Page 258 - Encyclopedia Of World History Vol IV

religion—overview 1559

Though the farmer uses the same Buddhist institu-
tions, concepts and ideas with which the elite are
familiar, he gives them a different meaning. In the account of the development of its creeds, doctrines, and
course of this book it will be seen that in rural areas practices,henceforth had western and eastern versions,and
the role of the monk is intimately connected with the these split permanently in 1054 CE.
idea of creating a certain type of magical power. Sim- If Christianity sprang out of Judaism, still another
ilarly, whilst the educated Buddhist may accept the world religion, second in size only to Christianity, devel-
five precepts as an ethical guide, in the countryside oped out of and then over against those two. It developed
they are often used in a cleansing ritual. And the in the small cities of the Arabian peninsula, where Mu-
acquisition of merit is important for both types of hammad was born around 570 CE. Christians and Jews
Buddhists, but in the eyes of the farmer the concept lived there, but old religions considered to be pagan
of merit is closely connected with beneficial magical thrived in the interior, where at Mecca, Muhammad’s
power and good luck. birthplace, people revered and made pilgrimages to a

Source: Terweil, J. B. (1975). Monks and magic:An analysis of religious ceremonies in cen- great black meteorite in a shrine they called Kaaba. In
tral Thailand (pp. 3–5). London: Curzon Press.
that city Muhammad experienced a profound religious
revelation and claimed that he was recording the direct
utterances of God,Allah, in the sacred book that became
the Quran. Islam means “submission,” and the religion
survived as one more strange movement. However, while that issued from the prophet Muhammad’s revelation
some of them served in the Roman army and paid taxes, and transcription, stressing obedience to Allah, pre-
they refused to give signals of worship that would show scribed precise and simple ways in which one pursued
they regarded the ruler, Caesar, as divine. Forty years after Islamic faithfulness.
Jesus’ death, around 70 CE, conflicts between these Chris- While the Quran included many passages advocating
tians and other Jews led to schism and growing enmity. tolerance and peace, the text also included militant
More important for survival, however, was the attitude of themes and the prophet’s career included military ven-
Roman rulers and other elites, who scorned them and tures. The Arabian peninsula, always dry, in the early
saw them as subversive. Before the year 70 persecution of years of the sixth century was experiencing drought, and
Christians had begun in Jerusalem, Rome, and outposts many desperate Arabs joined Muhammad’s conquering
along the way this fast-spreading faith was developing. armies. By 635 Damascus in Syria fell, to be followed in
a year by Jerusalem.The armies invaded Egypt and cap-
Divided Christendom tured Alexandria in 641. Everywhere the victorious Mus-
and the Rise of Islam lims won converts and built mosques. Many of these
In the course of three centuries as Rome declined, one of moves were threatening and even devastating to Chris-
its emperors,Constantine,for a mixture of reasons,became tians, who met defeat in northern Africa and parts of
a believer and directed his empire on a course that led Europe, including Spain. There Muslims developed a
Christianity by the end of the fourth century CE to be the sophisticated civilization, which it shared with Jews and
official religion of Rome.The persecuted now became the Christians until 1492. Constantinople had fallen in
persecutors in many instances. Christianity was official, 1453, and for much of the next century the Ottoman
legally established, and was to remain so for a millennium Turks spread Islam while assaulting Europe all the way
and more. When as the eastern half gained power and into Hungary. The Christians earlier gained some selec-
influence and Rome divided, the Christian movement also tive victories as they tried to win back the holy places of
progressively divided, with headquarters in Rome and in Palestine in a series of bloody crusades, but outside
Constantinople, Constantine’s power became based in Europe itself Islam held its own and became a permanent
what is today’s Turkey. The Christian story, including the challenger.