History of the Christian Church, Crusaders
The Crusaders and the Church
Medieval Christianity is one of the most controversial periods of the Churches history. It is a time when dramatized fantasy often overshadowed a humble reality. This was time of valiant knights and ruling kings, and time when the government was deeply seeded in orthodox Christianity. Christians and non-Christians alike have wrestled with the haunting events of this age. It is an ongoing debate as to whether or not the events and decisions made by the heads of the Church were justified, or just plain cruel. Some even go as far as to compare the Crusades to the abomination that was the Spanish Inquisition. The Crusades were essentially wars that were begun and declared by the church, against a seen heresy that was hindering the Church. The first Crusade is a perfect example of this. As stated before however, it is very important to take all true aspects of this time into account. It would be very easy to simply accuse the Crusaders of being cruel and completely separated from God’s will in their actions. This would be however, to undermine all of the events that surround and encompass this age. To understand these crusaders, one must step back and understand what happened leading up to, and during them. For when it is examined like this, it can be surmised that the Crusades were an effort by the Papacy to reunite the eastern and western branches of the church, and mitigate heresy among the known world. This alone is a just cause, but by its means, the Crusades did not further the Gospel, did not further the Church, and did not bring the two branches of the Church together. For example, In light of the justification of violence to defend the church, the modern day Christian cannot find much evidence to say that the Crusades physically furthered the message of Jesus Christ. Before the Crusades began, the Papacy was gaining a lot of power. This came from the struggles between empire and Papacy that plagued the end of the twelfth,
Medieval Christianity is one of the most controversial periods of the Churches history. It is a time when dramatized fantasy often overshadowed a humble reality. This was time of valiant knights and ruling kings, and time when the government was deeply seeded in orthodox Christianity. Christians and non-Christians alike have wrestled with the haunting events of this age. It is an ongoing debate as to whether or not the events and decisions made by the heads of the Church were justified, or just plain cruel. Some even go as far as to compare the Crusades to the abomination that was the Spanish Inquisition. The Crusades were essentially wars that were begun and declared by the church, against a seen heresy that was hindering the Church. The first Crusade is a perfect example of this. As stated before however, it is very important to take all true aspects of this time into account. It would be very easy to simply accuse the Crusaders of being cruel and completely separated from God’s will in their actions. This would be however, to undermine all of the events that surround and encompass this age. To understand these crusaders, one must step back and understand what happened leading up to, and during them. For when it is examined like this, it can be surmised that the Crusades were an effort by the Papacy to reunite the eastern and western branches of the church, and mitigate heresy among the known world. This alone is a just cause, but by its means, the Crusades did not further the Gospel, did not further the Church, and did not bring the two branches of the Church together. For example, In light of the justification of violence to defend the church, the modern day Christian cannot find much evidence to say that the Crusades physically furthered the message of Jesus Christ. Before the Crusades began, the Papacy was gaining a lot of power. This came from the struggles between empire and Papacy that plagued the end of the twelfth,