From Dailyhistory.org: The Vikings are known today for being piratical raiders of Europe, capturing whatever goods they could, including people, in lighting raids and then returning to their homes in Scandinavia. Churches and monasteries were among their favorite targets because… Read More ›
From Dailyhistory.org Saint Valentine’s Day is widely celebrated in the Western world as a day of love and romantic relationships. While this tradition does go far back and has connections to early Christian traditions, there are also more complex links… Read More ›
From Dailyhistory.org: The Second Great Awakening was a religious revival that spread across the United States from 1790s to 1830s. American religious leaders were deeply concerned by low church attendance; only about 10% of the white population was going to… Read More ›
The Visible Saints: The History of a Puritan Idea by Edward S Morgan. Publisher: Martino Fine Books (November 6, 2013), 174 pages. This book is based on a set of lectures that Morgan gave as the Anson G Phelps Lectures… Read More ›
The early modern period in Europe is often characterized as a period of reason when great strides were made in science and culture. However, it was also a period of religious intolerance and mass hysteria, and this is exemplified in… Read More ›
The conversion of the Mauryan Indian King Ashoka (ruled 272-231 BC) to Buddhism is rightfully viewed as a significant turning point in world history. Ashoka promoted the relatively new philosophy of Buddhism throughout his realm and allowed it to flourish,… Read More ›
During the English Reformation, Henry VIII suppressed or dissolved Catholic monasteries by Henry VIII throughout England. The dissolution of the monasteries was a process whereby religious foundations were dissolved and their property confiscated. This is one of the most important… Read More ›
Today, the term “Philistine” has become synonymous with any person or people deemed uncultured, uncouth, and boorish. The word is repeated with little thought to its origin with few people knowing that it is derived from a maligned and often… Read More ›
The Old Testament Book of Exodus has played an essential role in world history. It represents one of the most fundamental aspects of Jewish religion and early history and is also recognized as an important event by Christians and Muslims…. Read More ›
From Smithsonian.com by David Mislin: May of 1968, a high-profile trial began in Boston that dramatically illustrated a larger phenomenon fueling the rise of conservative Christianity in the United States. Five men had been charged with conspiracy for encouraging Americans… Read More ›
Traditionally, in the Roman Catholic Church, St. Peter (formally Simon) is regarded as the first pope in spite of the fact that the word “pope” would not have been attributed to Peter himself. There are several separate, interwoven theological concepts… Read More ›
From Aeon by James Chappel author of Catholic Modern: The Challenge of Totalitarianism and the Remaking of the Church (Harvard UP, 2018) The 20th century is littered with failed global experiments. The British Empire roared into the century with the wind at… Read More ›
The Reformation was quite possibly the biggest epoch in Christian history. As the name of the movement suggests, the Reformation was an effort to reform the Catholic Church. Though most view this as a mere attempt to rid the Church… Read More ›
In 1959 Pope John XXIII called for an ecumenical council of the Catholic Church that would later be known at Vatican II. As a result of this council, the Catholic Church would dramatically change or reconsider its stance towards the… Read More ›
From Quartz at Work by Ryan Anningson: In January 1902, Reverend Clarence Edgar Rice warned Americans of a religion that “both in theory and practice…degrades women,” practices “crass brutality” towards animals, and “goes hand-in-hand with vice…that blushes not at unspeakable… Read More ›
Easter is the most important event in the Christian calendar, as it reflects the resurrection (and thus salvation offered) by Christ for all those who accept him. While this is true to many Christians today, the story of Easter is… Read More ›
While monotheism is seen as something that has derived from Judaism, the history of how monotheism became pervasive is complex. Integrating both historical and archaeological data, we find that the rise of monotheism has been influenced by key political events…. Read More ›
Italy in the early modern period was one of the wealthiest areas of Europe. Italy had a very advanced and sophisticated culture. Many Italians were appalled by the corruption of the Church and there had been several movements that challenged… Read More ›
From February 29, through April 19, 1993 millions of Americans and people from all over the world were glued to their television sets as they watched the violent standoff between an obscure religious sect, known as the Branch Davidians, and… Read More ›
The Renaissance placed human beings at the center of life and showed that this world was not just a ‘vale of tears.’ Instead, life on Earth could meaningful on its own and it was possible for people to live… Read More ›