tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232051.post376954426275724915..comments2024-03-28T03:16:14.104-04:00Comments on Noahpinion: Church, state, and holy warsNoah Smithhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09093917601641588575noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232051.post-66116786206935302792011-05-06T15:51:03.703-04:002011-05-06T15:51:03.703-04:00"And, more crucially, they showed that theocr..."And, more crucially, they showed that theocracy is a poor foundation upon which to build civilizational greatness. After the Crusades, Europe started moving toward the separation of church and state, and never stopped."<br />With the exception of a few cities within the Holy Roman Empire that were ruled by bishops, Europe was never a theocracy at this point. Kings and the Church were separate actors with the political system of the Medieval period. Within Christendom, both kings and the papacy were competing sources of power and many of the macro-conflicts in Europe were between kings and popes about how much power each had over what sphere of life. <br /><br />For instance, one reason that Pope Leo III crowned Charlemange Holy Roman Emperor was because Charlemange was a figure who would have protected the bishop of Rome (his relations with the Romans were not the greates) without ceding his power to Constantinople. The entire idea that Europe was a theocracy simply a grave misunderstanding that often results from the fact that we are so used to a single political power center with today's nation-state that modern commentators often do not grasp the fact that even though popes and kings exercised political influence that they were different power-centers. <br /><br />It is not until four hundred years later that kings are able to subordinate religion beneath their power after the events of the Reformation shattered Christendom. If one were to refer to any period of Western Christian Orthodox Christianity having a different relationship with the Byzantine empire than found in the West) European history as being "theocratic" then it is right after the Reformation.Harrison Searlesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232051.post-41317302264376596562011-05-05T20:17:46.436-04:002011-05-05T20:17:46.436-04:00... run this by a historian first.
Starting, perh...... run this by a historian first.<br /><br />Starting, perhaps with this <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Mohammed-Charlemagne-Henri-Pirenne/dp/0486420116" rel="nofollow">one</a>.Sethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16486234948199900568noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-17232051.post-61794042465916244412011-05-04T06:42:16.930-04:002011-05-04T06:42:16.930-04:00Noah, I'd run this by a historian first.Noah, I'd run this by a historian first.Barry DeCiccohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04735814736387033844noreply@blogger.com