ond major concept in Judaism is that of the covenant between God and the Jewish people. They would acknowledge God, agreeing to obey his laws; God, in turn, would acknowledge Israel as his particular people. Both natural and historical events that befall Israel are interpreted as emanating from God and as influenced by Israel's religious behavior. In time, the problem was mitigated by the belief that virtue and obedience ultimately would be rewarded and sin punished by divine judgment after death, and that at the end of time God would send his Messiah to redeem the Jews and restore them to sovereignty in their land.StruggleThe Catholic Church experienced a split between the eastern and western parts of Europe. A major crisis emerged in the 700s over the use of images, or icons, in Christian churches. But eventually the icons were restored. During the 600s and 700s eastern centers were captured by the dynamic new faith of Islam, with only Constantinople remaining unconquered. Distinctive features of the Christian East contributed to its increasing alienation from the West, which finally produced the Great Schism, traditionally dated from 1054, when Rome and Constantinople exchanged excommunication's. The separation of east and West has continued into modern times, despite repeated attempts at reconciliation. Some of the most dynamic developments took place in the western part of the Roman Empire, which witnessed the growth of the papacy and the migration of the Germanic peoples. The most powerful force remaining in Rome was its bishop, who became the leader of the Western church as waves of invading tribes swept into Europe and as the political power of Constantinople in the west declined. Finally in 800 an independent Western Empire was born when Pope Leo III crowned Frankish king Charlemagne emperor. Medieval Christianity in the West, unlike its eastern counterpart, developed into a single entity. Church and state clashed repeatedly ov...
