Colorful Lights... From a Church Window?!?

As we look into the Gothic cathedrals in our Art History class, we see many stained-glass windows depicting images of biblical stories. The purpose of these very large, colorful windows was to fill people with a sense of amazement and awe for the Holy Spirit that resided within the walls of the cathedral. Also, these stories might have depicting stories of punishment, and would instill fear in those that have sinned. Throughout the Gothic period, we see cathedrals being remodeled to allow more light into the church through their windows because of the Manichean idea of light. The Manicheans were a philosophical group that believed that light was actually rays of God poking around in the world, and a certain amount of this Holy Light resided in each of our bodies. Augustine was influenced by the Manicheans, and believed that by looking inwards (introspection?) you could achieve happiness. With the Gothic architecture we can see these beliefs in physical form, because of the enlarged and decorated windows. Within the churches, we have intricate designs and beautiful windows. The outer surfaces of the churches, however, are very plain, going with the Manichean idea that the outer world was ugly but the inside the body was beautiful. St. Augustine had a message about a Beatific Vision, which would come about through introspection and then up to God, which would provide the "looker" with salvation and happiness.

We also discussed St. Augustine's book, Just War, in which he explains what conditions have to be met in order for a war to be a righteous or just war. In this book, he lists and describes 7 conditions which have to be met in order for a war to be just. These 7 conditions being:
1. Last resort
2. Initiated by the government or a higher power
3. Chance of success
4. Right intentions
5. Re-establish peace
6. Proportionality
7. Do not attack the civilians
1. Last Resort
A just war can only be initiated if all other non-violent options have been used.
2. Initiated by the Government or a Higher Power
A war is only just if an authoratative figure approves it is justified.
3. Chance of Success
A war can only be fought if there is a chance of success. Deaths and injuries that occur during this war are mortally justified.
4. Right Intentions
A just war can only be fought in order to "redress a wrong suffered". The only objective of a war is to solve the problem. Self-defense against an armed attack is always a just cause.
5. Re-establish Peace
The ultimate goal of a just war is to re-establish peace. A war should improve the peace that existed before this war or would exist if the war had never been fought.
6. Proportionality
You must use the minimum amount of force to obtain your objective. Violence used in the war must be proportional to the injury suffered.
7. Don't Attack Civilians
Civilians are never the target of war, and all measures to avoid killing them should be used.

All these conditions, however, were not met throughout the Crusades, which makes them somewhat of a sin because all those conditions made war just, and the Crusades did not meet those conditions.