Part I: Eastern Orthodox Church Church of the Seven Ecumenical Councils Iconography & Liturgy Differences between Eastern Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism

Map of Eastern Empire Four Eastern Patriarchates.

Eastern Churches Eastern Orthodox Churches Non-Chalcedonian Churches: separated from the Orthodox Church in the 6th c. The Assyrian Church of the East: isolated from the Orthodox Church in the fifth c The Emperor Justinian with his retinue. Ravenna, St. Vitale 6th c. Last great Roman Emperor before Charlemagne. Countries with the predominantly Orthodox population: Greece, Russia, Ukraine, Serbia, Romania, Bulgaria, Georgia, Cyprus. Orthodox minorities in: Poland, Albania Non-Chalcedonian churches: Syrian (Jacobite), Coptic, Armenian, Ethiopian, Malankaran (Indian). The Assyrian Church of the East: Iran & Iraq (much reduced in numbers after the Turkish massacres in 1915-1918.

Iconoclastic controversy 787 Seventh ecumenical council met at Nicaea Issue: the use of icons (religious images) to depict God Main objections: Icons are idols Infinite God cannot be depicted Decision of the council: incarnation justifies the use of icon You shall not make for yourself an idol… whether in the form of anything that is in heaven above… You shall not bow down to them or worship them. Exodus 20: 4.

Theology in colors.

Kasimir Malevich. Complex Presentiment: Half-Figure in a Yellow Shirt Kasimir Malevich. Complex Presentiment: Half-Figure in a Yellow Shirt 1928-32; Oil on canvas, 99 x 79 cm (39 x 31 1/8 in); State Russian Museum, St. Petersburg.

Differences between Eastern Orthodoxy & Roman Catholicism Cultural differences Final schism in 1054 Doctrinal differences: Pope or council? (papal primacy & infallibility) Addition to the creed (filioque) Two new dogmas about Mary Immaculate Conception & Bodily Assumption) 1054. Pope Leo IX and patriarch Cerularius excommunicate each other. The anaphemas were withdrawn in the 20th c. without communion. Immaculate Conception of Mary (1854) Bodily Assumption of Mary (1950).

Part II: Islam Early History of Islam Five pillars of Islam Christianity & Islam Early seventh c. 610. Merchant Mohammed started to receive messages from archangel Gabriel in Mecca. In less than a century Syria, Egypt, Constantinople, etc. were lost to Moslems. He started to prophecy about the religion of the one God, Allah among the Arab merchants, undermining their business much of which had to do with idols. Nomadic tribes, no visible unity. Islam & monotheism change that. Now they have a common center. Kaaba was a pagan pantheon in Mecca where Allah, the principal god of polytheistic pantheon was worshipped. Arabic-speaking Christians use the same word Allah to mean “the deity.” Qu’ran identifies Allah with the God of the patriarchs and prophets. In 622 he had to flee to Medina—the beginning of the Moslem era. Eventually Mohammed gathered enough support to take Mecca. Before he died in 632 a large part of Arabia was under his control.  632-661 period of rightly guided caliphs.   Expansion:  635 Fall of Damascus & 637 Antioch, conquest of Syria  638 Fall of Jerusalem, conquest of Palestine  642 Alexandria taken, Egypt  695 Carthage fell. Latin North Africa converted to Islam quickly and almost completely  711 conquest of Spain  732 defeated by Charles Martel at the battle of Tours (end of first Moslem expansion)

Timeline 570 AD Birth of Muhammad 610 Muhammad begins his prophetic mission. 622 Muhammad’s flight to Medina (hijra) 632 Muhammad’s death 7th- 10th c Spread of the Islamic Civilization 1096-1291 Crusades 1453 Fall of Constantinople

Muslim Empire in 656 Expansion:  635 Fall of Damascus & 637 Antioch, conquest of Syria  638 Fall of Jerusalem, conquest of Palestine  642 Alexandria taken, Egypt  695 Carthage fell. Latin North Africa converted to Islam quickly and almost completely  711 conquest of Spain  732 defeated by Charles Martel at the battle of Tours (end of first Moslem expansion)  

Islamic Expansion after the death of Muhammad

Mosque of Omar. Jerusalem. Christianity & Islam Common ground: Belief in one God who is just & good Main differences: Islam’s rejection of Jesus’ divinity & Trinity Islam’s claim that Koran replaces the Bible Jesus did not truly suffer. Jesus is regarded as one of the prophets. Islam’s five pillars: creed, prayer 5 times a day, fast during Ramadan, pilgrimage to Mecca, almsgiving. P. 176. Jihad: all three traditions have it: conquest of the promised Land, crusades. Jews & Christians either spiritualize the idea of the holy war: it become the battle. Mosque of Omar. Jerusalem.

Holy Wars: past & present Judaism: conquest of Canaan Islam: conquest of Mecca Christianity: crusades Meanings of Holy War Spiritual warfare Apocalyptic battle Physical extermination of infidels All three monotheistic religious traditions have a version of holy war in their history. The question is, how do they use this heritage today? It is dead in Christianity (although anti-Semitism is still an issue), but it is alive and well in Islam and in Judaism among the radicals and fundamentalists. Jihad: all three traditions have it: conquest of the promised Land, crusades. Jews & Christians either spiritualize the idea of the holy war: it become the battle of the self with the demons & temptations.