God's Story: A Student Guide to Church History Read Online Free PDF Page B

Peter is petra, “rock”), though, this interpretation is probably untrue. Notwithstanding, even if the RCC argues in favor of this interpretation, the issue of papal succession is something entirely different and not found in the pages of Scripture.
    Just because Jesus designated Peter to be an early leader of the church does not give a succession of non-apostles the same kind of apostolic authority—especially to the degree that we see it today (i.e. the doctrine of papal infallibility). Moreover, at various times throughout church history (for example, during the 14 th century in Avignon, France), multiple “popes” all claimed the title, while simultaneously excommunicating the other “popes” and all their followers!
    But we shouldn’t get the idea that all the popes were bad or evil. One of the most famous popes of the early Middle Ages was Pope Gregory I (540-604), also known as Gregory the Great. Gregory’s leadership and humility became a shining light of biblical Christianity in a sea of darkness. He introduced Christian devotion, a concern for evangelism, and affirmed the importance of moral behavior. Before he became pope, Gregory lived as a monk—dedicated to imitating the life of Jesus through contemplation, service, and a disdain for worldliness. He is well known for his written work, Book of Pastoral Rule , in which he outlined the characteristics and marks of a minister.
    A defining moment came on Christmas Day, in the year 800, when Pope Leo III crowned the king of France, Charles the Great (or Charlemagne), as the first Roman Emperor in more than three centuries and ruler over what would later be called the “Holy Roman Empire.” Like that of the Roman Empire in 380, the church and state became one—but with the church crowning the emperor this time!
    Charlemagne believed that the church (especially the clergy) was necessary for a well-ordered and quality-controlled society. If he wanted functional control over Europe, he must also have direct control over the church. Charlemagne also spurred church reforms and learning, even serving as the patron for a number of scholars in a wide variety of disciplines and for a number of monasteries to preserve ancient texts. One of the great legacies of Charlemagne, though, had to do with his military campaigns against the growing militant religion, Islam.
The Rise of Islam
    Muhammad (c.570-632) was born in Mecca, near the western coast of modern-day Saudi Arabia, and lived there for the first fifty-two years of his life. Growing up, he was part of a local pagan religion, but had heard bits and pieces of the Old and New Testaments and, thus, wasn’t all too unfamiliar with their content. In 610, while praying in a cave outside of Mecca, Muhammad supposedly received a revelation from the angel Gabriel (the same angel who appeared to the Virgin Mary). Over a period of time, he would continue to receive these revelations, which would later be compiled into the Qur’an , the sacred book of Islam.
    After ten years of preaching, several hundred families had become convinced that Muhammad was a prophet of the one God, Allah. Still a minority religion, he and his followers faced persecution and they eventually fled Mecca for the city of Medina in 622. Muhammad and his small (but growing) clan brutally took control of Medina through a series of bloody battles. Then, in 630—with an army of 10,000 men at his command—he returned to Mecca, conquered it, and dedicated it to Allah.
    Suddenly, in 632, Muhammad died from illness in the arms of Aisha, who was one of his twelve wives. He had married Aisha when she was only six years of age and consummated the marriage when she was only nine. Apparently, the Qur’an’s limit to four wives didn’t apply to him (cf. Qur’an, Sura 4:3)!
    As soon as Muhammad died, his followers split into two groups over who should succeed him as their leader, the Sunnis and the Shi’ites. The Sunnis believed that his successor should be