Pope Gregory II – Appeals to Charles Martel

               In my reading of Pope Gregory II – Appeals to Charles Martel, I learned how Pope Gregory II, on behalf of himself and the church, appealed to Frankish ruler, Charles Martel, for protection from the persecution of the Lombards. The church was being persecuted because they sought the protection of Charles Martel in the first place. The pope referred to Charles Martel as a “loving son of St. Peter” in hopes he would feel compelled to help.

               The writing noted that the “papacy remained within the Byzantine political sphere.” This changed, however, when a radical controversy occurred in the East. This sparked a question in my mind regarding the nature of the controversy. I learned the controversy stemmed from church members who believed that they had failed God. The emperor at this time was Leo III (r. 717 – 741) who had challenged the use of “images of God and the saint.” When his order went forth to destroy these images, revolts broke out in Greece and southern Italy.

               Regarding modern parallels I recognize in this reading, I would note the development of numerous denominations in today’s church. The modern church, as with the ancient church, continues to experience disagreements regarding doctrines, creeds, etc. Disagreements continue in the church to this day; however, not to the same magnitude as was the case in of iconoclastic issue. It is also noteworthy that Pope Gregory’s letter to Charles Martel was written during the Byzantine era when Justinian was attempting to once again see the glory of the Roman Empire rise. It was also near this time in history when Islam was about to emerge.