Birth and death
Frederick S. Paxton|Thomas F. X. Noble|Julia M. H. Smith
When responding to birth and death, early medieval Christians leaned heavily upon two fundamental features of their culture: the centrality birth, resurrection in faith, importance families mental horizons social organization. Over course Middle Ages, most came regard baptism newborns as a necessary normal initiation into church, kin, Christian society. At same time, liturgical specialists expanded comparatively simple funeral commemorative practices antiquity fully articulated rite passage meant facilitate each step transition from community living faithful departed: preparing body soul for death itself, properly disposing corporeal remains, overseeing successful incorporation ranks blessed. The faithful, both new old, also gave up variety more or less ancient burial an almost universal pattern interment around churches at heart settled areas. they did, dead became members single community, united space time. Overall, business seeing welfare afterlife, which began baptism, rise extraordinary system spiritual temporal exchange – economy salvation, based on gift-giving fueled by circulation people, prayers, property that is one striking age.
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