Angel Gauntlett – Writer

– By Angel Gauntlett

Introduction –

The medieval times were some of the darkest in history, defined by the strong presence of religious oppression. The church controlled many of the laws and decisions, and the ones ruled by them had to follow, without question. Authority was given to the church, and people were not allowed to question that authority, nor were they really able to. Anyone who questioned them would be deemed a heretic by the church and executed. Questioning their authority was dangerous, you had to conform, and you weren’t even able to completely understand the rules that they forced you to follow; the bible was in Latin and since Latin wasn’t being regularly spoken anymore, only the priests and people in power were able to read it. Terrible oppression does not come from nowhere, rather, it is a cycle of hungry and oppressed spirits taking their oppressor’s spot, and becoming the oppressor themselves.

Christianity’s Rise to Power –

The spread of Christianity, when you consider the timing and how much suffering many people experienced during the rule of the Romans, makes sense. One group that suffered greatly under Roman rule were the Jewish. Some of the Jewish people, when conquered by the Roman empire, decided to revolt against their rule. They opposed worshipping the Roman Emperor and their gods as well. The Romans fought back against their opposition. The Jewish people’s desire for religious freedom was eventually what led to battles such as the Great Jewish Revolt, where they lost. Fighting for their freedom eventually led to more restrictions. Many Jewish people were enslaved, and many more were suffering under Roman rule. With nowhere else to look, there came a new religion, one with similar values to Judaism, but that spread a message of hope and love. The nectar of hope, love, and equality tastes sweet to the mouths of the famished; it numbed their pain. Christianity spread and seeped its way into various places, however, at first, the Roman empire decided to ban Christianity, for Christians refused to worship the emperor as well. Eventually, Roman Emperor Constantine would convert to Christianity, and most of Rome would eventually go with him as well. What Christianity offered was power in helplessness, power in suffering, and numbness from suffering. It was a way to cope. 

Christianity became the dominant religion in Europe during the Medieval times, the oppressed now knew what power tasted like, and they became the oppressor. Ideas outside of Christianity were not allowed to flourish and spread, individualism dissipated, and everyone was constantly reminded that there was something wrong with them. Education was also severely hindered as the Church closed academies. The focus on personal growth and obtaining knowledge that was there during the previous era went away. It was only until the scholastic movement led by some influential philosophers like Peter Abelard, that academies were reopened. Peter Abelard shifted the focus back onto logic and human reasoning; however, he wanted reasoning to justify his faith. Peter Abelard was a lot more open minded and forgiving than some other philosophers of his time, such as St. Augustine, who harshly criticized himself for enjoying theater and feeling empathy for the actors. Peter Abelard stated that sin was in the intention of a person, which was not what many others thought before him. Sin was in the action, and if the action were sinful, it was horrible, and you would be persecuted for it. Philosophers of this time period, as stated before, focused on Christianity and God just like everyone else, except now it was their job to take all of the knowledge obtained from before, and all of the questions people still had, and answer it or try to fit it to support their religion. St. Augustine took the works of Plato and interpreted it under the Christian lens, for example. St. Thomas Aquinas also managed to fit the philosophy of Aristotle into Christianity.  

Conclusion –

The main goal of these philosophers was to make it seem like it was reason that led them to Christianity, and maybe it was. With such a limited perspective, Christianity was the most straightforward way to get answers. People were naturally hungry for knowledge and to question things, which is why these philosophers used reason to reinforce the system they had, yet that doesn’t change the fact that the conclusions they reached were ones that they forced themselves to achieve, instead of ones they came by naturally through unbiased philosophical thought; this practice would continue to affect countless of thinkers, and encouraged many to make presumptions instead of questioning even their own beliefs.