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16 pages, 336 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mongols, Apocalyptic Messianism, and Later Medieval Christian Fears of Mass Conversion to Judaism

by Irven Michael Resnick

Histories 2025, 5(3), 36; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories5030036 - 2 Aug 2025

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The capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the extirpation of various heresies in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, the gradual expansion of Christian rule in the Iberian peninsula, and the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity there during the fourteenth century, all [...] Read more.

The capture of Jerusalem during the First Crusade, the extirpation of various heresies in the twelfth and thirteen centuries, the gradual expansion of Christian rule in the Iberian peninsula, and the mass conversion of Jews to Christianity there during the fourteenth century, all seemed to support a Christian triumphalism that imagined that as the End Time approached, Jews and other infidels would inevitably be absorbed into the Church. Nonetheless, an expanding medieval awareness of the many ‘Others’ beyond Christendom contributed to Christian anxieties that Jews (or Muslims) might expand their number through mass conversion, and not Christians. This paper will examine some sources of this anxiety. Full article

(This article belongs to the Section Cultural History)

41 pages, 424 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Rationalising the First Crusade (1095–1099): Rupert of Deutz, the Roman Conquest of Jerusalem, and the Twists of Salvation History

by Alexander Marx

Religions 2025, 16(7), 919; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16070919 - 16 Jul 2025

Viewed by 303

Abstract

Many contemporaries considered the crusader conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 as a significant moment in Salvation History. This article investigates how the reception of the Roman conquest of the city (70 CE) contributed to such an understanding. The important Benedictine exegete Rupert of [...] Read more.

Many contemporaries considered the crusader conquest of Jerusalem in 1099 as a significant moment in Salvation History. This article investigates how the reception of the Roman conquest of the city (70 CE) contributed to such an understanding. The important Benedictine exegete Rupert of Deutz (c. 1070–1129) refers to the Roman conquest in 79 passages within his opus, notably in his various biblical commentaries. This case study shows how the past event provided a rationale, exegetical and providential in nature, to understand three dimensions: (a) the role of the Jews, especially that it had been necessary to deprive them of the Holy Land; (b) the current situation of and purpose of Christians in the Holy Land; and (c) the End of Time, which was expected in Jerusalem, and which Rupert anchored already significantly in his own present. His commentary on John’s Revelation even asserted that the Roman conquest had opened the sixth of seven seals (Rev. 6:12). Therefore, the Apocalypse had been ongoing since 70 CE—but only in the Holy Land, a fact that made it necessary for Christians to travel there. The article thus demonstrates that biblical commentaries are potent sources for both crusade studies and historical research in general. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue University of Konstanz, International Conference (25 October, 31 October, 8 November 2024): Emerging Historical Perspectives on Christian-Muslim Interactions in and Around the Mediterranean (c. 630–1614))

26 pages, 2449 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Mitochondrial Phylogeography of Wild Boars, Sus scrofa, from Asia Minor: Endemic Lineages, Natural Immigration, Historical Anthropogenic Translocations, and Possible Introgression of Domestic Pigs

by Yasin Demirbaş, Hakan Soysal, Ayςa Özkan Koca, Milomir Stefanović and Franz Suchentrunk

Animals 2025, 15(13), 1828; https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15131828 - 20 Jun 2025

Viewed by 640

Abstract

Türkiye represents an important biogeographic region connecting Southeast Europe with Southwest Asia, where pig domestication began in the western Palearctic. We studied the phylogenetic relationships and spatial distribution of new and published mitochondrial D-loop sequences of wild boars from Türkiye, other parts of [...] Read more.

Türkiye represents an important biogeographic region connecting Southeast Europe with Southwest Asia, where pig domestication began in the western Palearctic. We studied the phylogenetic relationships and spatial distribution of new and published mitochondrial D-loop sequences of wild boars from Türkiye, other parts of the Middle East, and from around the world to understand migration patterns within Asia Minor and other parts of the Middle East as well as across the Bosphorus/Sea of Marmara/Dardanelles, a current migration barrier to Southwest Europe. Our phylogenetic (ML, BI) and spatial (Geneland) analyses revealed haplotypes both endemic to Anatolia and with a wider distribution in the Middle East as well as European (E1) lineages. The latter suggested possible rare immigration into Anatolia at present times and prehistorical/historical anthropogenic translocations of wild boars or pigs, such as during the pre-Hellenic, Roman, and Byzantine periods or during the European crusades, and subsequent introgression into Anatolian wild boars. Import of pigs with E1 haplotypes and introgression into wild boars during the medieval Empire of Trebizond particularly by Italian merchants or settlers, is also suggested. Anatolian lineages that may have formed the basis of the archaic domestication process of pigs in the western Palearctic are discussed. Full article

(This article belongs to the Topic Application of Reproductive and Genomic Biotechnologies for Livestock Breeding and Selection)

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21 pages, 404 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Relics as Instruments of Divine Leadership in the First Crusade

by Sándor Ónadi

Religions 2025, 16(4), 486; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16040486 - 9 Apr 2025

Viewed by 1044

Abstract

The use of relics for exhortation was not a novelty of the First Crusade, but it is remarkable how, in the most crucial moments, various relics were found and used effectively to inspire pilgrims. Beyond their motivational function, they also contributed to fostering [...] Read more.

The use of relics for exhortation was not a novelty of the First Crusade, but it is remarkable how, in the most crucial moments, various relics were found and used effectively to inspire pilgrims. Beyond their motivational function, they also contributed to fostering a sense of unity among the diverse and leadership-fragmented masses by framing power in abstract terms and linking the Crusaders directly to God. Due to this role, relics may also have had the capacity to tip the balance of power and legitimacy in favour of one participant in this divided context. This study examines how these phenomena are illustrated through several well-known examples, such as the Holy Lance of Antioch, the relics of the True Cross, and other relics of the saints mentioned by our sources. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Medieval Crusades History)

14 pages, 4910 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Crusade Throughout the World’s Oceans: Genetic Evidence of the Southern Bluefin Tuna Thunnus maccoyii and the Pacific Bluefin Tuna Thunnus orientalis in Brazilian Waters

by Rafael Schroeder, Rodrigo Sant’Ana, André O. S. Lima, Juliana A. Dallabona, Gabriela S. Delabary, Lucas Gavazzoni, Luciana de Oliveira, Yan de O. Laaf and Paulo Travassos

Biology 2025, 14(4), 340; https://doi.org/10.3390/biology14040340 - 26 Mar 2025

Viewed by 918

Abstract

The large pelagic species play an important role in transferring energy in vast distant marine ecoregions. Results obtained report on extraordinary findings of important commercial species in southeast–south Brazilian waters, including the Southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii and the Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus [...] Read more.

The large pelagic species play an important role in transferring energy in vast distant marine ecoregions. Results obtained report on extraordinary findings of important commercial species in southeast–south Brazilian waters, including the Southern bluefin tuna Thunnus maccoyii and the Pacific bluefin tuna Thunnus orientalis, an endemic species from the Pacific Ocean. These specimens were identified within the genomic description of 10 individuals randomly selected from the catch to evaluate the catch composition of pelagic longline fisheries off Brazilian waters. Most of the records were from T. maccoyii (6), followed by the Bigeye tuna T. obesus (2), Yellowfin tuna T. albacares (1), and T. orientalis (1). Yellowfin and Bigeye tuna are expected to be captured in the vicinity of the longline fishing areas. However, the unlikely presence of the cold-water T. maccoyii and the warm-water T. orientalis suggests a long migration from common species ranges that could be influenced by climate change. These results imply a readjustment of spatial management structures for these species. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Progress in Wildlife Conservation, Management and Biological Research)

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16 pages, 3056 KiB

Open AccessReview

Dezocine and Addiction: Friend or Foe?

by Wayne Childers, Khaled Elokely and Magid Abou-Gharbia

Pharmaceuticals 2025, 18(3), 386; https://doi.org/10.3390/ph18030386 - 8 Mar 2025

Viewed by 1386

Abstract

The neurological effects of opium were first described over 8000 years ago. Morphine was isolated in 1803 and by the mid-1800s had become both a pain-relieving blessing and an addictive curse. As part of the crusade to identify safer and more reliable alternatives [...] Read more.

The neurological effects of opium were first described over 8000 years ago. Morphine was isolated in 1803 and by the mid-1800s had become both a pain-relieving blessing and an addictive curse. As part of the crusade to identify safer and more reliable alternatives to morphine, dezocine (Dalgan^®) was marketed in the US in 1986. Its use was discontinued in the US in 2011 without revealing the reasons, but it remains one of the most widely used analgesic agents in China today. Dezocine’s unique pharmacology makes it an effective analgesic with limited opioid-associated side effects and little or no reported potential for dependence and addiction. In addition, dezocine’s blocking effect on serotonin and norepinephrine transporters recommends its further exploration as a potential treatment for various chronic and neuropathic pain conditions. Most recently, data suggest that dezocine might represent a viable treatment for addiction management. This report focuses on the data supporting dezocine’s non-addictive profile and its potential use to treat opioid addiction and withdrawal, as well as recent efforts to generate formulations of dezocine that support sub-chronic and chronic dosing. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Pharmacology and Toxicology of Opioids)

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21 pages, 34156 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Rage of the Dog Star: Spatio-Temporal Risk of Malaria in the Eastern Mediterranean During the Crusader Period (c. 1000–c. 1250)

by John Mark Nicovich

Histories 2025, 5(1), 7; https://doi.org/10.3390/histories5010007 - 5 Feb 2025

Viewed by 2394

Abstract

Multiple forms of endemic malaria existed in the Mediterranean Basin from the 3rd millennium BCE until eradication regimes were imposed in the 20th century, with major societal health impacts across the history of the region. Little attention has been paid to the role [...] Read more.

Multiple forms of endemic malaria existed in the Mediterranean Basin from the 3rd millennium BCE until eradication regimes were imposed in the 20th century, with major societal health impacts across the history of the region. Little attention has been paid to the role endemic malaria played during the high medieval period, especially during the Crusades, when large Christian armies transited the Mediterranean to conquer the Levant, forging new states, trade lanes and pilgrimage routes in the process. This study utilizes a recent GIS-enabled malaria risk model validated for the pre-modern Mediterranean to re-evaluate contemporary accounts of illness and epidemics in the Crusader Levant. While medieval sources often provide ambiguous descriptions of disease, careful consideration of these accounts in light of the demonstrable spatial and temporal risk of malaria infection provides substantial evidence of these kinds of epidemics. The resulting evidence suggests that several malaria species, either on their own or in concert with other pathogens, afflicted numerous Crusade campaigns in low-lying landscapes during the warmest periods of the summer and fall in the Levant. In turn, these malaria epidemics had a major impact on the history of the Crusades and the Crusader States. Full article

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14 pages, 204 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Roots, Threads, and Possibilities: How Learning from Some Origin Stories of Evangelical Youth Ministry Can Help Navigate a Challenging Future

by Mark Scanlan, Gretchen Schoon-Tanis and Ruth Lukabyo

Religions 2025, 16(2), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel16020101 - 21 Jan 2025

Viewed by 1052

Abstract

Working with young people is a key part of the story of British evangelicalism, both being formed by and forming evangelical Christian life. Exploring evangelical youth ministry through the lens of the origins of the Crusaders’ Union of Bible Classes (now Urban Saints) [...] Read more.

Working with young people is a key part of the story of British evangelicalism, both being formed by and forming evangelical Christian life. Exploring evangelical youth ministry through the lens of the origins of the Crusaders’ Union of Bible Classes (now Urban Saints) in the UK and demonstrating the shared threads and themes in regard to the Australian and US contexts, through studies of the InterVarsity Fellowship (IVF) and Young Life, respectively, key themes are revealed that embody an evangelical approach to working with young people. These themes, encapsulated within the overall practice of relationship building, focus on influential young people, charismatic lay leadership, and have an emphasis on fun. We further demonstrate the wider influence on evangelical church life encapsulated by this evangelical sensibility towards working with young people that endures, which is often unacknowledged. In addition, these themes suggest an operant theology that raises questions for the practice of evangelical youth ministry. The consideration of these themes can help us respond to some of the challenges faced by youth ministry in the UK and young people in contemporary culture. Moreover, the historical threads contain possibilities that might help evangelicals navigate a future in regard to working with young people. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Disclosing God in Action: Contemporary British Evangelical Practices)

15 pages, 521 KiB

Open AccessArticle

The Conciliarist Idea of Islam in the Quattrocento—Prelude and Legacy

by Marco Demichelis

Religions 2024, 15(9), 1110; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15091110 - 13 Sep 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1447

Abstract

This contribution intends to examine the impact of Conciliarism (1414–1439) on the Christian vision of Islam in the Quattrocento. The analysis of the thought of bishops such as Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464) and John of Segovia (d. 1458) is understandable only [...] Read more.

This contribution intends to examine the impact of Conciliarism (1414–1439) on the Christian vision of Islam in the Quattrocento. The analysis of the thought of bishops such as Nicholas of Cusa (d. 1464) and John of Segovia (d. 1458) is understandable only through the evolution of the Latin world with regard to Islam, moving from the Corpus Toletanum (12th century) and the impact of the Crusades in the Levant (1096–1291) and in Europe. This forwardness is rooted in the process of “Islamic Christianization,” an analytical operation lasting three centuries, during which Koranic Christology was to play a primary role. It will be through this “Christ-centric” process that from the Renaissance, the Ottoman empire, the great enemy of Western Christianity, will be appreciated for some of its peculiar facets. The weakening of the concept of heresy and of Catholic ecclesiastical authoritarianism in decreeing what heresy was probably one of the “indirect” outcomes of that dialogical “Moment of Vision” between Christianity and Islam. The further fragmentation of the Church of Rome, after the failure of Conciliarism and the outgrowth of the reformed Churches in the 16th century, favored a preliminary different understanding of the religiosity of others. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue University of Konstanz, International Conference (25 October, 31 October, 8 November 2024): Emerging Historical Perspectives on Christian-Muslim Interactions in and Around the Mediterranean (c. 630–1614))

11 pages, 550 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Between Sensibility and History: The Count de Rethel (1779) by Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire

by Hélène Vidal

Humanities 2024, 13(4), 101; https://doi.org/10.3390/h13040101 - 26 Jul 2024

Viewed by 983

Abstract

The Count de Rethel: An Historical Novel (1779) can be ascribed to Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757–1806) as a translation of Anecdotes de la cour de Philippe-Auguste (1733) by Marguerite de Lussan. The action is set at the court of Philip II [...] Read more.

The Count de Rethel: An Historical Novel (1779) can be ascribed to Georgiana Spencer Cavendish, Duchess of Devonshire (1757–1806) as a translation of Anecdotes de la cour de Philippe-Auguste (1733) by Marguerite de Lussan. The action is set at the court of Philip II of France, known as Philip Augustus, at the time of the war with King Henry II and the Crusade with Richard I, known as the Lionheart. This inspired revival of fictionalised medieval history heralding romanticism in the age of sensibility refashions the codes of chivalry according to the aesthetics of the second half of the eighteenth century. This essay focuses on the interplay between fiction and history, between the present of writing and the rewriting of history through Cavendish’s translational prism, featuring the Middle Ages as a golden age of heroism and the Count de Rethel as a paragon of ancient virtue set against contemporary men of fashion. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Eighteenth-Century Novel and History)

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20 pages, 22897 KiB

Open AccessArticle

A Re-Examination of the Sources of Inspiration of Ethiopian Concentric Prayer Houses: Tracing an Architectural Concept from the Roman and Byzantine East to Islamic and Crusader Jerusalem to Solomonic Ethiopia

by Bar Kribus

Religions 2024, 15(6), 657; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060657 - 27 May 2024

Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2306

Abstract

During the first millennium of Christian presence in Ethiopia (from the fourth century), church architecture was first in accordance with, and later partially based on, the basilica plan. Circa the early sixteenth century, a new and unique church plan appeared, circular, concentric, and [...] Read more.

During the first millennium of Christian presence in Ethiopia (from the fourth century), church architecture was first in accordance with, and later partially based on, the basilica plan. Circa the early sixteenth century, a new and unique church plan appeared, circular, concentric, and with a square sanctuary, and became the dominant church plan in the northwestern Ethiopian Highlands. This church plan has been referred to in scholarship as an innovation, and its sources of inspiration have not yet been definitively established. In this article, I will argue that this plan is a culmination of a process with roots in the Late Antique and Medieval Holy Land, by which the concentric prayer house plan came to be associated with the Jerusalem Temple. This process transcended religious boundaries and is expressed in the religious architecture of three monotheistic religious traditions. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Religion, Public Space and Society)

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16 pages, 321 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Democracy and the Christian Right in Brazil: Family, Sexualities and Religious Freedom

by Brenda Carranza and Maria José F. Rosado-Nunes

Religions 2024, 15(6), 634; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15060634 - 22 May 2024

Viewed by 2368

Abstract

Based on data publicly available on various online platforms and in academic literature, this article analyzes the prominent role that the Christian Right has taken in the government of Jair Messias Bolsonaro (2019–2022), including the pandemic period) to strengthen its political–religious project. To [...] Read more.

Based on data publicly available on various online platforms and in academic literature, this article analyzes the prominent role that the Christian Right has taken in the government of Jair Messias Bolsonaro (2019–2022), including the pandemic period) to strengthen its political–religious project. To this end, we present the ideological mechanisms that align neoconservative Catholics and Evangelicals with both the government’s neoliberal premises and Bolsonaro’s moral communities. We focus on the rhetorical updating of religious freedom to intensify the nationalist narrative of a Christian Brazil, highlighting the judicial expertise that the Christian Right has accumulated in its reactive activism against the pro-rights agenda of LGBTQI+ communities and the advancement of the Pro-Life, Pro-Family agenda. We discuss the anti-gender crusade and “gender ideology” as political instruments of the Evangelical leadership in the process of juridifying public policies related to sexuality, gender, and family, and as a defense of the Christian nation, which it also leads. However, we identify a reconfiguration of the balance in the correlation of forces within Brazilian Christianity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Sin, Sex, and Democracy: Politics and the Catholic Church)

16 pages, 276 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Expanding the Victory of Prohibition: Richmond P. Hobson’s Freelance Public Relations Crusade against Narcotics

by Stephen Siff

Journal. Media 2024, 5(2), 566-581; https://doi.org/10.3390/journalmedia5020038 - 9 May 2024

Viewed by 1547

Abstract

Inflaming public opinion about narcotics was the collective goal of anti-narcotics organizers who emerged from the battlefields of the war on alcohol. The most famous was Richmond P. Hobson, who used newspapers, radio, pamphlets, speaking tours, and networking with civic organizations to agitate [...] Read more.

Inflaming public opinion about narcotics was the collective goal of anti-narcotics organizers who emerged from the battlefields of the war on alcohol. The most famous was Richmond P. Hobson, who used newspapers, radio, pamphlets, speaking tours, and networking with civic organizations to agitate for reform. This article draws on archival and newly accessible electronic sources to draw a picture of Hobson’s anti-narcotics propagandizing and put it in historical context. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Journalism, Media and Mind-Altering Drugs)

13 pages, 7648 KiB

Open AccessArticle

Seals as a Reflection of the Self-Confidence, Self-Image and Identity of the Teutonic Order

by Katharina Kemmer

Religions 2024, 15(3), 379; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15030379 - 21 Mar 2024

Viewed by 1453

Abstract

This article deals with the question of the extent to which the Teutonic Order, as a clerical order of knights founded during the Third Crusade, succeeded in expressing its self-confidence and identity by means of its seal. The “geographical” area of investigation extends [...] Read more.

This article deals with the question of the extent to which the Teutonic Order, as a clerical order of knights founded during the Third Crusade, succeeded in expressing its self-confidence and identity by means of its seal. The “geographical” area of investigation extends to the bailiwicks of Franconia, Alsace–Burgundy, Lorraine, Austria, An der Etsch and in the mountains (South Tyrol) as well as the so-called Deutschmeistertum, whereby the terms mentioned do not necessarily correspond to the present-day areas of that designation. The time frame is within the Middle Ages. Due to the large number of surviving seals of the Teutonic Order, however, only a small insight from a larger study can be provided here. Selected seals of the Order’s various internal leadership strata are therefore presented, compared and examined to determine whether and to what extent they express a form of self-confidence and identity. Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue Monastic Identities: Comparative and Historical Perspectives)

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4 pages, 163 KiB

Open AccessEditorial

The Crusades from a Historical Perspective: Communication, Culture, and Religion

by Sophia Menache

Religions 2024, 15(1), 67; https://doi.org/10.3390/rel15010067 - 4 Jan 2024

Viewed by 5128

Abstract

The Crusades have attracted scholarly attention ever since Pope Urban II called for the recovery of the Holy Land at the Council of Clermont (27 December 1095) [...] Full article

(This article belongs to the Special Issue The Crusades from a Historical Perspective: Communications, Culture, and Religion)

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