Medieval Commune - Medieval Christianity

Medieval Christianity

Communes were very important for the medieval Church according to John Bossy. The word that Bossy uses is fraternity. The Church had a main focus on establishing peace between the medieval states. The main sins that had to be overcome to stop the killing, according to many theologians, were pride, envy and wrath. Communes could help bring peace, because people would cooperate instead of acting egoistically. In many places, fraternities and guilds were formed before a parish was established. They were formed by common people who imitated the way of life of the monks, without becoming part of a monastical order. Another method to establish peace was the confession. Medieval confessions were of a somewhat different form from the modern-day practises in the Catholic Church; confessions were not yet auricular. Confession was instead held in public as opposed in the privacy of a confessional. The main theme was expressing sins committed against neighbours. Forgiveness was asked not merely from God and the Church, but also from one's neighbours. The 15th century brought a positive view on individualism expressed in the humanist movement of the Renaissance. Rising commerce was the cause of this individualism. Communalism has remained very popular within and without Christianity until this day.