The Crusades in what is now Egypt, Lebanon, Israel, and Syria were a combination of many factors coming together including Byzantine need for troops, commercial hunger for markets, a sincere faith and belief that heresy needed to be combatted, and some element of an outlet for channeling elements eager for war to other lands (instead of next door). The City of Christ was in the hands of the Infidel (said the apologists); how could that be allowed to stand - ignoring, of course, the fact that it had been that way for 450 years or so prior to the First Crusade (A.D. 1099 - 1100) and even in the time of Christ Himself had been controlled by a foreign power, Rome.
And so, the Crusades of the East (not to be confused with the Crusades of The Reconquista of Spain or against the Balts in Prussia), 200 years of what essentially became a thin layer of Western Christian civilization (the Eastern Orthodox had been there all along, of course) punctuated with war an occasional bloodbaths (in the taking of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the slaughter was so immense of Muslims that "...when Raymond of Aguliers later that day went to visit the Temple area he had to pick his way through corpses and and blood that reached up to his knees." - A History of the Crusades Vol.1, p. 287. Steven Runciman).
It is easy to look back on such things and realize that if spreading Christianity was the goal, perhaps that was not the way to do it (although arguably that was not the only point of The Crusades if you look into them. There was a lot of land and power and politics involved). It is harder to look at ourselves and realize we can have the same tendencies.
For myself, how often in the past have I thought to do something "for God", when I was either pushing my own agenda in His Name or seeking to succeed on my terms in such a way that I took moral or ethical shortcuts (it is more than I care to admit, honestly).
That is where Lewis' comment hits the hardest. Our job is not to succeed - a great temptation in a society and culture where success, especially measured in the world's terms - but rather to do right, to be a credit to God and to His message and His morality.
Should we work hard? Of course. Should we put our best foot forward? Absolutely. But we should never confuse our goal as that of first and foremost being successful. Our first goal is to be God's representatives on earth. "God's work God's way", as the saying runs.
The rest, as they say, is up to Him.
I have never contemplated this thought before, but I am woefully ignorant on the history of the crusades. Other than having heard them mentioned or parodied in a movie or two, I know next to nothing about them.
ReplyDeleteEd, it is a fascinating part of Medieval History: For something like 200 years, there was a largely French Colony in Syria, Lebanon, and Israel. The mix of cultures and religions - Orthodox Christian, Latin Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Turk, Syrian, Lebanese, Italian - even Mongols - makes for a fascinating history. The Knights Templar and Hospitallers, now charitable organizations, found their origins there are military religious orders. The Fall of Constantinople in A.D. 1453 finds part of its start there in the Third Crusade in A.D. 1204, where Latin Christians took the city and effectively broke the Empire (besides looting it of 900 plus years of antiquities). And in some meaningful ways, the deep divide between Muslim and Christianity finds its roots in the slaughter and war there.
DeleteIt is a little older, but I highly recommend Steven Runciman's three volume History of the Crusades. It is dated at this point and newer works have come out correcting Runciman's errors, but as the author Christian Tyerman of God's War: A New History of The Crusades says (in paraphrase), "It is hard for me to criticize a man working with pen and paper when I just entered characters on a screen". Runciman is an excellent storyteller and it will give you a flavor of the period.
I have been struck with the same thought lately, but with a different time period and peoples. I'm listening to the audiobook Mayflower by Nathanial Philbrick, who covers the Pilgrims from their time in Holland through King Philip's War. The war was the result of the second generation pilgrims wanted more land. Their conclusion was to take it from the Native Americans by any means possible. The Native Americans, on the other hand, were feeling crowded out, and wanted the land they'd sold to the first Pilgrims back.
ReplyDeleteWhat has struck me, is the atrocities committed by the Pilgrims in the name of God. Much of it was quite vengeful and cruel. It seems humans are quite capable of anything under the guise of their religion.
Leigh, reading of some of the slaughter of Crusades is horrifying. And all done in the "name" of Christ.
DeleteInterestingly, prior to that period an equilibrium had been worked out where Christians, Jews, and Muslims lived together in relative (by comparison) peace). Yes, in point of fact Muslims were mostly in charge, but they seemed far more preferable than the new "Christian" rulers. Saladin, for example, acted in some ways more Christian than his opponents. And interestingly, when the Muslims conquered Lebanon, Syria, and Israel, local Christians were not quite as put out as one might expect - the Byzantine authorities had higher taxes and were far more intolerant of non-Orthodox Christianity.
As an aside, it is something that worries me every time something that is proclaimed a "moral" group or even "Christian" gains power. It is not just the name of Christian, but the actual practices that proves one is a follower of Christ.
Be an example of how to be an asset to society and hope to inspire others to do the same.
ReplyDeleteAnon - That is it exactly.
DeleteOnce I found the quote "Be the change you want to see in the world", I have tried to live by it.
Outcomes are never guaranteed. Become outcome independent, and life is far better.
ReplyDeleteIt is John. I say that; I find myself surprisingly convinced that they still matter as much as they do.
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