Darkness of the Dark Ages

Book excerpt: Contents. Introduction. What is meant by the Dark Ages? Chapter 1. Union of the Eastern and Western Churches, A.D. 518. — Anastasius emperor. — Not one church, but the union of two churches. Chapter 2. Justinian Emperor, A.D. 527-565. — He rules the church. — Upholds the Council of Chalcedon, as to the two natures in Christ. — His wife, Theodora, a Monophysite. — Justinian aims to unite the Monophysite party with the orthodox. — The three Chapters. — Fifth general council held, A.D. 553. — Justinian's schemes useless. Chapter 3. Benedict and Monasticism. — Becomes popular, and founds monasteries. — Monasticism useless for a holy life. — The monks multiply the copies of scripture. — The prison. — Forgiveness of sins unknown to the monks. Chapter 4. Gregory the Great. — Seeks to set things in order. — Description of a service on Easter Sunday at Rome, very unlike that of the Lord's supper in the New Testament. — Gregory's superstition as to relics. — He flatters the cruel emperor Phocas. Gregory and England. — Anglo-Saxon slaves at Rome. — Gregory sends Augustine to England. — Ethelbert embraces Christianity, A.D. 597. — Augustine made archbishop of Canterbury. — He is succeeded by Laurentius. — Eadbald succeeds Ethelbert, returns to Paganism, and threatens the bishops. — Laurentius said to be whipped by St. Peter for thinking of leaving England. — Eadbald, convinced by this, embraces Christianity. — Edwin, king of Northumberland, converted by a supposed miracle. — All the divisions of the kingdom embrace Christianity. — The invasion of the Danes. — They destroy many of the monasteries, and put the monks to death. — Dunstan becomes archbishop. The rule of Rome submitted to in England. Chapter 5. Mahomet. — His childhood. — His mission refused at first. — Persecutes the Jews who had also opposed him. — Poisoned by a Jewess. — Becomes victorious. — Enters Mecca, and destroys the idols. — Acknowledged all over Arabia. — Died A.D. 632. — His personal character. — His creed. — Denies the divinity of Christ. — The god of Mahometans not the God of the Bible. — The conquests, of Mahomet's successors. — They become a scourge of professing Christians in the East. Chapter 6. Break Up of the Roman Empire. — The Roman Empire passes away with the conquest of Constantinople. — Resuscitation in times yet to come. — Nebuchadnezzar's image. — The iron and clay. — The ten kingdoms of old. — A warning to those who advocate the supremacy of the people. Chapter 7. France Protects Rome. — Stephen II. pope, A.D. 752. — Threatened by the Lombards, he appeals to the French. — Pepin delivers Rome. Charlemagne. — Leo III. pope. — He is accused to Charles. — The pope not answerable to any human authority. — Charles crowned emperor of Rome. Chapter 8. The Worship of Images. — Miracles ascribed to images. — Leo the Isaurian emperor. — John of Damascus and the reported miracle of the restoration of his hand. — Constantine Copronymus emperor. — He calls a council, which condemns images. — Leo. IV. emperor opposes images, but dies soon. — His wife Irene calls a council to restore the worship of images. — Difference between worship and adoration. — An image was adored by the council. — Charlemagne opposes the worship of images. — The Caroline Books. — Leo V. the Armenian emperor opposes images amid opposition. — Michael the Stammerer, emperor. — He allows images, but not to be worshipped. — Theophilus emperor, also against images. — All countries eventually agree with Rome in the adoration of images. Chapter 9. Hildebrand, Gregory VII. — His predecessors. — Henry III., of Germany, invited to rescue the Church from its degradation and pollution. — Hildebrand dreaded. — Energetic in his reforms. — His authority over nations. The Decretals. — Gross forgeries Gregory and the Married Clergy. — His decrees against marriage everywhere opposed Gregory and Henry IV. — Gregory disowned by Henry and by his clergy. — Henry excommunicated and dethroned by Gregory. — Henry humbles himself before the pope, and is absolved. — He regains power, and despises the anathema of the pope. — Enters Rome. Chapter 10. The Crusades. — Pilgrims to Jerusalem molested and robbed. — Peter the hermit preaches a crusade. — supported by pope Urban II. — Full forgiveness of sins promised to the Crusaders, and absolution pronounced. — They reach Nicaea, and are conquered. — More regular armies follow, and are victorious. — They lay siege to Antioch. — The holy lance discovered. — Antioch taken. — They reach Jerusalem, and take the city. — The Crusades that follow. — Jerusalem had many masters. — Is yet to be blessed and restored to the Jews. Chapter 11. The Inquisition. — First judicial death for heresy. — Rome persecutes any deemed heretics. — The inquisition permanently established. — Its tortures. — Its deceptions to entrap its victims. — TheAuto-de-Fé. The Jews and the Moors of Spain. — The Jews treated without mercy — The treaty with the Moors violated. — Cardinal Ximenez's plan of conversion. — The Moors converted or banished Bartolomé Carranza. — In England. — Made Archbishop of Toledo. — Charges against him. — His arrest. — Released after a long imprisonment. The Inquisition in India. — The Syrian Christians. — Inquisition at Goa. — Case of M. Dellon. — The English rescue a prisoner. Spanish America. — The Inquisition established. The Jews persecuted. — Fourteen Protestant Europeans seized. — The circulation of the Bible prohibited. — Spain loses her colonies in Mexico, etc. The Inquisition Abolished. — Napoleon in Spain. — The Inquisition never established in England. Chapter 12. The Waldenses. — Various other names. — Peter Waldo. — Persecution and martyrs. — The decree of pope Lucius III. — Charges against the Waldenses. — Their mode of procedure as hawkers. — Armies raised to annihilate them at Toulouse, etc. — Persecution in Germany. — Echard, a persecutor, converted. — The Waldenses spread over the whole of Europe. — Return of the Waldenses to Piedmont. — At length they are tolerated. — A witness for God during the Dark Ages. Chapter 13. England. — William the Conqueror. — Lanfranc reforms the Church. — William not servile to Rome. — William Rufus. — Anselm archbishop. — He retires from England. — Henry I. — Anselm's return. — Oxford and Cambridge Universities. — Henry II. — Martyrs in England. — Thomas a Becket. — Richard. — John surrenders the kingdom to Rome. — Henry III. Grosseteste, Bishop of Lincoln. — He successfully opposes the pope Edward III. — He withstands Rome Bradwardine. — His work against Pelagius Wiclif. — The first English Reformer Scotland. — Struggles against Rome Chapter 14. Councils of the Church. — From the Fifth to the Twenty-first General Council of the Church. Chapter 15. The Claims of Rome. — The assumptions of Rome examined. — Was Peter ever bishop of Rome? — The kingdom of God not built with the keys given to Peter. — Unity, Catholicity, Holiness, and Apostolicity. Chapter 16. Conclusion. — Light springing up. — Few records of godly Christians in the Dark Ages. — Christ will have a glorious Church. — Judgment will fall on apostate Christendom. — The path of the Christian.