HIA293 Selected Issues of Medieval Church History

Faculty of Arts
Spring 2021
Extent and Intensity
2/0/0. 8 credit(s). Type of Completion: zk (examination).
Teacher(s)
prof. Mgr. Libor Jan, Ph.D. (lecturer)
Guaranteed by
prof. Mgr. Libor Jan, Ph.D.
Department of History – Faculty of Arts
Supplier department: Department of History – Faculty of Arts
Timetable
Mon 12:00–13:40 B1.41
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Through the selected chapters, but which always have to present a long-term process, the students are acquainted with the issue of the church history of the Middle Ages with an emphasis on the events in the ecclesiastical centres, further with the basic sources on the church history of the Middle Ages, mainly with respect to the papal curia and further the Czech lands.
An analysis of the Rules of St Benedict and St Francis (and other rules and documents related to monastic life), information on the everyday life of a monk. Work with passages from essential antipapal writings (Pierre Dubois, Marsilius of Padua etc) and selected works by Jan Hus. Practical orientation in the sources and critical approaches to their editing, determination of the interpretation capabilities of these sources (visitations, inquisition protocols, homiletics etc).
Learning outcomes
The course leavers will be able to define and use the elementary terminology and become familiar with essential sources, particularly with regard to the Roman Curia and Czech lands. By means of selected chapters, always demonstrating long-term processes, they will also be informed about various issues of church history with an emphasis on the church centre. Further: practical orientation in significant papal documents that influenced political development.
Syllabus
  • 1. Elementary terminology, genesis of terms and relevant institutions, sources – specifics of church diplomatics and sigillography.
  • 2. Beginnings of monasticism (Egypt, Syria, Byzantine empire, St Benedict of Nursia, Rule of St Benedict, Iro-Scottish monasticism, Anglo-Saxon missions).
  • 3. Christianization of Europe (influence of Arianism, missions to Germans and Slavs, St Boniface, SS Constantine and Methodius, acceptance of Christianity by South and East Slavs, expeditions against Prussians and Lithuanians).
  • 4. Attempts at papal supremacy (genesis of the Papal State, Donation of Constantine, Pseudo-Isidorean Decretals, East-West Church Schism, Gregory VII and Dictatus papae, relationship between the Papacy and Roman Empire in the 11th–14th centuries, Innocent IV, Defensor pacis.
  • 5. Church administration (formation of bishoprics, specifics of national states, metropolitan sees, role of chapters, lower administrative units – archdeaconries, deaneries, formation of the parish network, offices of vicars general and judicial vicars).
  • 6. Medieval heresies (Bogomilism, Catharism, Waldensians, heretical tendencies within the Order of St Francis, case of the Knights Templar, Lollards, Hussites, Wycliffe and Hus, Luther’s appearance).
  • 7. Avignon “captivity” and church schism (Clement V moving to Avignon, papal fiscal policy, political context, birth of the schism, conciliary movement).
  • 8. Scholasticism, mysticism, new devotion, church and humanism.
Literature
    required literature
  • Jaroslav Kadlec: Církevní dějiny I-IV (především díl II. Raný středověk, díl III. Vrcholný a pozdní středověk). Litoměřice 1983 (nebo jiné vydání).
  • SCHATZ, Klaus. Dějiny papežského primátu. Translated by Pavel Kolmačka. 1. vyd. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury, 2001, 213 s. ISBN 80-85959-99-2. info
  • LAWRENCE, C. H. Dějiny středověkého mnišství. Edited by Libor Jan, Translated by Pavel Pšeja - Jan Vomlela. 1. vyd. Brno: Centrum pro studium demokracie a kultury ;, 2001, 325 s. ISBN 8070215364. info
    recommended literature
  • Hubert Jedin: Malé dějiny koncilů. Praha 1990.
  • OHLER, Norbert. Náboženské poutě ve středověku a novověku. Vyd. 1. V Praze: Vyšehrad, 2002, 229 s. ISBN 8070215100. info
  • LAMBERT, Malcolm. Středověká hereze. Translated by Tomáš Vítek. Vyd. 1. Praha: Argo, 2000, 598 s. ISBN 8072032917. info
  • DVORNÍK, František. Byzantské misie u Slovanů. Translated by Vladimír Vavřínek. Vyd. 1. Praha: Vyšehrad, 1970, 393 s. URL info
Teaching methods
Lecture; reading and discussion on the sources.
Assessment methods
Oral examination aimed at testing the student’s insight into the main theories, concepts and methodologies of the discipline and at checking the student’s ability to connect relevant facts into logical relations.
Language of instruction
Czech
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2020, Spring 2022.
  • Enrolment Statistics (Spring 2021, recent)
  • Permalink: https://is.muni.cz/course/phil/spring2021/HIA293