Armstring Third Reading

Chapter 10- I like the notion of tactile spirituality that is used to describe Christians. In a sense, this served to give legitimacy to their claim to Jerusalem. I feel as though the dominating religion turns to artifacts to heighten spiritual notions, whereas the subdued religion returns to un-materialistic spirituality. Melania seems like a very modern woman for the times. I don’t think it was very common for women to abandon their lives in the pursuit of religion in those days. I realize that she was widowed and had a family, but I wonder if she was a forerunner of a nun. The attacks on the Jews that visited Jerusalem during Sukkoth was very disheartening and I am surprised that Christian monks were found to be promulgated this violence. I am curious to see how the Palestinians treated the shrine Eudokia implanted.
Chapter 11- To be honest, I have learned a lot about the foundation of Islam through this chapter. I am really surprised to find that Islam began as a pluralistic religion until Muhammad and that it was really accepting of the believers of Judaism and Christianity. I am also astonished at how compassionately Armstrong’s accounts of Mohammad becoming a prophet and the humble ideals of Islam are written. Although this is not unlike most of the tone throughout the rest of the book, Armstrong’s portrayal of the development of Islam makes the religion seem more pure and compassionate than the beginnings of the other religions. I wonder how Jewish people felt about Muslim polygamy. Was it common for Jews to be polygamous back then too or was it simply undisputedly accepted? Were the austere ideals of the mosque design removed in favor design for more grand buildings because they became the centers for social activity? Many of the mosques I have seen today seem very elaborate. The tolerance that Jews had for Muslims during this time period is very interesting because there seem to be similarity between to two, than between Jews and Christians.
Chapter 12- I see the followers of Islam now behaving a little more similarly to the followers of Judaism and Christianity now. I wonder if the law that none of the dhimmis’ could have a place of worship equal to or bigger than the mosque was a law that was created when Muslims first conquered Jerusalem. Islam seemed to incorporate aspects of Christian belief into their faith proudly, like the story of Mary and Jesus, so I wonder to what extent the Muslims found Christians challenging their religion. This chapter lays the beginnings of how Christainity spread to Europe.