V. A Reaction Against the Corruptions of the Church

It would be too much to say that one cause could be assigned to the various uprisings against the dominant church in one form or another. The picture is more complex than that. But by the twelfth century there was undoubtedly emerging a reaction against the corruption and worldliness of the church. Whether the increase in the degeneration of the Roman church was the main factor, or whether a combination of local conditions of that period caused the opposition to break forth more strongly, it is undeniable that the submerged elements were increasingly ready to accept the idea that the church had departed from its early purity, and a longing grew for a return to the earlier, simpler gospel as it had existed in the long ago- the ideal of evangelical poverty, of forsaking the world and following in the footsteps of Christ. This ideal expressed itself even within the church in the Franciscan order, for example.PFF1 813.3

In the survey of the development of prophetic interpretation through the centuries it has become evident how the eschatological views of the church changed, both influencing and being influenced by the changing background of the expanding and ever more powerful church and its relations with a changing world. The church of the Middle Ages Could not, in the nature of things, be exactly the same as the early church, living under changed political, social, and economic conditions after the breakup of the Roman Empire, but the difference was unfortunately a change for the worse, and in the growing opinion of many, worse than it had any right to be.PFF1 814.1

It might be well to review briefly some of the most notice able ways in which organized Christianity departed from its original state.PFF1 814.2

In the early centuries the church believed generally in the simple evangelical truths of the gospel and defined its doctrines only gradually. Worship was relatively simple-prayer, Scripture reading, preaching, hymn singing, the Lord’s supper, and baptism. Its ministers were at first pastors, but later the title of “bishop,” which had meant simply overseer, or pastor, came to mean a ruler of a group of churches. A hierarchy developed, with the bishops of such centers as Antioch, Alexandria, Carthage, and Rome in the lead-Rome gradually taking precedence. The growth of power within the church and then in the empire operated to lower the standards of the hierarchy, and the application of the pagan philosophy to Biblical interpretation opened the way for innovations and heresies, while the influx of half-converted pagans as the church became popular brought degeneration.PFF1 814.3

Fundamental changes in organization took place as the church grew. A sharper distinction between clerics and laics was drawn; the power of the episcopate increased. Favored and protected by the emperor, the church was put in possession of pagan temples and loaded with wealth, the hierarchy exalted. The climax was reached when the emperor Justinian supported the Roman bishop’s claim to primacy over the whole church.PFF1 815.1

The practices of the public church service were likewise affected, particularly as Christianity was substituted for pagan ism as the state religion. Idol worshipers brought old practices into the church. The temples were adorned with pictures, and later sculptured images, which became the objects of veneration, and the ritual was enhanced with pagan elements. The ceremonial splendor of pompous ritual worship was introduced to captivate the pagans. To conciliate the votaries of polytheism, the Christian hierarchy thought it expedient to leave the popular superstitions in vogue, and adapt them to Christianity. Images, processions, relics, pilgrimages, votive offerings, and penances were taken over; veneration of saints and saints’ bones, and asceticism.PFF1 815.2

Doctrine as well as worship underwent continual modification. The Lord’s supper, originally designed to commemorate the sacrifice of Christ, gradually became a so-called sacrifice for the remission of sins for both living and dead. Gross superstitions gained ground in the nominal church; quasi-magical sacraments, good works, and saints’ intercession were looked to for salvation. Increasing veneration for the opinions of the fathers, and the pretensions of the councils to fix the sense of Scripture, climaxed in the exaltation of tradition at the expense of the Scriptures.PFF1 815.3

Thus, by the absorption of these corruptions, Christianity was gradually supplanted by what has aptly been called a baptized paganism. ^{9See pages 381, 382.}PFF1 815.4