The Dark Ages

Was Catholicism responsible for the Dark Ages? In history class we have read about the great ancient empires that came before us, such as the Greeks, the Romans, and the Egyptians. During our studies we also learned about , the time in between the 6th and 14th century this period has come to be known as the “Dark Ages”. Many historians believe that the term Dark Ages might not be very accurate and that the reasons behind the origins of the Dark Ages, aren’t well understood. Most were taught that christianity was what led people out of the Dark Ages. What if I told you that it might be more feasible to say that the Dark ages were created by the introduction of Christianity? What if I told you that once people began to move away from Christianity …show more content…
Some say that the Dark Ages was a natural progression and that the church had nothing to do with Europe 's decline. While others think that it is somewhere in between; in which the church might have influenced the Dark Ages however the period was more progressive than it is given credit for. To understand the Dark Ages we have to begin with the rise of Christianity. In Rome during 200-500 C.E. Christian Romans were known as a group of barbarians. That were more interested with ascending to power than in the actual ideals of Christianity. When Constantine the son of Constantius, took the throne he had wanted to reclaim the eastern part of Rome that was once divided from the west. However, to do so he had to be strategic it was around this time that he saw the cult like religion of Christianity as a way to power.The Christians of east Rome held high positions in state administrations, Constantine saw Christianity as a “nation within a nation”. Getting involved with this influential nation was his way of expanding his territory. He then championed Christianity as his own personal monotheistic religion, claiming to be Christian gave him power over a large portion of eastern Rome. Many of Constantine 's Christian policies were cruel and ineffective. Eventually these changes ended up resulting in the sacking of Rome and …show more content…
However it might have been Christianity itself that created some of these so-called barbaric people. At the dawn of the Dark Ages ex pagans began to force Christianity onto others as a way of legitimizing their allegiance. Eventually they began to mix the spells and enchantments of paganism along with the mysticism of Christianity. Soon each leader began spreading the word of Christianity and blind belief. They also became obsessed with all things Roman and mimicked some of what was done in ancient Rome. They specifically copied the hierarchy of Rome 's political structure. By revising and observing the real history of the Dark Ages we are able to understand that “ Europe languished in intellectual and cultural retrogression during the Dark Ages, while the light of wisdom was preserved and advanced by those they labeled "the infidel Saracen." The reintroduction of the Classical (Greek) Tradition and the Perennial Tradition through the confluence of European and Muslim thought, beginning around 1000 CE, revitalized earlier conceptions of knowledge as derived from experience--participation in reality” ( Dark Ages 71). To say that the Dark Ages were brought about by the Catholic Church would be true but it would however not be the full truth. The full truth would be that there had to have been many factors that caused this paradigm shift and religion was one major factor, the