Religious Beliefs and Practices
From 500-1000, the Byzantine empire's religion was Christianity. Even though the Western and Byzantine empires both practiced Christianity, they had different ideas. In the Byzantine empire, the emperor ruled over the church (as opposed to a pope); the emperor, himself, could appoint leaders and lead Church affairs. The emperor played a large role in both church and state. Another difference between the two versions of Christianity was that the Byzantine church favored Greek influence and used the Greek language for church matters. Also, they didn't celebrate Christmas as much as Western Europe did; they valued Easter more than any other holiday. In result of these differences and other conflicts, the two churches divided.
Most art in this time period was inspired by religion. Byzantine Christians often worshiped icons which were images and paintings of various religious figures, such as Mary and Jesus. Around 726, an emperor believed that this form of worship went against God's commands. He decided that the images were to be destroyed, an act that caused many battles and riots for a century. Eventually, an empress restored freedom to worship icons.
As the church advanced, they began to use Grecian information more often. In the Bible, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Byzantine scholars used philosophy and knowledge obtained from the Greeks to answer the many questions they had. They began to look at Biblical information from a philosophical view and answered questions about Jesus's life and how He could be both God and man.
Russian culture and religion was heavily influenced by the Byzantine empire. Around 957 in Russia, Princess Olga of Kiev converted to Byzantine Christianity, spreading the religion enormously. Her grandson, Prince Vladimir, also converted and made Byzantine Christianity the official religion of Russia. He also adopted other aspects of Byzantine culture such as architecture and music.
Most art in this time period was inspired by religion. Byzantine Christians often worshiped icons which were images and paintings of various religious figures, such as Mary and Jesus. Around 726, an emperor believed that this form of worship went against God's commands. He decided that the images were to be destroyed, an act that caused many battles and riots for a century. Eventually, an empress restored freedom to worship icons.
As the church advanced, they began to use Grecian information more often. In the Bible, the New Testament was originally written in Greek. Byzantine scholars used philosophy and knowledge obtained from the Greeks to answer the many questions they had. They began to look at Biblical information from a philosophical view and answered questions about Jesus's life and how He could be both God and man.
Russian culture and religion was heavily influenced by the Byzantine empire. Around 957 in Russia, Princess Olga of Kiev converted to Byzantine Christianity, spreading the religion enormously. Her grandson, Prince Vladimir, also converted and made Byzantine Christianity the official religion of Russia. He also adopted other aspects of Byzantine culture such as architecture and music.