Christianity and the Middle Ages Essay

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All classes of people during the Middle Ages were averse to bathing, as it was seen as a way to care for the body. The body was not respected in any sense, and was neglected as much as possible. Indeed, many saw the fleas and lice that resulted from a prolonged lack of sanitation and hygiene as simply part of the body and hence of sin.

The combination of early Christianity with the folk medicines and beliefs of the invading Germanic forces also resulted in a new conception of how healing was to be achieved during the Middle Ages. The root of disease was considered to be supernatural; the afflicted had sinned or was possessed by something evil. In earlier Germanic folk wisdom, it was also believed that illness resulted from noxious darts from elves, deleterious snakes, and venomous dragons.

During the time, there was a variety of options the Christian could use to achieve healing -- also a mixture of early Christianity and Germanic Paganism. If the illness was believed to be the result of an angry God, prayers and chants were combined with confession to encourage healing.

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Amulets and charms were used to protect the wearer against disease-causing evil. Some believed that they were able to transfer their diseases to creatures such as frogs or snakes.

A significant amount of the population believed that royalty had healing powers because of their perceived proximity to God. In the Middle Ages, it was commonly believed that God had chosen those who rule, and that this position gave the "chosen" special powers to heal. Similarly, relics associated with legendary saints were also considered to have healing powers.

Interestingly, some of these relics today are still housed by major places of worship across Europe, or are claimed to be there. Today, the human desire for the manifestation of divine power still inspires pilgrimages to holy places and holy things. Many things today therefore are left over from these ancient times, where superstition rather than common sense ruled the Christian world......

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