As we consider the church during the Middle/Dark Ages and beyond, we encounter traditions within the church which hold different perspectives of the history of the church.  There is a common church history from Jesus’ time until 1054 when the inherent differences between the West/Roman/Latin and the East/Byzantine/Greek cultures caused a split in the church based on each faction believing that they were preserving the apostolic traditions and that the other had lost the way.  Both traditions, Roman Catholic and Greek Orthodox, are a continuation of the state church of the Roman Empire established by the Edict of Thessalonica in 380 AD.

Latin has been and still is the official language of Roman Catholicism and was used in worship until the 1960’s.  The use of a foreign language for those participating in church activities created difficulty in understanding for the laity.  In addition, because of rampant illiteracy during the Middle/Dark Ages, the masses’ only contact with scripture (in Latin translations) was through the clergy, thereby solidifying an allegiance to the clergy rather than to Jesus Christ.

Worship in the Greek Orthodox Church, ruled by bishops in the Holy Synod, is conducted in Koine Greek, the language of the original writings of the New Testament.  There is enough similarity between the ancient and the modern versions of the Greek language so that one who knows Modern Greek can discern the meaning of the Koine Greek of the original texts.  At present, most of the adherents to the Greek Orthodox tradition live in Greece, the Balkan area, and Russia.  The protestant reformation of the 1500’s is extraneous to Greek Orthodox history and the Pentecostal revival of the 1900’s is outside Roman Catholicism.  In our narrative, we will follow the Catholic/Protestant/Pentecostal tradition of the church.

The Bible offers no narrative of the Israelites during the time of slavery in Egypt to serve as a pattern for the church during the Middle/Dark Age.  This void indicates a time with little spiritual fruit, so the spiritual progression of the church during the Middle/Dark Ages is reduced to scattered individuals.  In our narrative of the Middle/Dark Ages, we will consider Roman Catholicism under the leadership of the Pope as the apostate church, and, given the language disconnect for the laity in scripture and worship, this means we will mainly consider the clergy.

As we have seen, the patriarchs proceeding the time of slavery in Egypt provide insight regarding the apostate church (Table 5.4).  Suffering from famine, Jacob and his sons sought and ate the food of Egypt offered by Pharaoh and supplied by Joseph, Jacob’s son.  Recall in our discussion of the events in the garden of Eden that, in a spiritual sense, to eat the food offered by someone was to do the will of the one offering.  Thus Jacob, his sons, and the later generations of Israelites eating the food from Pharaoh is an indication that the church abandoned the leadership of the Holy Spirit and the apostolic ministries and followed the leadership of men.

The food and land provided by Pharaoh for Jacob’s family were beneficial to them.

Then Joseph said to his brothers, “  …  And now do not be grieved or angry with yourselves, because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life.  …  And God sent me before you to preserve for you a remnant in the earth, and to keep you alive by a great deliverance.”  Genesis 45:4,5,7  NASB

So also were there benefits for the church during the state-church organization.  Indications of the hand of God Almighty in the affairs of the church during the Middle/Dark Ages are the efforts on behalf of the poor and disadvantaged and the collection of wonder Christian literature and art from this period.

While there were benefits of being in Egypt, there were underlying problems for Jacob’s clan.  One problem was that it was loathsome to Egyptians to eat with Hebrews.

So they served him [Joseph] by himself, and them [his brothers] by themselves, and the Egyptians, who ate with him, by themselves; because the Egyptians could not eat bread with the Hebrews, for that is loathsome to the Egyptians.  Genesis 43:32  NASB

Also, because they were shepherds and keepers of livestock, the sons of Jacob were again loathsome to Egyptians.

“that you shall say, ‘Your servants have been keepers of livestock from our youth even until now, both we and our fathers,’ that you may live in the land of Goshen; for every shepherd is loathsome to the Egyptians.”  Genesis 46:34  NASB

Here then is an indication of malevolent attitudes within the leadership of the state church which led to mistreatment of the laity by the clergy.

Distinctions between Jacob’s wives and their sons exemplify the apostate church in the Middle/Dark Ages.  Joseph is a type for the Pope, Rachel and her other son Benjamin are a type for the clergy, while Leah, her sons, and Joseph’s other half-brothers are a type for the laity of the church.

And Leah’s eyes were weak, but Rachel was beautiful of form and face.  Genesis 29:17  NASB

Leah’s weak eyes suggest that the laity had difficulty seeing the spiritual landscape, were easily led astray, and blindly followed the church leadership.  Rachel’s beauty is suggestive of place and privilege for the clergy, and her son Joseph certainly enjoyed place and privilege.

And he had him [Joseph] ride in his second chariot; and they proclaimed before him, “Bow the knee!” And he set him over all the land of Egypt.  Genesis 41:43

In search of food, Joseph’s half-brothers appear before him in Egypt.

Now Joseph was the ruler over the land; he was the one who sold to all the people of the land.  And Joseph’s brothers came and bowed down to him with their faces to the ground.  Genesis 42:6  NASB

Here then is the suggestion that popes used the office for privilege and an indication of the lingering tradition from the Middle/Dark Ages of bowing to the Pope.

However Joseph, rather than reunite with his brothers, imprisoned them.

So he put them all together in prison for three days.  Genesis 42:17  NASB

Here then is an indication that the laity of the church during the Middle/Dark Ages was subject to and “imprisoned” by the ruling class of clergy, popes, and kings.

After manipulating his brothers, Joseph finally acknowledged them.  However, Joseph gave his brother Benjamin (Rachel’s other son) five times the food that he gave to his half-brothers.

And he [Joseph] took portions to them from his own table; but Benjamin’s portion was five times as much as any of theirs.  So they feasted and drank freely with him.  Genesis 43:34  NASB

In addition, Joseph gave Benjamin 300 silver pieces and five garments while each of his half-brothers received only one garment.

To each of them he gave changes of garments, but to Benjamin he gave three hundred pieces of silver and five changes of garments.  Genesis 45:22  NASB

The extra food and garments given to Benjamin are suggestive of the privilege and wealth of the clergy (Benjamin) relative to the laity (half-brothers) during the Middle/Dark Ages.

It will be useful to consider events involving Leah’s sons prior to their time in Egypt as indicators of conditions during the Middle/Dark Age.  As a suggestion of ungodliness of the apostate church, two of Leah’s sons, Simeon and Levi, used a commandment of God Almighty to commit revenge murder.

Now Dinah the daughter of Leah, whom she had borne to Jacob, went out to visit the daughters of the land.  And when Shechem the son of Hamor the Hivite, the prince of the land, saw her, he took her and lay with her by force.  …  But Jacob’s sons answered Shechem and his father Hamor, with deceit, and spoke to them, because he had defiled Dinah their sister.  And they said to them, “  …  Only on this condition will we consent to you; if you will become like us, in that every male of you be circumcised,”  …  Now it came about on the third day, when they were in pain, that two of Jacob’s sons, Simeon and Levi, Dinah’s brothers, each took his sword and came upon the city unawares, and killed every male.  Genesis 34:1-2,13-15,25  NASB

Here then is an indication that there were a series of wars instigated by the papacy.  The crusades were begun in 1095 by Pope Urban II as a means to liberate the Holy Land.  These efforts led to the rise of the Knights Templar, 1129-1312, who started as protectors of pilgrims to Jerusalem.  In 1204 during the Fourth Crusade, Constantinople, the eastern Christian capital city, was sacked by a Christian army from the western empire.  The end of the crusades limited the opportunity for honor in foreign combat for knights, but there were opportunities in Europe.  For instance, the 100 Years war (1337-1453) ravaged Europe with a death total of 3,500,000.  Over all, there are estimates that 50,000,000 people died due to actions by the papacy during the Middle/Dark Ages.  Most died from wars, but some died from imprisonment and others by purging of “heretics” from the church.

As a suggestion of the immorality of the Middle/Dark Ages, two of Leah’s sons committed adultery with a family member.  Reuben committed adultery with his father’s concubine.

And it came about while Israel was dwelling in that land, that Reuben went and lay with Bilhah his father’s concubine; and Israel heard of it.  Genesis 35:22  NASB

Judah committed adultery with a “prostitute,” who was actually his daughter-in-law.

When Judah saw her, he thought she was a harlot, for she had covered her face.  So he turned aside to her by the road, and said, “Here now, let me come in to you”; for he did not know that she was his daughter-in-law.  And she said, “What will you give me, that you may come in to me?”  Genesis 38:15-16  NASB

Here then is an indication of the sexual misconduct of popes, clergy, and laity during the Middle/Dark Ages.

Returning to the spiritual hierarchy (Illustration 5.4), we can characterize the 30-fold church of Jesus’ time as the spiritual woman who conceived Jesus’ spiritual child.  The deposit of Jesus’ seed within the church, i.e., the baptism with the Holy Spirit (Section 6.2), brought it to the 60-fold level of production of spiritual fruit for a short time and then it returned to the 30-fold level as the organizing church.  As in the natural, the woman at conception (30-fold church) has been disfigured during the period of gestation, and this distortion of the church is reflected in the decline of spiritual fruit.  The apostate church of the Middle/Dark Ages with no spiritual fruit is portrayed in the spiritual hierarchy as an unfaithful wife or as a harlot and in the visions in the Book of Revelation as the “Whore of Babylon.”

And one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls came and spoke with me, saying, “Come here, I shall show you the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters, with whom the kings of the earth committed acts of immorality, and those who dwell on the earth were made drunk with the wine of her immorality.”  And he carried me away in the Spirit into a wilderness; and I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet beast, full of blasphemous names, having seven heads and ten horns.  And the woman was clothed in purple and scarlet, and adorned with gold and precious stones and pearls, having in her hand a gold cup full of abominations and of the unclean things of her immorality, and upon her forehead a name was written, a mystery, “BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND OF THE ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.”  And I saw the woman drunk with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the witnesses of Jesus.  And when I saw her, I wondered greatly.  …  “And the woman whom you saw is the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth.”  Revelation 17:1-6,18  NASB

During the Middle/Dark Ages, the great city, which reigns over the kings of the earth, the great harlot, is easily identified as Rome, which housed the leadership of the apostate church.  Because Christianity was essentially the “state religion” during the Middle/Dark Ages, the church became an instrument of the state.  Here then we have the suggestion of the papacy and clergy partnering with various kings (beasts) to rule the church for the benefit of the leadership, both clerical and secular.  The laity were easily led-astray, were “imprisoned” by the clergy, and were made slaves to human organizations.  Some clergy exhibiting self-interest, greed, and deception, used their positions for personal gain and privilege as war lords.  The personal lives of popes, clergy, and laity included much ungodliness, many abominations, and rampant immorality.  Plagued by false teachings and pagan godlessness, the church suffered the loss of apostolic values and separation from God Almighty.  Some of the practices and teachings developed by the state religion and suffocating the church were:

• variance of practice from scripture;
• sale of indulgences, that is, paying the church for forgiveness;
• only the clergy could interpret the Bible;
• immorality and corruption within the clergy;
• Pope and clergy in political alliances as war lords; and
• the emerging concept of papal infallibility.

The church, during her immorality and her partnership with the scarlet beast, nourished to full-term the seed received from Jesus on the day of Pentecost.

After more than 200 years, the biblical narrative of those in Egypt descending from the 70 persons of Jacob/Israel’s family resumes.

But the sons of Israel were fruitful and increased greatly, and multiplied, and became exceedingly mighty, so that the land was filled with them.  Exodus 1:7  NASB

The Israelites became slaves to Pharaohs.

Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph.  …  So they appointed taskmasters over them to afflict them with hard labor.  And they built for Pharaoh storage cities, Pithom and Raamses.  …  And the Egyptians compelled the sons of Israel to labor rigorously; and they made their lives bitter with hard labor in mortar and bricks and at all kinds of labor in the field, all their labors which they rigorously imposed on them.  Exodus 1:8,11,13-14  NASB

Here then is an indication of the poor spiritual condition of the church during late the Middle/Dark Ages.

Pharaoh implemented drastic measures to control the growth of the Israelites.

Then the king of Egypt spoke to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah, and the other was named Puah; and he said, “When you are helping the Hebrew women to give birth and see them upon the birthstool, if it is a son, then you shall put him to death; but if it is a daughter, then she shall live.”  …  Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, saying, “Every son who is born [to the Hebrews] you are to cast into the Nile, and every daughter you are to keep alive.”  Exodus 1: 15-16,22  NASB

Here then is an indication that the papacy and the clergy in the late Middle/Dark Ages sought to snuff out the new, spiritual life appearing in the church.  In response to the early reformers, the papacy and clergy implemented the inquisition, an ecclesiastical proceeding to identify and purge Catholicism of heresy, i.e., views conflicting with Catholic orthodoxy.  Some of the heretics/heresies that the Catholic leadership dealt with were Peter Waldo of France (1170’s), Catharism of Northern Italy (1200’s), and John Wycliffe of England (1360’s).  These reformers were indications that something new was about to emerge from the church after nearly 1,000 years of the Middle/Dark Ages.

God Almighty took notice of the plight of the Israelites, and chose as leader one who was raised in Pharaoh’s household.

“And it was at this time that Moses was born; and he was lovely in the sight of God; and he was nurtured three months in his father’s home.  And after he had been exposed, Pharaoh’s daughter took him away, and nurtured him as her own son.  And Moses was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and he was a man of power in words and deeds.”  Acts 7: 20-22  NASB

Here then is an indication that leading reformers of Roman Catholicism were Catholic priests, for they were among the few who were educated well enough in scripture to seek a return to fundamental values.

Moses tried through his own might to correct the mistreatment of his brethren.

But when he [Moses] was approaching the age of forty, it entered his mind to visit his brethren, the sons of Israel.  And when he saw one of them being treated unjustly, he defended him and took vengeance for the oppressed by striking down the Egyptian.  And he supposed that his brethren understood that God was granting them deliverance through him; but they did not understand.”  Acts 7:23-25  NASB

Here then is an indication that, in the later part of the Middle/Dark Ages, Roman Catholicism was beset by reformers who denounced the corruption and immorality of the personal lives of the clergy, the concept of purgatory, the sale of indulgences, and other practices.

Pharaoh sought to stop any who would bring change in the plight of the Israelites.

When Pharaoh heard of this matter, he tried to kill Moses.  …  Exodus 2:15  NASB

Here then is an indication that the punishment imposed for heresy initially was not lethal but that it evolved into torture and death by various means, including burning at the stake.  The reason for punishment by torturous death for the heretic was provided in the 1578 handbook for inquisition:

“for punishment does not take place primarily and per se for the correction and good of the person punished, but for public good in order that others may become terrified and weaned away from evils they would commit.”  (From Wikipedia)

A famous early reformer who faced an inquisition and the sentence of death was Jan Hus (1369-1415) of Bohemia who was burned at the stake for his condemnation of selling indulgences and his support of justification through faith alone.  The list of those burned at the stake through the inquisition is disturbingly long

Joseph’s words to his brothers concerning their poor treatment of him are suggestive of God Almighty’s purpose for the church during the difficult times of the Middle/Dark Ages.

“And as for you, you meant evil against me, but God meant it for good in order to bring about this present result, to preserve many people alive.”  Genesis 50:20  NASB

Here then is an indication that the church was a means of preservation of scripture, literature, and art.  Though there is much to criticize about the clergy during the Middle/Dark Ages, we must appreciate that the church was a blessing to many of the poor and disadvantaged and the home of knowledge, both secular and religious, during a period of rampant illiteracy.

In contrast to the Middle/Dark Ages in Europe, the Islamic culture had a golden age from 800 to 1400 AD.  Muslim states ruled the eastern and southern shores of the Mediterranean Sea and, for a brief time, southern Spain.  These Islamic states were a storehouse of knowledge that, when brought to Europe, helped fuel the renaissance beginning around 1500.

During the one thousand years of the Middle/Dark Ages, Christianity grew from an estimated 15 million Christians at the beginning (500 AD) to an estimated 100 million at the end (1500 AD).