Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
Field Note
“Many cities in Europe have distinct Jew-
ish neighborhoods with active synagogues
and communities. Others, such as Prague,
have historical Jewish neighborhoods, marked
with cemeteries and synagogues that have
become historical sites or museums. The Old
Jewish Cemetery in Prague was built in the
1400s and the last person was buried there in
1787. The jumbled mass of tombstones in the
cemetery is a result of layers of people (up to
12 layers) being buried within the confi nes of
the cemetery over the centuries.”
Figure 7.11
Prague, Czech Republic.
© Erin H. Fouberg.
While adherents to Judaism live across the world,
many Jews have moved to Israel since its establishment. The
Israeli government passed the Law of Return in 1950, which
recognizes the rights of every Jew to immigrate to Israel.
In 2004, over 10,000 Jews left the former Soviet Union for
Israel, along with nearly 4000 Jews from Africa and over
2000 from each of western Europe and North America.
broke apart, the western region, centered on Rome, fell on
hard times. The eastern region, with Constantinople (now
Istanbul in Turkey) at its heart, became the new focus of the
Byzantine Empire (Fig. 7.12). Christianity thrived there and
radiated into other areas, including the Balkan Peninsula.
This split into west and east at the end of the Roman Empire
became a cultural fault line over time. It was formally recog-
nized in 1054
when the Roman Catholic Church (cen-
tered in Rome) and the Eastern Orthodox Christian Church
(centered in Constantinople) separated.
The
Eastern Orthodox Church
suffered blows when
the Ottoman Turks defeated the Serbs in Kosovo in 1389,
when the Turks took Constantinople in 1453, and when the
Soviet Union suppressed Eastern Orthodox churches in the
twentieth century. Today, the Eastern Orthodox Church
remains one of the three major branches of Christianity and
is experiencing a revival in former Soviet areas.
The
Roman Catholic Church
claims the most
adherents of all Christian denominations (more than 1
billion). Centered in Rome, Catholic theology teaches
the infallibility of the pope in interpreting Jesus' teachings
and in formulating ways to navigate through the modern
world. The power of the Roman Catholic Church peaked
in the Middle Ages, when the Church controlled sources
of knowledge and worked in conjunction with monarchs
to rule much of western Europe.
During the Middle Ages, Roman Catholic authorities
often wielded their power in an autocratic manner and dis-
tanced themselves from the masses. The widespread dif-
fusion of the Black Death during the 1300s and the deaths
ce
Christianity
Christianity
can be traced back to the same hearth in the
Mediterranean as Judaism, and like Judaism, Christianity
stems from a single founder, in this case, Jesus. Christian
teachings hold that Jesus is the son of God, placed on
Earth to teach people how to live according to God's plan.
Christianity split from Judaism, and it, too, is a monothe-
istic religion. Jesus of Nazareth was born in Bethlehem,
and during his lifetime, he traveled through the eastern
Mediterranean region preaching, performing miracles, and
gaining followers. Christians celebrate Easter as the day
Jesus rose from the dead after being crucifi ed three days prior
(Good Friday). According to Christian teaching, the cruci-
fi xion of Jesus fulfi lled an ancient prophecy and changed the
fate of Jesus' followers by giving them eternal life.
The fi rst split in Christianity, between Roman
Catholicism and Eastern Orthodox, developed over a num-
ber of centuries. At the end of the third century, the Roman
Emperor Diocletian attempted to keep the empire together
by dividing it for purposes of government. His divisions
left a lasting impression. When the Roman Empire fell and
