BasicChristian.info

Basic Christian
remained nominally Frankish until the Treaty of Corbeil in 1258). The Muslim chiefs in the northeast of Islamic
Spain were constantly revolting against Córdoban authority, and they often turned to the Franks for help. The
Frankish border was slowly extended until 795, when Gerona, Cardona, Ausona, and Urgel were united into the new
Spanish March, within the old duchy of Septimania. -- In 797 Barcelona, the greatest city of the region, fell to the
Franks when Zeid, its governor, rebelled against Córdoba and, failing, handed it to them. The Umayyad authority
recaptured it in 799. However, Louis of Aquitaine marched the entire army of his kingdom over the Pyrenees and
besieged it for two years, wintering there from 800 to 801, when it capitulated. The Franks continued to press
forward against the emir. They took Tarragona in 809 and Tortosa in 811. The last conquest brought them to the
mouth of the Ebro and gave them raiding access to Valencia, prompting the Emir al-Hakam I to recognize their
conquests in 812 A.D.
Ancient Saracens - Saracen was a term used by the ancient Romans to
refer to a people who lived in desert areas in and around the Roman
province of Arabia, and who were distinguished from Arabs - In Europe
during the Middle Ages the term was expanded to include Arabs, and
then all who professed the religion of Islam - The expansion of the
meaning occurred first among the Byzantine Greeks and then among
the Latins - By the time of the Crusades, beginning in 1095, a
"Saracen" had become synonymous with a "Muslim" in European
chronicles
Early and medieval Christian literature: Eusebius and Epiphanius Scholasticus, in their Christian histories, place
Saracens east of the Gulf of Aqaba but beyond the Roman province of Arabia and mention them as Ishmaelites
through Kedar; thus, they are outside the promise given to Abraham and his descendants through Isaac and also
therefore, in Christian theology, beyond a privileged place in the family of nations or divine dispensation. The Jews
viewed them as pagans and polytheists in ancient times and in later Christian times they became associated with
cruel tyrants from early Christian history such as: Herod the Great, Herod Antipas and Agrippa I. Christian writings,
such as those by Origen, viewed them as heretics who had to be brought into the orthodox fold. To the Christian
Saint Jerome the Arabs, who were also considered in Christian theology as Ishmaelites, were also seen to fit the
definition of Saracens; pagan tent-dwelling raiders of the lands on the eastern fringes of the Roman empire. -- The
term Saracen carried the connotation of people living on the fringes of settled society, living off raids on towns and
villages, and eventually became equated with both the "tent-dwelling" Bedouin as well as sedentary Arabs. Church
writers of the period commonly describe Saracen raids on monasteries and their killing of monks. The term and the
negative image of Saracens was in popular usage in both the Greek east as well as the Latin west throughout the
Middle Ages. With the advent of Islam, in the Arabian peninsula, during the seventh century among the Arabs, the
term's strong association with Arabs tied the term closely with not just race and culture, but also the religion. The
rise of the Arab Empire and the ensuing hostility with the Byzantine Empire saw itself expressed as conflict
between Islam and Christianity and the association of the term with Islam was further accentuated both during and
after the Crusades. -- John of Damascus, in a polemical work typical of this attitude described the Saracens in the
early 8th century thus: There is also the people-deceiving cult (threskeia) of the Ishmaelites, the forerunner of the
Antichrist, which prevails until now. It derives from Ishmael, who was born to Abraham from Hagar, wherefore
they are called Hagarenes and Ishmaelites. And they call them Saracens, inasmuch as they were sent away emptyhanded
by Sarah; for it was said to the angel by Hagar: "Sarah has sent me away empty-handed" (cf. Book of
Genesis xxi. 10, 14).
The Dark Ages - Early Middle Ages (DVD $16.99) {In case you have ever
wondered if Satan is raging a relentless war against the Christian
http://www.basicchristian.org/blog_History_Study_Complete.rss[1/16/2012 7:38:03 AM]