CHRISTIANITY: 800 – 1000 C.E.

CHIRSTIANITY 800 C.E. – 1000 C.E. SAINT PETER’S CHURCH

2010 MICHAELMAS WEDNESDAY STUDY Beginning September 8, 2010

Pastor Amandus J. Derr

Christianity: 800 C.E. -1000 C.E.

Outline

• September 8 Prologue and Overview

• September 15 Catholicism: The Unpredictable Rise of Rome*

• September 22 Orthodoxy: From Empire to Empire*

• September 29 The Challenge of Islam 622-1000

• October 6 Changing Alliances: ‘Old’ Rome or “New”?

• October 13 Popes, Patriarchs and Icons

• October 20 Universal Emperor or Universal Pope?

• *1 hour CD from Diarmaid MacCulough’s HISTORY OF CHRISTIANITY: THE FIRST THREE THOUSAND YEARS (BBC)

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ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY: TWO SEATS OF POWER:

Exterior Views

OLD SAINT PETER’S BASILICA One of the earliest examples of Christian architecture and an excellent example of the basilica form, the church known as Old Saint Peter's, in Rome, Italy, was begun in AD 333 and destroyed by fire in the 16th cen-tury. Based on the shape of a Latin cross, Old Saint Peter's had a long nave (central aisle) with a transept (projecting wings) crossing the nave near the front of the church. Roman Emperor Constantine the Great (306-337) commissioned the construction of Old Saint Peter's as a church and public hall after instituting Christianity as the empire's religion.

HAGIA SOPHIA The most magnificent of all of the Byzantine churches, Hagia Sophia was designed by the architects Anthemios of Tralles and Izidorus of Miletus. This construction of the second Hagia Sophia was started in 532 by the order of the Emperor Justinian and was built over the ruins of an earlier structure. The church was opened for worship five years later, in 537. The church was considerably damaged by the earthquake of 557 and the nephew of the Architect Izidorus supervised the repair of the structure. When the Turks conquered Constantinople in 1453, the Church was converted into a mosque., It was converted into a museum on February 1st 1935.

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ECCLESIASTICAL AUTHORITY: Two seats of Power:

Floor Plans “Old” Saint Peter’s Basilica, Rome

Hagia Sophia, Constantinople

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September 8, 2010 PRELUDE AND OVERVIEW

I. PRELUDE 1. “…from Jerusalem, all Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth.” – from 50 to 350 C.E. 2. Constantine and Councils 3. Monasteries and Cathedrals

II. OVERVIEW 3. TIMELINE 800: Pope Leo III crowns Charles emperor of the Holy Roman Empire and therefore introduces theocratic monarchy in Europe 817: Benedict of Ariane draws up the monastic constitution of Benedectine monasteries (monks as a political entity that mediates between laity and deity) 822: Mojmir, prince of Morava, converts to christianity 826: the Frankish missionary Angkar, bishop of Hamburg, evangelizes in Denmark and Sweden 826: Harald Klak of Denmark converts to Christianity 843: the "Restoration of the images" in Constantinople solves the iconoclastic controversy 845: the Irish theologian Johannes Scotus Erigena (John the Scot) takes over the Palatine Academy in France 846: Muslims raid Rome 849: caliph al-Mutawakkil deposes the patriarch of the Eastern Christian Church and persecutes Christians 852: Ansgar founds the churches at Hedeby and Ribe in Denmark 858: Nicholas I becomes pope and asserts the independence of the Church from local authorities and from Constantinople 861: the Khazars convert to Judaism 862: Boris of Bulgary converts to christianity 862: Ratislav of Moravia converts to christianity 863: Cyril and Methodius from Constantinople write the Slavic bible in the first Slavic alphabet, glagolitic 870: The Serbs convert to christianity 883: Muslims burn the Abbey of Mount Cassino 885: Mt Athos is granted independence as a religious retreat by emperor Basil I 904: Sergius III is elected pope thanks to a powerful Roman noblewoman, the first of a series of popes appointed by the Roman aristocracy 909: Berno founds the monastery of Cluny in Burgundy 912: the Normans become Christian 922: the Viking ruler Dirk I founds the Egmont Benedictine monastery in Haarlem (Holland) 948: the leader of the Magyars converts to christianity 950: the church of Hosios Loukas (Holy Luke) is founded in Stiris, Greece 965: Harald Bluetooth (Harold I) converts the Danes to christianity 969: Athanasios of Trebizond founds the Great Lavra (Great Monastery) on Mount Athos in Greece 988: Vladimir of Kiev converts to Christianity 995 : Olav I conquers Norway and proclaims it a Christian kingdom 996 : a German is elected pope Gregory V 999 : German emperor Otto III appoints Gerbert d'Aurillac pope, who becomes the first French pope and assumes the name Sylvester II 1000: Greenland and Iceland are christianized

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September 29, 2010 THE CHALLENGE OF ISLAM

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Biography of Muhammad

• MUHAMMAD • Born: c. 570 Mecca, Arabia — Died: 632 Medina, Arabia • Muhammad was the founder of the religion of Islam and of a community at Medina that later developed into the Arab Empire. • • Call to be a prophet • Muhammad was born after his father's death in Mecca, Arabia, around 570. His grandfather and mother both died when he was a child.

As a child, he was unable by Arab custom to inherit anything. He was therefore relatively poor until about 595, when a wealthy woman, Khadija, asked him to go to Syria as a steward (protector, manager) of her trading supplies. After the successful accomplishment of the mission, she offered him marriage. She was a rich widow fifteen years his senior. She and Muhammad had four daughters, and several infant sons who died. From this time onward Muhammad was wealthy, but he began to spend time in solitary reflection on the problems of Mecca, where religious principles were being degraded and general unrest was in the city.

• • During a period of solitude around the year 610, Muhammad heard a voice as he meditated (focused his thoughts in a manner of

prayer). The voice said, "You are the Messenger of God" (this being the title more frequently given to him by Muslims than that of prophet). Muhammad later decided he had heard the archangel Gabriel. He also found certain words "in his heart" (that is, his mind) as he meditated. Friends helped to convince him that he was called to convey messages from God to the Arabs as Moses (c. 1392– c. 1272 B.C.E. ) and Jesus Christ (c. 6 B.C.E. –c. 30 C.E. ) had done to the Jews and Christians. He continued to receive such messages from time to time until his death. They were collected into chapters and make up the Koran (Qur’an). The Koran, though sent through Muhammad, is held by Muslims to come from God.

• • Meccan preacher • At first Muhammad told these messages only to sympathetic friends, but from 612 or 613 he stated them publicly. Many people in

Mecca, especially younger men, became followers of Muhammad. These members of his new religion of Islam became known as Muslims. In the course of time, however, resistance to Muhammad appeared among the leading merchants of Mecca, and he and his followers were sometimes mistreated. Apparently to escape the mistreatment, approximately eighty of his followers traveled to Ethiopia. About 616, pressure in the form of a boycott (refusal to trade with) was placed on the clan of Hashim to make it cease protecting Muhammad. But until after the death of the head of the clan, Muhammad's uncle Abu-Talib, it was felt that to abandon him would be dishonorable.

• • The new head, however, found a justified way to leave Muhammad behind, and it became virtually impossible for Muhammad to

continue preaching in Mecca. In September 622, after secret negotiations over the previous two years, he settled in the area of Medina, two hundred miles to the north, where seventy of his followers had already gone. This "emigration" (leaving one's living place for another) is the Hijra (Latin, hegira ), on which the Islamic era is based.

• • First years at Medina • The Arab clans of Medina mostly acknowledged Muhammad's prophethood and entered into association with him and the emigrants

(those who leave their country) from Mecca. At first the emigrants depended on Medinese hospitality, but soon small groups of them began to attempt raids on Meccan caravans. Later the Muslims of Medina also joined in. At first the raids had little success, but in March 624 a larger band of just over three hundred, led by Muhammad himself, defeated a supporting force of perhaps eight hundred Meccans with heavy losses. This was a serious blow to Meccan reputation, and the Muslims felt that God was defending Muhammad.

• • To teach Muhammad a lesson, the Meccans in March 625 invaded the Medinese area with about three thousand men. Many Muslims

were killed before they could regain the safety of the hill. Militarily this was not a serious loss for Muhammad, since the Meccans had also suffered casualties and retreated immediately; but the loss shook the belief that God was defending him. Confidence was only gradually restored.

• • The next major event was the siege of Medina by ten thousand Meccans and allies in April 627. Muhammad protected the central part

of the area by a trench that tricked the cavalry. After two weeks Meccans and their allies retreated. In March 628 the Meccans settled the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya with him. The treaty was a triumph for Muhammad. In the following months many nomadic (having to do with moving from area to area) tribesmen and a few leading Meccans joined Muhammad and became Muslims. When the treaty was criticized in January 630, Muhammad was able to march on Mecca with ten thousand men. Muhammad entered Mecca in triumph. Two weeks later two thousand joined Muhammad's army in opposing a concentration of tribesmen east of Mecca and shared in the victory of Hunayn.

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Biography of Muhammad

• New religion • By 630 the religion of Islam had become firmly rooted. In the earliest parts of the Koran, it emphasized God's goodness and power and

called on men to acknowledge this in worship. It also stated the reality of the Day of Judgment, when men would be assigned to paradise or hell depending on their attitude toward God, their generosity with their wealth, and similar points. These matters were significant to the tensions of Mecca, which were seen as arising from the merchants' overconfidence in their wealth and power. The Koran contained attacks on idols (symbols of objects to be worshipped) and a resolve that "there is no deity but God."

• • The religious practices of the Muslims included communal worship or prayers several times a day touching the ground with the

forehead in acknowledgement of God's majesty. They also gave alms (money to the poor). At Medina the fast (not eating any food) from sunrise to sunset during the month of Ramadan (sacred ninth month of the Islamic calendar) was introduced; and when circumstances made it possible, some of the ceremonies of the traditional pilgrimage (holy journey) to Mecca became a duty for Muslims.

• • Years of triumph • Beyond Medina a system of alliances was gradually built up with the nomadic Arab tribes. As Muhammad grew stronger, he came to

insist that those wanting an association should become Muslims. After the conquest of Mecca and the victory at Hunayn in January 630, he was the strongest man in Arabia, and delegations came from tribes seeking alliance with him. When he died on

• Muhammad. Courtesy of the Library of Congress • • June 8, 632, he was in effective control of a large part of Arabia. • • Muhammad's personality and achievement • Muhammad is said to have been a fast walker, of sturdy build, with a prominent forehead, a hooked nose, large brownish-black eyes,

and a pleasant smile. He showed great charm in his dealings with people and, when appropriate, gentleness and even tenderness. Medieval Europe (500–1500), however, on the defensive against Arab armies and Islamic culture, came to look on him as a monster or demon.

• At times Muhammad was indeed harsh to those in his power, but this was not out of keeping with the times. His marital relations—at his death he had nine wives and one concubine (a kept woman without marriage)—must also be judged in the framework of the times. A political purpose can be traced in all of his marriages. For his time he was a man seeking positive change for his people.

• • Politically Muhammad's greatest achievement was to create the framework that made possible the uniting of the Arab tribes. He also

won over his chief Meccan opponents, and their administrative skills were later invaluable in conquering and ruling many provinces. The growth of the Arab Empire, and with it the religion of Islam, was made possible by favorable circumstances; but the opportunity would not have been grasped but for Muhammad's gifts as visionary, statesman, and administrator.

• • For More Information • Andrae, Tor. Mohammed: The Man and His Faith. New York: Scribner, 1936. Reprint, Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2000. • Pirenne, Henri. Mohammed and Charlemagne. London: G. Allen & Unwin, 1939. Reprint, Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, 2001. • Watt, W. Montgomery. Muhammad at Mecca. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1953. • Watt, W. Montgomery. Muhammad at Medina. Oxford, England: Clarendon Press, 1956. •

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THE Five Pillars of Islam

The 'Five Pillars' of Islam are the foundation of Muslim life:

• Faith or belief in the Oneness of God and the finality of the prophethood of Muhammad;

• Establishment of the daily prayers;

• Concern for and almsgiving to the needy;

• Self-purification through fasting; and

• The pilgrimage to Makkah for those who are able.

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Iman or Faith

"There is none worthy of worship except God and Muhammad is the messenger of God." This

declaration of faith is called the Shahadah, a simple formula that all the faithful pronounce. The

significance of this declaration is the belief that the only purpose of life is to serve and obey God,

and this is achieved through the teachings and practices of the Last Prophet, Muhammad.

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Salah or Prayer

Salah is the name for the obligatory prayers that are performed five times a day, and are a direct

link between the worshipper and God. There is no hierarchical authority in Islam and there are

no priests. Prayers are led by a learned person who knows the Qur'an and is generally chosen by

the congregation.

Prayers are said at dawn, mid-day, late-afternoon, sunset and nightfall, and thus determine the

rhythm of the entire day. These five prescribed prayers contain verses from the Qur'an, and are

said in Arabic, the language of the Revelation. Personal supplications, however, can be offered

in one's own language and at any time.

Although it is preferable to worship together in a mosque, a Muslim may pray almost anywhere,

such as in fields, offices, factories and universities. Oftentimes visitors to the Muslim world are

struck by the centrality of prayers in daily life.

A translation of the Adan or Call to Prayer is:

God is Great.

God is Great.

God is Great.

God is Great.

I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.

I testify that there is none worthy of worship except God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

I testify that Muhammad is the messenger of God.

Come to prayer!

Come to prayer!

Come to success!

Come to success!

God is Great!

God is Great!

There is none worthy of worship except God.

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Zakah

The financial obligation upon Muslims.

An important principle of Islam is that everything belongs to God, and that wealth is therefore

held by human beings in trust. The word zakah means both "purification" and "growth." Our

possessions are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need and for the society in

general. Like the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new growth.

Each Muslim calculates his or her own zakah individually. This involves the annual payment of

a fortieth of one's capital, excluding such items as primary residence, car and professional tools.

An individual may also give as much as he or she pleases as sadaqa-h, and does so preferably in

secret. Although this word can be translated as "voluntary charity" it has a wider meaning.

The Prophet said, "Even meeting your brother with a cheerful face is an act of charity." The

Prophet also said: "Charity is a necessity for every Muslim." He was asked: "What if a person

has nothing?" The Prophet replied: "He should work with his own hands for his benefit and then

give something out of such earnings in charity." The Companions of the Prophet asked: "What if

he is not able to work?" The Prophet said: "He should help the poor and needy." The

Companions further asked: "What if he cannot do even that?" The Prophet said: "He should urge

others to do good." The Companions said: "What if he lacks that also?" The Prophet said: "He

should check himself from doing evil. That is also an act of charity."

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Sawm or Fasting

Every year in the month of Ramada-n, all Muslims fast from dawn until sundown--abstaining

from food, drink, and sexual relations with their spouses.

Those who are sick, elderly, or on a journey, and women who are menstruating, pregnant or

nursing, are permitted to break the fast and make up an equal number of days later in the year if

they are healthy and able. Children begin to fast (and to observe prayers) from puberty, although

many start earlier.

Although fasting is beneficial to health, it is mainly a method of self-purification and self-

restraint. By cutting oneself from worldly comforts, even for a short time, a fasting person

focuses on his or her purpose in life by constantly being aware of the presence of God. God

states in the Qur'an: "O you who believe! Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed to

those before you that you may learn self-restraint." (Qur'an 2:183)

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Hajj or Pilgrimage

The pilgrimage to Makkah (the hajj) is an obligation only for those who are physically and

financially able to do so. Nevertheless, over two million people go to Makkah each year from

every corner of the globe providing a unique opportunity for those of different nations to meet

one another.

The annual hajj begins in the twelfth month of the Islamic year (which is lunar, not solar, so that

hajj and Ramada-n fall sometimes in summer, sometimes in winter). Pilgrims wear special

clothes: simple garments that strip away distinctions of class and culture, so that all stand equal

before God.

The rites of the hajj, which are of Abrahamic origin, include going around the Ka'bah seven

times, and going seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa as did Hagar (Hajir,

Abraham's wife) during her search for water. The pilgrims later stand together on the wide plains

of 'Arafat (a large expanse of desert outside Makkah) and join in prayer for God's forgiveness, in

what is often thought as a preview of the Day of Judgment.

The close of the hajj is marked by a festival, the 'Id al Adha, which is celebrated with prayers and

the exchange of gifts in Muslim communities everywhere. This and the 'Id al Fitr, a festive day

celebrating the end of Ramada-n, are the two holidays of the Islamic calendar.

Acknowledgement: The images and text are based from the Poster Exhibit of Discover Islam.

compiled by Ishaq Zahid

History of Islam -570-640

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History of Islam 644-750

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History of Islam 768-935

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History of Islam 945-1130

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History of Islam 1130-1492

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The Viking Response to Charlemagne’s Missionary Activities

October 6, 2010

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The Holy Roman Empire: Charlemagne and the Carolingians

October 6, 2010

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“Old” Rome and “New” Rome October 6, 2010

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