I need a reflection paper about 900 words for humanities. I have also attached instructuons and summary of chapters if you might need it. The book that is being taught in the class is the creative impulse 8th ed.

Byzantium and the Rise of Islam

After completing this chapter, students should be able to complete the following student

learning outcomes:

A. Become familiar with the circumstances surrounding the rise of Byzantium (Constantinople).

B. Know about the contributions of Justinian and Theodora. C. Understand what is meant by icons and the iconoclastic controversy. D. Identify the characteristics of Byzantine art and literary expressions. E. Understand the circumstances of the life of Muhammad as well as the

birth and successful spread of Islam from Spain to India. F. Know the essential tenets of Islamic faith. G. Understand what is meant by the “Byzantine Style.”

This chapter deals with some of the lesser-known but very interesting developments in religion. You will see how what is known today as the Christian church went from being proscribed (outlawed) to become the major religion of the Roman Empire, how the empire came to have two centers (Rome and Constantinople), how it eventually separated as the Western Empire decayed and fell. The reign of Justinian played a major role in world history. The life of the prophet Muhammad, his religious experience and subsequent recording of the Arabic scriptures and ultimately the development and spread of Islam has profoundly influenced the world as we all know it. The Eastern Empire centered in Constantinople combined many aspects of culture from the ancient Greeks through the Roman Empire: Christianity split into what is known today as the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church which culturally is often referred to as the Byzantine Church and the Byzantine style. There are many good lessons for us all to learn here that help in to understanding today's political and religious divisions.

Start by reading the chapter beginning on page 174 with the "high spots" or Outline for you "bottom liners", the View for the "big picture" folks and the Key Terms for the "nitty- gritty" out there. Look at the incredible mosaic on page 175. It was designed and executed for San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy where the church moved its center when Rome was threatened and ultimately fell. Try to understand what Justinian was trying to do as he fought to hold the Eastern Church (Byzantine) and the Western Church (Roman) together. See p. 201 for the floor plan of San Vitale and p. 204 for the floor plan of the Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia). You will see that these are plans with centralized domes. The centralized-dome plan was the preference in the East, whereas the basilican plan was the preference for the West.

It is interesting to note that some actions by the church itself, specifically the unorganized and ill-conceived religious "wars", that we call the "Crusades", ultimately led to the downfall of Constantinople itself. The most sophisticated and splendorous city in the world was actually destroyed by the people who had been sent to save it. This act and the ultimate fall of the Byzantine Empire caused rifts between Eastern and Western Christianity that we see played out on daily newscasts.

Look closely at the materials on Byzantine cultural developments. The eastern influence is quite different from those of the west i.e., the concepts of icons, illuminated manuscripts, sculpture, literature, art and architecture. Why was there such a lack of theatre in the East?

It is impossible to overlook the birth, rise, development and spread of Islam. Christians in the West have difficulty understanding it and it is frequently misunderstood. To the followers of Islam, it is most important. Most people do not know that Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are really closely related. Think about this. Those of the Judaic tradition trace their lineage to Abraham through his son, Isaac. The Biblical reference to Abraham and his attempted sacrifice of Isaac is a cornerstone of the faith. Muslims believe that the story is true except that it was not Isaac that Abraham took to sacrifice, it was his other son, Ishmael. Followers of Islam trace their lineage through Ishmael to

Abraham. If you will accept the concept that Christianity is strongly influenced by Judaism, via the Old Testament, then you can see that Christian, Jewish, and Muslim followers all trace their roots to the same man, Abraham. That gives the conflicts of today a quite different twist. Religiously then, in a sense, we are all related. Read all about it in this chapter.

I think it of great interest that with the fall of Rome, there was a major decline in cultural activities in Western Europe. We speak of it as the "Dark Ages." But while North Western Europe did fall to nomadic invaders and while it looked, for a while, that civilization, as we know it, might just disappear, there was, in other parts of the world, a great deal of cultural development. After the armies of Islam conquered North Africa, they took most of Spain and were held there in check by European armies. Followers of Allah held most parts of Spain for 700 years! During that time there was a great "renaissance" of art and culture in Spain. Muslims, Jews and Christians were all involved in these movements that, in fact, keep scholasticism growing and developing. Also the strong Byzantine culture continued to grow and develop until the ultimate fall of Constantinople to the Ottoman Turks in 1453. There were not many "Dark Ages" in either of these highly developed Eastern and Western areas.

There is a lot in this chapter but to understand the later developments it is necessary to understand the historical perspective of Byzantium and the Rise of Islam. One building both belief systems share is Hagia Sophia (St. Sophia), which later became a mosque. In order to get a look at the real thing, click on http://www.sacred- destinations.com/turkey/istanbul-hagia-sophia

The photo at the top of the page is of the prayer hall of the Great Mosque in Cordoba, Spain. It was begun around 785-6 and then expanded in 987. It is a hypostyle plan for a mosque. Hopefully, you remember that term, “hypostyle.” We used it in the information on Egyptian temples. This many pillared hall was usually preceded by an open courtyard. The pillars or columns would lead the visitor to mihrab niche of the qibla wall. That wall would orient the worshipper in the direction of Mecca. Many of the early mosques were built in this style.

Another type of mosque is the four-iwan style. An iwan is a large barrel vault, and one would intersect each side of a central courtyard. Hypostyle areas surround the iwans. There also are centralized-plan mosques. All of these plans have a mihrab niche and a qibla wall. They also have at least one minaret. A minaret is the tower from which the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.

Remember to go Assignments and complete the related exercise for this week.

Focus on the following in chapter 6 - Byzantium and The Rise of Islam

1. The major people and events associated with the Byzantine empires. 2. Byzantine intellectualism. 3. Byzantine arts and the iconoclastic controversy.

4. The history and writings associated with Islam. 5. Byzantine and Islamic architecture. 6. The art and artifacts illustrated in the book, such as fig. 6.27 San Vitale. 7. The important terms in italics , quotations and with pronunciations, such as Hajj. 8. The “Our Dynamic World” section.