Both religions share the same history from the Old Testament, yet differs with the New Testament. The root of Christianity comes from the belief in Jesus, who called himself the Son of God. He was a Jew, a teacher, and a prophet who spoke to the Jews about God, His Word, and how the only way for salvation was through Him. Threatened by the new religion, followers of Jesus and his Word were persecuted for their beliefs. In the writings of St. Perpetua, Perpetua explained the many grotesque horrors she faced for believing in her Christian faith. Even when facing death, in the arena, she continued to hold onto her faith, becoming a martyr for what she believed in (Perpetua). Many Christians continued to die for their faith, yet still continued to grow. While the Roman Empire could not squash the rise of Christianity, centuries later, the Holy Roman Empire emerged under Constantinople, who converted to Christianity. The Holy Roman Empire became a driving force for Christianity, spreading the values and faith …show more content…
While the Roman Empire wanted to squash the rise of Christianity, Christians later on began to confront other religions such as the religion of Islam. The Muslim faith came from the idea of Mohammed being the great Prophet, spoken directly from the angel Gabriel. Many Muslims follow the words of Mohammed, and worship and pray in styles much different than the Christian religion. Conflicts arose with the disagreement towards whom owned Jerusalem between the Christians and the Muslims. The harsh disagreements sparked the beginning of the Crusades. From 1095 to 1291 C.E., the Crusades spread across Europe in the name of Christianity. The Muslims and the Christians fought for the ownership of the city of Jerusalem. Both sides of the battles had small victories and held many losses. The Christians described their efforts to be in the will of God, and the men who died on the battlefield would be greatly rewarded in Heaven. On the other side, the Muslims described the war as saddening, for many to lose their lives, yet needed, for it would be dishonorable not to fight. (Two Views of the fall of Jerusalem). While the Christians and Muslims held high tension, both religions co-existed with one another in certain areas, using reason to resolve disputes. In the Pact of Umar, the Caliph Umar II reached an arrangement with his Christian subjects to maintain peace in his territories. The Christians came up with