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Compare And Contrast Christian Response To The Black Plague Dbq

Decent Essays

Based on the documents, both Muslims and Christian had similarities and differences to their response to the Black Plague; one similarity was how both religions took a more scientific approach about the epidemic and one difference was how their greatly their populations were affected.

Both Christians and Muslim behaved differently during the Black Plague. Their main differences were how they both treated the Jews. Christians believed that Jews poisoned wells, therefore they produced the Plague. Document seven, a passage Strasbourg Chronicle, written by a French reporter, Michael Kleinlawl indicated that Strasbourg communities killed a myriad of Jews during the epidemic. This document was biased; the point of view is from a Christian one …show more content…

Both religions believed that God sent down that disease. Christians thought they were being punished and lost hope in God. Although some did stay truthful to God, others didn’t and rebelled. In document six, a passage from a chronicle, written by an eyewitness account, William Dene, indicated that European Christians become more malicious and rebelled; they didn’t care about their salvation, since death was nipping at their heels. The point of view of this document showcased a negative perception of Christianity. On the other hand, Muslims become more religious; they believed this epidemic was a divine act from God and that they should act upon it. In document nine, a passage from a travel diary, written by the world traveler, Ibn Battuta, expressed that Muslims fasted, went to the mosque and prayed endlessly. This behavior shows that the Muslims turned to God in this time, unlike their Christian counterparts. The point of view of this document stressed a greater emphasis on how focused and religious the Muslims were. The Jews and Christians were also mentioned, however, they were not expressed in great detail than the Muslims. Possibly, Ibn Battuta witnessed more righteous behavior from the Muslims or he preferred them to the other Abrahamic faiths. Both religions inexperienced the horrors of the Black Plague, but their responses were quite

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