From Repression To Inception: A Study On The Influence Of Christianity On The Development Of Sports In Europe In The Middle Ages

The influence of Christianity in the middle ages on the development of sports in Europe is complex,which presents two contradictory aspects: on the one hand,it stifled the inheritance of sports in ancient Greece and Rome;on the other hand,it laid the foundation for the development of modern sports.There are two keys to solve this "double effect" puzzle: one is the logic movement of European spiritual culture development before and after the middle ages;second,the social and historical movements brought about by the development of modern capitalism in Europe.Therefore,for a long time,the influence of Christianity on the development of sports in Europe in the middle ages has been controversial in the academic circle,which not only makes it a classic subject,but also a task far from being completed.Based on the above two aspects,this paper conducts an in-depth study on this topic.The basic ideas and clues of the study are as follows:The relationship between Christianity and sports development in the middle ages has a deep historical origin.This relationship is actually a special stage or link in the relationship between religion and sports.Its logical form is mainly reflected in the inner relation between primitive religion and primitive sports.The ancient Greek worships the religious characteristics of bodybuilding,it became the prototype of the Olympic spirit.The polytheism of ancient Roman religion and the formation of gladiator culture;after Christianization,the ancient Olympic Games and gladiator competition in ancient Rome,were both destroyed.Medieval Christianity in Europe's traditional sports has significant impact.This is the first aspect of the double effect,also is the most obvious way,formed the consensus of the suppression effect.The impact of this repression is mainly reflected in the basic concept of binary division of spirit and flesh established by the early Christian view of life and body;to promote the medieval Christian asceticism and ascetic life to the overall exclusion of sports activities;this led to the overall decline of competitive sports in the middle ages,the absence of school sports and the hindered development of folk sports.The medieval Christianity had the latent inception influence on the modern sports in Europe.Which is the second aspect of the above double effect.It is the hidden aspect that needs to be studied in depth,and most scholars have not analyzed it systematically.The spiritual foundation of this effect is the transcendental quality of Christian spiritualism and life view.In the middle ages,knight tourney secretly inherited the cultural form of competitive sports.The rise of scholasticism and medieval universities laid a rational foundation for the development of sports.The rise of urban and rural sports in the middle and late middle ages marked the progress and development of the society.The humanism trend of thought formed in the Renaissance promoted the regeneration of the sports concept in the middle ages.The historical transformation of Christianity in the middle ages promoted the formation of humanistic values of sports.The spiritual unity view of the reformation fundamentally shook the Christian ascetic body view.The deepening of the concept of spiritual consistency accelerates the formation of sports humanistic values.The religious reform movement promoted the national consciousness and gave birth to the citizens' sports right.And the formation of healthy body view guide physical education to return to the field of school education.The influence of Christianity on the development of sports in the middle ages still has important practical significance.The double effect on sports is helpful for us to understand and grasp the social and historical reasons for the formation and development of modern sports,as well as to reveal the phenomena and connections that still exist between religion and modern sports.