Religions of Europe and the Crusades Judaism Judaism

Religions of Europe and the Crusades

Judaism � Judaism is one of the worlds oldest monotheistic religion, or belief in 1 God. � Started by a group of people in southwest Asia called Israelites. � Followers of Judaism worship at temples called synagogues on Saturday (Sabbath). � Religious leaders are called Rabbis � Played an important role in the founding of Christianity and Islam.

Christianity � Christianity grew out of Judaism during the Roman era. � Jews were treated very unfairly and revolted against the Romans. � A man named Jesus traveled around this time with his 12 followers (disciples). � Some people felt Jesus was a promise of better times but most Jews disagreed. � Romans feared Jesus’s popularity and saw him as a threat to their law and order. � Jesus was sentenced to death and crucified. � Christians believe the resurrection, or rising from the dead, led to the birth of Christianity.

Christian Beliefs � Christians believe that Jesus was the son of God and he came to save the people. � By becoming Christians and by accepting Jesus and his teachings, people could gain salvation and they would be saved from their sins or wrongdoings and allowed to enter into Heaven. � Christianity was similar and different from Judaism: both Christians and Jews believed in one God of Israel both studied the Hebrew Bible Unlike Jews, Christians believed in the trinity (one God is made up of three people: the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit). � Ancient Christianity: Roman Catholic Church and Eastern Orthodox Church.

Organizing The Church � As the number of Christians grew the Church had to become more organized to unite its followers. � Like the Roman empire, the church was ruled by hierarchy, an organization with different levels of authority.

Islam � Islam- a religion based on the teachings of Muhammad, became the religion of the new Arab empire in 630 AD. � Followers of Islam are called Muslims. � Muhammad was a merchant who was troubled by what he saw around him: Greed, dishonesty, neglect of the poor, and disregard for family life. � Seeking guidance he spent time alone praying in a cave outside the city.

Beliefs and Practices of Islam � Like Jews and Christians, Muslims are monotheistic and believe God speaks to people through prophets. � The holy book of Islam is called the Quran. � 2 groups: Sunni and Shia.

The Crusades � In the 1000’s, the � Crusades aimed to take Byzantine leader the holy city of wanted the pope to Jerusalem (important persuade Western city for Jews, Europeans to help save Christians, and his Christian empire Muslims). from Muslims. � The 10 bloody crusades � The pope thought it caused bitter feelings would help him restore between Christians and his rule over the empire. Muslims.