This session deals with some of the hersies that arose in the church before 500AD, in the early 4th century Arius, a respected theologian, taught that Jesus was actually the highest created being and not equal to God, this lead to the council of Nicaea in 325AD, which involved 300 bishops from around the known world gathering to discuss the ideas of Arius. The concil voted 298 - 2 against Arius and Nicene creed was established, declaring Jesus to be God. In 450AD the council of Chalcedon was held to discuss the human nature of Jesus, this council determined correcvctly that Jesus was both fully God and fully man. Islam arose in the 7th century and within 100 years of Muhammad's death Islam streched across much of what was the roman empire, the christian empire had been split in 2 by this time with 2 centre, Rome and Constantinople, eventually Constantinople fell to Islam. In 1095 Pope Urban II launched the first crusade to retake the holy land from islamic turks.
