T his third pcriod, just likc thc sccond pc riod, starts out with a massivc ark Agcs ol intrusion ol invadcrs lrom outsidcthc Scc ond ark Agcs. Tis timc it is not pagan An glo Saxons but pagan \ikings pillaging ncwly Christian AngloSaxons. Toward thc cnd ol this pcriod, as in thc prcvious pcriod, thcrc is again a pcriod ol pcacc and quict, productivc outrcach, scholarship and 8iblc study on thc part ol thc Christian movcmcnt in thc Vcst, a ourishing ol laithin a word, a rcnaissancc. Howcvcr, this pcriod ol pcacc toward thc cnd ol thc sccond pcriod startcd a littlc carlicr than in thc last 400ycar pcriod, considcr ably bclorc 1100. !l you wcrc to diagram thosc two ark Agcs lollowcd by thc two Light Ages, or renaissances as thcy arc callcd, you would nd a striking parallclism. Vc havc alrcady rc lcrrcd to thc Sccond ark Agcs bcing thc rcsult ol thc Scandi navian invasion. As in thc First ark Agc, this pcriod is markcd by pcrsccution ol Christians in thc carly ycars, lollowcd thcn by thc pcriod ol pcacc and quict callcd by his torians thc Carolingian Renaissance. 1
Charlemagne 8clorc wc movc on into this third pc riod, lcts look at Charlcmagnc. Two gcncrations bclorc his rcign, thc Mus lims had startcd moving up lrom North Alrica into Spain, and Charlcmagncs grandlathcr, Charlcs Martcl (thc hammcr) had stoppcd thcm at thc 8attlc ol Tours, just north ol thc Py rcnccs Mountains which scparatc prcscntday Spain lrom Francc. Charlcs Mar tcl had bccomc a Christian ol sorts, howcvcr rough, but his grandson was a litcratc, scholarly statcsman and an outstandingly humblc Chris tian. nc thing Charlcmagnc is notorious lor is his trcat mcnt ol thc Saxons. Hc was convinccd that thc only way to protcct his tcrritory was to makc thc Saxons (still living and constantly raiding to thc north ol Francc whcrc hc rulcd) into rcal bclicvcrs. Tcrc was still prcssurc lrom thc Muslims in Spain and incrcas ing prcssurc com ing down lrom thc north with thc \ikings. All thc morc, Charlcmagncor Charlcs thc Grcathad to kccp his cyc on unprcdictablc dangcrs lrom thc Saxons, who wcrc still pagans in u ropc and right on thc vcry bordcr ol his tcrri tory. Hc importcd thousands ol Ccltic monks lrom ng land and !rcland (by now pcrhaps quitc a lcw wcrc 8cncdictincs) to comc and sct up schools all ovcr his domain, which includcd thc Saxon tcrritory. Hc urgcd thc monks not only to tcach about Christ, but to tcach thc pcoplc to rcad thc 8iblc. 8ut politically thc Saxons hatcd thc Franks and rcluscd. Tcy killcd somc ol thc missionar ics, and cvcntually Charlcmagnc thrcatcncd thcm with cxtcr mination il thcy did not gct baptizcd (at lcast that is what thc lcgcnds say). And hc vcry ncarly did, al though thousands wcrc lorccably transplantcd to thc arca today callcd Saxony, in astcrn Gcrmany. !t has bccn thought that Charlcmagnc was illitcr atc. 8ut somc rcccnt rcscarch indi catcs that hc mcrcly couldnt rcad Latin, Grcck and Hcbrcw, or pcrhaps not thc Gcrmanic script. Hc typically movcd around thc countrysidc in monks robcs. !n his privatc corrcspon dcncc, hc signcd his namc David altcr King avid in thc 8iblc and tricd to cmulatc his picty and lilc, cvcn to thc point ol having morc than onc wilc. Somc historians claim that during a thou sandycar Te Tird Four Hundred Years (AD 8001200) Ralph D. Winter Rcprintcd with pcrmission lrom Vintcr, Ralph . Te Unfolding Drama f the Christian Movement. n.d., Chaptcr 7. +o Tnv Tnivb Foiv Hixbvvb Yv~vs (A 8oo+:oo) pcriod, Charlcmagnc stood hcad and shouldcrs (both litcrally and politically) abovc cvcry othcr rulcr on carth. Hc was truly a grcat man. Hc wantcd to rcbuild thc Roman mpirc with all its bcncts, but without its viccs, thus rcqucst ing thc popc to crown him cmpcror ol thc Holy Roman mpirc, which was donc in thc ycar 800, thc symbolic ycar whcn thc \ikings bcgan to invadc lrom thc north. 8ut thc rcnaissancc which hc brought about in lcarning, 8iblical studics, manu script rcproductionall bccausc ol his importation ol lcarncd Ccltic and 8cnc dictinc monks lrom ngland and !rclandworkcd to prcscrvc to a grcat cxtcnt what pcacc thcrc had bccn until thc \ikings camc, and hc sct a signicant pattcrn to lollow. Te Viking Invasions Tus, thc Sccond ark Agcs opcn around thc ycar 800 with thc incrcasing invasions ol thc \ikings. Churchills scrics ol books callcd A History of the Eng- lish-Speaking Peoples contain an cxciting chaptcr on thc \ikings. Churchill himscll was an AngloSaxon, so hc docs not havc any scnti mcntal attachmcnt to thc \i kings, but hc docs havc a powcrlul gilt ol dcscription. !n his chap tcr cntitlcd Tc \ikings hc talks about thc culgcncc ol thc gospcl ultimatcly dazzling and hold ing captivc thcsc marauding tribals. Hc dcscribcs thc \i king ships in thcir slcck bcauty, balancc and gaudy color as having a sccnt ol murdcr about thcm, and talks about thc \ikings as thc crucl cst piratcs in history. Vhilc this might not bc a truc lact, thc dcscription is still rathcr accuratc. Howcvcr shocking it might bc to us, modcrnday rcadcrs, wc must admit that thc gcn tlcncss ol our culturc is not na tivc to our lallcn naturc. Vhat cvcr gcntlcncss wc havc is purcly thc gracc ol God. To unsnarl thc unbclicvablc complcxitics ol Satans powcr ovcr mankind, thc dark ncss and distortion ol his purposcs is impossiblc apart lrom thc gracc and thc powcr ol thc gospcl. Tcrc is anothcr cqually cxciting chaptcr on thc \ikings in a book by Christophcr awson callcd Religion and the Rise of Western Culture. awson is onc ol thc histo rians who uscs thc phrasc thc Sccond ark Agcs. Tc picturc ol thc \ikings as hc tclls it is ugly and grucsomc. awson points out that thc dicrcncc bctwccn thc \i kings and thc barbar ians who invadcd 400 ycars bclorc was in part bccausc thc \ikings wcrc not Christians at all. Tcy slaughtcrcd thc pcoplc in thc churchcs with an almost spccial gusto. Tcy torc thc churchcs down with a vcnom that stcms to Satan himscll. Tcy burncd thc 8iblc, thcy did almost cvcrything you could think ol to climinatc thc Christian laith. 8ut thc Christian tradition thcy wcrc climi nating was by thcn stagnant in its casc and rcligious splcndor. As lar as 8iblical pcrspcctivc is conccrncd, ! would conjcc turc that Gods truc judgmcnt would not lall upon thc \ikings but upon thosc Christians who lailcd to rcach out to thc \ikings, who did not scnd any missionarics to thcm. And bccausc ol this, thcy cvcn tually had to sucr thc invasions ol thcsc cx cccdingly rudc, crudc and vicious savagcs. Alfred the Great nc ol thc most signicant missiological dcvclop mcnts was that in thc conlusion thc lincs ol commu nication wcrc cutwhat today would bc all tclcphonc lincs and thc transatlan tic cablcs as wcll as thc satcllitc communication ccntcrs. Tus, it was not possiblc lor Romc to maintain its hold cvcn tcnuously upon thc churchcs ol ngland. 8ut oncc again God brought to thc lorc a man to salvagc thc situa tionAllrcd thc Grcat, thc sccond son ol thc AngloSaxon king in southwcstcrn ng land. Allrcd had intcndcd to go into a monas tcry and spcnd his lilc in dcvotion and schol arship. 8ut his brothcr, altcr bccoming king, was killcd in a \iking invasion, and Allrcd had to takc ovcr. vcntually Allrcd dclcatcd thc \ikings. Tcy con qucrcd cvcry othcr placc in ngland, but thcy ncvcr rcally conqucrcd Vcsscx, King Allrcds arca, thc most southwcstcrn part ol ngland. !n thc rst ol thc two ark Agcs, thc An gloSaxon lorcbcars ol Allrcd had comc in lrom thc south, but in this pcriod thc invadcrs, thc \ikings, camc in lrom thc north. Tcy wcrc Scandinaviansthc anish, thc Swcdish and thc Norwcgians. Tcy camc by sca, and many ccntcrs wcll lorticd against land invasion wcrc totally cxposcd to sca inva sion. 8ut Allrcd was ablc to push thcm back. Conscqucntly, thcy ncvcr quitc triumphcd ovcr thc southcrn part ol ngland. Allrcds pcrsonality is lascinating. Hc was vcry studious, in somc ways al most likc Charlcmagnc in his rcligious, schol arly and military charactcristics. Hc dccidcd that hc would start translating thc Latin scripturcs and thc various ccclcsiastical documcnts into An gloSaxon. At that timc in Vcstcrn (Roman) Christianity Latin was Ralph D. Winter ++ thc only acccptablc languagc, and Roman Catholi cism thc most rcspcctablc lorm. 8ut duc to thc simplc isola tion ol ngland lrom Romc thc vcr nacular languagc bcgan to brcak through in worship. King Allrcds translation work is in curi ous contrast to thc work ol Cyril and Mctho dius in castcrn uropc. As a mattcr ol lact, it was alrcady pcrlcctly normal lor Cyril and Mcthodius to usc thc Slavonic languagc. Tcy arc thc oncs who produccd what today is known as thc Cyrillic Script, namcd altcr Cyril. Vc nd hcrc this curious contrast bctwccn thc pattcrns ol wcstcrn uropcwhat ! havc callcd unilormitarianand castcrn uropc with its pcrmittcd divcrsitywhat has bccn callcd autoccphalic, which allowcd cach cul tural tradition to havc its own patriarch and its own cqually lcgitimatc lorm ol Christianity. Tc autoccphalic typc rcsultcd in a largc divcr sity ol dicrcnt kinds ol Chris tianity in thc ast, whilc in thc Vcst thcrc was a singlc tradi tion (thc Roman Catholic). Latcr this bccamc onc ol thc rcasons that thcrc had to bc a Rclormation in thc Vcst, and thcrc didnt havc to bc onc in thc ast. Te Cluny Reform Possibly duc to thc vcry tcrror ol thc circumstanccs thcrc was anothcr lascinating dcvclop mcnt in this pcriod. !t was thc appcarancc ol thc Cluny rcncwal in thc monastic tradition. Vhat is thcrc about thc Cluny movcmcnt which was so inucntial: First ol all, it was thc bcginning ol thc our ishing, thc rcnaissancc that wcllcd up toward thc cnd ol thc pcriod. !t was thc bcginning ol a rclormation within thc monastic tradition it scll. Tings had gonc lrom bad to worsc, mainly duc to crccping aucncc. Just as it is truc today in many ol thc Korcan churchcs, aucncc ovcrtook thcsc outposts ol 8iblc study. Amazingly, il you givc timc and spacc to a group ol pcoplc who arc godly, hardworking, abstcmious, pcacclul and produc tivc, and you lct thcm rccruit othcr pcoplc lor a hun drcd or two hundrcd ycars, prctty soon thcy bccomc labulously wcalthy. Tcn, as a rcsult ol thcir wcalth, thcy bccomc targcts lor vandalism and robbcry. Tc monastic ccntcrs soon bc camc thc placcs whcrc wcalth accumulatcd. As a rcsult, thc sccular chicltains bc gan to cast grccdy cycs upon thcm. And vcry oltcn thcsc chicltains would ridc into onc ol thosc placcs with somc horscmcn and soldicrs and takc it ovcr. Somctimcs onc ol thcsc chicltains would put his son in as thc abbota curious clash with thc tradition that was alrcady thcrc. As a rc sult, thcsc monastic ccntcrs oltcn wcnt down hill lastcr than thcy had gonc up hill. !n othcr words, thc wcalthicr thcy bccamc, thc morc likcly thcy wcrc to bc subjugatcd. 2
Tc Cluny Rclorm also occurrcd just at thc point whcn so many monastcrics wcrc bcing takcn ovcr by civil powcrs that this movcmcnt raiscd thc issuc ol what latcr camc to bc callcd thc investiture controversy. !t had to do with who was going to put on thc garmcnt. Vho is going to invcst monastic lcadcrs with au thority, and thus put on thc vcstmcnts ol au thority in a monastcry: !t is cmincntly clcar that thcy did not think thc mcm bcrs ol thc mo nastic community ought to clcct thcir lcadcrs. Vould it thcn bc a local bishop who would ap point an Abbot, a bishop who might wcll bc subjcct to thc stringpulling ol thc local chicl tain: r should it bc thc chicltain himscll: Vill thc Abbot himscll choosc thc ncw abbot at somc point whcn his powcrs bcgan to wanc, as had always bccn thc casc: r would somcbody clsc havc powcr ovcr that monastic ccntcr: Tis portrays a clash bc twccn thc dioccsan (parish) tradi tion and thc monastic tradition in Christcndom. Vhat rc solvcd thc clash is, in a way, thc singlc largcst powcr play in thc history ol thc Christian movcmcnt. !t clcarly cs tablishcd a ncw pattcrn, which is not what it sccms to bc. Although tcchnically it was dccidcd that thc monastcrics should bc subjcct to thc popc, hc had no rcal powcr what socvcr ovcr thc monastcrics. !t was a sancticd subtcrlugc. !t was a powcr play. !t rcsolvcd thc agcold tcnsion ovcr thc qucstion ol who appoints a ncw abbot, csscntially rcstor ing to thc monastic ccntcr scllrulc. Aquitainc (thc arca ol thc rst Cluny housc) is in southwcstcrn Francc. !n thosc days that was a long way lrom Romc. And cvcn at our latc datc in history to day thcrc is no rcal possibility ol thc popc hav ing any grcat inucncc ovcr thc monastcrics. 8ut by saying that thc popc was in chargc, thcy wcrc saying that thc bishop and thc local chicltain wcrc not in chargc. Tis ncw appcal to thc popc was a dcclaration ol indcpcndcncc, so to spcak. Howcvcr, it was not so indcpcndcnt that it madc thc monastcry a uniquc isolatcd island. Tc Cluny Movcmcnt had trcmcndous spiritual powcr. !t bcgan to nd othcr monastic ccntcrs and caught on cvcry whcrc last. Prctty soon cight hundrcd othcr mo nastic scttlc mcnts plcdgcd thcir loyalty to Romc alonc (which mcant thcy plcdgcd thcir loyalty to no body lo +: Tnv Tnivb Foiv Hixbvvb Yv~vs (A 8oo+:oo) cal) and adoptcd thc lilcstylc ol thc Cluny movcmcnt. Tis was callcd thc Cluny Rclorm. Noticc thcrc arc two or thrcc things hap pcning hcrc. First ol all, Cluny cstablishcd oncc and lor all history thc lact that thc invcstiturc ol an abbot is not subjcct to thc powcr ol a local bishop. Tis climinatcd any claim to powcr thcrc might havc bccn ol a bishop ovcr thc lcadcrship ol a monastic ccn tcr. Sccondly, it cstab lishcd lor thc rst timc a conncctional dcvclopmcnt within thc monastic tradition. Tcrc was now a conncction bctwccn Cluny, thc mothcr housc, and thc various daughtcr houscs, although cach ol thcm had a ccrtain amount ol thcir own authority. Tc daughtcr houscs submittcd thcm sclvcs to thc mothcr housc, just likc thcy said thcy wcrc submitting thcmsclvcs to thc popc in Romc. 8ut in many cascs thcy didnt know or carc who thc popc in Romc was. As a mattcr ol lact, thc popc at this partic ular momcnt was onc ol thc lcast quali cd in thc cntirc history ol thc papacy, an abso lutc scoundrcl, a violcnt, murdcrous man. Vc must not ovcrlook thc lact ol thc conncctional dcvclopmcnt within thc monastic movc mcnt as a rcsult ol this Cluny rclorm. To this day virtually cvcry monastcry in thc world in thc Roman Catholic tradi tion is part ol a conncctional group. Such clustcrs ol monastcrics today arc callcdin thc Roman Catholic vocabularycongrcgations. A congregation in thc Catholic world usually rclcrs to a subdivision ol onc ol thc major ordcrs. !n othcr words, tcn or ltccn monas tcrics in a ccrtain rcgion will bc callcd a congregation. Tc Superior Gen eralthc supcrior ol an ordcr who is gcncral or lcadcr ovcr all thc vari ous congrcgations may havc his occ in Romc. Tcn, bccausc thcrc arc so many dicr cnt Catholic ordcrs, thcrc is a group ol Supcriors Gcncral who livc in Romc. !ncidcn tally, thcy havc a committcc on missions. Latourcttc dcscribcs thc Cluny Movcmcnt with somc carc, and it is worth looking at. !n my own opinion, thc Clunys ovcrcmphasizcd thc idca ol worship. !t sccms that whcn thcy gavc up working with thcir hands and dccidcd just to pray, thcy wcrc parting ways with 8cnc dict himscll. ! do not think thcy did this intcntionally bccausc in thcir own minds thcy wcrc still 8cncdic tincs, ol coursc. 8cncdict was vcry bal anccd (thc 8cnc dictincs had a saying that to labor is to pray), but ! lccl thc Clunys lost somc ol that balancc. Te Cistercian Renewal Tc Cluny Movcmcnt was cstablishcd in 910. 8ut altcr a rclativcly short timc that movc mcnt itscll bccamc so opulcnt with bcautilul buildings, chapcls, paintings, and cvcrything clsc, that anothcr rcncwal movc mcnt arosc callcd thc Cistcrcians. ! havc a much highcr rcgard lor thc Cistcrcians than ! do lor thc Clunys. Latourcttc, in his A History of Christianity, mcntions vc chicl charactcristics ol thc Cistcrcians, all ol which arc vcry signicant. For cxamplc, thc Cistcrcians wcnt back into thc swamps and startcd lrom scratch. Tcy wcrc dctcrmincd not to gct rich. Tcy built thcir monastic houscs cithcr in thc swamplands or on thc stccp hillsidcs. Tc only thing thcy could possibly do to makc a living would bc to grazc shccp on thc hill sidcs and to drain thc swamps. Tcy oltcn did such things and in thc proccss crcatcd vast arcas ol ncw and highquality pasturc land. And altcr a hundrcd ycars thc Cistcrcians had unintcntionally corncrcd thc wool markct ol uropc. Tat is thc story ol thc Roman Cath olic monastic movcmcnt again and again. Other Developments nc othcr phcnomcnon in thc ourishing ol this pc riod is thc dcvclopmcnt ol thc scholastics. Long bclorc 1200, cvcn bclorc thc ycar 1000, thc numbcr ol Christian scholars was growing. Ansclm is onc ol thc rst scholas tics and Abclard pcrhaps thc scc ond. vcrlapping him was Maimonidcs, who was not a Christian scholar but Jcwish. Hc did a lantastic job ol lusing thc Jcwish Sc mitic cultural tradition with thc knowlcdgc and thc philosophi cal tradition ol thc Grccks. Tat lusion thcn gavc risc quitc possibly to Tomas Aquinas work. Hc is thc most lamous ol all thc scholastics, and hc livcd right around thc ycar 1200. His work cast a long shadow into thc luturc rcconciling Christian thought with Aristotclian thought, just likc Maimonidcs had donc lor thc Jcwish tradition. Tis scholastic movcmcnt was not rcally thc 8iblc studying movcmcnt ol thc carlicr monas tic scholars by any mcans. Tcsc wcrc now morc ncarly philosophcrs than simply 8iblc scholars. thcr dcvclopmcnts ol this pcriod wcrc thc dcvclop mcnt ol thc univcrsitics ol u ropc and thc bcginning ol thc Crusadcs. !n thc nal ourishing ol this pcriod, Tc Twcllth Ccntury Rcnaissancc, cathcdral building bccamc a lad. Ralph D. Winter + Almost all ol thc major cathcdrals ol uropc wcrc bcgun during that pcriodmany taking ccnturics to complctc. Tc most signicant dcvclopmcnt missiologically is pcrhaps thc most importantthc appcarancc ol thc lriars. Most ol thcir work was in thc ncxt 400ycar pcriod, which will bc discusscd in lurthcr lcssons. Finally, towards thc cnd ol this third pcriod thc \ikings, oncc thcy bccamc Christians, thcmsclvcs litcrally bccamc crusadcrs. All ol thc major crusadcs wcrc lcd by lormcr \ikings, thc socallcd Northmen. Tcy had a grcat pcrccp tion ol distancc and thc ability to navigatc and to travcl. Tcy also still had thc lust lor war. vcn though thcy wcrc now Christians, thcy still rctaincd this rathcr unlortunatc warring bcnt. As crusadcrs, thcy dcstroycd many Chris tian as wcll as Jcwish communitics in thcir rampaging. Vc nccd to kccp track ol thcsc major dcvcl opmcnts toward thc cnd ol this third pcriod bccausc things arc rcally gctting cxciting now. Vc know lar morc about thc ncxt pcriod wc arc going to look at than wc cvcr kncw about things hap pcning bclorc, and not only bccausc thcrc is morc data availablc, but morc things wcrc happcning as wcll. Endnotes 1 Although it is almost impossiblc lor mc to say this bccausc ! rcspcct Latourcttc so vcry much, in my cstimation, thc biggcst singlc mis takc that hc cvcr madc in his writings is to downplay thc Carolingian Rcnaissancc morc than hc should havc. 8ccausc ol that hc docs not talk in tcrms ol two ark Agcs, as many ol thc morc rcccnt scholars do. 2 Probably thc most larrcaching cxamplc ol thc syndromc ol wcalth lcading to down lall was what is callcd thc dissolution ol thc monastcrics in latcr history. Vhcn King Hcnry \!!! dccidcd to divorcc Cathcrinc, his main rcason was not bccausc hc wantcd to bccomc a Protcstant or cvcn to divorcc his wilc and marry again, but simply bccausc hc nccdcd moncy. And thc moncy was in thc hands ol thc monastcrics. According to Luthcr, who livcd about thc samc timc, thc monastcrics wcrc not valid. So King Hcnry \!!! lound it vcry dcsira blc to dis solvc all thc monastcrics in ngland and to scizc thcir wcalth as a political mancu vcr. Tis as much as any othcr rcason was what madc Hcnry \!!! into a Protcstant. Tc wcalth ol thc monastcrics was undoubtcdtly thc rcason lor thcir downlall. Tis is why !, no longcr a cld missionary, am still living on a missionary salary and cvcn promoting in Amcrica an organization which will wclcomc any scrious bclicvcr into its mcmbcrship and allow him thc privilcgc ol liv ing on a missionarys salary. !t is callcd Te Or der for World Evangelization. Tis ordcr simply cnablcs a pcrson to choosc a mission socicty and to adopt thc salaricd lcvcl ol a lurloughcd missionary as his own lilcstylc lcvcl. All thc rcst ol his moncy thcn is madc availablc, by his own dccision, to thc work ol thc Lord. Tis sccms to mc a pcrlcctly logical way to ght aucncc. !ll admit that wc havcnt had a massivc numbcr ol pcoplc charging in to bccomc mcm bcrs. ! havc oltcn thought that whilc many mis sionarics, to thcir crcdit, simply sucr along with thcir missionary salary lcvcl, il lor any valid rcason thcy could gct out ol thc harncss thcy wouldnt lccl bound by that typc ol lilc stylc lcvcl. !l, howcvcr, you would likc a littlc cn couragcmcnt to stay with this kind ol lilc stylc, thcn join thc rdcr lor Vorld vangcli zation. Vc arc trying to combat thc diculty ol staying poor by this approach.