A Vanished World Sparknotes

1. The meaning of “A Vanished World” gives us something to focus onto and describes the relationship between these three faith groups that went terribly wrong. Their ideas and interactions reveal how to make things right during our time. The world that vanished is medieval Spain, where the three groups once lived peacefully amongst one another, and worked together creating trades, culture, and civilization. We can see a glimpse of their relationship here at the beginning of the book where it states “though Muslims, Christians, and Jews all worship the same God revealed to Abraham, that common bond paled in their eyes before the differences dividing the three faiths.” These three religions also shared a common ground with one another long before …show more content…
The Reconquista started soon after the victory of Covadonga. The motivation of this Reconquista was to consolidate all of Spain by having one ruler and one religion. The Christian forces invaded and successfully seized the city of Granada in 1492, which ended the Reconquista. The Reconquista can be described as the effort by which the Christian kingdoms’ took control of all Muslim territory and how Christianity engulfed all of Spain. Saint James was known as the “killer of Moors” for a reason, he killed Muslims. More importantly, he was believed to be one of Jesus’s disciples who witnessed Jesus ascending up into the clouds. “The apostle James, Santiago in Spanish, took the instructions literally. His purported remains are today venerated in the small Spanish town bearing his name, Santiago de Compostela.” The Christian people of Spain felt blessed to be in the presence of one of Jesus’s disciple and were grateful. “Spain’s churches everywhere enshrine James’s image in alter pieces, paintings, and sculptures.” During the Reconquista, one of Christian Spain’s most prominent heroes was known as El Cid. He was well known for formulating the plan to take over Muslim Valencia on Spain’s Mediterranean coast in 1094. He was also well known for winning battles after battle. “While Roland leaves Spain strewn with France’s valiant dead, none of the Cid’s key lieutenants and precious few of his rank-and-file soldiers perish. The Cid wins every battle he joins.” These two iconic figures were leaders and showed what a Christian fighter should be like. Saint James is believed to be one of Jesus’s disciples and therefore the Christian people looked up to him as someone important and valuable to follow. El Cid showed the Christian people of Spain that with the power of Jesus Christ nothing is impossible to achieve. They were both role models for their people to follow and they were a part of history that helped to formulate the Spanish identity in