MIDDLE AGES

Decent into darkness

• The decent into darkness continued. Worship of martyrs, relics widespread, and the Virgin Mary grows. The church became part of the political machine during this time. Compromises were made to keep political unity. Paganism, mysticism, and magic were allowed to enter the church.
• Though there was great darkness, God never let the light of the church go fully out.
• There was a false church as there is today.
• Many called themselves Christians, but they had no experience with Christ. Many of them were even involved in pagan religion.
• There was a true church made up of those who had touched God.
• The false church used the power of the government to coerce others for their religious and monetary goals. By this time, the religious goals were no longer the goals of the living Christ, but were largely pagan or human in nature. This led to great abuses in the inquisition and many mistakes in the crusades.
• The crusades were largely a response to the military advances of the Muslims/Turks.
• In the mean time, the church added more and more man-made forms, rituals, and precepts while rejecting more and more of God?s precepts, orders, and patterns.

• 414 Armenian Church secedes
• 484 reconciliation of Eastern and Western Churches
• 500 Incense introduced into church services
• 550 Church bells introduced
• 570 Mohammed born
• 575 Buddhism established in Japan
• 589-603 Lombards converted to Roman Catholicism
• 625 Mohammed begins Koran
• Crusades and the Jihad
• 628 Mohammed captures Mecca
• 633 Mohammed captures Jerusalem, Antioch, and Alexandria
• 700 Easter egg introduced
• 710 Kissing the Pope's foot introduced
• 726 Image worshiping issue
• 794 Charlemagne condemns image worship
• 800 begins the Holy Roman Empire.
• 840 Transubstantiation introduced
• Erigena introduces Christianity as a mental exercise rather than a spiritual experience.
• 842 Image worship reestablished
• 968 Universities introduced
• 993 Cononization of saints introduced
• 1012 Persecution of heretics in Germany
• 1074 Excommunication of married priests
• 1229 Inquisition forbids laymen to read Bible
• 1314 Grand master of Templars burned at the stake for heresy

• An estimated 1,000,000 Christians were martyred during the 5^th century.
• An estimated 160,000 Christians were martyred during the 6^th century.
• An estimated 300,000 Christians were martyred during the 7^th century.
• An estimated 300,000 Christians were martyred during the 8^th century.
• An estimated 900,000 Christians were martyred during the 9^th & 10^th centuries.