“How much more, then, should it not suffice for your spiritual profit that you hear the divine lessons in church, but among your company at home you should engage in sacred reading, even several hours, at night, when the days are short,” declared Caesarius of Arles, a bishop in southern Gaul in the sixth century A.D.

These words from Caesarius represent a commitment to family discipleship that is a credit to the medieval western church. At the same time, in the millennium that stretches from the late ancient period to the Renaissance, one also finds much testimony that reflects poorly upon the church’s partnership with families.

With the dawning of imperial favor in the fourth century A.D. and the crumbling of the Roman Empire in the fifth, the primary locus of Christian practice drifted from homes to dedicated institutional structures. Especially in the early Middle Ages, generations grew less literate, and training in Christian traditions increasingly became the domain of professional clergy in ecclesiastical institutions. Still, reformers and pastors ranging from Caesarius in the sixth century to Jean Gerson in the fifteenth century boldly called upon churches to improve their efforts at bringing discipleship into the household.

To understand the theology and practice of family discipleship throughout this era, it is necessary first to look carefully at Augustine of Hippo, whose work proved to be the reference point for so many medieval theological discussions. From this vantage point, the contributions of medieval theologians and the practices of medieval churches will become far clearer.

Next: Testimony from Augustine

[Editor's Note: This article was adapted from the book Trained in the Fear of God, edited by Randy Stinson and Timothy Paul Jones.  Used by Permission.]