Miranda Shepherd
D Block
December 12, 2016
Of the many great empires of the past, the Byzantine and Islamic Empires stand out in their ideas of religion. Both domains’ cultures were highly influenced and fueled by their own religions. Within the Byzantine Empire, Christianity was the foundation of most laws and activities. Soon after the death of the prophet Muhammad, Islam began rapidly expanding throughout the Near East, North Africa, and Spain (Sandler). The two empires with similar yet differing religions would have many depleting wars mostly based on religious differences over centuries to come.
The Byzantine Empire lasted about 1300 years, from fourth century A.D. to 1453. Constantinople was the major city and hub of life in the empire, being referred to as “the City” by most Byzantines. In this society, essentially any idea that was not derived from faith or orthodox was impossible to imagine (James). Christianity was the heart of the empire. Worship and faith kept citizens connected, as well as providing contentment. The guidelines of Christianity primarily consist of the Ten Commandments. One Commandment reads “Thou shalt not kill,” and the religion as a whole focuses on moral righteousness. Followers are to put God, the one and only god of the religion, at the top of each individual’s priority list. Jesus, a prophet, leader and proponent of Christianity, is portrayed as the son of God. His death and supposed resurrection sparked growth in the religion, spreading rapidly throughout countries.
Islam fueled the expedient growth of the Islamic Empire. The religion’s followers are called Muslims, and the two main divisions Islam are Sunnism and Shiism. The main focus of the religion is to serve the single god, Allah; “Islam” even directly translates to “surrender” or “submission” in Arabic (Becroft). The religion centers around the life and teachings of Muhammad, who is the one true prophet of the religion. He grew up as a poor orphan and soon began seeing visions from God telling him he was a prophet equal to that of Jesus. He faced much persecution for these bold statements. He passed away in Medina with no official heir, a matter very important to his followers. Thus, Islam was divided into Sunnis and Shiites, the groups disagreeing on the rightful heir. In only a couple centuries, countries like North Africa made a complete transition to Islam (Iskander).
The two empires were influenced by their respective religions arguably more than any other factor. The religions also have also had a history of bad blood. Wars soon transformed Islam from a religion to an empire. Islam’s enemies included Persia and Byzantine, the latter of which going to war with Islam for many years. The new religion brought a fresh vitality to Muslims, partially responsible for their military success. However, Muslims could not take over Constantinople. The following period was a time of growing power for the Byzantine empire, and Muslim conquests only continued in Spain (Sandler).
Even in Middle Eastern countries where Islam has been historically prevalent, there are still around 47 million Christians living there (Iskander). This shows how Christians have survived and often thrived under Muslim rule. Although the religions differ in ideologies, the religions are similar in the ways they unite their followers. Both Christianity and Islam affected their respective empires drastically, and society today would not be the same today without them.
Works Cited
Iskander, John. “Christianity and Islam.” Encyclopedia of Islam, Facts On File, 2009, Ancient and Medieval History: Pre-1500, online.infobase.com/HRC/Search/Details/218271?q=christianity and islam.
Becraft, Bonnie. "Islam." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras, ABC-CLIO, 2016, ancienthistory.abc-clio.com/Search/Display/600827. Accessed 12 Dec. 2016.
James, Liz. "A Short History of Byzantium." A Short History of Byzantium | History Today. History Today Ltd. Company, n.d. Web. 3 Mar. 2014.
1. I liked her wording and that it flowed well.
ReplyDelete2.i learned a lot of data facts.
3. i wish she would've went over so of the more effects.
1. I like how you gave a background of the Byzantine and Islam before you started explaining the differences.
ReplyDelete2. I learned about that the Byzantine Empire lasted about 1300 years.
3. I want to learn more about what the different religions were and why they influenced the culture.