The First Crusade ended brutally. But the Crusaders had captured Jerusalem and the Holy Lands. Job done. Most returned home. So why did we have a 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th Crusade?

This is the second part of our two-part series on the Crusades. For Part One, God’s War I, click here.

A brutal slaughter at the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem marked the end of the first crusade. The Crusaders had recaptured Jerusalem and the Holy Lands. They had regained control and care of The Church of the Holy Sepulchre, probably medieval Christianity’s most sacred site, built over what was believed to be Jesus’ empty tomb.

Their job was done and most of the crusaders packed up and went home, bolstered in their belief that God had been with them and seized their victory.

Job done!

So, why the need for a 2nd Crusade? Or a 3rd, 4th or 5th for that matter?

LINKS 

Download a transcript of this episode here

• This episode is brought to you by Zondervan’s new book Bullies and Saints: An Honest Look at the Good and Evil of Christian History by John Dickson.  There’s plenty more on the Crusades that we couldn’t fit into this episode.
• Meet our distinguished guest, Professor Christopher Tyerman and check out his magnum opus, God’s War : A New History of the Crusades.
• Here’s more on that terrible movie, King Richard and His Crusaders from 1954.
• The 50 Worst Films of All Time, according to Wikipedia.
• Learn more about Saladin, the most famous of Muslim warriors.
• Meet Francis of Assisi, one of the most charismatic and influential clerics of the Middle Ages.
• Here’s some more on Rabbi Hillel, who John quotes from in this episode’s Five Minute Jesus.
• John quotes extensively from David Flusser’s book The Sage of Galilee: Rediscovering Jesus’ Genius, also in this episode’s Five Minute Jesus.
• Watch President George W Bush’s full remarks from 16 September 2001, where he said of the 9/11 terrorist attacks: “This is a new kind of  — a new kind of evil.  And we understand.  And the American people are beginning to understand. This crusade, this war on terrorism is going to take a while.”
• Here’s the Wall Street Journal article, ‘Crusade reference reinforces fears this war on terrorism is against Muslims’
• Read up on the Ottoman Empire here.
• The Crusader City – Caesarea – and its archaelogical ruins make for an interesting travel destination, according to The Washington Post. 
• Just one example of the Crusades misinterpreted history: ‘The New Zealand massacre and the weaponisation of history’ from Al Jazeera.

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