The Crusaders and the Church

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1 Liberty University From the SelectedWorks of Wes Green Summer June 27, 2009 The Crusaders and the Church Wes Green, Liberty University Available at:

2 LIBERTY UNIVERSITY ONLINE THE CRUSADERS AND THE CHURCH SUBMITTED TO PROFESSOR MICHAEL MITCHELL CHHI 301 BY WESLEY GREEN DATE SUBMITTED JUNE 27, 2009

3 2 The Crusaders and the Church During the Council of Claremont in 1095, Pope Urban II pronounced that the Muslim rule in the Middle East and the Holy Places had to end. The people rallied behind him, and thus began the period known as the Crusades. 1 They were an often-brutal effort to reclaim Jerusalem, which had fallen to Muslim control. If people refused to convert to Christianity, they were killed. It is unbiblical to try to conquer land through violence and war in the name of Christ. The Crusades happened in Medieval England and were a series of military movements sparked against the Muslims of the Middle East. The Muslims had captured Jerusalem in Jerusalem was a very important city for both the Muslims and the Christians. For the Christians, it was where Jesus spent most of His life. He was born nearby in Nazareth and died in Jerusalem. Yet, for the Muslims, it was a city that the founder, Muhammad, had visited. There was a dome built there where Muhammad was said to have prayed and it was so holy that no Muslim was allowed to tread on the rock or touch it when visiting the Dome. 2 There were seven crusades during this two hundred year period. 3 The first crusade ( ) was a complete success and the crusaders captured Jerusalem. Upon capture of this city, Godfrey of Bouillon became the first king. The crusaders became, in a way, hungry for more because they wanted to remove all the Muslims from the whole region. As history tells us, there were other crusades some great and some not so great Jonathan Hill. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity, (Michigan: Lion Publishing Place, 2006), What Were the Crusades?, Historylearningsite.co.uk, (accessed June 22, 2009). 3. Henry H Halley. Halley s Bible Handbook, (Michigan: Zondervan, 1959), Ibid.

4 3 The number of crusaders increased daily to include those of the lower classes the peasants. They began wanting weapons instead of plowing the fields. Everyone wanted to become part of the crusades to include all the lower clergy, runaway monks, women, children gave to this advance-guard of the crusading army the character of a mob, recognizing no leadership but that of God. 5 The First Crusade was a great success, in large part because their enemies were not unified. The second crusade ( ) was caused by the fall and the massacre at Edessa, in The Turks slaughtered, or sold into slavery the entire population of Edessa. This crusade postponed the fall of Jerusalem. 6 In 1187, the sultan of Egypt, Saladin, captured Jerusalem and thus sparked the third crusade ( ), which was a disaster as well because the army failed to reach Jerusalem. 7 These crusades were complete disasters and accomplished nothing. The crusades were becoming unpopular, as well as unsuccessful, by the time of the fourth crusade ( ). 8 The armies never made it to Jerusalem (third crusade), the City of God, but instead conquered the inhabitants of Constantinople and a Catholic king came into power. The citizens were slaughtered. This was the worst crusade, which was the starting point of the relationships of the Orthodox churches and the Catholic churches disagreements. Since this crusade, there were no more Christian successes in the Middle East. 9 It was Pope Innocent III who called for the Fifth Crusade ( ). 10 This crusade 5. History of the Crusades, Religionfacts.com, (accessed June 23, 2009). 6. Halley, Halley s Bible Handbook, Ibid. 8. Ibid., Hill, History of Christianity, Ibid., 766.

5 4 was an attempt to mend Jerusalem by defeating the Ayyubid state in Egypt. Egypt was united after the Fourth Crusade because they had the land previously held by the Christians, as well as Jerusalem. It was Pope Gregory who called for the Sixth Crusade ( ). King Frederick II of Rome followed, but the pope excommunicated Frederick because of his failure to keep his vow. Frederick finally departed in June of The sixth crusade was a complete failure and finally, the Seventh Crusade ( ) came to naught. The Crusades were of influence in saving Europe from the Turks, and in opening up intercourse between Europe and the East, paving the way for the Revival of Learning. 11 With research, it became clear that these crusades betrayed the human nature. What started off as a plan to recapture the Holy Land of Jerusalem ended up becoming a complete disaster from the fourth crusade and on. The crusaders became greedy, obsessed with power, land, and materials, which goes against scripture. And when Christ, who is your life, is revealed to the whole world, you will share in all his glory. So put to death the sinful, earthly things lurking within you. Have nothing to do with sexual immorality, impurity, lust, and evil desires. Don t be greedy, for a greedy person is an idolater, worshiping the things of this world. Because of these sins, the anger of God is coming (Colossians 3:4-6). Also, 1 Timothy 6:9-10 states, But people who long to be rich fall into temptation and are trapped by many foolish and harmful desires that plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil. And some people, craving money, have wandered from the true faith and pierced themselves with many sorrows. The Bible warns about greed and it says to put aside the things of the world, but the 11. Ibid.

6 5 Crusaders continued to want more and more. It is interesting that throughout the entire time of the crusades, which lasted from 1095 until 1272, the Christians only held Jerusalem for eightyeight years. The largest negative ramification of the crusades was it put the Christians and the Islamists against each other, a terrible situation that remains today. Even though the crusades had negative outcomes, many positive things came out of the crusades too. Even though the crusaders were defeated, the crusades have had a consequential place within the history of the globe. The crusades helped to strengthen authority within the church. They afforded the popes an opportunity to interfere in the wars between Christian princes, while the temporal and spiritual privileges which they conferred upon crusaders virtually made the latter their subjects. 12 These crusades brought fourth results that far surpassed the popes original intent. For several centuries, traffic between the East and West was suspended, but after the crusades had ended the energy within those trade routes soared. The culture, too, was directly a positive result of these wars. 13 Within this new culture, food products (i.e. rice, coffee, sherbet, dates, apricots, lemons, sugar, spices such as ginger, melons, rhubarb, and dates ), household goods (i.e. mirrors, carpets, cotton cloth for clothing, ships compasses, writing paper, wheelbarrows, mattresses, and shawls ), and new ideas (i.e. chess, Arabic figures 0 to 9, pain killing drugs, algebra, irrigation, chemistry, the colour scarlet, water wheels, and water clocks ) emerged. Trade for many years was very good between the two sides. The crusades also contributed a lot to Medieval England. Also, during this time Europeans began to build castles L. Bréhier. Crusades, Newadvent.org, (accessed June 23, 2009). 13. Ibid. 14. Ibid.

7 6 With the growth of this new culture came the idea of chivalry. During the beginning stages of the Crusades, the papacy promised special privileges for all who would fight and it became a spiritual activity as well as a military movement. They were temporary privileges, though, until Jerusalem was re-captured, but the Christians would need permanent troops to protect them from the Muslims. With this, the chivalric knighthood was established. 15 Christ tells us, in Acts 1:8, you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. The reason for the Crusades was to regain control of the Holy Land from the Muslims rule. Acts 1:8 does not tell us to kill and take over other nations; it tells us to be witnesses for Christ. The church, during this time, should have sent missionaries not armies to the other social cultures. Today, the church does not send armies, but they send missionaries to spread the Kingdom of God. How do we spread the Good News to a lost and dying world through violence and bloodshed? We do not. Matthew tells us the eleven disciples left for Galilee, going to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. When they saw him, they worshiped him but some of them doubted! Jesus came and told his disciples, I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age (Matthew 28:16-20). Again, the Bible does not tell us to fight, but to fulfill The Great Commission; we cannot do this through bloodshed. Violence happened on both sides of the cross, and for centuries the Christians and 15. Hill, History of Christianity, 208.

8 7 Muslims were not able to live together in peace. The Crusades simply increased this tension. In spite of the failure of the crusades, Christian culture grew and developed and became prosperous, but through it all they lost the true reason of Christ.

9 8 Bibliography Bréhier, L. Crusades, Newadvent.org, (accessed June 23, 2009). Halley, Henry H. Halley s Bible Handbook. Michigan: Zondervan, Hill, Jonathan. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity. Michigan: Lion Publishing Place, History of the Crusades, Religionfacts.com, (accessed June 23, 2009). What Were the Crusades?, Historylearningsite.co.uk, (accessed June 22, 2009).

The Catholic Church and the Crusades

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