Taking a Look Back at the Black Death

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Who knew that in the 1300s, plague would strike along the trade routes (Doc 1) to the Middle East, North Africa, and Europe, killing nearly one-third of the population it exposed to it in just five short years? Many during this time period would say that God, not only knew, but also was the one responsible for bringing the plague known as the “Black Death, Great Pestilence, or even the Great Plague;” it was a combination of three different plagues from three different bacterial strains: bubonic, pneumonic, and septicemic (Background Essay). No matter which type one was affected by, it almost always led to a death, agonizing death. When Europe and the Middle East were struck with the Black Death in the mid-14th century, religion was the most important aspect of everyone’s lives. The two most popular religions at the time were Christianity and Islam. Although these religions are very similar in their beliefs, what differentiates them is how their followers reacted to the Black Death and what they believed about it: seeing it as a blessing or as a curse.
The most common opinion regarding the cause of the plague was religious. The European Christians viewed the Black Death as “the just reward for our sins” (Doc 4) from God for leading immoral lives. Christians looked to God, and asked him to forgive their sins: recognizing that the plague was a result of their choices. They lived a life full of fear and warned “do not stray from the right path and perish” (Doc 4). Along with these beliefs, the Christians blamed the Jews for the plague. They believed that they poisoned the wells, and as a result thousands were killed (Doc 7). The pope, however, issued a statement saying that the Jews were not responsible for the plague (D...

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...ght there in prayers…Then, after performing the dawn prayer..they all went out together.” With Korans in their hands, the Muslims were soon joined by the Jews and the Christians who held their own religious books, “imploring the favor of God through His Books and His Prophets.” Because of the plague, religion became even more popular than it was before. People looked to religion for answers, forgiveness, and salvation.
Although many of the actions of the Muslim and Christians were different during the plague, they had one common belief: God created the plague. Not dependent on race or religion, the plague was the single most destructive natural phenomenon in the history of the world (Background Essay) and killed almost everyone that it infected. Being religious helped many people cope with the difficult times the plague created during that time in their lives.

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