Tierney 2-2

Impact of religion in medieval Europe and the Byzantine Empire following the fall of the Roman Empire. Go.

Religion. What of it?

Without a doubt, religion is the single greatest influence the world has ever known. It's
quite a mercurial one, as well; let a hundred years pass by and the face of the religion, even its
tenets and core beliefs, can completely change. Religion to most is the path to light, making it
extremely important in the Dark Ages following the fall of the Roman Empire. It has the
potential to enrich human lives. To the same extent, however, it can hurt them via modern day
fundamentalists and ancient holy warriors.
Christianity, though founded by Jesus, was spread primarily by St. Paul, as he traveled
throughout the Roman world following the death of the Jesus. He spoke to many and all,
convincing them with the fervor and passion of his belief to believe themselves. Due to the
Roman Empire being so large at this time, he was able to preach to a great portion of those living
in Western Europe. Those who were converted then spread the religion with their own travel and
talk.
Christianity during the dark ages was divided between the Roman Catholics and the
Eastern Orthodox; even prior to the actual split, there was great divisiveness between the leaders
of the two sects, and henceforth great divisiveness between the apostles of the two sects. The last
and final straw came in the year c. 1054 A.D., when the leaders of the respective sects
excommunicated each other over religious practicing.
Western Europe got the older, slightly harsher Roman Catholicism. Though the Western
Roman Empire had fallen prior, there was no strong central authority to take over. It was chaos in
its worst form, barbarians running amuck without anyone to regulate them. To the East, the
Byzantine empire-essentially the Eastern half of the Roman Empire with a new name, tried its
best to maintain the legacy of Rome.
Gothic Cathedrals were the height of glory of Roman Catholicism, as they were built
almost entirely in Western Europe. Taller than most modern buildings and using advanced
techniques such flying buttresses, stained glass, and arching walls to support much more weight
than ever thought possible, these gargantuan colossi inspire a sense of awe to even the modern
day viewer, regularly exposed to extreme sights. Charlemagne was a king of the Franks and most
of the rest of Western Europe for a brief period; a Christian king, he was very much in support of
said cathedrals and for a moment it looked like the period known as the 'Dark Ages' would
quickly find the light.
Alas, that moment was in possession of great brevity. When Charlemagne died, he left his
empire out divided equally among his sons, and from that point on Europe was never fully united
again, lest you count the European Union.
Meanwhile Eastern Orthodox flourished in the Byzantine Empire. Although Rome had
fallen, the Byzantines were quite deserving of her legacy. They lasted for more time than even
Rome herself had, and their decline was slower, albeit starting from a lower point as well.
Whether religion should have a greater influence in our institutions is a tricky thing.
Almost all of what religions espouse is designed to positively edify the common man, and
generally that's exactly what it does.