THE CRUSADES, DID THEY HELP OR HURT THE CAUSE OF CHRIST.

Liberty University

The Crusades, Did They Help or Hurt the Cause of Christ.

A research paper submitted to Professor Nathanael Schlomann

In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements For

CHHI301

Liberty University Online

By

Robert Ortiz Jr.

Lynchburg, Virginia

October 8, 2012

Introduction

            The Crusades were a string of military expeditions set forth by the Western European Church between the eleventh and thirteenth centuries (1095 – 1291) with the purpose of taking back the Holy Land (Jerusalem) from Muslim control. The goal was to accomplish much more than that however, Justo L. Gonzalez writes:

The hope was to defeat the Muslims who threatened Constantinople, to save the Byzantine Empire, to reunite the Eastern and Western branches of the church, to reconquer the Holy Land as well as other territories that Islam had previously taken by means of a similar use of military force…and – in so doing – to win heaven.[1]

These lofty goals did not quite work out the way the early church proponents of the Crusades desired, in fact, at the end of it – some three hundred years later – Muslims would once again seize control of the areas the Crusaders set out to “free” and their efforts would cost them much more than earned. Was it worth it? And was Christ glorified in it all?

Some good did come from the Crusades. For instance, they would cause religious fervor on a grand scale and it would bring about a unity throughout Christendom that would go on for centuries. It also allowed for great literature to reach the masses, literature to include letters, tracts, heroic stories, and poetry, and not just in the language of the area but in many different languages.[2] Then too, there were very many failures. One such failure was enacted during the first rung of the Crusades led by Peter the Hermit who inspired many others to join the cause. Count Emicho was one of them that joined the Crusades and would be responsible for the complete massacre of many Jews in Rhenish towns (1096); considered a “turning point” between Jewish and Christian relations, it was deemed the advent of Anti-Semitism.[3] The Crusades would go on to cause havoc for its participants, make some of its leaders wealthy, and create an atmosphere of “lack of faith” with respect to God’s will, even though, ironically enough, it was the battle cry of the Crusades – Dues Vult – “God wills it.”

Motivating Factors for the Crusades

            The Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to Present says, “The Crusades began as a way for the church to achieve both spiritual and practical objectives.”[4] At the onset of the Crusades (eleventh century) the church was healthy, wealthy, and wise so to speak, and saw an opportunity to take advantage of a growing problem plaguing it – Islam. Muslims were working diligently at assimilating the Islamic religion and way of life into every region of Western Europe.

Now, threatening the sanctity of Christendom was the Muslims taking control of Jerusalem in 1071 and disrupting a practice quite popular with Western European christians – pilgrimages. They believed any one of three places would bring about the “expiation for serious sin, and would be…occasionally prescribed as a penance for the sinner by his confessor.”[5] The three places were Rome (tombs of Saints Peter and Paul), Santiago de Compostela (northwestern Spain) and Jerusalem (Holy Sepulcher of Christ’s entombment).[6] How pilgrimages glorified God and allowed for the gospel to spread is not mentioned in very many pieces of literature; it seems to have been mere idol worship. But the people believed in it and the church wanted it back.

            Church leaders were not going to allow the encroachment of Muslims into their states nor were they going to allow the followers of Christ to be manipulated into turning from Christianity to Islam; they needed a defensive. But in order to accomplish that end troops were needed. Pope Urban II rallied the people with a thrilling speech at the Council of Clermont where he “gained the support of the French nobles and serfs chanting, “God wills it.”[7] Not everyone was one board. Many were. Their reasons for joining the cause seemed more to do with what they could get out of it rather than achieving both “spiritual and practical objectives.”

Nonetheless, the church was ready to offer a wide variety of incentives: protection of crusaders’ fiefs and personal property, free crusading serfs, tax exemptions, debt relief, freedom for criminals that joined. Sons of the nobility were looking to gain land, and everyone “sought the church’s promise of salvation.”[8] It appears the church was taking its role as the authority of God to the extreme (note that at this time the papacy was strong and powerful). Salvation is not something the church can promise, only God promises salvation and then it is still up to an individual to make appropriate choices to receive this free gift. And yet, many did choose to place their life in danger for all the wrong reasons.

Peter the Hermit was, through his preaching, able to persuade many peasants to join in the first Crusade. Some deem it the “Pauper’s Crusade” or the “People’s Crusade” Their motivation was simple – they did not want to starve to death. During the advent of the first Crusade, the people of lower classes were dealing with famine, disease, and agricultural decline.[9] Sadly these people were untrained, practically unarmed, and unorganized; their fate was unpleasant, “While Peter was in Constantinople requesting additional aid, his army was ambushed at Cibotus (called Civetot by the Crusaders) and all but annihilated by the Turks.”[10] As the quest continued new leaders arose and led the charge for the Holy Land. Adhemar, bishop of Puy was able to form a more cohesive campaign and yet hardship and struggle still ruled the day. Then someone has a vision; the Holy Lance with which Christ was speared at His side was buried somewhere in Antioch.

The people dug and low and behold there was a spear (whether it was the actual spear used to pierce Christ is not confirmed). This brought a new fervor and excitement to the cause and the troops were able to rally to victory taking Jerusalem back – a place they felt was rightfully theirs to begin with.[11] Gonzalez speaks to the Crusaders deeming the find of the Lance and the way in which they were able to take back Jerusalem as the hand of God; this in turn would move the Crusaders to believe they were doing the right thing. Up to this point there is not much language concerning Christ. Was it for Him that the church endeavored to start the Crusades? Was it for the lost people being ravaged by heresy and poverty? The Crusades championed for many things but Christ did not look to be one of them. And this was just the first Crusade. There were eight major campaigns with smaller ones scattered about.

Impact of the Crusades

            Much of the rest of the Crusades, like the first, was like a roller coaster ride, it had its up and downs for sure. One of the common threads throughout the Crusades was the massacre of Jews. The plight the church faced initially was the encroachment of Islam and yet thousands upon thousands of Jews were being killed. How could the Crusade leaders justify regaining the Holy Land, bringing to fruition the outcomes as stated by Gonzalez[12] and doing it as Dues Vult (God wills it), when a people are being persecuted because they believe differently; even if they did cause the death of Christ.[13]

Whether they believed the way the Western European church did or not, whether they accept responsibility for their role in the crucifixion of Christ or not, the church representatives should not have committed such atrocities – that is not what Jesus would have wanted. In war, yes, there are casualties – in war. Now there were advocates, some that believed in the Word of God and understood the brutality of the situation. “The spiritual leader of the Crusade, Bernard of Clairvaux , pointed out the theological error in his[14] arguments, strictly forbidding any excess against the Jews, who were to be neither killed nor expelled.”[15]

            Notwithstanding the intolerant attitudes against Jews and Muslims[16], there were advancements made to the church and the world at large. The Crusades managed to get the Eastern and Western ends together through trade. They built a keen system of commerce working were able to import “sugars, spices, silks, silverware, dishes, glass windows, and other luxuries.”[17] The Crusades also paved the way in military technology while generating excitement for “exploration, conquest, and colonization that would continue into the following centuries.”[18]

Conclusion

            In 1291 the Crusades ended. And not well. Throughout the entirety of the Crusades very little is mentioned about Christ. The church felt the need to protect its interest against heresy, and yet it did not preach the gospel as part of its Crusade mission. Yes, there were preachers, and good ones, but the Crusades themselves only sought to protect the sanctity of an entity not of a Savior. Who knows what could have been accomplished had Christ been in the center of it all. Let us always be clear that when we as Christians decide to take a stand and fight against the evil of this world, we are to pray and love those who commit them. We are to witness and love even our enemies.

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[1] Justo L. Gonzalez. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010), 345.

[2] Froehlich Karlfried. 2005. Crusades: Christian Perspective, Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. Vol. 3, 2^nd ed:2074-2077,  http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX3424500684&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1 (accessed October 2, 2012).

[3] Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Ed., s.v. Crusades, http://www.britannica.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/144695/Crusades (accessed October 03, 2012).

[4] Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades, http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/entry/sharpewt/crusades (accessed October 03, 2012).

[5] Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Ed., s.v. Crusades.

[6] Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Ed., s.v. Crusades.

[7]Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades, http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/entry/sharpewt/crusades (accessed October 03, 2012).

[8]Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades.

[9]Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades.

[10] Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Ed., s.v. Crusades.

[11] Gonzalez, 348, 349.

[12] The hope was to defeat the Muslims who threatened Constantinople, to save the Byzantine Empire, to reunite the Eastern and Western branches of the church, to reconquer the Holy Land as well as other territories that Islam had previously taken by means of a similar use of military force…and – in so doing – to win heaven. Gonzalez, 345.

[13] This is a hot topic, my own personal view is that the Romans executed Christ at the behest of the Jewish leaders.

[14] Cistercian monk, Radulph who proclaimed Jews should be crucified the way they crucified Christ.

[15] Simon R Schwarzfuchs. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 5, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX2587504737&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1 (accessed October 04, 2012).

[16] Not every Muslim believed the way many of the radicals did, however, by osmosis they too were caught in the thick of cruel and unusual punishment and paid a heavy price at the hands of extremist crusaders.

[17] Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades.

[18] Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades.

Bibliography

Encyclopedia Britannica Online Academic Ed., s.v. Crusades, http://www.britannica.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/EBchecked/topic/144695/Crusades.

Encyclopedia of World Trade from Ancient Times to the Present, s.v. Crusades, http://www.credoreference.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/entry/sharpewt/crusades.

Gonzalez, Justo L. The Story of Christianity, Vol. 1: The Early Church to the Dawn of the Reformation (New York: Harper Collins Publishing, 2010).

Karlfried. Froehlich. 2005. Crusades: Christian Perspective, Encyclopedia of Religion. Ed. Lindsay Jones. Vol. 3, 2^nd ed:2074-2077,  http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX3424500684&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1.

Schwarzfuchs, Simon R. Encyclopaedia Judaica. Ed. Michael Berenbaum and Fred Skolnik. 2nd ed. Vol. 5, http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?action=interpret&id=GALE%7CCX2587504737&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=GVRL&sw=w&authCount=1.