College Lecturer Dismantles Five Top Myths Of the Crusades
Steve Weidenkopf, a lecturer of Church history at the Notre Dame Graduate School of Christendom College, wrote an excellent piece at Crisis Magazine detailing the who, what, when, why and how concerning the Crusades.
Why should you care about the Crusades?
“Pope Benedict XVI has emphasized the need for a ‘New Evangelization’ to re-spread the Faith to areas of the world where it has been lost or forgotten, “Weidenkopf points out. “Part of the New Evangelization is learning the authentic history of the Church and Western Civilization. No greater example, of an area where authentic learning is paramount, is found than the Crusades.”
And few incidents in history are so clearly misunderstood as the Crusades. Weidenkopf dismantles five of the most enduring myths about the Crusades including
Myth #1: The Crusades were wars of unprovoked aggression
Myth #2: The Crusades were about European greed for booty, plunder and the establishment of colonies.
Myth #3: When Jerusalem was captured in 1099 the crusaders killed all the inhabitants – so many were killed that the blood flowed ankle deep through the city.
Myth #4: The Crusades were also wars against the Jews and should be considered the first Holocaust.
Myth #5: The Crusades are the source of the modern tension between Islam and the West.
Find out the details at Crisis Magazine: www.crisismagazine.com/2012/crash-course-on-the-crusades
Deutschordensschloß Marienburg
www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pjeMp-u79k
I recommend Jonathan Riley-Smith’s excellent short and intelligent book entitled, “What Were the Crusades”. It is quite thorough at 101 pages – minus the bibliography and index – and serves as a strong starting point for those new to studying this historical period.
Here’s the ISBN number for the fourth edition:
978-1-58617-360-9
Thank you! I ordered this from Amazon today.