Analysis of Literature about Pope Gregory VII - Research Paper Example

Pope Gregory VII Order No. 485918 Primary Sources  Herbert Edward, John. The Epistolae Vagantes of Pope Gregory VII/edited and translated from Latin. Oxford: Clerendon Press, 1972  The Epistolae Vagantes of Pope Gregory VII (1073 – 1085) by Herbert Edward John enlightens us on the pontificate of Pope Gregory VII which was a very interesting period that ushered in a major papal dominance in Western Europe. This book clearly outlines how Emperor Henry III (1039 – 1056) removed the papacy from the local Roman families and placed it into the hands of a line of German popes who ruled the church with firm authority. The author Herbert Edward John not only puts forward his arguments but also gives us evidence surrounding the incidents in the Church. From such evidence we come to understand that there are no biases as such and hence the source seems to be quite reliable for study. Contemporary reformers condemned the moral abuses that took place during that time. Two such abuses that were of primary concern were – 1) The heresy of Simony (the buying and selling of orders and offices in the church and 2) Nicolaitism (clerical marriage and unchasity) In 1059, after the Election Decree, the power of the emperor was reduced considerably while the Roman cardinals were given more power. This insightful book details the events of Pope Gregory’s rule, as he stood at the center of these affairs as the arch deacon of the Roman Church. The book describes Gregory’s religious motives of freeing the church from these heresies and gaining liberty for its people. The source being reliable would be very useful for the study. The author Rev. John Cowdrey was a medieval historian and a leading authority on the ecclesiastical reform movement led by Pope Gregory VII. In my opinion, the text served to kindle my interest further on the subject. Ephraim Emerton. The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII: Selected Letters from the Registrum. New York: Columbia UP, 1990.  Ephraim Emerton’s book titled ‘The Correspondence of Pope Gregory VII’ is a selection of Gregory VII letters from the Registrum that was translated by him. These letters served to highlight the zeal, hard work and vigor with which Pope Gregory pursued to bring about a revolutionary change in the conduct of the church. Professor Ephraim Emerton had authored many books but for this book of letters, he had only translated them. He was a graduate from Harvard College and was also one of the founders of the American Historical Association. In 1882 he was elected as the Winn Professor of Ecclesiastical History. These papal documents translated by Ephraim provides the reader with great insight through the evidence describing the religious policies of reform that Pope Gregory brought about during his period as Pope of the Christian Church. The book also serves to shed light on the dedicated life that Pope Gregory led in service to the church. Through these letters we come to understand the changes that took place in the church and the difficulties overcome in doing so. This book is quite useful to myself as well as scholars of theology as it brings out the details with which the reforms of the church took place. Cowdrey, Herbert Edward John. Pope Gregory VII: 1023-1085. Oxford: Clarendon, 1998.  In this book Cowdrey highlights the life and times of Pope Gregory VII (1073 – 1085) stating that he was one of the greatest medieval Popes ever to be canonized. He claims that he was one of the most powerful sources who fought against moral corruption within the religious walls of the papacy. It also tells us how Gregory VII spent 24 years of his life serving the newly elected Pope Leo IX and his four successors. Though Gregory VII was small in stature yet he had a very commanding personality and the lifelong conviction to denounce sins in the world and bring about righteousness. This book also tells us how Gregory VII was voted in as Pope by popular choice and not through a contested election because people loved him and understood his ability. The many facts presented by Cowdrey makes this book an invaluable asset to all those studying theology. Cowdrey enumerates Gregory VII Pontificate by telling us of the varied interests and activities undertaken by him. Some of these interests include the promoting of the crusading ideal and initiating the Roman liturgical rite into Spain. Cowdrey also highlights some very important objectives that dominated the pontificate of Gregory VII. These three objectives were – 1) The assertion of his jurisdictional primacy within the Church, 2) The vindication of reform and 3) The position he took against Henry IVs spirited defense of the religio-political status quo. I like this book for detailing so many facts and also for its simple presentation which made it very easy to understand. Cowdrey being a leading authority on the ecclesiastical reform movement and a historian himself is proof enough that he is highly qualified to have written a book like this. Secondary Sources Robinson, Ian. The Papal Reform of the Eleventh Century: Lives of Pope Leo IX and Pope Gregory VII. Manchester: Manchester UP, 2004.  The Papal Reform of the Eleventh Century by Robinson, Ian deals with the papal lives of Pope Leo IX and Pope Gregory in relation to the politics of religion that took place during the 11th century. The papal reforms that took place during that period serve to transform the Western European Church and society and to alter the relations of the Church as well as the State in the West. These reforms were initiated and inaugurated by Pope Leo IX (1048 – 1054) and was carried forward with the controversial change of direction by Pope Gregory VII (1073 – 1085) the biographies of both these Popes are contained in this book after translation and has detailed commentaries not only on their lives but also the reforms that they had brought about in the Church. I. S. Robinson is a well qualified Associate Professor of Medieval History in Dublin’s Trinity College. The brilliant narrative sources bear testimony of the impact created by the Papacy reforms and highlight the “Investiture Contest” depicting the conflict that took place between the papacy and the empire. These translated texts are highly indispensable for those studying medieval history because it comprises of an essential collection of facts that are crucial to understanding the religious nuances of the church. The book contains many details of the lives of these two Popes which really attracted me to reading it and finding out more about them. The translated works are of good quality and makes it easy for us to follow the facts. Poland, Addison B., John H. Haaren, Cynthia Shearer, and Robert G. Shearer. Famous Men of the Middle Ages. Lebanon, TN: Greenleaf, 2004.  ‘The Famous Men of the Middle Ages’ begins with the vast Roman Empire and the famous men of Rome who helped to build it. It enlightens us on how the power of Rome was shattered with the entry of tribes such as the Goths, Franks, Anglo- Saxons and the Vandals who were savage and cruel and worshipped many different Gods. The book describes the life and conquests of different emperors, kings and princes. This book has two authors – John Henry Haaren, LL.D who was the District Superintendent of schools in New York City and A.B. Poland, Ph. D who was also Superintendent of Schools. This book was written more or less on the lines of a school book, but even so it covered many interesting incidents of various famous people of the world. The narration is simple to understand but both fact and fiction are contained it. The book has nothing much on the topic of religion and much of the work is based on legends behind the stories. The authors adopt a story telling format which does not suit the historical content. Though the facts of the book covered the life and times of many famous men of the Middle Ages, yet I do not think that it could serve the purpose of those studying religion because it does not have much on the subject. Looking at this book from various perspectives, I do not think it would be much help to scholars of History or Religion. Nevertheless, I feel that it could be a good asset for children who are interested in learning History because it is in story format with many illustrations and hence easy to understand. Mathew, Arnold Harris. The Life and times of Hildebrand Pope Gregory VII. London: Francis Griffiths, 1910.  In ‘The Life and Times of Hildebrand,’ Mathew, Arnold Harris describes the birth and childhood of Pope Gregory VII and how he was elected unanimously to the papacy without an official election. In this book he also sheds light on the important events that occurred during that critical period and the indelible impact and impression created on the aims and policies adopted by the Church after Gregory VII implemented many reforms. Some of the chief of the reforms brought about were the strict enforcement of celibacy among the clergy, the suppression of simony and the secularization of the clerical office that handled the growing wealth of the Church and the contributions used for its betterment. Author Mathew, Arnold Harris (1852 – 1919) was the first Old Catholic bishop of the United Kingdom. Since he was in close contact with the Church, it was possible for him to give us such minute and crucial details of how it worked. However, all facts could not be taken for granted as definitely there could have been some biases in certain issues especially those surrounding Pope Gregory’s VII character. The book gives us such details as Gregory VII great contribution to the Papacy because even though he reigned for a short period of ten years, yet he is the person that was solely responsible for bringing about strong prerogatives and theory of the Church effectively carried on by his successors to the extent of stating that without Gregory VII there would not have been an ‘Innocent III’. In this book, Mathew, Arnold Harris also specifies the amount of power wielded by Gregory VII, such as he alone had the power to depose bishops as and when he wanted and he was the only person who had the right to use the insignia of the Emperor. He claimed to have the right to depose Emperors at his will and that princes had to kiss his feet because he held the high position of a Pope. The book details the conflicts that arose due to such controversies. In my opinion, this book would be very useful not only to me but to everyone who studied Religion and History because it gave us a clear understanding of the conflicting issues that took place in the papacy during Gregory VII rule as the Pope. Bellitto, Christopher M. 101 Questions & Answers on Popes and the Papacy. New York: Paulist, 2008.  Bellitto, Christopher M. book titled – ‘101 Questions & Answers on Popes and the Papacy’ comprises of a whole lot of questions and answers dealing with the lives and issues of the Pope and Papacy. It not only gives us interesting facts but also some very interesting and entertaining answers to many of the questions asked. The book is divided into three divisions, with the first being a prologue tracing the inception of the Catholic Church by Jesus Christ and St. Peter its successor. The book answers some of the objections raised by some of the Protestants. The author Bellitto, Christopher M. was an Assistant Professor of history at Kean University at New Jersey and authored many books about the Catholic Church. In Part I, the author deals with the historical events of the different periods in the Church – the Early, the Medieval, the Reformation period and the early modern and Modern periods. This part would especially appeal to the people who are interested in Church history. Part II examines both the good and bad within the Papacy and examines the history of the Cardinals and Popes and how they are elected. The questions also cover interesting issues such as why Popes wear certain specific clothes and a triple crown, and make use of only certain colors. The book also touches upon why Popes change their names and about the worldliness of the Vatican. I found this book particularly interesting because it cleared many of my own doubts and enabled me to see things in a better light and understand these concepts in a much better way. I am sure this source would be quite useful to other researchers as it would help them greatly while doing their own research. Freely Roamed. "CATHOLIC ENCYCLOPEDIA: Pope St. Gregory VII." NEW ADVENT: Home. Web. 16 Nov. 2010.  This book is a Catholic Encyclopedia that gives an in depth history of Pope Gregory VII from the time of his birth, his life of the papacy up to his death. The encyclopedia is available online and even in a CD- ROM format. It enlightens us until very important incidents that took place during Pope Gregory’s pontificate. The first one was the decree of election by which he was elected and his alliance with the Normans that took place through the Treaty of Meifi (1059) Since this book is an encyclopedia it does not have a single author but is comprised of the contributions made by many different authors who carried out their own research. Hence, without a doubt, that is bound to be some loopholes and biases in between the factual material. The encyclopedia also sheds light on the causes of Simony and the incontinence experienced among the clergy of the church. It also speaks about the excommunication of Henry by Gregory VII because the Pope realized that he had to put an end to the flood of immorality that swept through the portals of the church thereby preserving the Christian faith. Ullmann, Walter. A Short History of the Papacy in the Middle Ages. London: Routledge, 2003. Walter Ullmann in his book titled ‘A short history of the Papacy in the Middle Ages’ describes about the power wielded by the Roman Church which soon became recognized as a corporate body and gradually was integrated into the public law of the Romans. Since it became part of the public law, the emperor had all rights of directly intervening in the affairs of the Roman Church. During the fourth century people showed better preference for monotheism (worship of one God) while they exhibited an aversion for Polytheism (worship of many Gods) This philosophical religious orientation suited the Papacy because they leaned more towards a monarchy. The author Walter Ullmann was an Austrian – Jewish scholar and was a recognized authority on medieval political thought. Considering he was a prominent scholar, his work seems to have steered clear of any biases. Ullman describes how the emperor Constantine made Constantinople his capital which gradually triggered a lot of tension in the Papacy and this led to a division between the East and the West. These tensions were mostly due to the legal constitutional framework of the Constantinean policies. The only central authority for settling any internal disputes lay in the hands of the Government. Hence there was a lot of unrest and tensions between the doctrines of different churches. The papacy in its initial stage was chiefly an instrument of the law and acted as a bridge between the illiterate and barbarous German West and the more mature Roman civilization. This booked kindled a lot of interest in me because it helped me understand how the papacy was established. This book is quite useful to historians and theologians alike because it gives us a clear picture how the Roman papacy took birth and grew to finally become an entity by itself. Read More