登陆注册
4699400000017

第17章

The Great Western Schism that followed upon the residence at Avignon divided Christian Europe into hostile camps, and snapped the bond of unity which was already strained to the utmost by political and national rivalries. Sincere believers were scandalised at the spectacle of two or three rival Popes, each claiming to be the successor of St. Peter, and hurling at his opponents and their supporters the severest censures of the Church. While the various claimants to the Papacy were contending for supreme power in the Church, they were obliged to make concession after concession to the rulers who supported them and to permit them to interfere in religious affairs, so that even when peace was restored and when Martin V. was universally recognised as the lawful Pope, he found himself deprived of many of the rights and prerogatives, for which his predecessors from Gregory VII. to Boniface VIII. had struggled so bravely.

Nor was this all. In their efforts to bring about a reunion, and despairing of arriving at this happy result by an agreement among the contending Popes, many honest theologians put forward principles, which, however suitable to the circumstances of the schism, were utterly subversive of the monarchical constitution of the Church. They maintained that in case of doubtful Popes the cardinals had the right to summon a General Council to decide the issue, and that all Christians were bound to submit to its decrees. In accordance with these principles the Council of Constance was convoked, and, elated with the success of this experiment, many of the more ardent spirits seemed determined to replace, or at least, to limit the authority of the Popes by the authority of General Councils summoned at regular intervals. The Pope was to be no longer supreme spiritual ruler. His position in the Church was to be rather the position of a constitutional sovereign in a state, the General Council being for the Pope what modern Parliaments are for the king.

Fortunately for the Popes such a theory was completely discredited by the excesses of its supporters at the Council of Basle, but it served to weaken the authority of the Holy See, and to put into the hands of its opponents a weapon which they were not slow to wield whenever their personal interests were affected. Henceforth appeals from the Pope to a General Council, although prohibited, were by no means unfrequent.

Yet in spite of all these reverses, had the Church been blessed with a succession of worthy Popes burning with zeal for religion, free to devote themselves to a thorough reform, and capable of understanding the altered political and social conditions of the world, the Papacy might have been restored to its old position. But unfortunately the Popes from Nicholas V. to Leo X. were not the men to repair the damage that was done, or to ward off impending danger. The calamities that threatened Europe from the advance of the Turks, and the necessity of rousing its rulers to a sense of their responsibilities occupied a large share of their attention; while the anxiety which they displayed in the miserable squabbles of the Italian kingdoms, sometimes out of disinterested regard for the temporal States of the Church, as in the case of Julius II., more frequently from a desire of providing territories for their unworthy relations, left them little time to safeguard the general well-being of the Church. In case of some of them, too, if one may judge them by their actions, the progress of Humanism seemed to be nearer to their hearts than the progress of religion.

同类推荐
  • 林灵素传

    林灵素传

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说分别布施经

    佛说分别布施经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • The Boss and the Machine

    The Boss and the Machine

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛祖历代通载序浮图氏之论

    佛祖历代通载序浮图氏之论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 易林补遗

    易林补遗

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 相爱有归期

    相爱有归期

    北京土著欧小歌,典型的北方姑娘,大大咧咧,性格开朗,乐天主义。大学时和贵州同学林家铭相恋,度过了四年美好的大学恋爱时光。毕业后,“凤凰男”林家铭选择留京,为爱打拼,给心爱的女孩撑起一片绿荫。他们毕业后闪婚,却不知婚姻和恋爱是截然不同的两码事儿。欧小歌的学姐宋洁毕业后留京,跟同样北漂的张大飞生活在一起,受尽生活拮据的折磨。曾经在学校风光无限的宋洁,因为生了女孩被婆婆嫌弃。丈夫张大飞言语间也有再拼一个儿子的想法。二胎如愿到来,可是面对着却是公司的升职加薪,宋洁陷入了左右为难的困境。外地来京女强人唐静心爱上了性格软弱的高强,高强是典型的妈宝男,脑子里只有妈妈的话,又不善于处理家庭问题。
  • 重生之女君风华

    重生之女君风华

    她是庆元国女君,传闻中她无情暴戾,霸道凌厉。他是将军府嫡子,传闻中的京都第一公子,淡漠疏离,尊贵雅致。上一世,他陪她死在了血流成河的人堆中。直到死的那一刻,她才知道这个世界上真心对她的人到底是谁。再次睁眼,她回到了一年前,她要报仇,要守护好她的子民。但最重要的,是求得他的原谅,做一个好妻子。是能护他一生平安喜乐,与他一起白头到老。Ps:简介无能,男女主身心干净。不是女尊王朝,不喜勿入。欢迎提建议,欢迎交流。
  • 水之纹

    水之纹

    本书是一本正经的爱情小说!本书是一本正经的科幻小说!本书是一本正经的悬疑小说!没有永远的朋友,也没有永远的敌人,世界变得太快,还是人心变的更快?萧玉只想早点退休,不曾想退休后还是安逸不了。逃不了的命运,如影随形的事件一个接一个,是早就安排好了?失去了亲人,失去了朋友,该浑浑噩噩苟活,还是奋起反扛?尸山血海,浮沉人心,总有人在黑暗处一直盯着你,只有变强大,才能粉碎所有的阴谋诡计。自强才能无畏。
  • 契约成婚,首席的入骨蛮妻

    契约成婚,首席的入骨蛮妻

    【全文完,放心入坑!——他宠她如命,她却恨他入骨!】他,是拥有翻手为云覆手为雨的权势G市四大家族继承人之一。她,是某集团食品产品设计师兼言情小说作家。她从来没想过自己写的狗血言情契约故事会发生在自己的身上,更没有想到,契约老公竟是这样一个大人物!初见,他凉薄唇微微一勾,“签吧,顾子琴,我给你提供你需要的巨额金钱,婚后,你我形同陌路。“*“喻总,夫人现在在外面。”秘书低着头汇报道。某男淡淡的“嗯”了一声,依然是专心工作的样子,但下面的一句话就让他坐不住了。“喻总,夫人刚跟个男人……”秘书的话还没说完,某男就已经如同一阵风掠过他的身旁......*我不是忠心的狼,却是中了你的毒无药可救的豹——喻宸贤爱你纵然是飞蛾扑火,我也甘之如饴无怨无悔的——顾子琴
  • 宿命里有你,是喜是悲

    宿命里有你,是喜是悲

    一纸契约,两次签!为了妹妹她甘愿屈身,为了儿子她放弃生命。在最美的青春遇见最残酷的他,一时天堂,一时地狱,她被折磨的体无完肤......他,为了一个人的生命,牺牲她的健康,面对危险时又残忍的放弃她,只是,他心中的纠结与疼,霸道的爱,她却不懂......斗转千回,她和他再次被红线相牵,上天给了他们太多的考验,最后,还能在一起吗?一个半真半假,一半发生过一半没发生过,一半正在上演的故事,雷同吗?老套吗?庸俗吗?生活不就是这样,随时都在撞衫,又各不相同。宿命啊,如何抗衡呢......非喜勿喷!
  • 龙珠演义

    龙珠演义

    —————————————————这一路上走走停停,顺着少年漂流的痕迹—————————————————
  • 哑姑玉经

    哑姑玉经

    头部被撞,血流如注,陷入昏迷,然后又自己醒过来,这到底是福是祸呢?难以预料,她苦恼地摇摇头,边走边看吧。
  • 戴氏族谱

    戴氏族谱

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 魔帝绝宠:爆萌小妖妃

    魔帝绝宠:爆萌小妖妃

    “我会娶你为妻!”那一晚,留下不可磨灭的记忆,亦留下了这句如千金之重的承诺。醒来后的冥小七只有一个目的,那就是想着怎么弄死对方。堂堂冥王,被一个男人吃干抹净不说,对方居然还一声不响的就走了。这绝对是对她莫大的侮辱,于是她跟着那个男人去了人间,势必要一雪前耻。要知道整个冥界都是她说了算,就算到了人间,照样横着走,那些在人间欺了她的,咱们到了地府好好算,刀山火海下油锅任君选。可自从遇到那个男人后,冥小七不干了,逃了几世,最后还是被那个男人逮到。说好的报仇,却突然多出来了一个娃是怎么回事?(轻松宠文,男强女强一对一)
  • 乙丙之际著议第六

    乙丙之际著议第六

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。