In the high and late Middle Ages,collective flagellation which participants were mainly the laity had become popular in Western Europe,especially the flagellant movement.Such collective flagellation with deep monastical roots reflected a change from the institutional obedience to the individual voluntary obedience in monasteries,demonstrated the evolution of idea and activities of the'imitation of Christ'under new circumstances,and was a result of the influence which was exerted by the rise of the laity and their acceptance of new monasticism movement.In this movement,many new religious orders appeared and had influenced the laity through increasingly various ways,which made the laity adopt the self-flagellation as the choice of ascetic practice.Consequently,the ascetic flagellation was apt to turn into a large-scale popular flagellant movement under the influences of natural calamities and man-made misfortunes,the social unrest and the prevalent eschatology.However,due to lay participants'self-assertive belief and their self-organised principle,they had a tendency of heterodoxy to some extent from the view of the church.Moreover,as they made an uncompromising opposition against the Roman papacy,they were charged as heresy.
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