1. Discuss the development of the Islamic conquests. There has always been significant opposition to the idea of Roman bishop supremacy. Mohammed married when he was 25, and his wife was 40. He had already had a difficult life, but the sons of his marriage all died as infants. Only the daughters survived. Between 610 and 630AD, he had his "supposed" visions from God during his epileptic seizures and at one time claimed to have seen the angel, Gabriel. He put together the Koran (their Holy Book), and things were going his way. Then, in 619AD, his wife died, and he went into a deep depression. After he recovered from his depression, he married 12 women before his death in 632AD in an attempt to have some sons. From all the marriages, he was able to have one son, and that son also died as an infant.

Because Mohammed's life was hard, so was his religion. He basically said to submit to Allah or else. In 622AD, he took a public stand in Mecca (his home town) against idolatry, and he tried to force Allah on the Arabs. When that failed, he fled north to Medina (his escape was called the Hegira) and stayed there to build a following. His followers were very fanatic and shared his vision to conquer the world. In 630AD, they returned to Mecca and won a decisive battle for his new Muslim faith. He destroyed their idols and made Mecca the center of all Islam. He was also very successful at gaining followers there, and he developed a very strong military force. But then, he died and never saw the fruition of his labors.

However, his followers went forward based on his former leadership and conquered almost the whole known world. In 638AD, Jerusalem and Caesarea fell. The Islamic took the entire eastern half of Asia Minor in 642AD, and Alexandria, Egypt, and Persia (in 646AD) were all taken (this also led to the fall of zorasterism). In 697AD, Carthage fell, and in 715AD, the Islamic moved into Spain. When they overthrew Spain and the Visigoths, the Spanish Moors were the Islamic of that land. Finally, they went to France, and in 732AD, Charles Martel defeated them at Tours, France.

Even after that defeat, though, a concern for the Islamic movement would continue right up to the Protestant Reformation. This religion has been the greatest concern to Christianity since the 8th century. The Islamic are more emotional than rational. Right now, Africa could go either way, either Christian or Islamic. It will all depend on the missionary efforts of both groups. In 902AD, the Islamic took Sicily, and this put a lot of pressure on Rome. As a result, the bishop of Rome paid tribute to them all the way up until 1091AD, when Sicily was regained. In 1091AD, the Normans retook Sicily, and that took a lot of the pressure off Rome.

In their conquests, the Islamic usually went after those who had no faith preference. They would tell an unbeliever to accept Allah or die, but Christians and Jews were fairly safe from this type of treatment. Islam allowed polygamy, dictatorship, and strong military. All this helped the Papacy expand because the Islamic destroyed all of their competition in the eastern kingdom except Constantinople.

2. Discuss why the Muslims were so successful. The Muslims were successful because (1) the churches in the east were very weak, (2) the people in the target areas did not like their leaders because of corruption and immorality, so they welcomed a change even though the Islamic leaders were not necessarily a positive change, (3) the eastern and western churches did not help each other (the east fell while the west watched and the west came under attack after the east had fallen), and (4) the Christians had failed to have a missions outreach to the Arabs (tomorrow's enemy might sometimes be today's opportunity). The Christians had not sent missionaries, and they had not tried to translate their Bible into Arabic.

3. Discuss the doctrines of Islam. The Islamic were monotheistic and worshipped the same God as the Jews and Christians. They accepted many of the biblical prophets (Adam, Abraham, Moses, Elijah, and Jesus), and they added Mohammed as the greatest prophet of all. In their faith, Jesus was not virgin born, deity, or resurrected. Also, Mohammed was their "paraclete" (Holy Spirit fulfillment). Islams think of Christians as Christians think of Jews. They would say that we need their Koran, which means recitation. It is their Holy Book, and they are blessed based on how often they recite key verses. Salvation is by works (submitting to Allah, bowing toward Mecca, praying 3 times a day, reciting their creeds, and so forth). The problem with the Islam faith is that one can never have security. Islamic worshippers never know when or if their efforts have been accepted. The idea of Satan is called "imblid" and is not fully developed. Gabriel is their chief angel and one of many, but this part of their theology is not fully developed, either. They believe that all things will be brought to a proper conclusion someday, much as Christians. Mohammed got a lot of his doctrine from Christian teachings. At death, Islamic people see themselves as walking across a very, very narrow bridge with all their sins on their back. If they fall off, they die lost. If they make it across to Islamic heaven, then they have an eternity of wine that does not intoxicate and unlimited women.

4. Discuss the heretics of the period. The groups that objected to the bishop of Rome were called heretics, and they were called heretics primarily because they did disagree with the orthodox church. Among these were people from (1) the Montanism, Novationism, Donatism movements, (2) the Nestorians, Monophysites, Monothelites movements, (3) the Jovinians, Vigilantians movements (believed asceticism not necessary, objected to clerical celibacy, objected to Mass), and (4) the Paulicians movement (began about end of 3rd century. Paul of Samosata (360-372AD) was bishop of Antioch and believed in adoptionism. This group was persecuted because they rejected the supremacy of Rome).

We know the truth about these groups because of the writings of the orthodox church. They had to write the truth in order to expose them. It would have been pointless to say that a particular group was in France if they were really in Carthage or that they were adoptionists if they were really modalists.

5. Discuss the ongoing struggle between the eastern and western churches. The primary opponent of the bishop of Rome (of the new Holy Roman Empire) through the 11th century was the eastern church. The bishop of Constantinople (from the old Roman Empire) was always an adversary. Theodotus (of the old empire) in Constantinople opposed the west and made patriarchs to counter the western pope. The patriarchs of the east battled the popes of the west until the two churches finally split in 1054AD. This division still exists today.

				Tom of Bethany

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