Strayer 10, A Christian Europe

22/10/2016

Most students find this chapter very manageable. Much of it is familiar to many, and we tend to know the geography pretty well. On the other hand, the early days of the catholic church, the Eastern orthodox church, the new empires of Byzantium and the Kievian Rus are generally unfamiliar to us. But make no mistake, they are both important in their time, but also in our time.

As Strayer reminded us, look for characteristics of these times, in these places, that might give us clues to the future dominance of the West.

Remember, in this course, hard work pays off in direct results. Let's make this a good one!

46 Comments

Coleman Harper

24/10/2016 14:52:14

MQ4: In what ways was the Byzantine Empire linked to a wider world?

a. Byzantium continued the long-time political and military struggle with Persia

b. The Byzantine military innovation of "Greek fire" soon found its way into the military arsenals of the Arabs and the Chinese

c. In an economic lens, Byzantine was also a major player in the widespread use of the bezant in the Mediterranean

d. Byzantium was also renowned for its crafts, such as jewelry, gemstones, silver and gold work

e. Much like China, the Byzantine silk industry was the major supplier of silk for the Mediterranean basin

f. Byzantium is credited with the introduction of Greek learning to both the Islamic world and the Christian West, which helped stimulate the intellectual communities of both regions

g. The Balkan Slavic peoples soon found themselves under direct political control from Byzantium

h. Byzantium transmitted Christianity and literacy via the Cyrillic alphabet to the Slavic peoples as well

Matilda

25/10/2016 22:55:04

Could you possibly also say that Byzantium preserved a lot of its ancient Greek learning and transmitted it to the Islamic world and Christian West?

Coleman Harper

26/10/2016 17:01:39

That's what I was trying to prove when I talked about Byzantium introducing Greek learning to the Islam world and Christian West. It is important to remember how Greek learning was preserved in Byzantium, but when it comes to talking about the wider world, the fact that Greek learning was transmitted beyond Byzantium is the focus of that specific point.

Cassie Barham

24/10/2016 19:40:12

MQ: How did Eastern Orthodox Christianity differ from Roman Catholicism?

Roman Catholicism:
--Latin served as the language of the church and elite
--The church was mostly independent from the state
--priests remained celibate and shaved
--Shared disagreements with Eastern orthodoxy on the spiritual nature of the holy trinity and the importance of reason and faith
--Icons were valued and worshiped
--iconoclasm was objectionable
--unleavened bread
--believed popes were ultimate Christian authorities
--attempted to stay connected to the classical world (still used Latin as elite language, attempt to rebuild Roman empire)

Eastern Orthodoxy:
--The church was under state authority
--Used Greek instead of Latin
--Priests could have beards and marry
--Sought to interpret Christian doctrine in terms of Greek philosophy
--abandoned icons
--bread was leavened with yeast
--leaders sharply rejected the growing claims of Roman popes to be the ultimate authority over Christians

Cassie Barham

24/10/2016 20:11:54

BPQ: How does the evolution of the Christian world in the third-wave era compare with that of Tang and Song dynasty China and of the Islamic world?

--The dominant traditions in China grew from a specific heartland (Buddhism from India, and the others from China). Islam and Christianity, however, grew from the periphery of civilizations.

--Christianity, like Buddhism and the major cultural traditions of China, served to provide an element of cultural commonality for the vastly diverse societies of Eurasia. Islam used elements of commonality to support the tradition and sought to use these common elements to bring people to a purified form of other wayward traditions.

--Christianity, similar to Buddhism, saw a drastic rise in wealth of its churches, which led some to be critical of the establishments. The Islamic world was less defined by its individual church or educational establishments and more so by its powerful and influential state and tradition as a whole. This being said, its rising wealth also saw criticism from Sufis.

--Christianity and Islam saw schismatic divisions in a way that traditions in China did not.

--The changes that accompanied urbanization and the rise of Christianity/Buddhism/Islam offered new opportunities and squandered others for women in both China and Eurasia. In addition, although Islam originally held strong egalitarian traditions, over time, its patriarchal values tightened.

--China, Islam, and the Christian worlds saw a rise in commerce, though more extensively in China and the Islamic civilization. In the Christian and Islamic world, merchants were valued. In China, landowners were far more preferable.

--All three civilizations expanded in territory.

--Both China and the Christian worlds used religion as rhetoric for the legitimacy of their states. In the Islamic world, the state was established to support the religion.

Bingham

26/10/2016 09:42:58

Great stuff Cassie. I think though that the word Christian is leading you off track a bit into religion. My take is that the use of the term "Christian world" is simply a way of designating the social, economic and political entities of Western Europe and Byzantium. In any case, here's how I would approach this:

The Western Catholic Christian world was less developed in comparison to Tang and Song dynasty China and the Islamic world in that the former had smaller cities, weaker political authorities, a more fragmented political structure, a less commercialized economy, and inferior technology. It also, possessed more privileged cities and a more favorable environment for merchants. By 1500, however, Western Europe had come a long way in catching up, though it depended more on borrowing than did its Chinese or Islamic counterparts.

The Orthodox Christian world was more similar to Tang and Song dynasty China and the Islamic world in that it possessed comparable cities, a powerful emperor, a unified government, a professional bureaucracy, a commercialized economy, and a technologically advanced society.

The Orthodox Christian world was similar to the Islamic caliphates in that both did not distinguish as clearly between religious and state authority as in Western Europe.

Western Catholic Christendom was a more militarized society than Tang and Song China.

Cassie Barham

26/10/2016 16:38:50

I see what you mean. I'll make sure to keep that distinction in mind going forward. Thank you!

Taylor Scott

26/10/2016 20:07:01

I think there was division in Buddhism (Theravada and Mahayana). Or are you talking about differences specifically mentioned in the China chapter? What do you think?

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 17:22:40

MQ5: How did the links to Byzantium transform the new civilization of Kievan Rus?

-unified diverse people in region
- linked region into wider networks of communication and exchange
- borrowed Byzantine architectural styles, Cyrillic alphabet, extensive use of icons, stressing prayer and service, and political ideas of imperial control of the church
- religious legitimacy for rulers
- final protector and defender of Eastern Orthodoxy
- became a part of Russian national identity

Anything to add?

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 17:25:34

MQ6: What replaced the Roman order in Western Europe?

- Germanic people were dominant people of West Europe
- Europe reverted to largely rural existence
- regional kingdoms replaced Roman authority

This list is pretty short. Is there anything that I am missing?

Niara Pelton

25/10/2016 20:29:15

I think that feudalism is also a pretty big one.

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 20:32:31

That's right!

Eliza Pillsbury

25/10/2016 22:37:39

Don't forget the authority of the Roman Catholic Church!

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 20:49:45

I would get more specific with feudalism and talk a little bit about the microeconomics with manoralism, because I think that was a very specific economic structure in Western European feudalism. I would also mention that trade was limited to Italy, which yielded a much more isolated Western Europe than was seen in the Roman Empire.

Amy Vaughan

26/10/2016 21:56:40

I'm not sure that I would actually add trade to Italy, since the question is asking about Roman order. I interpret that to be political control (maybe I'm wrong), and I think of trade as economic.

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 21:59:40

Interesting point. I don't think I was thinking enough about what the question was asking.

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 17:27:59

MQ7: In what ways was European civilization changing after 1000?

- population grew from 35 to 80 million
- new lands were open for cultivation
- forest cover reduced to 20 percent
- growth in long-distance trade
- women had more rights until 15th century
- monarchs of Europe consolidated their authority

Anything to add?

Cassie Barham

25/10/2016 19:17:21

For the human environmental interactions you include, I think it's important to add that a lot of this change that occurred was enable by the climate getting warmer.

As far as the rights of women, I think it's also worth noting the major reasons why rights and privileges rose and decline. This is what I have for that:
--Religious life provided new outlets and opportunities for women
--Technological progress and urbanization in turn contributed to a decline of opportunities for women. They no longer had access to jobs/industries that were previously lucrative to them. That being said, with urbanization, there were also some new career options for women that made the loss of others less incisive.

General points that I would also add:
--There was an increase in long-distance trade
--Urbanization and the growth of cities accompanied the rise in population
--Unique specialization of labor began to occur in European society as people began to organize themselves into guilds

Matilda

26/10/2016 19:01:35

Could you also add that the Roman Catholic Church expanded?

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 17:37:19

MQ8: What was the impact of the Crusades in world history?

- Spain, Sicily, and Baltic region were permanently in Western Christendom
- Weakened Byzantine by sacking Constantinople and left it more vulnerable to Muslim Turkish conquest
- popes strengthened their position against secular authorities
- stimulated demand for Asian goods
- began producing sugar on large plantations and using slave labor
- Muslim scholarship and Greek learning flowed into Europe (mostly in Spain and Sicily)
- opened channels of trade, technology transfer, intellectual exchange, and hardened cultural barriers
- Eastern Orthodoxy and Roman Catholicism had deeper divide (fundamental divide in Christianity)
- Christian anti-Semitism was expressed and exacerbated
- European empire building led to saying that "God wills it"
- images of Crusades were politically popular or ideologically useful

The last bullet is a little weirdly worded. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to reword it?

Coleman Harper

26/10/2016 17:44:18

The issue of the last bullet is that it is practically a quote from Strayer, which often is the best way to ensure that your point isn't misinterpreted on the test.

For the sake of simply knowing what Strayer means, I believe that "politically popular" means that it was simply a popular image utilized many times over the years for many to support many political agendas, including both Christians and Muslims."Ideologically useful" probably means that the Crusades became a powerful image that could either promote the European saying of "God wills it" for Christians, or it could be distorted so that it emphasizes Christian animosities in order to set up Islam as a victim of a crime committed by Christianity.

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 17:40:11

MQ9: In what ways did borrowing from abroad shape European civilization after 1000

- reintegration into larger Afro-Eurasian networks of exchange and communication
- technological borrowing led to independent innovation

Should I go further into detail with the second bullet and list the technological innovations?

Coleman Harper

26/10/2016 17:36:10

I believe the Snapshot has even more info about specific innovations, but I can elaborate on two very quickly to start off.

a. Agricultural innovations, such as the introduction of iron horseshoes, horse collars able to hold heavier loads, and a new three-field system of crop rotation, allowed for a more productive agriculture able to sustain a growing population

b. Of course, no discussion on European technological borrowing is complete without mentioning the advent of gunpowder from China, which led to the creation of cannons and more destructive warfare

I believe there are two more innovations elaborated upon directly by Strayer in this section, and then the rest is in the Snapshot.

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 22:33:09

Bingham said that Muslims were great synthesizers, so I'll try to live up to that by synthesizing y'all's answers:

In what ways did borrowing from abroad shape European civilization after 1000?

-reintegration into Afro-Eurasian trade
-Greek rationalism's integration into Christianity
-INNOVATION: agricultural (horse collar, crop rotation, wheelbarrow--all China), Chinese gunpowder-->invention of the cannon
-Mathematical and scientific (and medical) reasoning and concepts majorly came from Muslim thinkers (e.g. concepts like Algebra)

Anybody have anything else? I mostly stole from Taylor, Coleman and the Snapshot on page 490 in the hardback.

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 17:44:26

MQ10: Why was Europe unable to achieve the kind of political unity that China experienced? What impact did this have on the subsequent history of Europe?

Why?
- Europe had geographical barriers
- Europe had ethnic and linguistic diversity
- there were shifting balances of power in Europe
- society and values were more militarized in Europe than in China
- China limited merchant activity

What?
- rise to frequent wars
- enhanced role and status of military men
- drove "gunpowder revolution"
- paved the way to capitalism

Any thoughts or suggestions?

Cindy Xia

26/10/2016 19:59:08

More to What:
- interstate rivalry + willingness to borrow stimulated European technological development
- multi-state system provided enough competition to be stimulating, but also unified and orderly enough to allow economic growth
- 3-way struggle for power among kings, warrior aristocracy, and church leaders let urban-based merchants to have lots of independence
- powerful, independent city-states distinctive after 1100
- relative weakness of European rulers also led to representative institutions + parliaments (didn't represent the people but instead the 3 great estates of the realm)

....hopefully that's correct?

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 18:19:36

Seeking the Main Point on pp.464: In what different ways did the history of Christianity unfold in various parts of the Afro-Eurasian world during the third-wave era?

- African and Asian outposts vanished due to spread of Islam as Christianity became European phenomenon
- Byzantium= Eastern Orthodoxy
- Latin West= Roman Catholicism

Anything to add?

Cassie Barham

25/10/2016 21:03:00

I think it's important to go a little more in depth with how the religion played out in these societies as far as contraction/success goes and why. Your bullet for Africa and Asia kinda does this, but I think it's worth going more in depth. This was my attempt on the question:

Africa and Asia:
--Christianity, after temporary penetration into Africa and Asia, abruptly contracted in large part due to the rise of Islam. Islam's rapid spread, its simultaneous state-building of the impressive Arab Empire, and its emergence as a cosmopolitan civilization caused its disappearance in Africa and Asia.

Byzantium:
--Christianity originally flourished in the Byzantine world in the form of Eastern Orthodoxy, following the Roman tradition and influence. Over time, however, it declined as the increasingly weakened state left Byzantium vulnerable to Muslim Turkish conquest.

Latin West:
--The west originally saw a contraction in Christianity following the fall of the Roman empire. Over time, as a new and blended civilization unfolded, Christianity began to flourish in the form of Roman Catholicism.

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 18:50:19

MQ1: What variations in the experience of African and Asian Christian communities can you identify?

Africa
-conversion to Islam took several centuries because first martyrs and intellects of Christianity were from Africa
- more Christian groups remained
-converted to Islam out of fear due to violent anti-Christian pogroms
- Nubia defeated Arab incursions twice
- Ethiopia became Christian island in a Muslim sea
- there was a Christian fascination with Judaism

Asia
- decimation of early Christian communities occurred most completely and quickly
- less Christian groups remained
- voluntary conversion to Islam
- conquered by Arabs
- sacred places for Jews and Christians were destroyed to become Islamic sacred places

I answered this question pertaining to the reaction of the Christian communities to the penetration of Islamic culture? I wonder if this is answering the question. What do you think?

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 19:14:37

MQ2: In what respects did Byzantium continue the patterns of the classical Roman Empire? In what ways did it diverge from those patterns?

Continue
- wealthy, urban, and cosmopolitan
- defensible capital with heavily walled city
- access to Black Sea and command of Eastern Mediterranean
- roads, taxation system, military structures, centralized administration, imperial court, laws, Christian church
- referred to themselves as "Romans"
- insisted residents wear Roman-style robes and sandals

Diverge
- never approximated the size of the Roman Empire
- reformed administrative system that gave appointed generals civil authority and allowed them to raise armies
- replicated ancient Persian imperial splendor, instead of Roman

I'm a bit lacking of bullets on the diverging side. Does anyone have anything that I should add?

Cassie Barham

25/10/2016 19:31:26

BPQ: How did Byzantine and Western Europe interact with each other and with the larger world of the third-wave era?

--With both societies being Christian, they were connected on an ideological level. Because of this, they often interacted/disputed, eventually leading to a schismatic divide between the two.
--In Western Europe, the crusades facilitated interaction all through Europe, including Byzantium
--As Western Europe gathered power, they were increasingly connected with Byzantium through trade
--Similarly, both societies were part of a larger long-distance trading network, which would have facilitated frequent indirect interactions (this was primarily after 1000 CE)
--The development and evolution of both societies led to an indelible impact on Europe, particularly with their incorporation of Christianity
--Both societies interacted with Islamic society through trade, exchange of ideas, and militant disputes

Cassie Barham

25/10/2016 19:48:42

This is a question I created based on some of what's written in the section The Byzantine Church and Christian Divergence. There's a margin question I attempted to answer above concerning the difference of Eastern Orthodox and Latin Christianity, but I think understanding the causes behind those differences is important too, especially since Strayer lays them out so specifically in this section.:

What caused such a deep divide between Eastern Orthodox Christianity and Latin Christianity despite their number of similar features?

--The growing religious divergence reflected the political separation and rivalry between the Byzantine Empire and the emerging kingdoms of Western Europe
*This separation in the states meant that they were two civilizations in active competition with each other for territory and right to claim Imperial Rome's legacy

--Differences in language and culture
*Latin remained the language of the church in the West, but the Byzantine Empire favored Greek. In addition, the Byzantine Empire sought to interpret Christian theology in terms of Greek philosophical concepts

--Differences in theology and church practice
*beyond their general agreement on fundamental doctrines, Western Europe's and the Byzantine Empire's disagreements on the nature of certain facets within the religion and different church values saw an increasing rise in controversy.

--Efforts to bridge the rift between the two generally only punctuated it
*Representatives of both churches mutually excommunicated each other, which established a mutual disdain for either society
*Crusaders who passed through the Byzantine Empire were often in conflict with local people which increased distrust
*Efforts of unification with the crusades (seizing Constantinople) and the brutal rule that followed strengthened this distrust between the two societies

Cassie Barham

25/10/2016 20:12:30

Looking back, I think this would contribute to answering the BPQ "What accounts for the different historical trajectories of the Byzantine and Western European expression of Christendom?"

I had been interpreting that BPQ as "What accounted for the reversal in the earlier historical trajectories of of the Byzantine and Western European expression of Christendom?" which is a point that Strayer emphasizes in the first paragraph of the section Europe Outward Bound: The Crusading Tradition. I'm thinking now though that, while that helps to answer that question, it doesn't completely fulfill it, and you need to look at the history of Byzantine and Western Christendom as a whole. Would I be correct in saying so?

I'm going to take what I have posted above and what I have just brought up and try again with this subject, this time trying to answer the BPQ.

Please correct me if I'm going in the wrong direction with this!

Cassie Barham

25/10/2016 20:43:27

BPQ: What accounts for the different historical trajectories of the Byzantine and West European expressions of Christendom ?

The initial divergence in the trajectories of these two Christian societies was caused by consequential religious, cultural, and even political factors:

**I'm not sure I would make alterations to what I have written in response to the question I posted above, (unless y'all have suggestions) but I would organize those points under the statement I've just made

In addition, following their divergence, the Byzantine society and Western European society began from two very different stations in the world:

**Byzantine Christendom, being what remained of the former Roman empire, inherited a number of its legacies and so came originally from a place of power and influence
**Western Christendom had very divisive internal geography, was on the margins of world history due to its geographical location, came from a place of political fragmentation and overall disjointedness. This meant that it had to go through an extreme rebuilding process.

The evolution of these societies, especially after 1000, proved extremely crucial, as it marks a complete reversal in their trajectories:

**The revitalization efforts in the West after 1000 led to beneficial changes (such as rise in population, expansion of territory, increased participation in trade, and the increasing effectiveness of governments) that established it as a strengthening and prosperous civilization.

**A combination of detrimental incursions (by Western European powers, Catholic Crusaders, and Turkic Muslim invades), the initial rupture between Western and Byzantine society, and struggle with the Persian Empire weakened the Byzantine world, and ultimately led to Byzantine contraction.

This really proved to be a challenge for me, so I'm very interested to know what everyone else's thoughts/interpretations are and whether or not I even took this in the right direction.

Cindy Xia

26/10/2016 21:21:56

This is so thorough!! I'd probably add the significance of Greek rationale and Greek texts towards answering this BPQ though, such as how Western Christendom took the path of combining theology/human reasoning with faith, and how Byzantine rejected Greek texts.

Amy Vaughan

26/10/2016 21:53:49

I think that "differences in theology and church practice" might fall as an effect of differences in language and culture rather than a cause of differences. (As you said, Greek influence in Byzantium would definitely affect "interpretations of Christian doctrines", aka theology.)

Taylor Scott

25/10/2016 20:03:37

MQ11 is attached as a google doc. Suggestions welcome!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/142gFystmIKqrJMOB1lt8Qye6GqWy7UT8qD-vgTizfNw/edit?usp=sharing

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 22:34:04

Thanks! That was a really helpful tool!

Coleman Harper

26/10/2016 17:18:57

While reading through "Society and the Church" on the Western Europe section, I saw that there were one or two paragraphs about converting the "pagan" people of Western Europe to Roman Catholicism. For the sake of comparison, I thought it might be useful to shed a light on this process so that more effective comparison can be made to the conversion methods of other religions.

How did the Roman Catholic Church attract new converts from the "pagans" of Western Europe?

a. Roman Catholicism became associated with a "civilized" region, similar to how Islam became associated with a powerful state

b. Ordinary people found security in the wealth and protection of powerful Roman Catholics, somewhat similar to how the Chinese were drawn towards early Christianity because of the compassionate community created by its followers

c. Like Buddhism, Roman Catholicism appealed to the "pagans" by promising superior supernatural powers to those who converted

d. Also like Buddhism, Roman Catholicism soon gained an increasing association with miracles

e. Like Islam, Roman Catholicism began absorbing pre-Christian traditions in order to further appeal to "pagan" converts, such as festivals honoring ancient gods becoming Christian holy days, or the use of amulets and charms made in the image of Jesus or the Virgin Mary to ward off evil

Taylor Scott

26/10/2016 19:07:57

Hi. I'm a little confused about how the veneration of icons connects to a difference between Roman Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy because in MQ5, I saw that the extensive use of icons is borrowed by Kievan Rus. However, for MQ3, it says that icons were valued and worshiped, Could someone please explain this to me?

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 19:38:11

I'm not exactly sure what your question is, but here's what I think you're looking for:

Iconography was particularly prominent in Byzantine Eastern Orthodoxy, which in turn diffused to the Kievan Rus. Roman Catholicism opposed iconography, but over time, Roman Catholicism adopted iconography and Eastern Orthodoxy tended to do away with most of it (except Russian Orthodox, which is rather famous for it). I hope this was helpful, I'm hoping someone else will weigh in with a clearer representation of my thoughts here!

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 20:28:54

Btw, I lied about Roman Catholicism opposing iconography--please ignore that phrase.

Taylor Scott

26/10/2016 21:41:50

So the presence of iconography is a continuity and change over time when pertaining to the Byzantine Empire.

Amy Vaughan

26/10/2016 21:30:27

Okay, so on the reading check, I know there was some confusion about a question asking about where Greek rationalism had the most effect (or something to that extent, I believe). The choice that was initially correct was Byzantium, however, some people argued that it had greater influence in Western Europe, and we ended up saying that Western Europe was the correct answer. However, I'm still confused, as I've found textual evidence in the book for both sides of the argument.

In the section "The Byzantine Church and Christian Divergence," Strayer writes, "More than in the West, Byzantine thinkers sought to formulate Christian doctrine in terms of Greek philosophical concepts," which suggests that the influence of Greek rationalism was greater in Byzantium, at least in the religion department.

On the other hand, the entire section, "Reason and Faith," is devoted to the impact of Greek philosophy and science on Western Europe and its theology and sciences.

Is anyone else confused about this? Can anyone explain this to me? Maybe I'm just overthinking it...

Yasmeen Gaber

26/10/2016 21:55:22

I think you might be overthinking it. There were certainly cultural and theological ramifications of Greek influence on Byzantium, and I found some quotes to more eloquently state my point:

"This [universities in Paris, Bologna, Oxford, Cambridge, Salamanca] setting in which European Christian thinkers, a small group of literate churchmen began to emphasize, quite self-consciously, the ability of human reason to penetrate divine mysteries and to grasp the operation of the natural order"(Strayer, 494).

This emphasizes the point that Western Europeans began to integrate Greek rationalism into Christianity (more specifically, Roman Catholicism), which dominated Western European society, thus proving Greek thought of utmost importance to Western Europe.

"Although Byzantine scholars kept the classical [Greek] tradition alive, their primary interest lay in the humanities and theology rather than in the natural sciences or medicine. Furthermore, both state and church and serious reservations about Greek learning. In 529, the emperor Justinian closed Plato's Academy in Athens, claiming that it was an outpost of paganism. Church authorities as well were suspicious of Greek thought, sometimes persecuting scholars who were too enamored with the ancients"(Strayer, 495).

This provides some evidence that Byzantium's integration of Greek rationalism was not nearly as heavy as Western Europe's (although it was certainly influential in Eastern Orthodoxy).

I hope this was somewhat helpful!

P.S. All citations come from the hardback blue book--they're both under Reason and Faith

Audrey Mills

27/10/2016 06:33:12

BPQ3: In what respects was the civilization of the Latin West unique, and in what ways was it broadly comparable to other third wave civilizations?

The Latin West was unique in that the state was secular and separate from the religion, which was controlled by a pope who was often at odds with the governments. It was also the only third wave civilization that left zones of intellectual autonomy which often held the study and contemplation of Greek rationalism and philosophy and used the ideas of philosophers like Aristotle to back up Christianity, while other civilizations held Greek ideas at an arm's length. Its systems of feudalism and manoralism were the same phenomena occurring separately in Japan at the same time, and were unique in how disjointed and divided up into tiny kingdoms that the West became. The freedom provided to merchants was similar to the Islamic world, but the merchant activity was even more unlimited in Western Europe because it wasn't tied to religion, and that paved the way to capitalism. Christianity united the area in a similar way to Buddhism uniting China, but Western Europe never achieved the same political unity. Western Europe was similar to other civilizations like the Islamic world and even China because of the attempted religious conquest of the Crusades, but it was different in how little it affected the lands that it temporarily conquered. It also had the most divisive internal geography out of any of the third wave civilizations.

Bingham

Welcome class of 2019. Some years students collaborate in this space effectively, some years not so much. One thing I know, collaboration significantly enhances learning. If you want access to my thoughts, this is the collaboration space to use. Most people propose an answer to margin questions, big picture question, or anything else related to managing Strayer. Other people can then comment leading to a stronger answer. I'll keep an eye on these pages, and pop in when I think you need me.

Strayer 10, A Christian Europe

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