Introduction
When the Western Roman Empire fragmented, Christianity in the Latin West did not merely “survive”; it increasingly absorbed civic functions, supplied institutional continuity, and became a principal framework through which power was legitimated. This episode traces how Latin Christianity (church institutions, papacy, and Christian kingship) moved into the political vacuum of post-Roman Europe, and why that matters for interpreting the Gospels’ political theology (especially kingship, authority, and public order). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
1. After Rome: the vacuum that created “Christendom”
Britannica’s accounts of medieval government emphasise that, as older imperial structures weakened, institutions emerged to fill the gap—and the Christian church provided continuity of learning and literacy in ways that later made renewed governance possible. In practical terms, bishops and church networks became key organisers of community life, record-keeping, and moral authority in many regions of the West. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Interpretive implication for Scripture: this helps explain how later Christian Europe could read the New Testament’s kingdom language through a public lens—because Christianity had become a public organiser of society, not merely a private devotion.
2. The papacy becomes a temporal actor: from spiritual leadership to territorial power
A decisive development was the papacy’s acquisition of temporal claims and territory in Italy. Britannica notes that the Donation of Pippin (756) provided a basis for papal claims to temporal power, and that the Papal States became a significant political reality in medieval Italy. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
This matters because it institutionalised a model in which church authority could be framed not only as spiritual oversight but as governance, bringing the papacy into direct negotiation with kings, armies, and treaties. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
3. Charlemagne and the “restoration” idea: Christian kingship as Roman continuity
In 800 CE, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “emperor of the Romans”—a landmark event regularly described as restoring an imperial title in the West after the fifth-century dissolution. Britannica explicitly connects the coronation to the relationship between the Frankish ruler and papal protection, highlighting the political logic behind the alliance. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
The significance is not merely ceremonial. The coronation provided a model of mutual legitimisation:
- the papacy gained a powerful protector;
- the ruler gained sacral authority and continuity with Roman political imagination. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Gospel link: the New Testament’s language about “kingdom,” “Lord,” and public allegiance was increasingly read through this framework of Christian rulership—often with profound theological and political consequences.
4. Literacy, schools, and the Church as Europe’s educational infrastructure
Britannica’s history of education notes that monastic schools and episcopal (cathedral) schools functioned as major centres of learning—first oriented to clergy formation, later also admitting lay students—especially as earlier Roman schooling structures declined. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
This matters because education determines what a civilisation can preserve, transmit, and govern:
- Scripture became central to literacy in many settings.
- Latin biblical tradition shaped public theology, law, and moral reasoning.
- Clerical training produced administrators for courts and royal households.
5. Who appoints the bishops? The Investiture Controversy and the problem of “two sovereignties”
If the Church carried public authority, the question quickly became: Who controls church offices? The Investiture Controversy is a classic case of church–state struggle. Britannica summarises that the conflict began about 1078 and was concluded by the Concordat of Worms (1122). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Britannica’s entry on the Concordat of Worms describes it as a compromise that distinguished the spiritual dimension of office from a prelate’s role as a landed magnate/vassal, marking a settlement between papacy and empire over appointments and authority. (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Why it matters theologically: medieval Europe was trying—often painfully—to define how the Kingdom of God relates to political rule. That tension is already present in the Gospels (Jesus’ kingship vs imperial claims), but now scaled into an institutional order.
6. Preaching and discipleship takeaways from this arc
A. Biblical theology of power
- Jesus’ Triumphal Entry presents kingship as non-coercive and truth-bearing; medieval Christendom often struggled to hold that posture once Christianity acquired territorial and coercive instruments.
- The Gospel’s critique is not “politics is evil,” but “power must be redefined by the character of the King”.
B. A discipline for modern readers
- Do not confuse Christian influence with Christian faithfulness.
- Evaluate any “Christian” political form against the cruciform pattern of Jesus’ authority (humility, justice, truth, peace).
C. A sermon-ready pivot (3 movements)
- The Kingdom enters (donkey, not war-horse).
- The Church grows into public life (learning, governance, stability).
- The warning: when the Church holds power, it must remain under the King’s pattern (service, not domination).
Meditation prompt (5 minutes)
Read slowly: Matthew 21:1–11. Then ask:
- Where do I confuse success with faithfulness?
- Where am I tempted to secure good outcomes through coercion rather than truthful witness?
- What is one “donkey-choice” (humble, peace-bearing action) I can make this week?
References
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025) Middle Ages. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025) History of Europe: The Middle Ages. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2026) Government: The Middle Ages. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Papal States. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Donation of Pippin. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) How did Charlemagne become emperor of the Holy Roman Empire? Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (1998) Holy Roman Empire: Coronation of Charlemagne as emperor. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Saint Leo III. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (2025) Investiture Controversy. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Concordat of Worms. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Investiture Controversy (summary). Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)
Encyclopaedia Britannica (n.d.) Education: Europe in the Middle Ages. Available at: Encyclopaedia Britannica (Accessed: 22 January 2026). (Encyclopedia Britannica)