Arianism was a fourth century Christian movement begun, in part, by a Libyan Presbyter by the name of Arius (250-336). Central to the Arian theological position was a belief that the Son was not fully God, and that he had been created by, and was subordinate to, the Father. Excommunicated as a heretic by Bishop Alexander of Alexandria in 320, Arius nevertheless was able to win support for his position among many prominent theologians and Church leaders in the eastern part of the Empire. Indeed, some historians think that, at one point, there were more Arian Christians than Orthodox believers. What was it about this theology that made it so popular? Read on to find out more.

Some refer to it as the 'Second Coming.' Among scholars it is known as the 'parousia', the time when Christ will come again to the Earth in glory to judge the living and the dead. The earliest Christian writings, evangelism, and ecclesiastical structure reveal that this event was expected to occur within the first generation of Christians. As the years passed, however, some began to realize that the parousia was not going to occur as soon as expected. At the turn of the first century, the Church began to undergo some radical changes in order to adapt to this new situation. What was it like before? What was it like after? Read on to find out more.

In the middle of the seventh century, the religion of Islam inauspiciously appeared on the Arabian peninsula. Within a few years, it was spreading across the plains of northern Africa and the eastern Mediterranean like wild fire. For the Christian inhabitants of Byzantium, it posed a particularly serious threat. The Byzantines considered themselves to be a chosen Christian people, united in faith and allegiance to their 'orthodox' Emperor. And as a unified group, they had withstood centuries of assault from their eastern enemies -- the Persians and the Huns. The Arabian armies that brought the spread of Islam, however, conquered much of the Byzantine Empire within just a few short years, and converted many of its inhabitants to the faith of Muhammad. The question that historians must ask is: Why were the Arabs so successful? Why did they succeed where the Persians and the Huns had failed? Read on to find out more.

It was a time of ladies and lords. Unfortunately, it was also a time of Crusades and Inquisitions. Later generations would refer to it as the "Dark Ages," an era when ecclesiastical corruption, superstition and feudalization supposedly held a strong grip on society, and learning and scholarship were at an all-time low. Is all of that true? Hardly. Is some of it true? Perhaps. Without a doubt it was a time when the Church was at its height in power and influence, and Europe was the bastion of Christendom -- the Christian society. Many of today's faithful would like to distance themselves from that age by saying it was not truly a Christian society. Was it? Read on to find out more.