why matamoros, crusades

[m j anderson]

Verna Austen wrote:

> I think real courage comes from allowing others to find their own path to
> God, and not imposing your views on them.

......Verna, I think you are correct. The difficulty begins when others do not
share our attitude. When those who believe they must convert us  by force invade
our homeland, what should our response be?

When the Muslims invaded Christian lands in the 700s-1500's the Muslims were not
willing to grant such freedom to the inhabitants unless the inhabitants paid an
exorbitant tribute--such as 100s of virgin girls each year to avoid having their
villages burned, or taxes that ruined local communities. The Muslims spread all
over the Mediterranean subjugating all manner of people. We have Muslim records
that document the tribute/taxes that  they extracted from the people of
Spain--it is no wonder then that the Spanish began the Reconquista to push the
Muslims out of Spain. It was a natural reaction, and Santiago Matamoros is a
symbol of that 800year effort.

>   I'm sorry, but can you clarify your point about the crusades
> not being wrong?

......Sure. This is what I mean: The Crusaders were invited into Jerusalem and
other cities (Damascus) to liberate and protect the persecuted people who lived
there--Christians and Jews. THe Crusaders  were not seen by the inhabitants as
"wrong" but as very welcome. Of course, the Muslims did not welcome them and the
battles were fierce. Some Crusaders were along for adventure or plunder, but
most understood themselves as protecting and defending their persecuted
brothers.

Remember, after the death of Jesus, most of Israel was Christian and Jewish,
though fewer Jews than earlier.. That is because after the fall of Jerusalem in
70 AD,  when  the Temple was destroyed by the Romans,  most Jews left (Diaspora)
for other places such as Antioch, Ephesus, Rome, Alexandria and Medina in
Arabia. Without their Temple as an anchor, many Jews joined Jewish communities
that had formed in other parts of the Near and Middle East from the days of the
Jewish captivity ( 400s BC) In fact, there was a rather sizable Jewish
community  in  Medina before Mohammed was even born. In the 1950s Babylonian
inscriptions were discovered that mentioned a Jewish community that dated from
the time of Kind David.  Scholars tell us that Mohammed took much of the belief
of Islam from the Jews and with a seasoning of Christianity thrown in. Mohammed
attempted to persuade the Jews of Arabia to adopt a sort of desert version of
monotheism that he, Mohammed, had envisioned.

Meanwhile, back in Israel, Christians were thriving alongside some remaining
Jews. Jerusalem became one of the earliest Sees (Location of a bishop). In fact,
many of the more well known fathers of the church came from Jerusalem, such as
St. Cyril (350 AD).

So we know that at the  time of the Muslim invasion of Israel in 636-40 AD most
of the people were Christian or some off-shoot of Judaism. These people were
subjugated by the Muslims. Hence, when in the 11th century they asked for help
to expel the invaders,  it was not wrong for Christians of Europe to come to
their aid as Crusaders. It was, in fact, a holy obligation.

When we locate the phenomena of the Camino in the context of Spanish/Christian
self preservation against the invading Muslims, we bring a clearer focus into
view.

Ultreya!
MJ Anderson