Question 1

During the early Medieval tournament

Accepted Answer

During the early Medieval tournaments, all of the statements are accurate. The victorious knight could indeed claim the property, armor, horses, and even demand ransom for defeated opponents. Chivalry, as idealized in later periods, was not a guiding principle in these early contests, allowing for what we might consider unfair tactics today, such as ganging up on a single knight. Free-for-alls on horseback were also a common feature of these early tournaments, making them chaotic and dangerous events.

Question 2

With regard to the brutality of the tournaments, the Catholic Church

Accepted Answer

The Catholic Church took various stances against the brutality of tournaments over time, including issuing Papal Bulls to forbid them, threatening participants with eternal damnation, and tolerating them during the Crusades for utilitarian reasons.

Question 3

Wars and battles between knights and feudal armies were common during the Middle Ages. Knights had to develop athletic ability if they were going to survive.

Accepted Answer

Knights were expected to have physical strength and abilities such as riding horses, wielding weapons, and wearing heavy armor in order to be successful in battle.

Question 4

Orthodox Christians along with the Ascetic monks despised the body and subjected the body to self-inflicted pain. They viewed the body as an instrument of sin.

Accepted Answer

This is a common belief held by Orthodox Christians and ascetic monks, who often engage in acts of self-denial and mortification of the flesh in order to overcome sinful impulses. However, it should be noted that not all Orthodox Christians or ascetics hold this view, and there is a wide range of beliefs and practices within Eastern Christianity.

Question 5

According to St. Thomas Aquinas, perfection in both body and soul is necessary.

Accepted Answer

St. Thomas Aquinas believed that perfection in both body and soul is necessary because he believed that human beings are composite beings consisting of both matter and spirit. Therefore, he argued that in order for a person to achieve complete perfection, both aspects of their being must be perfected.

Question 6

Greek philosophers and their beliefs had little or no impact upon the scholastics.

Accepted Answer

Greek philosophers and their beliefs had a significant impact on the scholastics, who adopted and adapted many of their ideas into their own philosophical and theological systems.

Question 7

The Scholastics provided religious justification for admonishing the value of the body and opposing activities that promoted physical fitness.

Accepted Answer

The Scholastics did not provide religious justification for admonishing the value of the body or opposing physical fitness. In fact, some Scholastics, such as Thomas Aquinas, advocated for a balance between physical and spiritual health.

Question 8

The seasonal agricultural holidays during the Middle Ages were void of games and entertainment.

Accepted Answer

Seasonal agricultural holidays during the Middle Ages often involved a variety of games and entertainment. Celebrations such as May Day, Harvest Festival, and Plough Monday were accompanied by activities like dancing, singing, and athletic competitions. These festivities were an important release for the hard-working agricultural community and helped to build social bonds within the village or town.

Question 9

Christian beliefs reinforced and perpetuated the existing social order, the Feudal System, during the Middle Ages.

Accepted Answer

The Catholic Church played a significant role in maintaining the Feudal System by promoting the idea that God had ordained a hierarchical society with the aristocracy at the top and the peasantry at the bottom. This belief was reinforced through religious teachings and practices, such as the idea of divine right of kings and the sacrament of ordination, which maintained the social order and prevented social mobility.

Question 10

The Medieval Tournament of Jousting was reserved exclusively for the aristocracy. Peasants were completely excluded from attending as spectators.

Accepted Answer

Medieval tournaments, including jousting, were primarily for the aristocracy and knights, but peasants were not completely excluded from attending as spectators. These events were large public spectacles that attracted wide audiences, including people from various social classes.

Question 11

The work of Galen, "De Medicina" was the chief source of Medical knowledge during the Middle Ages.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Galen's work "De Medicina" was the primary source of medical knowledge during the Middle Ages, and his work continued to influence medical practices for centuries afterwards.

Question 12

Galen studied human physiology and believed that it was composed of eight essential humors which resided exclusively in the brain and heart.

Accepted Answer

Galen did study human physiology but he believed that it was composed of four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) which were distributed throughout the body, not just in the brain and heart.

Question 13

According to Galen, when humors were blended in certain ways within the body, health could be achieved.

Accepted Answer

This is true. Galen believed that there were four humors (blood, phlegm, yellow bile, and black bile) and that health was achieved when they were blended in certain balanced proportions within the body.

Question 14

The removal of "bad blood" by purging or bleeding the patient was a common medical treatment during the Middle Ages.

Accepted Answer

Purging or bleeding was commonly used to remove "bad blood" during the Middle Ages. It was based on the belief that illness was caused by an imbalance of the bodily humors and that the removal of excess blood could restore balance and health.

Question 15

Along with mundane medical treatments such as drinking herbal teas, medicine as practiced in the Middle Ages believed that drinking urine or boiling the extract of cow's dung could cure the plague.

Accepted Answer

This is a true statement. During the Middle Ages, urine and cow dung were believed to have medicinal properties and were used to treat a variety of illnesses, including the plague.

Question 16

The ascetic monastic lifestyle of Christian monks was based on the belief that enlightenment would be achieved through bodily mortification, vows of silence, prayer, and the renouncing of all material possessions.

Accepted Answer

The ascetic monastic lifestyle of Christian monks indeed emphasizes bodily mortification, vows of silence, prayer, and the renouncing of all material possessions as a means to spiritual enlightenment.

Question 17

The consensus among medieval historians is that, with the exception of ritual dancing and manual labor, Christians were generally encouraged to avoid the pleasures and temptations of the body.

Accepted Answer

This was largely due to the influence of asceticism, which viewed the body as a hindrance to spiritual growth. However, some medieval Christian thinkers did acknowledge the importance of physical pleasure and enjoyment in moderation, such as Thomas Aquinas' concept of the "virtuous mean."

Question 18

Christians eventually came to regard the body as an instrument of sin; the body was mortal and had little consequence to a man seeking eternal salvation.

Accepted Answer

This belief is often associated with early Christian theology and was influenced by Greek philosophies that emphasized the superiority of the soul over the body.

Question 19

Early Christian monks were not at all interested in the body, did not pay any attention to the body.

Accepted Answer

Early Christian monks actually placed a significant emphasis on the body, as they believed in the concept of the body as a temple of the Holy Spirit. They practiced asceticism and self-denial in order to discipline and purify the body, which they saw as a means of achieving spiritual growth and closeness to God. This included practices such as fasting, celibacy, and physical labor.

Question 20

Monks chose to deny themselves the pleasures of the body because in so doing so, they were able to "prove" - from the Christian beliefs of the era, that they were worthy of eternal salvation.

Accepted Answer

Yes, this is true. Monks believed that denying themselves physical pleasures would help them achieve spiritual purity and show their devotion to God, which in turn would make them worthy of eternal salvation.

Quiz 5: Philosophy, Sport, and Physical Education During the Middle Ages: 900-1400