THE MIDDLE AGES: EAST AND WEST

24 February 2010

Religion under the Romans Roman religion was polytheistic and flexible Roman conservatism engendered respect for other

religionsSeveral existed with the Empire

○ Greek Mystery Cults Celebrate god of wine (Dionysus) or grain (Demeter) Secret rites: Demeter looked to promise of eternal life

○ Cults of Isis and Mithras Gender specific Eternal life, promise of resurrection for moral behavior

○ Manichaeism Struggle between dark and light (good and evil)

○ Judaism○ Christianity

The Rise of Dissent, ca. 4 B.C.E.

Roman rule caused resentment among the Jews of Judea

Many Jews believed the messiah was coming soon to overthrow the Romans and liberate the Jews from bondage. Jews in Judea began embracing messianic cults and cult

leaders

Jesus of Nazareth was one of these leaders. His teachings were Jewish he did not really challenge Roman rule as such his followers considered themselves orthodox Jews (as

would the earliest Christians)

Jesus of Nazareth

Difficult to trace him historically—no written sourcesBorn 4 B.C.E.Age 30: Baptized by John the Baptist, who is

executed by the RomansCriticized the pillar of the Jewish

Establishment, the Saducees (priests and wealthy men)

Rejected Zealots who sought revolt against Rome

Rejected need to follow the letter of biblical law

The Products of Dissent The Romans saw such messianic cult

movements as threats to public order arrested and crucified many of these people,

including Jesus Immediate and later followers like Paul of Tarsus

and Augustine of Hippo would re-format Christianity for a wider audiencePaul becomes a missionary throughout RomePauline Churches prospered and departed from

Jewish traditionsNew emphasis on differences between Judaism and

ChristianityIncreased suppression of Judaism in the Roman

Empire

Tacitus: Nero’s Persecution of the Christians (Burning of Rome, 64 CE)

Yet no human effort, no princely largess nor offerings to the gods could make that infamous rumor disappear that Nero had somehow ordered the fire. Therefore, in order to abolish that rumor, Nero falsely accused and executed with the most exquisite punishments those people called Christians, who were infamous for their abominations. The originator of the name, Christ, was executed as a criminal by the procurator Pontius Pilate during the reign of Tiberius; and though repressed, this destructive superstition erupted again, not only through Judea, which was the origin of this evil, but also through the city of Rome, to which all that is horrible and shameful floods together and is celebrated. Therefore, first those were seized who admitted their faith, and then, using the information they provided, a vast multitude were convicted, not so much for the crime of burning the city, but for hatred of the human race. And perishing they were additionally made into sports: they were killed by dogs by having the hides of beasts attached to them, or they were nailed to crosses or set aflame, and, when the daylight passed away, they were used as nighttime lamps. Nero gave his own gardens for this spectacle and performed a Circus game, in the habit of a charioteer mixing with the plebs or driving about the race-course. Even though they were clearly guilty and merited being made the most recent example of the consequences of crime, people began to pity these sufferers, because they were consumed not for the public good but on account of the fierceness of one man.

Making Christianity Official Constantine, Edict of Milan, 313 C.E. Theodosius I, 391 C.E. Challenges to Christianity’s dominance?

Polytheism○ Julian the Apostate

Judaism○ Special allowances○ Increased restrictions

Christianity’s appealCommunitySalvationCharityRoles for women

The Growth of the Christian Church

The words Christian Church referred to the officials who administered to Christians institutionalized as a Roman religion years after the

death of Jesus of Nazareththe church was organized like the Roman state

○ Deacons○ Priests○ Bishops○ Archbishops

Questions of Orthodoxy Arianism

Arius addressed the issue of the Trinity and co-eternal existence

Council of Nicaea, 325 C.E. Monophysitism

Divine takes precedence over the human Nestorianism

Mary gives birth to a human, a vessel for the divine Donatism

Rejection of those who cooperated with Roman authority during the Great Persecution

Leadership and Orthodoxy Early Christian leaders wrote intellectual treatises

foundation for Christian orthodoxypagan beliefs into ChristianityPaul of Tarsus – split from Jewish ritual practiceThe Council of Nicaea (325 C.EAmbrose church/stateAugustine of Hippo historical/philosophical base

In the East: The Byzantines (400-788 C.E.) The Byzantine East kept institutions

of old Roman Empire alive The Byzantine Church was under

direct control of the emperor Secular and religious leadership

was inseparable

Empire in the East, 500-565 C.E.

Eastern Empire avoided the massive transformation that shaped western EuropeCalled Byzantium (old name for Constantinople)By the 500s C.E. had attained great authority and

wealth○ Trade routes and agriculture○ luxury goods from east Asia○ religious festivals and events○ Considered themselves “true” preservers of

“Romanness”

Social and Cultural Conflict in the Byzantine East

Despite ideas about “Romanness” in the Byzantine East…Women lived more like women in classical Athens

Christianity

The government faced corruption

Justinian, 527-565 C.E.

The Reign of Justinian, 527-565 C.E.

constant military expedition to reclaim the WestRe-occupied parts of Italy, Spain and north Africa

○ destroyed the West’s infrastructure ○ Destroyed East’s treasury○ Unpopular taxes burdened cities and countryside

Justinian’s Reign, 527-565 C.E.

To create stability Justinian instituted a massive re-building campaign (constructing

Hagia Sophia) centralized the government by organizing his law code Enforced religious unity

Preserved classical Latin and Greek literature viewed by Church authorities as heretical Elite Christians seeking jobs had to read Greek and Latin texts Classical rhetoric became a method for presenting Christian

theology Christians incorporated classical symbols and imagery in art Kept some Platonic and lots of Aristotelian work as inspiration

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Rise of a New Religion

As Christianity develops in the Roman Empire, a new religion emerges in Arabia

Islam, “submission to God” Followers of these two religions (and

their actions) dominate the history of the medieval West

The Origins of Islam

Muhammad b. 570 C.E., d. 632 C.E.came from a profitable family of merchants in Mecca (in

modern day Saudi Arabia) Some education, mainly in commerce Married a wealthy widow and rose to some degree

of status in Meccan society by age 30 Most of Arab culture recognized a series of

gods/goddesses also acknowledged Judaism and Christianity because of

international commerce

The Origins of Islam

Muhammad had his first spiritual experience in 610 C.E.experiencing visions from the archangel Gabriel message of monotheism and missionary work

An expanding citizenry of Meccan citizens joined him and helped spread his revelations Qur’an in the early 650s hadith (stories about Muhammad and his sayings

and deeds) Brought tension with the ruling elite in Mecca

preferred the old religion of shrine tribute and offerings to gods/goddesses

The Spread of Islam

The pressure forced Muhammad and followers to flee in 622 C.E. to Medina Muhammad expanded his visionsbecame a prophet set up a society of exile followers

In 624 C.E., Muhammad and his followers sacked Meccan temples and shrines in the Battle of Badr

Muhammad and his followers would spend the next two years conquering most of Arabia in the same way (until his death)

The Organization of Islam

Muhammad believed God (Allah) was speaking to him through revelation

Muhammad’s revelations called on people to submit to the will of the one true god acknowledge that one god created the universe and everything in it. Those who did so were called Muslim-- “submission” to Islam, the will

of God Muhammad presented himself as the latest prophet in a

series including Noah, Moses and Jesus Followers believed in ummah

The Organization of Islam

Committed to the 5 Pillars of Islam○ Zakat, tax used for alms○ Ramadan, fast remembering Battle of Badr○ Hajj, pilgrimage to Mecca○ Salat, formal worship (initially) 3 times a day○ Shahadah, profession of faith

No successor to Muhammad seemed appropriate upon his death caliphs were chosen to succeed Muhammad by elites

wishing to hold economic and political sway

Islamic Society Muhammad’s teachings emphasized social equality

Caliphate based on social hierarchy (birth, religious distinction, wealth and talent)

Slavery and anti-African prejudice, in particular, was a mainstay of later Islamic states

The Qur’an gave women spiritual and sexual equality later Islamic states subordinated women to male rule in private and

public life Islam was an urban religion

came to the countryside only with expanded trade facilitated a centralized authority

late 1200s: local Islamic communities develop their own interpretations of Islam with new religious schools and organizations emerging

The West: Many kingdoms With the decline of certain Roman imperial rule, power and stability

shifted to kinship networks, church authority and patronage, royal courts and wealth in land (usually from plunder)

Power diffused and wielded by Church authorities and kings

Europe’s Dark Ages What makes the early medieval period “dark”? Expansion of Christianity

Germanic tribes settle former Western Empire○ Christendom

Merovingians, 5th Century (modern-day France)○ King Clovis

Anglo-Saxon England: Council of Whitby 663 Muslim invasions

710, Iberian PeninsulaMove through Iberian Peninsula, across Pyrenees into

modern-day FranceCharles Martel, “The Hammer”

The West: A medley of kingdoms During the 6th century the Franks had

established themselves as the dominant power in Roman Gaul (much of modern-day France and western Germany)Made up of decaying Roman cities due to

loss of commercial and cultural Roman vitality and depopulation of the areas

Organized around what would become the feudal system

The Powerful in Merovingian Society

Monarchs and aristocrats who held power due to hereditary wealth, status and political influenceProduction of children became central to

keeping family lines goingBecause need for marriage, aristocrats

embraced Christian tradition (more conservative in the West) and abandoned classical thinking

Marriage held together extended families and kept land in the hands of heirs

Merovingian kings bolstered their power by allying with aristocrats

The Early Middle Ages (700-1100 C.E.) Charlemagne (768-814 C.E.) established

the powerful Frankish state ruled his Merovingian empire from Paris Used missi dominici, counts with hereditary

power to maintain order Crowned Holy Roman Emperor on

December 25, 800 C.E. Pope Leo III perpetuate Roman imperial ideas by vehicle

of the Church, revive classical learning, while furthering

monasticism and Christian educational reform This empire would be divided in 3 by his

successor sons and reduce the power of the Holy Roman Emperor