Read by Prof. Christopher M. Bellitto, Ph.D

Even today, the Crusades continue to be a lively source of debate. Join award-winning profess Christopher Bellito in exploring this challenging and fascinating topic. When thinking of the Crusades, people often call to mind images of conflict and competition between the world's three Abrahamic faiths. Glorified in its time, the Crusades are now seen as a troubling chapter of world history. Like all historical events, however, the Crusades cannot be viewed in black and white terms. Rather, we must examine their complex historical and cultural context. It is important to understand the Crusades in real terms-the entire history, warts and all-so that you can assess the implications of applying the historical Crusades to our current world. Understanding the Crusades is necessary for everyone living today. In this 12-topic audio course, you will look at the Crusades through the eyes of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, coming to understand the importance of the Holy Land to all three groups. You will also gain a fuller appreciation for the ideas of just war and jihad that were at work during the Middle Ages. Along with the three major faiths, you will also explore crusade arts, letters, and architecture. You will encounter the Templars, the notion of crusading in popular history, why myths persist, and the state of Christian-Muslim relations today. To understand the Crusades is to gain profound insight into the historical course of civilization and the profound contradictions of religious war and human nature itself. You will find this course fascinating

Mode of access: World Wide Web