and monks. Monks were men who lived in monasteries, or small communities of religious workers. Monks devoted their lives to prayer, and their behavior influenced the entire church. Monasteries produced many well-educated men prepared to serve as administrators for uneducated kings and lords. Monks were responsible for keeping the Greek and Latin “classical” cultures alive. Monks copied books by hand in an era before the printing press. Though few in number, monks played a significant role in the Middle Ages. |
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By
the later Middle Ages, the gods of the Romans, Greeks, and Celts had long
since been forgotten, and Christianity became the universal faith of almost
all of the people of Europe. People did not think of Europe as a distinct
place until the Middle Ages had passed. Instead they spoke of “Christendom,”
or the community of Christians. Christianity was the most important influence
of the Middle Ages.