> Date sent: Sun, 24 May 1998 18:48:39 +0100 (BST)
> Subject: Re: Religious Control
> From: "GP. Ferzoco" <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Send reply to: [log in to unmask]
> Dear Ren,
>
> it would help the scholars on this list, before they answer your query, to
> know of the context in which you are working. In particular, given your
> theme, you should tell us the titles of some of the works which you have
> already read; on that basis, you might then be able to get some suitable
> advice. Otherwise, your question appears to me to be extremely broad and
> (again, to me) a little vague; the list tends to deal best with more
> precise and informed questions.
>
> George
> temporarily at [log in to unmask]
> permanently at [log in to unmask]
Dear Ren,
I would like to add that your theme seems to be somewhat loaded too.
I find it rather cynical and ahistorical to think that the medieval
Church was a means of controlling the masses. No doubt it did
exercise control on some issues, but not out of motives of power,
but to secure the salvation of as many people as possible.
This discussion on motives of medieval Church (if one can really
speak about the Church, for it was rather heterogenious institution),
has been gone through several times in the past. See for example:
Thomas N. Tentler, The Summa for Confessors as an Instrument of
Social Control (and the commentary of Leonard E. Boyle on it). Both
are printed in:
The Pursuit of Holiness in Late Medieval and Renaissance Religion.
Edited by Charles Trinkaus with Heiko A. Oberman. Leiden 1974, pp.
103-137.
What comes to the details of your question, the sermons to ordinary
people were always held in vulgar language, latin was only used when
addressing to the clergy. Furthermore there is a good deal of
evidence that at least starting from the IV Lateran Council the
Church did everything within its power to educate ordinary believers
in matters of faith. It did not try to keep them ignorant and in
awe. Any book commenting on the IV Lateran Council 1215 should clear
these things to you.
Cheers,
Jussi Hanska>
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