Thirteenth Century

Friars, Scholastic Philosophy, Strong Papacy, Crusades, Inquisition

            This century is often called the high point of the middle ages, with the papacy reaching its greatest power, scholastic philosophy reaching its zenith, and Gothic Cathedrals towering over the landscape.

            The Friars (a friar moves from place to place as needed, vs. monks and hermits that stay in one place) are born with St. Dominic de Guzman and St. Francis of Assisi, with the Dominicans and Franciscans. St. Francis of Assisi started in 1208. In 1209 twelve Franciscan friars traveled to Rome. Pope Innocent III gave oral approval to their rule. St. Dominic secured Pope Honorius III's approval for a new religious order in 1216. The Friars were also called mendicants (literally beggars because of their extreme poverty) They combined monastic life and outside religious activity and owned neither personal nor community property.       

            Scholastic philosophy (a movement which stressed the use of reason in systematic argumentation, having its root in Greek philosophy) peaked with great saintly philosophers who tackled all branches of philosophy and theology. Three philosophers were the most prominent in this movement: St. Thomas Aquinas, Saint Bonaventure, and St. Duns Scotus.

            Strong Papacy: With Pope Innocent III (1198-1216) the papacy was at the height of its powers. Affirmed all churches were under his control. Developed theory of papal power that allowed him to interfere in political affairs of nations. Approved 4th Crusade. Established Dominicans and Franciscans.

            Crusades: the Fourth, during which Constantinople was taken, 1204; the Fifth, which included the conquest of Damietta, 1217; the Sixth, in which Frederick II took part (1228-29); also Thibaud de Champagne and Richard of Cornwall (1239); the Seventh, led by St. Louis, 1249-52; the Eighth, also under St. Louis, 1270. 

            The Inquisition, a tribunal for the discovery and punishment of heresy, was approved by Pope Gregory IX in 1231, entrusted to the Dominicans. See thorough discussion at: http://www.catholic.com/library/Inquisition.asp

            1218: Apparition of Our Lady of Mercy to Saint Peter Nolasco, founding of the Order of Our Lady of Mercy.

            Robert of Torote, bishop of Liege, ordered that a feast of Corpus Christi be celebrated in 1246. After a former archdeacon at Liege, Jacques Pantaleon, became Pope Urban IV (1261-64), it was celebrated throughout the West (1264).

Saints:

            Saint Thomas Aquinas (The Angelic Doctor): a Dominican, summarizes Scholastic Theology in his Summa Theologica. 1271, writing, intelligo ut credam "I understand, in order that I may believe."

            Saint Bonaventure (The Seraphic Doctor): a Franciscan, in contrast to Aquinas’s integration of Aristotle within his theological system, reasserted the Platonic-Augustinian system against the Aristotelian.  That is, in Bonaventure, universals are real, and it is they which individuate matter, and not the matter itself.  Bonaventure placed will (and love) above intellect.

            St. Duns Scotus (The Subtle Doctor): An Oxford Franciscan who developed a nominalist philosophy, designed to insure that revelation was safeguarded as the sole source of knowledge of the divine being.  His design was to protect the majesty of God and freedom of the will from Thomistic determinism.

            St. Dominic de Guzman: Founder of the Dominicans; promoted the Rosary.
            St. Francis of Assisi: Founder of the Franciscans

            Saint Clare of Assisi: Founder of the Poor Clares.

            Saint Albert the Great: He was known as the "teacher of everything there is to know," was a scientist long before the age of science, was considered a wizard and magician in his own lifetime, and became the teacher and mentor of that other remarkable mind of his time, St. Thomas Aquinas.

                Saint Anthony of Padua: one of the most famous disciples of St. Francis of Assisi. He was a famous preacher and worker of miracles in his own day.      

            Saint Simon Stock: In a vision of the Virgin Mary he received the brown scapular with the promise that anyone who dies in this habit (wearing the scapular) will be saved.

 
Heresies:

            Albiguenses: Believed in two Gods, one good, another evil; held only the New Testament to be inspired; rejected infant baptism; declared marriage sinful; that it was wrong to obey and support the clergy; held that everyone has the power to forgive sins; denied the Trinity, Incarnation, Redemption and the Sacraments; declared all penance useless, and held that an unworthy priest lost the power of consecrating the Holy Eucharist; believed that the soul, created by the good god, was imprisoned in the evil flesh and salvation was possible only through holy living and doing good works.  At death, if the person has been spiritual enough, salvation comes to the believer.  But, if the person has not been good enough, he is reincarnated as an animal or another human; denied the resurrection of the body since it was considered evil; taught that Jesus was God but that He only appeared as a man while on earth. It also taught that the Catholic church of the time was corrupted by its power and wealth. Their asceticism and humility compared to the great affluence of the clergy helped to bring many converts to this evangelistic movement. There were two types of Albigenses: believers and Perfects. 
Believers were Albigenses who had not taken the initiation rite of being a Perfect.  Perfects denounced all material possession. They abstained from meat, milk, cheese, eggs, and sexual relations.  To become a Perfect a believer had to go through consolamentum, an initiation rite involving the laying on of hands that was supposed to bring the baptism of the Holy Spirit. Infrequently, suicide was practiced as a way to rid oneself of the evil human body.

            Fraticelli: Held that there were two churches, one carnal, the other spiritual; that only the spiritual church has the true Scriptures and divine power, and that in them alone was the Gospel of Jesus Christ fulfilled.

            Flagellants: They advocated excessive self-flagellation; confessed sins to laymen; believed that penance helped the damned; denied the Sacraments, and taught that one month’s penance was necessary for the forgiveness of sins.