BEMA Episode Link: 197: AD 1000–1300
Episode Length: 18:47
Published Date: Thu, 03 Dec 2020 01:00:00 -0800
Session 5
About this episode:

Marty Solomon and Brent Billings examine one of the darkest chapters in the history of Christendom.

AD 1000–1300 Presentation

Discussion Video for BEMA 197

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

Blue Like Jazz (2012 film)

The Battle for God by Karen Armstrong

Transcript for BEMA 197

Notes

*Note: The following notes are handwritten by me, Adam, and I reserve the right to be wrong.

BEMA Episode 197: AD 1000-1300 - Study Notes

Title & Source Summary

Episode: BEMA 197: AD 1000-1300 Hosts: Marty Solomon and Brent Billings Focus: The Crusades, the East-West Schism aftermath, and the rise of Scholasticism

This episode examines one of the darkest chapters in Christian history, covering the period from AD 1000-1300. Marty and Brent discuss the aftermath of the East-West Schism, the Crusades as an attempt to unify a fragmenting Christendom, and the simultaneous rise of Scholasticism and university education. The episode confronts the brutal reality of Christian violence committed “in Jesus’s name” while exploring how educational privilege created new class divisions. Throughout, the hosts challenge modern Christians to own this dark history rather than disown it, drawing parallels to patterns of Empire versus Shalom that have appeared throughout biblical and Church history.

Key Takeaways

  • The East-West Schism created a crisis of papal authority that threatened to fragment Christendom further
  • The Crusades may have served as a unifying force for a splintering Western Church by providing a common enemy
  • Millions were slaughtered “in Jesus’s name” during the Crusades - a reality Christians cannot simply ignore or disconnect from
  • Not everyone fought in the Crusades - the wealthy and powerful sent the poor, uneducated, and commoners to do the fighting
  • The rise of Scholasticism created a new gap between the educated elite and everyone else, with university education becoming an exclusive privilege
  • Thomas Aquinas revolutionized Christian thought by synthesizing mathematics, science, philosophy, and theology through Greek philosophical frameworks
  • A “dark history disowned by the descendants of it will be bound to repeat itself”
  • Jewish people cannot see Jesus disconnected from 1,800 years of brutal Church history committed in his name
  • The Crusades represent Empire thinking (force, coercion, hierarchy) rather than Shalom thinking (invitation, voice, equity)
  • By 1,000 years after Jesus, the Church had lost crucial elements from its Judaic roots

Main Concepts & Theories

The Crisis of Papal Authority

Following the East-West Schism discussed in the previous episode, the Western Church faced a fundamental crisis: if the Eastern Church could simply tell the Pope “no” and separate, what did that mean for papal authority? The concept of apostolic succession - that the Pope was the direct descendant of the apostles and the mouthpiece of God - was being challenged. This created an urgent need to reassert and unify papal power.

The Crusades as Unification Strategy

Marty presents his historical interpretation (acknowledging it as his personal hunch rather than received teaching) that the Crusades served a political and religious purpose beyond their stated goals. As the saying goes, “Nothing brings people together like a common enemy.” The timing of Islamic movement into Palestine, occurring shortly after the East-West Schism, provided an opportunity for the Western Church to unify Christendom around a common cause.

This does not mean the entire Islamic faith supported violent conquest. Marty describes three movements within Islam during the canonization of the Quran:

  1. Progressive movement - Sought peaceful coexistence with Christians and other groups
  2. Moderate movement - Believed Islam was correct and others were wrong, but did not seek forced conversion
  3. Radical movement - Bent on violent overthrow of “pagan idolaters”

Marty notes that while the radical Islamic movement toward Palestine “did not represent the Islamic faith as a whole,” it provided the perfect scapegoat for unifying a struggling Christian kingdom. This dynamic mirrors patterns in other faiths, including Christianity and Judaism.

The Problem of Representation

A crucial insight emerges about how we represent religious groups. Christians typically refuse to be defined by the “fringe radical edges of fundamentalism” within Christianity, yet “consistently do the opposite to the other in the conversation.” We paint Islam with the brush of its most radical adherents while rejecting that same standard for Christianity. This double standard prevents honest historical reckoning.

Empire vs. Shalom: The Crusades Pattern

The Crusades exemplify Empire thinking rather than Shalom:

  • Empire characteristics: Force, coercion, hierarchy, the powerful sending the poor to fight and die, stick rather than invitation
  • Shalom characteristics: Invitation, voice, living on every word that comes from the mouth of God, loving God with heart, soul, and might

The pattern of the wealthy and powerful sending the poor and uneducated to fight wars echoes back to the Israelites making bricks in Egypt under Pharaoh - this is Egypt, not the way of Jesus.

Owning vs. Disowning History

The episode contrasts two approaches to dark history:

Jewish Approach: “WE were in Egypt… WE were in the desert.” Jewish tradition owns every part of its history as corporate identity.

Western Christian Approach: Faith is “just personal” - a “personal relationship with Jesus,” a matter between “God and I” or “me and Jesus.” This individualism makes it easy to disconnect from the corporate “us” on the timeline, both past and future.

Marty adapts the famous quote: “A dark history disowned by the descendants of it will be bound to repeat itself.” The inability to own Christian history prevents critical thinking about how the faith could reach such dark places and how to prevent repetition.

The Jewish Perspective on Jesus and Church History

A profound moment from one of Marty’s Israel trips illustrates this disconnect. When asked why Jews don’t follow Jesus if he was so Jewish, their guide responded:

“With all due respect, we as Jews have never been able to understand how Christians can see Jesus in a vacuum. We can’t see Jesus just as this independent Jewish rabbi 2,000 years ago. For us, Jesus is connected to 1,800 years of brutal Church history, much of which has been just filled with the slaughter of people in the name of this Jesus.”

This perspective should give Christians pause - for Jewish people, Jesus cannot be separated from what has been done in his name.

The Rise of Scholasticism

While the poor fought the Crusades, a new class division emerged based on educational privilege. The rise of Scholasticism created an “ever-widening gap between those who have and those who have not” - driven by education and academic access rather than just wealth.

Key developments:

  • A university system began taking shape that we “still understand and rely on today”
  • Education was extremely exclusive - Brent notes that “1% might even be overstating the case”
  • Universities were not fixed institutions but “roaming concepts” - small groups (perhaps five people in a room) that moved around
  • Apprentices learned reading, writing, mathematics, science, theology, and arts
  • This education was “an incredible, almost inconceivable advantage”
  • Most teaching was “driven by Greek philosophy” from the Hellenistic Era
Thomas Aquinas and the Triumph of Greek Logic

Thomas Aquinas represents a watershed moment in Christian intellectual history. He “changed the face of Christian history by bringing into a logical order the many fields of education,” showing how mathematics and science could blend with philosophy and theology. Many call him “the father of logic and reason.”

The Western world would never be the same. Our modern education system is largely shaped by Aquinas’s perspective.

However, Marty offers subtle but pointed criticism: “I am hoping that my Western-minded listeners will notice that somewhere around a millennia before this, we lost some things that were absolutely crucial to the health of the Church. While I realize that we’re still enamored with the pillars of Hellenism today, I hope we have learned enough to critically examine just how lost we are 1,000 years after the Judaic movement of Jesus.”

This suggests that the triumph of Greek philosophical frameworks (logic, reason, systematic theology) came at the cost of losing crucial Judaic elements that were central to Jesus’s movement.

The Dangers of Fundamentalism

Marty recommends Karen Armstrong’s book “Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism,” which examines fundamentalism in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. The book explores:

  • Where fundamentalism comes from
  • Why it shows up
  • Why it can be so dangerous

Understanding these patterns across all three Abrahamic faiths helps prevent the selective representation that paints “the other” with the brush of their extremists while refusing that same standard for one’s own faith.

Examples & Applications

The Reverse Confessional (Donald Miller)

Donald Miller’s book “Blue Like Jazz” includes a chapter about setting up a “reverse confessional” at Reed College. Instead of receiving confessions from students, Miller and his friends offered confessions on behalf of their faith - both current failures and historic atrocities.

This practice received significant pushback from readers asking, “Why would I apologize for something that happened centuries ago?” This question reveals the disconnection Western Christians have from their faith’s history and corporate identity. The inability to own this history prevents critical examination of how the Church reached such dark places.

The Tour Guide’s Response

On a trip to Israel, a Christian tourist asked their Jewish guide (respectfully) why he didn’t follow Jesus if Jesus was so Jewish. The guide’s response powerfully illustrates how history affects perception:

For Jewish people, Jesus cannot be viewed in isolation from 1,800 years of Church history marked by violence and persecution committed in his name. This perspective challenges the Western Christian tendency to separate the “real Jesus” from what has been done by his followers.

The Wealthy Sending the Poor to Fight

The pattern of the powerful sending the poor to fight the Crusades mirrors dynamics throughout history:

  • The Israelites making bricks for Pharaoh in Egypt
  • Modern warfare where the wealthy and powerful make decisions but send others to die
  • The ability to “offer ridiculous sums of money to get all these people to go do things” knowing many won’t survive and never need to be paid

This pattern represents Empire thinking - hierarchy, coercion, and exploitation - rather than the Shalom way of Jesus.

Painting Faiths with Extreme Brushes

Marty notes that Christians would never want to be defined by the most radical fringe Christian thinkers, yet we often paint Islam based on its most radical adherents. This double standard prevents honest interfaith dialogue and historical reckoning.

The same pattern exists within Christianity itself - many mainstream Christians distance themselves from fundamentalist extremists while those same extremists might claim to represent “true Christianity.”

The Exclusivity of University Education

Brent’s description helps us grasp how exclusive education was: perhaps five people in a small room, with the “university” being a roaming concept rather than a fixed institution. This was not the 1% - it was far more exclusive.

The advantage was “almost inconceivable” - literacy alone set someone apart, let alone training in mathematics, science, theology, and arts. This created a new class system based on intellectual access rather than just economic wealth.

Potential Areas for Further Exploration

Deep Dive into Crusades History

Marty and Brent acknowledge they are not providing comprehensive Crusades history and encourage listeners to study further:

  • The different crusades and their varying levels of “success”
  • What “success” meant in the context of each crusade
  • The theological and political reasoning that led Christians to believe the Crusades were justified
  • The long-term impacts on Christian-Muslim relations
  • The brutality and scale of violence committed

Resources mentioned:

  • “Blue Like Jazz” by Donald Miller (book and film)
  • “Battle for God: A History of Fundamentalism” by Karen Armstrong
The Loss of Judaic Elements

Marty hints at a crucial question: What exactly did the Church lose from its Judaic roots in the first millennium? Areas to explore:

  • Hebrew vs. Greek ways of thinking and knowing
  • Narrative and story vs. systematic theology
  • Community and corporate identity vs. individualism
  • Mystery and paradox vs. logical certainty
  • Embodied practice vs. intellectual belief
Thomas Aquinas’s Legacy

While Aquinas is revered in Church history, critical examination might include:

  • What was gained by synthesizing Greek philosophy with Christian theology?
  • What was lost in this synthesis?
  • How did the emphasis on logic and reason shape Western Christianity differently from Eastern Christianity?
  • What alternative paths might Christian intellectual development have taken?
The Pattern of Empire in Church History

Tracing the Empire vs. Shalom pattern throughout Church history:

  • Constantine and the marriage of Church and State
  • The Holy Roman Empire
  • The Crusades
  • The Inquisition
  • Colonial Christianity and missions
  • Modern Christian nationalism
Educational Privilege and Class

Exploring how educational access creates class divisions:

  • The relationship between literacy and power
  • Who controls knowledge and why
  • Modern parallels in educational inequality
  • The role of universities in perpetuating or challenging class structures
Fundamentalism Across Abrahamic Faiths

Using Karen Armstrong’s framework, compare:

  • Common triggers that produce fundamentalist movements
  • Similar patterns in how fundamentalism manifests
  • The relationship between perceived threat and radical response
  • Paths toward moderation and coexistence
The Individualism of Western Christianity

Examining how “personal relationship with Jesus” theology affects:

  • Historical consciousness and responsibility
  • Corporate vs. individual sin
  • Social justice and systemic change
  • Connection to Church history and tradition
  • Accountability for collective failures
Interfaith Dialogue After the Crusades

Understanding contemporary Christian-Muslim relations requires:

  • How Muslims view the Crusades and their legacy
  • Christian responsibility for historical violence
  • Modern Christian responses to Islamic extremism
  • Finding common ground while acknowledging real differences
  • The role of honest historical reckoning in reconciliation

Comprehension Questions

  1. According to Marty, what crisis did the East-West Schism create for the Western Church, and how might the Crusades have served as a response to this crisis?

  2. Describe the three movements within Islam during the period of the Quran’s canonization. How does Marty suggest Christians often misrepresent Islam, and what parallel does he draw to how we want Christianity to be represented?

  3. What does the phrase “A dark history disowned by the descendants of it will be bound to repeat itself” mean in the context of Christian responsibility for the Crusades? How does this contrast with the Jewish approach to owning their history?

  4. Explain the “Empire vs. Shalom” framework as it applies to the Crusades. What specific evidence from the episode demonstrates that the Crusades represented Empire thinking rather than the way of Jesus?

  5. How did the rise of Scholasticism and university education during the Crusades period create a new form of class division? What does Marty suggest was lost “somewhere around a millennia” after Jesus when Greek philosophical frameworks (exemplified by Thomas Aquinas) came to dominate Christian thought?

Summary

BEMA Episode 197 confronts one of the darkest periods in Christian history - the era of the Crusades from AD 1000-1300. Following the East-West Schism, the Western Church faced a crisis of papal authority. Marty suggests the Crusades may have provided a timely opportunity to unify a fragmenting Christendom around a common enemy, though he acknowledges this as his interpretive hunch rather than established historical fact.

The episode refuses to sanitize this history: millions were slaughtered “in Jesus’s name.” Marty and Brent emphasize that modern Christians cannot simply disconnect from this brutal past through individualistic “personal relationship with Jesus” theology. Jewish people, they note, cannot view Jesus separately from 1,800 years of violence committed by his followers - a perspective that should deeply challenge Christian self-understanding.

The Crusades exemplify Empire thinking rather than Shalom - the wealthy and powerful sent the poor and uneducated to fight and die, echoing the Israelites’ slavery in Egypt. This pattern reveals how far the Church had drifted from the Judaic movement of Jesus.

Simultaneously, the rise of Scholasticism created new class divisions based on educational privilege. The emerging university system, while revolutionary, was extraordinarily exclusive - perhaps five people in a room, far less than 1% of the population. Thomas Aquinas synthesized mathematics, science, philosophy, and theology through Greek philosophical frameworks, fundamentally shaping Western education and thought.

However, Marty subtly critiques this triumph of Greek logic and reason, suggesting that “somewhere around a millennia” after Jesus, “we lost some things that were absolutely crucial to the health of the Church.” The episode closes with an implicit question: What did the Church lose from its Judaic roots when it became fully Hellenized?

The call to action is clear: own this dark history rather than disown it, think critically about how the Church reached such a place, recognize Empire patterns when they appear, and remember that “a dark history disowned by the descendants of it will be bound to repeat itself.” Only by honestly reckoning with the past can we avoid repeating its worst mistakes.

Edit | Previous | Next