To understand European history, one must understand Christianity. The two are the warp and weft of the continents past and present tapestry. Its predecessor Judaism, the first Abrahamic religion, was based on the Old Testament Covenant with God, Yahweh, that broke with humanity’s historic polytheism. The First Commandment from God, “I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have no other gods before me”, recognized the multitude of deities people historically worshiped then. This Old Testament God was often seen as an angry and vengeful god, wiping out humanity with floods, and cities with fire and brimstone. However, 2000 years ago a Jew, Jesus the Christ (meaning: the anointed one), began preaching a New Covenant with God. His version was a peaceful and loving God, full of forgiveness, and promise of everlasting life with joy. This gave hope to the poor and uneducated masses who lived a miserable existence. His followers were called Christians.
I was baptized at Bethel Evangelical Lutheran Church on Chicago's West Side where I was briefly an acolyte as a pre-teen. (Evangelical are German Lutherans, not America's "born again".)
In college I took history, philosophy, and natural science courses, in addition to my major. These offered additional perspectives that caused me to question what I'd previously been taught to take on faith. When I started traveling for business and pleasure, I'd visit Buddhist and Hindu Temples in Asia, mosques in the Middle East, Greek and Roman temples in Mediterranean, and Jewish Temples in the historic ghettos of Europe, to understand their history, perspectives and beliefs. Though I still adhere to the ethics of my early years, I no longer have the beliefs I had as a child. Nonetheless, I have many family and friends whom I admire and respect for their continued faith and, more importantly, adherence to its principals.
When Robin and I travel to Europe we always visit major Cathedrals, and minor churches and basilicas in each city. Though Robin wasn't trained the way I was she is attracted to the architecture and stories told through art. I'd point out St. Bartholomew as he's holding his flayed skin with a knife, or St. Sebastian as he's tied to a tree pierced with multiple arrows, or St. Peter holding the church keys or being crucified upside down. I remain fascinated how Christianity became the most dominant faith on the planet, and left an enduring legacy throughout Europe.
Christianity began as a minor cult following the teachings of Jesus, a radical Jewish rabbi during the Roman Empire. After his death his disciples traveled far and wide in in the Empire. They wrote letters to the Corinthians, Greece; Ephesians, Turkey; and Carthaginian, North Africa; spreading his message of love and peace, and the gospel (good news) of everlasting life to the receptive suffering masses. For several centuries after his death the adherents of his teachings were horribly persecuted as a threat to Roman power; torn apart by wild beasts, skinned alive, burned at the stake, and crucified in the manner of their martyr.
When the Roman Empire became too large and corrupt to administer, the emperor Diocletian, one of the most vicious persecutors, divided the empire in 286 CE to manage it. After Constantine became emperor of the eastern half in the second century CE, and his mother converted to Christianity, he ended the persecution and the declared it the empire's official religion. It's an article of faith that after 250,000 years of human existence, and millennia of multiple religious beliefs, the followers of a Jewish teacher declared Him the son of God, split from His religion, and celebrate Him as the founder of what is now a world dominant religion; due to divine intervention... or the random conversion of one woman with a powerful son.
Three hundred years after Jesus' death Constantine commissioned a council to resolve doctrinal difference among the various adherents of this expanding religion. At the council of Nicaea 1800 bishops (all men) from the eastern and western empires, debated the nature of Jesus to God the Father; in particular, whether He was 'begotten' by the Father, and therefore has no beginning, or else created out of nothing, and therefore has a beginning. Despite his birth, they 'decided' on the former, and that his mother was a virgin. They also decided that God was one essence, but three beings; the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Meanwhile, the western empire continued to fracture by inept emperors and constant attacks from northern barbarians. Eventually, those tribal leaders united their communities into warring fiefdoms. The only force to unify Western Europe was Christianity. To fill the leadership vacuum and unite the west the Bishop of Rome declared that he was the only true authority, anointed by God, with the divine right to crown kings. Divine intervention... or political power play. Regardless, very convenient. The treaty of Verdun in 843, Central European lands were consolidated into the Holy Roman Empire. As has been widely summarized, it was neither Holy, nor Roman, nor an Empire. It lasted one thousand years until 1806.
Around the time of the treaty Muslims from Saudi Arabia and the Middle East invaded the Maghreb, Spain, Portugal, and up to the gates of Vienna spreading a new religion - Islam. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are all Abrahamic religions follow the teachings of the Old Testament with different beliefs about the second coming and prophets. Muslims were fierce warriors, believing death would be glorious. Their beliefs are also fantastic: they’d ascend to heaven on white horses and spend eternity where all women are virgins. Through murder, torture, and rape, they imposed Islam on the conquered Christian lands. They also left a remarkable legacy of arts and architecture, vocabulary, and even genetic appearance.
However, back in Christianized Europe the claim of Papal authority, along with doctrinal differences, eventually led to the Great Schism in 1054 with the Pope ruling from Rome as the sole authority of Latin Christians, while Orthodox Christians (holding to established beliefs) were administered by a congress of Patriarchs in Eastern Europe.
During the Reconquista of Spain, the Pope sponsored the Crusades to take back Jerusalem from Islam for religious, territorial, and trade enrichment reasons. At the end of Reconquista in the fifteenth century Spain wholly reverted to its Latin, now Catholic, religion. The monarchy and Bishops then initiated the Inquisition to drive out any remaining heretics as a threat to their power; similar to the Romans and Muslims persecuting Christians. This religious reign of terror extended to their new-world possessions with murder, torture and imprisonment throughout Central and South America, as well as the European Continent.
Two more denominational splits to Christianity set the stage for modern Europe and more inter-denominational and power-struggle wars. In 1517 a German monk, Martin Luther, nailed his 95 theses to the church door declaring the Catholic church corrupt. Like Jesus overturning the tables of the Jewish money changers in the temple, the monk was appalled that the church was selling indulgences to fund building St. Peter's in Rome. “By faith alone are ye saved!” was his admonishment. His followers protested against the church’s corruption and formed many Protestant denominations, including Lutherans. Hundreds of European wars were fought on the continent between these religious groups with their anointed Monarchs.
Then, in 1534 Henry VIII was having difficulty getting a son and heir. Believing it was the woman’s fault he beheaded his first two wives and sought the Pope to annul the marriages. The Pope refused, and excommunicated Henry when he would not bend to religious authority. Henry did not like being given bad news. Instead, he started his own religion, the Church of England, over which he would be the head. Again, very convenient. To this day the monarch of England is also the head of the Church of England (see Charles III recent coronation). During his reign as Monarch and head of the church Henry VIII executed over 57,000 individuals who provided bad news.
After all these divisions and wars Europe is roughly divided religiously: eastern Europe is Orthodox Christian, southern Europe and Ireland is Catholic, northern Europe is Protestant, England is the Church of England, and Belgium was created as a war buffer between Protestant Netherlands and Catholic France.
Throughout European history Christianity expanded as a tool for political power and influence over the masses. Popes crowned kings, waged Crusades, and divided the New World among European monarchs. They suppressed science that contradicted doctrine, and ruled by fear through torture and imprisonment. After splitting into many denominations, they waged continental wars, funded ethnic cleansing, and sponsored magnificent edifices and beautiful art through corruption and extortion. Even today, sadly, religion is used by the far right; abandoning its Christian principles for political and economic power. History continues to unfold.
Our 2022 travels took us to two countries of the historic Holy Roman Empire: The Czech Republic, which was predominantly Protestant, and Poland which was predominantly Catholic. Each had a very different response to religion in their country, and their history.
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