Growing in a Crumbling EraSpreading the Faith, Bringing Order to Chaos

In-class read left column of page 103

In-class read timeline on right column of page 103

In the Western Empire, the Church was strong and the state weak

In the Eastern Empire, the Church was weaker but the state was stronger

• The Eastern rulers were so strong that in effect they dominated the church

• Many of these Eastern Emperors were Arians (who denied the divinity of Jesus) and they appointed Arian bishops

• Barbarians in the East who converted to Christianity usually converted to Arianism

• As the barbarians moved West to conquer the Western Empire their took Arianism with them

• After the fall of the Western Empire due to barbarians from the East, the West was ruled by a series of barbarian chieftains in the name of the Eastern Empire.

• The empire in the East is now known as the Byzantine Empire

• The name came from the original name of Constantinople, which was Byzantium

• Read together in-class the bottom paragraph on page 106 up to the top paragraph on page 107

The Rise of a New Key Figure: Clovis• A group on non-Christian barbarians arose in the

West named the Franks

• Their leader was named Clovis

• This group of Franks was more acceptable to Christians as the hostility between Arians and Christians had risen to new highs

• Clovis converted to Christianity as he conquered the Arian West and began the decline of Arianism

• In-class read together “Arianism on the Wane, Christendom on the rise” on bottom of left column of page 108 and continuing on the top of the right column of the same page

• “Justinian: The Last Strong Emperor”:– Developed a civil code – read together pg 108– This code was similar to that of Hammurabi many

centuries earlier in that it attributed rites to al members of society

• Justinian continued and expanded the persecution of Jews: the “murderers” of Jesus

• At that time Christians were forbidden to practice usury, lending money to fellow Christians at interests, just as Muslims are forbidden to practice usury today

• To keep business functioning some form of banking with interest was needed and the Jews were forced to become money-lenders since they could not own land and were forbidden many other professions

• Interestingly, it was the role of money-lender that stigmatized Jews as bad people in the centuries to come

• For example, the Nazis blamed the Jews as money- lenders for their failure to win WWI

The “pogroms” which plagued Jewish communities throughout Eastern Europe and Russia, as well as during the Crusades, had their beginnings in Justinian’s code and the forcing of Jews into the profession of money-lending – money-lending was seen as “beneath” the dignity of Christians

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