Christianity and Islam Handout PDF

Advent of Christianity and Islam 1 - The birth of religion in the Middle Ages What does the word Medieval mean? Medieval is derived from a Latin word which means time in the middle. Thus, in simple words, medieval period is t...

Advent of Christianity and Islam 1 - The birth of religion in the Middle Ages What does the word Medieval mean? Medieval is derived from a Latin word which means time in the middle. Thus, in simple words, medieval period is the period between ancient and modern periods. In India the period between 9th and 18th century CE is called the Medieval period. It is further subdivided into 2 periods – Early Medieval Period – between 9th and 12th century Later Medieval Period – between 13th and 18th century The Medieval Period in India does not correspond to the Medieval Period in other parts of the world. The Medieval Period in Europe roughly stretches from about 600C.E. to around 1500 C.E. The transition from Ancient Period to Medieval Period was not abrupt and sudden. It took place gradually over a period of time. A brief overview: The Roman Catholic Church was the supreme power during the Middle Ages. It was the stabilizing force in every day life which kept the community framework together. The laws and rules of the land, public policies and governance of the people were all affected by religion during the Middle Ages. Any attempt at threatening Christianity by other religions was met with force and all measures were taken to spread the religion in other parts of the world. The society was superstitious and ignorant and believed in what the religious institutions taught them. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |1 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  Islam was also shaping up in this era with a wide spread in the religion during this period. Many territories were fought and won in the name of religion. Judaism, which had many setbacks towards the end of the middle ages, also survived the ordeal. Many other small religions also came up in various parts of the world shaping societies. The arts, architecture and teachings of this era bear testimony to this fact. 2 - Jews in Jerusalem before the birth of Jesus The birth of Christianity and how it spread In the middle of the 1 st century BCE, the Romans conquered Palestine, the homeland of the Jews. They appointed Herod as the ruler under whom the Jews suffered grave injustice and oppression. The Jews resented their loss of freedom and looked forward to the coming of the Messiah (Christ) who would liberate them from foreign bondage and establish the kingdom of God in Palestine. Around 6-4 BCE, in the tiny village of Bethlehem in Judea, Jesus, believed to be the son of God, was born to Mary. Her husband Joseph was the descendant of King David, Israel’s most famous king who had liberated Israel from foreign rule 1000 years ago. Jesus grew up in Nazareth, in northern Palestine, where he studied the Jewish scriptures. His baptism took place when he was 30 years old. A divine revelation convinced him that the time had come for him to fulfil his mission. He had to free people from the bondage of evil and guide them on the path that would lead to the triumph of good over evil. Jesus gathered around him a band of twelve disciples and travelled throughout Galilee for 3 years, preaching, teaching and healing the sick. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |2 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  3 - The birth of Jesus Watch this youtube video to get a glimpse of how Jesus was born The Birth of Jesus – Youtube Video Page 2 4 - Jesus' teachings... Teachings of Jesus Jesus began to teach in the Jewish tradition. He noticed that there was a huge gap between the rich and the poor. Therefore, he started preaching love and tolerance. His entire thinking was based on the central idea that God is the Loving Father of all. He regarded God as the king and the people as those who carry out his will. A small group of disciples believed he was the promised messiah who would bring an end to Roman rule. His teachings were simple and yet revolutionary. He established a code of conduct for men and women based on – - Unconditional love for God - True love for one’s neighbour He taught that there was one God who was compassionate, loving and forgiving. He believed that as children of God, we love our neighbours, including the poor, the sinners and forgive our enemies and TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |3 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  win them over with our love. We should help the needy and do good even to those who harm us. Since God loved sinners and forgave them, Jesus said that we should do the same. He completely rejected the ‘eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth’ principle. Why Jesus’ teachings were rejected Jesus devoted himself to the healing of the sick. He treated every one alike. This made him very popular amongst masses. However, he faced opposition from the Jewish religious leaders who considered him a threat. Jesus' ideas were rejected by most of the Jews. Reasons for why he was rejected by Jews – - The Jewish leaders saw him as someone who opposed the Jewish laws which were framed according to the Code of Conduct laid down by their teacher, Moses. They did not consider Jesus to be a leader, competent enough to oppose their established laws. - Another factor that annoyed the Jews was that the followers of Jesus used to call him Christ, or the Messiah which means the ‘ Anointed One’ i.e. the one who is destined to do great work. The Jewish prophets had predicted that a Messiah would be born and would save the Jews from Roman domination. Jews were not prepared to accept Jesus as their Messiah. - Jesus considered everyone as equals and referred to the kingdom of God a place where every man could have a place. However, Jews considered only themselves as the ‘chosen people’ and looked down upon the non-Jews. The high priest in Jerusalem was appointed by Pontius Pilate (Roman governor of Palestine) to control TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |4 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  Jewish affairs and to keep the Jewish population i n line. It is argued by some historians that the priests received wealth and power for their cooperation with the Romans. It is believed that Jesus saw theses priests obstructing the conversion of the Jewish populace to his ideas. He coordinated an attack on the trading activities of the Temple, which was a great source of wealth to the priest. At the very least, this gave the Roman authorities the excuse they needed to arrest Jesus for the rebellion. On the night of the Last Supper, Jesus was arrested. Je sus had been hiding and one of his disciples, told Roman authorities where he would be. Pilate condemned Jesus to death. He was beaten and crucified. Three days after his death, Jesus' tomb was found empty. For the next 40 days, his disciples claim that they saw visions of Jesus having risen from the dead in the tradition of Moses and other great Jewish prophets. This conviction among his followers led to the emergence of a new community – the Christian community. His life and teachings impacted the people in an extraordinary and revolutionary manner. The life and teachings of Jesus Christ were recorded in the Gospels by four of his disciples – John, Matthew, Mark and Luke. 5 - Early Church and Christians Most of the first Christians were Jewish converts, and the church was centered in Jerusalem. Shortly after the creation of the church, many non-Jews embraced Christianity. Early Christians considered it their calling to spread and teach the teachings in the Gospel. Some of them established churches in the Roman empire, Africa and Europe. When Christianity was new, Christians were hunted as criminals. T h i s w a s b e c a u s e - 1. They refused to worship Roman gods and that was against the law. People's names would be put on a list of suspects. Since this was a serious crime, if they were arrested and found guilty, they would be thrown to the lions. 2. Christians were against the popular Roman sports such as chariot racing and the fights between gladiators and the animals. They did not participate in Roman festivals. Thus, they were considered unpatriotic and disloyal. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |5 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  Even though Christianity was against the law and the punishment severe if caught attending a Christian service or meeting, its followers grew rapidly. Christians were always trying to convert people. While some Christians were rich, most of the converts in Rome were from the poorer section. There were two reasons for this. First, Christians promised that if you lived your life right you went to heaven when you died. In the other Roman religion, only the gods could live in heaven. Everyone else was consigned to the underworld. Second, every Christian considered themselves equal to every other Christian. There was no nobility or higher caste. 6 - Constantine and the spread of Christianity in the Roman Empire Constantine and the spread of Christianity Who was Constantine? Galerius Constantine was born in the Eastern Roman Empire. He was born into a military family, with his father serving as army officer that rose all the way up to the rank of deputy emperor. Constantine would follow in his father's footsteps and inevitably get involved in a Roman civil war. By the end of the war, Constantine found himself as the Emperor of the western half of the Roman Empire. Then, in 324 CE, he would defeat the emperor of the eastern half, to become the sole ruler of the Roman Empire. Constantine's dream - Constantine dreamed of God the night before a major battle. God told Constantine to paint the Christian monogram on all his soldiers' shields and he would win the battle. The next day Constantine won the battle. Christianity made legal Emperor Constantine converted to Christianity and made Christianity legal. Under his leadership, Christians could no longer be arrested just for being Christian. After a fairly short period of time, Christianity became the dominate religion of Rome. After that, it became the law that you must be Christian to be a citizen of Rome. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |6 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  7 - Role of the Church in the Medieval Ages The Role of the Church in the Middle Age Every religion has its preachers who are dedicated to spreading their religion. Christianity also had a large number of monks who devoted themselves to spreading the religion and the teachings of Jesus. Peter, an apostle of Jesus is described as the foundation rock of Christianity and is regarded as the first pope of the Roman Catholic Church. The Role of the Church in the Middle Ages included the following: - During the middle ages, there were no schools or colleges. The churches were the only centres of education where monks and nuns taught in Latin. - The monks took care of the poor, homeless and destitute. They provided help and medicines to the sick. - During those times, there were very few books to read. Therefore, drama became the most powerful medium of learning. Plays were staged in churches and the monks acted in those plays. Churches also provided - spiritual guidance and teachings food for the hungry and shelter for travellers justice through courts Catholic Church started its universities in Paris, Tubingen, Cambridge and Oxford. The laws of the land and leading roles in the government were all in the hands of the leading church leaders like bishops and archbishops. However, with the passage of time, the lifestyle in the monasteries changed. Large areas of land were being donated for the building of Churches. As a result of the possession of large estates and other material things, corruption set in. The monks started becoming greedy and exploited the people. Martin Luther, a German Friar, began to question the practices and teachings of the church which led to a movement called the Reformation Movement. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |7 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  The birth of Islam Islam began in Arabia and was revealed to humanity by the Prophet Muhammad. Those who follow Islam are called Muslims. Muslims believe that there is only one God, called Allah. Islam is mainly followed in the Middle East, Asia, and the north of Africa. Who was Prophet Muhammad? Muhammad was an Arabian religious and political leader. Muslims believe he was a messenger and a prophet of Allah. He was the last prophet to be sent by Allah. What is the meaning of Islam? The Arabic word 'Islam' means submission and obedience, and derives from a word meaning 'peace'. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |8 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  8 - A depiction of Muhammad receiving his first revelation from the angel Gabriel. Prophet Muhammad - Muhammad was born in Mecca. He was married and had children, he spent a lot of his time in praying and meditation. It was during meditation that one day in 610 CE, true light dawned upon him. He had a vision of the God’s angel Gabriel giving him the message of God. From that moment, he was known as Prophet. It is believed that the angel visit Prophet Muhammad many times and the verses revealed to him are compiled in the holy book Quran. The Quran Muhammad proclaimed that the Quran was the last Book of God, and that he himself was the last Prophet. The Quran is a record of the exact words revealed by Allah through the Arch Angel Gabriel to Prophet Muhammad. He called upon the people to give up their idols and accept that there is but one God – Allah. Why Islam was rejected Similar to what happened when Jesus started to preach, when Muhammad first started teaching, many o f the people of Mecca, who worshipped idols, did not like the things that Muhammad said. But there were also people who listened to his preaching and obeyed his messages. These people were the first of the followers of Islam. Because of the protest in Mecca, he and his followers migrated to Medina. It was in Medina that Prophet Muhammad won thousands of followers. Later, the people of Mecca also embraced Islam. Before his death, Islam had become the religion on the whole of Arabia. Teachings of Islam 1. There is but one God – Allah. Muhammad was the last and greatest of Allah’s Prophets. 2. All men are equal. There should be no class hatred. 3. Idol worship is forbidden. 4. Women should observe purdah and should be respected. 5. Observe the 5 pillars of Islam – there is no God except Allah, one must offer prayers 5 times a day, giving alms to the poor, fasting during the Holy month of Ramzan, pilgrimage to Mecca once during the lifetime. 6. Respect for parents and justice to all. They should follow rules laid down regarding marriage, divorce and sharing of property. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e |9 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  According to the Quran, Jerusalem was the last place the Prophet Muhammad visited before he ascended to the heavens and talked to God in the seventh century. He was flown from Mecca to Jerusalem overnight by a mythical creature. Both this miraculous night journey and his communion with God are important events in Islam. 9 - Prophet was taken from Mecca to Jerusalem Spread of Islam Caliphate After Muhammad died, his successors were called Caliphs. Caliph was the title given to the head of the Muslim community. He became the political and religious head of the Muslim community. Hence, Islamic government was called the Caliphate and was ruled by a Caliph. The first four Caliphs were all taught Islam by Muhammad and were called the Rightly Guided Caliphs. They were followed by the first Islamic dynasty called the Umayyad Caliphate. In 750 CE, the Abbasid Caliphate took control and ruled for 500 years. The Islamic Golden Age took place during the Abbasid Caliphate. 10 - The spread of Islam in the Medieval Ages IMPACT OF ISLAM TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e | 10 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  The Early Islamic World was a period of rapid expansion for both the Islamic Empire and the religion of Islam. While Europe was languishing in the dark ages, the Middle East was experiencing a time of economic prosperity and scientific advancement. The people of the Islamic world created numerous sophisticated centers of culture and science with far - reaching mercantile networks, travelers, scientists, hunters, mathematicians, doctors, and philosophers. Trading played an important role in the spread of Islam in several parts of the world, notably southeast Asia. Their caravans travelled to India and China and their ships went to the Persian Gulf. They traded in armour, weapons, glass ware, pottery, carpets, wine, leather goods and textiles. The objective of the conquest of lands by the Muslim people was of a practical nature as fertile land and water was scarce in the Arabian peninsula. They adopted scientific methods of farming including the use of fertilisers and rotation of crops. They made canals to irrigate lands and introduced the West many trees and fruit such as dates, apricots, pomegranates, peaches and lemon. They were great patrons of learning and founded universities at Baghdad, Cairo and Cordoba. They also set up libraries and a number of Madrasas. Their literature in prose is known to the world through the famous Arabian Nights. Arabs developed the art of calligraphy and made geometrical and floral designs. The Crusades 11 - The Crusaders What were the crusades? The Crusades were a series of holy wars during the Middle Ages where the Christians of Europe tried to retake control of Jerusalem and the Holy Land from the Muslims. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e | 11 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  Who fought the crusades? Both peasants and knights joined the Crusades, each with different reasons for going. Some clearly felt that it was the right thing to do and wanted to return Jerusalem to its earlier state, making it safe for Christians to worship there. Others liked the idea of getting rich, finding new lands, and adventuring. Crusaders wore a red cross as a symbol on their armor and clothing, as well as on flags and banners that were carried into battle. 14 - A Christian crusader and an Arab How did they start? Jerusalem fell out of Christian control and became ruled by Arab invaders during the Early Middle Ages. The Arabs were religiously tolerant and allowed the Christians to visit the city. However, when the Turks took over the land from the Arabs, th ey refused the Christian pilgrims who went through religious persecution. The Pope was asked to gather an army who then asked the people of the Holy Roman Empire to join the army and fight the war against the Turks. Since, this was a Holy war, if the peopl e died they would go straight to heaven. In the first Crusade, the armies from Europe drove out the Turks and took over control over the Holy Land. There were 9 crusades that were fought between the 11th and 13th centuries. Some of these wars took much longer than others. Some were fought by the political leaders and some by the common people. Taking back Jerusalem not only meant winning a victory for Christianity, but it also meant governing an important area of land and the wealth tied to it. Other reasons why they started include the fact that it increased the power and prestige of the Pope, the serfs wanted to escape oppression and this was a perfect opportunity for them to get away. Christians believed it was their duty to recover the holy land; it wa s also a time of discovery, travel, adventure and explore new lands. The result. In the end, the Crusades were unsuccessful. Rather than winning back Jerusalem, they ended up causing the deaths of many who went on such trips. However, they did bring about contact with the East, and education benefited from Arabic materials acquired during this time period, which TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e | 12 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence  were translated into Latin and improved Europe ’s knowledge of many subjects. Technological advancements were made as well, such as the development of the compass (leading to better maps) and weapons like the crossbow. 15 - The end of the Crusades Effects of the Crusades While the Crusades ultimately resulted in defeat for Europeans, many argue that they successfully extended the reach of Christianity and Western civilization. The Roman Catholic Church experienced an increase in wealth, and the power of the Pope was elevat ed after the Crusades ended. Trade and transportation also improved throughout Europe as a result of the Crusades. The wars created a constant demand for supplies and transportation, which resulted in ship - building and the manufacturing of various supplies. After the Crusades, there was a heightened interest in travel and learning throughout Europe, which some historians believe may have paved the way for the Renaissance. Among followers of Islam, however, the Crusaders were regarded as immoral, bloody and savage. The ruthless and widespread massacre of Muslims, Jews and other non -Christians resulted in bitter resentment that persisted for many years. TSRS Moulsari/AL/History/Handout/May 2024 P a g e | 13 Integrity Sensitivity Pride in One’s Heritage Pursuit of Excellence