If there is one thing that marks the landscape of the medieval time period it must be religion. The study and practice of religion was a central focus in the lives of many European people during the first century. The two main religions that began and spread quickly during this first century were Christianity and Islam. Christianity and Islam are two of the most widely recognized and practiced religions in the world. Both religions have many things in common, as well as various differences. Christianity and Islam are both based on the some of the same ideals and have some common beliefs. However, the way in which each religion was spread throughout Europe during the first century, and even today, is very different. This essay will explore these various differences by looking at a brief history of both religions and also by examining the means by which both religions were spread.
Christianity began and grew at the beginning of the turn of the Common Era in Europe. The ideals of this new religion were, and still are, based on the teachings of Jesus Christ, who claimed to be the son of God and the savior of men on Earth. The central theme of Christianity is the belief that Jesus was crucified, resurrected, and then ascended into heaven with the promise that he would return to earth. Another central theme of the Christian religion is the principle known as the Holy Trinity. This is the idea that Jesus was a single divine entity with three equal parts, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Over time these teachings and beliefs grew and changed and eventually became the Christian religion that we see today.
The Islamic religion grew in a very similar path as that of Christianity. Out of the city of Mecca, located on the Arabian Peninsula, came a prophet by the name of Muhammad. Muhammad claimed that he had received visions from the angel Gabriel. These revelations were believed to be the same that were received by other prophets, namely Moses and Jesus.