The Evolving Tolerance In The Middle Ages

Evolving Tolerance In recent years, the word tolerance has become a topic of serious deliberation. As a social and political buzzword, tolerance sparks many debates about religion, lifestyle, morality, and politics. Historically speaking, the definition of tolerance has evolved throughout the years and has come to mean something very different from its original meaning. The word is also used in situations or settings that often diverge from the strict dictionary definition. Throughout history, the definition of tolerance evolved through the Middle Ages and the early modern period to develop the modern definition of tolerant behavior: strict acceptance of others beliefs and viewpoints. In the Middle Ages, the Pope would practice tolerance as a form of “love for those who err” (Forst). As the religious leader, the pope would use kindness and proper teaching to guide his followers onto the right path, even if it meant being “intolerant” of their sinful behaviors (Forst). This view of tolerance changed in the 12th century when the question of peaceful co-existence with other faiths, like Islam and Judaism, became prominent. Tolerance evolved from its earlier definition to: “defending the truth of Christian faith while also seeing truth—religious or at least ethical—in other religions,” so that peace between faiths could be preserved and war could be prevented (Forst). This developed a humanist idea of religious unity based on core beliefs to avoid religious strife (Forst). The original “loving” definition changed into a search for unity in spite of differences in religious belief. The issues of toleration began to become more prominent outside of the Church and influence the political system in the 1500’s and 1700’s (early modern period). …show more content…
A man called Jean Bodin developed a definition of tolerance that related solely to stability of the state; “the preservation of political sovereignty took primacy over the preservation of religious unity, and toleration was recommended as a superior policy” (Forst). This tolerance was based on an agreement to respect others and their insight on religious differences, keeping them on equal footing so all views were equally valid. This further promoted the separation of church and state, provoking the concepts of “free expression” and “natural individual rights” (Forst). A French man called Montesquieu promoted “the toleration of different religions for the purpose of preserving political unity and peace,” which was adopted and became a means of preserving individual liberty in government and religion. The definition of tolerance branched out from just a religious standpoint and became an issue of governmental preservation for religious rights. In present day, tolerance has further evolved into a word with several different branches that cover more than just religious or governmental views. The UN Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), describes tolerance as a “responsibility that upholds human rights, pluralism (including cultural pluralism), democracy, and the rule of law”. It has become synonymous with words like “respect, acceptance, appreciation…[and] openness” to foster harmony in differences between race and religion (United Nations, Art. 1). In issues of religion and lifestyle specifically, tolerance has also come to mean that “one’s views are not to be imposed on others” (United Nations Art. 1). This means that if one does not agree with an individual’s faith or sexual orientation, they cannot say that it is wrong. It also means people cannot voice their own