Carey Senior Faculty Fellow 2003-04
John Howe (History)
Texas Tech University
The Reform of the Latin Church at the Millennium
The great reformation of the Church at the start of
the High Middle Ages has traditionally been conceptualized as the
"Gregorian Reform," a paradigm developed to highlight a political
history of battles between popes and emperors. This neglects the
earlier story of the Latin Church at the millennium, a Church that
was dramatically reconstructing its institutions and ideals. What
has traditionally been seen as the Gregorian Reform looks
much different if it is re-envisioned as the last stage of the great
millennial reform movement.
Current research suggests that in the aftermath of late ninth-/early
tenth- century chaos, “reform” initially involved concrete
steps to reclaim property, rebuild churches, and restore religious
personnel. Soon the emphasis shifted to new institutions, often
connected to the largesse of noble patrons, whose interests were
not only spiritual but also dynastic and governmental. Monastic
and secular clergy, the direct beneficiaries, had to decide how
to use extensive new resources in order to maximize spiritual and
economic returns. They needed to be increasingly professional in
order to satisfy not only their own ideals but also the aspirations
of some very attentive patrons. New churches showcased liturgical
developments that emphasized ritual solemnity, correctness, and
purity. Written memoranda became more important than orally transmitted
custom. Schools developed into exciting places, featuring academic
stars and lively debates over the relative importance of theory
vs. practice. The new interiority in spirituality, which is usually
associated with the twelfth century, had its antecedents in the
increased popularity of hermitism, the rise of “new saints,”
and even changes in the vocabulary of spirituality. More popular
involvement in the Church was encouraged as crowds were mobilized
for ritual, festival, and pilgrimage. Although these changes were
far different from the Rome-centered, legally oriented world of
the “Gregorian Reform,” they were necessary preconditions
for it.
To explore this vast world is no small task. Fortunately, recent
interest in the year 1000 and scholarly research in many regions
have begun to shed more light on this corner of the “Dark
Ages.” My own research projects in Normandy, central Italy,
and the Lorraine allow me to exploit some representative case studies.
The opportunity to work at the Erasmus Institute—and to utilize
resources available at Notre Dame’s Medieval Institute—should
help to reveal a world that was in the process of creating distinctive
features of today’s Roman Church.
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