The Crusaders, the Church, and End Times IsraelMotivating factors for the different Crusades
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The Crusaders, the Church, and End Times Israel It is easily argued that the Crusades of the early Christians went horribly wrong; the barbarism and wickedness of the Crusaders wiped out complete towns, attacked innocent women and children and were some of the bloodiest attacks of human history. While their motivations to seize, protect, and defend the Holy Land and its holy sites from destruction and occupation of the Muslims seem noble, their ways of war revealed that God was not with their efforts. However, present-day Christians must be careful in how they analyze the motivating factors of the Crusades, because they may well be faced with the same Muslim threats and attacks upon Israel. As history replays itself and Muslim forces surround Israel with clanking swords, it is wise for a Christian to separate the Crusaders motivating factors of righteous protection of God's chosen people and lands, from the politics and religion of corrupt leaders, and from the despicable, unholy mode of war they shamefully conducted. Motivating Factors of the First Crusade Jerusalem Holy Places were being destroyed and Christians traveling on pilgrimages mistreated harshly by Muslim occupiers of Egyptian and Turkish descent for over a half a century. Pope Urban II decreed through the Council of Claremont in 1095 that the Muslim dominance of the Middle East, especially the Holy Places in and around Jerusalem, had to come to an end. Both Edessa and Antioch were in the Crusaders hands by 1098. The following year Jerusalem was put under Christian rule by Godfrey of Bouillon. Unfortunately, the Christian zeal of crusading through the Holy Lands for the heavenly cause was not very Christ-like. The Crusaders were brutal, massacring captured hostages and cannibalizing some.1 Sadly, it also appears that Pope Urban II exaggerated the danger confronting Eastern Christianity when he called for a holy crusade against the heathen Turks. What started as a call against the defilement and destruction of Christian churches became the conquest of Jerusalem as its objective, possibly to stir public opinion.2 Certainly there were more politics behind the decision for the First Crusade than first noticed. A crusade against the Muslims held the promise of bringing the Eastern Church under papal leadership once again, and demonstrated the supremacy of the pope.3 Young men marched toward Jerusalem with religious zeal on the promise that their sins would be remitted for their act of penance for their loyalty in carrying out the battle plans of Pope Urban. The hopes of gaining land in the conquest helped spur the aristocratic young soldiers on to battle and merchants were lured by profits of outfitting and transporting troops, and the expansion of their trade interests.3 The victory of the First Crusade helped establish Western Christianity with a militant tone and an aggressiveness that would later translate to mission work. Christian missionaries from the First Crusade exemplified this aggressive stance, proclaiming the Gospel as the only standard which could bear the worlds needs in which commerce, government philanthropy and education had failed. The Crusades inspired the militant presentation of God's Word as a force needed that would cut down to the roots and deals with life in the name and power of God, marching straight upon the soul, reconstructing character, and saving men one by one. The First Crusade made Christians take the attitude that the world needs to be saved and it was their duty to carry it out.4 It was with this same holy zeal that missionaries would spread across the world with their good news about Jesus Christ, and reflect the movement of holy attitude, without the extreme wicked abuses, of the first Crusaders.5 Motivating Factors of the Second Crusade The established Christian kingdom of Edessa was reconquered by the Muslims in 1144, which led to the second Crusade; the only signficant outcome was the capture of Lisbon by an English fleet and its transfer to the King of Portugal.6 Pope Eugene III started the march toward the Holy Land with the enthusiastic support of popular mentor, Bernard of Clairvaux, and all of the people inspired by his promotion of the effort. Bernard preached to encourage participation, as well as prevent the indiscriminate hatred against non-Christians that had occurred during the First Crusade. The Second Crusade failed when the crusaders surrounded Damascus, but failed to capture it. The Muslim Commander Salah al-Din (Saladin) was merciful to the defeated foes as their advancement through the Holy Lands was repelled by his Muslim forces.7 Motivating Factors of the Third Crusade Disregarding the goodwill toward Saladin in his gracious approach in granting mercy to the invading Christians, Pope Gregory VIII launched the Third Crusade in 1189 to retake Jerusalem from the Muslims once again. In spite of the powerful thrones both supporting and participating in the march, like Holy Roman emperor Frederick Barbarossa, King Philip II of France, King Richard I 'the Lionheart' of England, their knights failed to reclaim Jerusalem. Once again, Saladin was willing to make peace with the crusaders, and guaranteed a safe pilgrimage journey for all Christians coming to Jerusalem.8 Motivating Factors of the Fourth Crusade The Fourth Crusade revealed the corruption of the Crusade idea, when it was ordered by Pope Innocent III in 1198.9 The Crusade never made it to the Holy Land; in fact, they didn't even reach the Muslim Middle East. The Crusaders attacked Constantinople and installed a Catholic king, after massacring the population. Christians attacking Christians did not deter their effort, and Christians won; by the Fourth Crusade they figured out how to be victorious in their efforts! Even then, Catholic rule lasted only fifty years, and Byzantine rule was re-established, in the midst of bitterness and mistrust between the Orthodox and Catholic believers, that continues in their relationship even today. The Mini-me Crusade The 1228 capture of Jerusalem by Emperor Frederick II in 1228, and the subsequent occupation for fifteen years stands out as one of the successful attempts of Christian battle for the Holy Lands. However, it was a private affair and did not stir up kings and kingdoms for the righteous cause; thus, it is not worthy of being called official Crusade, but notorious enough to be known as the last Christian success in the Middle East.10 Christian Worldview Considerations and End Times Defense of Israel Today, Israel is surrounded on all sides of its borders with Muslim fanatics that hate its existence. More countries today wish for Israel to cease being, than ever hoped for its survival during the times of the Crusades. Rogue countries and terrorist nations are attempting to produce and stockpile nuclear weapons to bring Israel to an end. Christian America is one of the few friends of Israel that has committed support and protection of the chosen lands of God. There might come a day in our own lives that will require our sons and daughters to give their lives for a holy defense of Israel and a possible Crusade of our own if the war is lost. The complete destruction of Israel by Muslim extremists seems imminent, with the resulting loss of every precious and holy remnant of Jewish and Christian history. It should be mindful to all present-day warriors willing to protect, defend and re-conquer, if necessary, the Holy Lands, to ensure that it is with holy intentions, rather than wicked goals of mankind that war is brought. The true motivations of the first four Crusades of men that were led by corruption and political and spiritual promises of gain must be avoided, if righteous support of Israel is to be offered. We must also realize that the Great Commission is not realized in war, and not a justification that any Christian should use to march toward Jerusalem. Missionary zeal is no more a determiner of righteous action, than is the promises of political and spiritual justification pronounced by unholy leaders. Any future attempts to recapture a seized Holy Land might well be a futile crusade against a hopeless cause, where prophesy in the Word of God clearly predicts the final destruction of Jerusalem in the Last Days.11 Maybe watching and waiting for the Lord's return is the most important focus upon the heavenly cause that a present-day Christian should hold, as events echoing the times of the Crusades begins to unfold once again in these final days of Earth.
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Citation
Hill, Jonathan. Zondervan Handbook to the History of Christianity. Oxford: Lion Publishing Plc, 2006. Cite Article Source
MLA Style Citation: About the Author Kathy L. McFarland is a Becker Bible Studies Teacher and Author of Guided Bible Studies for Hungry Christians. She has received her Bachelor of Science degree in Religious Studies from Liberty University, and is currently seeking her Master of Divinity (Professional Ministries Track) degree from Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary & Graduate School. Kathy is also a Hebrew language student attending an Israeli taught Ulpan and a noted expert on Old Testament exegesis, Christian apologetics, and Bible typology and mysteries. |
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