(Puccamp) Preparing her book on Emperor Hadrian, Marguerite Yourcenar found in a letter from Flaubert this sentence:"When the gods had ceased to exist and Christ had not yet come, there was a unique moment in history, between Cicero and Marcus Aurelius, in which man was left alone". The pagan gods never ceased to exist, even with the Christian triumph, and Rome was not the world, but in the brief moment of solitude caught by Flaubert, Western man found himself free from metaphysics - and he didn't like it, of course. Who wants to be alone in a world that does not dominate and barely understands, without the support and consolation of a theology, any theology? (Luiz Fernando Veríssimo. Feast with the Gods ).
The understanding of the world through religion is a disposition that translates medieval thought, whose assumption is:
a) Anthropocentrism:the appreciation of man as the center of the Universe and the belief in the divine character of human nature.
b) scholasticism:the search for salvation through the knowledge of classical philosophy and the assimilation of paganism.
c) pantheism:the defense of the harmonious coexistence of faith and reason, since the Universe, infinite, is part of the divine substance.
d) positivism:submission of man to dogmas instituted by the Church and not questioning divine laws.
e) theocentrism:a predominant conception in medieval intellectual and artistic production, which considers God the center of the Universe.
question 2(Puccamp) Taking advantage of its growing religious influence, the Church began to play an important role in various sectors of medieval life:
a) as for example in Universities, where they disseminated the cultivation of national languages.
b) including encouraging the advancement of science, especially medicine.
c) preventing the dissemination of scientific knowledge through the establishment of the Index.
d) because, enriched with the large donations of land made by the bourgeoisie, it began to omit itself, no longer worrying about the construction of Churches and Monasteries.
e) serving as an instrument of cultural homogenization in the face of the political fragmentation of feudal society.
question 3Read the following text:
“The Church was often the only stone building in the whole area; it was the only major building for many leagues, and its steeple was a landmark. On Sundays and during worship, all the inhabitants could meet there, and the contrast between the grandiose building, with its paintings, carvings and sculptures, and the humble houses in which the people lived, was overwhelming.” (Adapted from E. H. Gombrich. Art History . Rio de Janeiro:LTC Editora, 1993, p. 126.)
In this text, the great art historian, E. Gombrich, highlights:
a) the central importance of the Christian religion for life in medieval cities, expressed above all in the grandeur of the Church building, compared to ordinary houses.
b) the indignation of the inhabitants when they saw the construction of the Church, so imposing, in contrast to their humble houses.
c) the importance of worship on Sundays, which was ecumenical and brought together Christians, Muslims and Jews.
d) that the Church was built with stones because it was the easiest form of construction.
e) that humble people did not want to know about religion, but about the paintings and sculptures that made up the Church.
question 4Read the text and then mark the CORRECT alternative:
“[...] Little by little, the whole of Europe goes and starts to venerate the saints, 'those very special dead people' […], whose exemplary life and heroic perfection transform the bodily remains (the relics) in a deposit of sacredness, a privileged channel of communication with the divinity and a guarantee of celestial protection, even of miraculous efficacy. From now on, each diocese has its patron saint:a martyr or a more or less legendary founding bishop, he is a patronus , in the sense that this word had in Roman society, that is, a powerful protector capable of taking care of his clientele, an influential personage in the celestial court [...]”. (Baschet, J. Feudal civilization. From the year one thousand to the colonization of America . São Paulo:Globo, 2006, p. 63-64.).
a) the text highlights the harmful character of saints and bishops during medieval Europe, since they exercised an exacerbated power over their clientele.
b) the sacredness of the mortal remains of the saints, according to the author, gave immortality to whoever had them.
c) The patron saint of dioceses, according to the author, was a kind of police chief, who watched over the safety of community members.
d) the text speaks of the spiritual authority of the saints, bishops and martyrs of the Church, who ended up becoming protectors of their communities.
e) according to the text, the title pratronus made no sense in the context of the Middle Ages.
answers Question 1Letter E
The medieval religiosity of Christianity, that is, of the Christianized West, was characterized by the articulation between the tradition of evangelizing priests and the philosophical discussions of the transition period from the Ancient Age to the Middle Ages. From this articulation, the dogmas of the Church were born, that is, a set of precepts that would guide Christian orthodoxy. Theocentrism (a concept coined in the modern era), or the God-centered view of the world, was a reflection of this set of dogmas that, consequently, spread through the cultural and intellectual production of the Middle Ages. Thus, alternative E is correct .
Question 2Letter E
The medieval Church laid the foundations for the formation of Christianity (Christian civilization of Western Europe). Its moral and religious authority had a great impact on the cultural and social life of medieval man, as well as on monarchical political organizations and the feudalist economic system. So alternative E is correct.
Question 3Letter A
Medieval Church buildings were usually built by the population, who saw the importance of the centrality of that type of building, its imposing and sumptuous character, as well as the need for its adornment with sacred art. Therefore, the letter A is correct.
Question 4Letter D
Bachet's text portrays the fundamental character of the spiritual authority of bishops and saints in the context of the Middle Ages. Not yet possessing political power like the kings, the bishops represented a great model of conduct and holiness for those who lived under their jurisdiction. A concrete example of this spiritual authority is that of Saint Augustine, who was bishop in the city of Hippo, in North Africa. Therefore, alternative D is correct.