Bible of the Time. …from the Big Bang to the present day…

Mohammed dies in Medina. His body finds rest in the Central Mosque.

Any worthy Muslim who knows the Koran well, regardless of his social status, can be the Imam (the leader of the common prayer). Imams are often teachers (mentors), business intercessors, and drafters.

For Shiites, only the blood heirs of the Prophet’s cousin and son-in-law can have an imam (supreme imam) who has the right to interpret the Qur’an and guide believers. «Small imams», that is, in the Sunni tradition, fakikhs (people who have a special theological education for serving in a mosque) are appointed imams. Succession law and appointment instead of elections is practiced primarily in Iraq and Iran.

The division of Muslims into Shiites and Sunnis occurs when the exclusive right to power of the Prophet’s son-in-law (married to Mohammed’s daughter Fatima), Ali Talib, is challenged by another imam. The battle ends with a truce, but after Ali, the first man to convert to Islam, is still killed. Muslims who believe that power in the Caliphate can belong only to the descendants of Ali Talib (Alidam) – Shiites, those who recognize any chosen Muslim as worthy of it are Sunnis. Shiites believe that among their midst is Imam Muhammad, who once disappeared under unexplained circumstances. He watches over people and prepares to become the new messiah.

The aggravation of the struggle between the two branches of Islam occurs during the rise of the Ottoman Empire. The Sultan needs a good reason to attack one of the Muslim countries. Until then, the differences between Shiites and Sunnis were considered insignificant.

According to the well-established tradition, this mountain in Egypt is identified with Mount Sinai. Here the prophet Moses received from Gd himself the Ten Commandments that changed the world

The idea of Islam is one God (Allah). The difference from Christianity is not the acceptance of the principle of the Trinity of God, in the Father, Son and Holy Spirit. In addition, Muslims assume that Issa (Jesus) did not die on the Cross to atone for the sins of mankind, but… then follows a complex story of how He escaped this. Meanwhile, the idea of Christianity is precisely earthly life, as a result of which God the Father exchanges with people a sufficiently understandable revelation.

The Qur’an depicts a paradise full of carnal pleasures for men. Women are from among the former spouses, as well as virginal houris who appear in the morning every time. The buildings are built of golden bricks. Paradise has several levels. The upper level is the Firdaus garden. Above is only the Throne of Allah.

Some Muslim theologians believe that all of these descriptions reflect the concept of paradise at the level of modern concepts.

All this is not in the Christian Eden. «The Revelation of John the Evangelist» represents the City of God, New Jerusalem, Cube, with a side of 2400 kilometers. However, the Apocalypse is considered by some theologians to be an apocryphal – a work on a biblical theme, not recognized by the Church.

The third world religion is Judaism. The Old Testament is the forerunner of the Gospel. This religious principle does not imply any intelligible afterlife. The Old Testament eschews the ideas of the journey of a weightless soul and proclaims the extension of a person’s life in his fleshly children.

Second Temple in Jerusalem (516 BC – 70 AD), artistic reconstruction. According to Christian tradition, the Third Temple will be erected shortly before the Second Coming of Christ, during the reign of the Antichrist.

Protestant churches (temples), despite their influence (USA, England, the total number of parishioners is 800 million), as a rule, do not differ in rich decoration. There is no veneration of icons. A church building can be any public building. In the altar there is a table stretched across the hall, with the books of the Old and New Testaments and lamps. Here the priest preaches, conducts liturgy, communion and baptism. The ordinances presented are the only ones recognized by this denomination. Much attention is paid to solving the secular problems of parishioners, unraveling family conflicts, etc. (faith without works is dead). Protestants are not in some kind of confrontation with Judaism, like the Orthodox and Catholics. Moreover, they view the state of Israel as an important field of God’s activity until the second coming of Christ.

The priest is chosen from among the respected parishioners and can be easily removed. There is no apostolic succession (ordination through ordination, i.e. ordination).

Confucianism in the Chinese language is called Pinyin, «School of educated people», and does not contain the nickname of the founder, philosopher and politician Kun-Fu-tzu. The real name of the «Teacher from the Kun clan» is Chzhun-ni. Confucius was born in the 6th century BC. e. The texts of the mentor of the nation, rewritten several times, contain descriptions of the rites of worship of ancestors, temples created in their honor, moralizing, the history of a fictional ideal country. The sky is seen as a source of moral meanings, a resonator that responds to the behavior of people and sends them the necessary signs. In a sense, Confucianism coincides with the Chinese folk religion, also Pinyin, with 500 million followers. In this belief, in addition to Heaven, the world energy Qi is important, as well as the souls of ancestors, with whom, if certain conditions are met, a connection can be established.

Hinduism is popular in many European countries and the United States as an unusual course of psychotherapy, but it is still localized in its native India. The complex of philosophical ideas, ethical norms, traditions is called Sanatana-Dharma («Eternal Law»). Sacred texts – Vedas, Upanishads, epics Ramayana and Mahabharata, like a set of books of the Old Testament in many ways, although much less realistic, reflect the history of the formation of India. The Supreme God of Hinduism can define the concept of Brahman (originally – «Prayer»), the soul of the world, the fundamental principle of things. He can be worshiped in any conceivable form. Supporters of Vaishnavism serve the Absolute in the avatar of Vishnu, the Guardian of the Universe, as well as more human-like reflections – Krishna and Rama. Shivaites worship Shiva, the static male principle of the Universe, the creator of rebirth, sometimes very destructive. The general meaning of service is merging with the Absolute, while preserving the individual principle, improving the personal position, including the material one, at each rebirth. Brahma (Brahma) is the god of creation, the first among equals, together with Shiva and Vishnu constitutes Trimurti (triad), the spiritual principle of Everything – Brahman.

Buddhism claims to be a world religion, a controversial, but all the more exciting continuation of Hinduism. The founder of the teaching is Buddha Shakyamuni, in Sanskrit «Awakened Sage» (623 – 543 BC). There are several Buddhas before Shakyamuni, but he is the most famous. The coming awakened Teacher, under whose guidance people will lead a holy life – Maitreya («Benevolent»). The main idea is non-resistance to evil by violence, passive resistance to adversity, acceptance of the world as it is. As a result of this behavior, a higher rational being (that is, a Buddhist monk) must get out of the captivity of consciousness, which created such a mosaic image of him. Buddhism does not imply any gods, One Mind, Paradise, Hell as a natural area of attraction for a religious ascetic. The only goal is the «fading out of the candle» of self-awareness.

Shamanism, although not a world religion, was once widespread throughout the Earth. Now this belief system is localized in some tribes of South and North America, Africa, Southeast Asia, Siberia and the Far East. The shaman enters himself into a trance by striking a tambourine, dancing, singing, and lies for a long time, not responding to external influences. In a disturbing dream, traveling along the branches or roots of the archetypal World Tree, he visits the middle, higher, or lower worlds. The higher worlds are inhabited by enlightened beings, the lower ones – by aggressive creatures. The schemes of otherworldly worlds are individual, therefore they cannot be reduced to a picture acceptable for the creation of classical religion.

One of the varieties of shamanism is voodoo. The main provisions of the belief – the world is inhabited by many spirits, loa (from the French loi – «law»). You can contact them and get some kind of help. Sacrifices are laid out on the altar, which has a somewhat unkempt appearance. These are sweets, alcohol, and slaughtered animals.

European Middle Ages

With the beginning of the Middle Ages, historians associate changes in the calendar, up to the removal of three centuries from it. This is not so difficult to do. Only monks and some officials in charge of the kings own the literacy. The clash of swords is heard everywhere. The common people do not give in to philosophy. In the seventh century, knowledgeable people only have to slightly correct the complex and incomprehensible Roman numerals. Whether it is true or not, it is not known for sure, but it is clear that from the middle of the sixth century to the beginning of the tenth, a very sparse desert extends on the calendar.

Until the thirteenth century, the Eastern Roman Empire flourished. But, progress, development disappears in it, so that sometimes it is even too lazy to look through the biographies of its emperors, marked by palace intrigues rather than great, albeit not always specious achievements.

The symbol of the European Middle Ages, donjon (fr. – «master’s tower»). The central tower is placed within the walls of the castle, or separately. It serves as a warehouse for weapons and food supplies. First of all, the donjon is a symbol of the rule of a dynasty or community over a territory.

We dive into the European Middle Ages, emerge in the nineteenth century, the era of science and steam.

…European Union at the beginning of the Middle Ages. France, in the recent past, Roman Gaul, is the core of the ancient «European Union». Merovingians. The founder of this great dynasty is the semi-mythical leader Merovei (which can be translated as «Bee»). The monarch has ruled since the beginning of the fourth century AD. His grandson Clovis pushes the boundaries, produces sons, bequeaths to everyone a piece of the kingdom and orders them to live in peace. Fighting with each other, the offspring are taken to unite these allotments. The winner divides the state according to the number of male children. In the finale of this life’s drama, the true rulers of the country are the accountants of the royal court, the enterprising majordomo. One of them elevates to the throne his heir, the future father of Charlemagne, the founder of the Carolingian dynasty (747).

In the seventh century, Charles expands the empire, on all sides, to modern Spain, the middle of Italy, the shores of Normandy and Poland.

Charlemagne (742—814), among other things, founder of the title «King» – «Charles»

Two hundred years later, France, Italy, Germany gain independence, but are considered a single Holy Roman Empire until the beginning of the nineteenth century. The states maintain a cultural community, deploy troops for the Crusades and repulse the onslaught of the Ottoman Empire. The Vatican watches over the behavior of the rulers. If the whims of a certain king go beyond the limits, spiritual power, in cooperation with other monarchs, is able to correct something.

…In France, after the childless King Louis the Fifth Carolingian, Count Hugo Capet comes to power. He approves the Capetian dynasty (kapa is the robe of the priest, which this nobleman likes to wear).

In 1313, the famous Capetian, Philip the Fourth the Handsome, crushes the first transnational corporation, the richest Order of the Knights Templar, closed in the awareness of its own superiority. On the scaffold or with weapons in hand, a thousand knights are sent to another world. Brutal repression falls on another 20,000 Order workers, servants and squires. A year later, according to the curse of the head of the Templars, Jacques de Molay, as a result of an accident while hunting, the organizer of this operation, not so handsome as greedy, the French king, himself and his three sons die after a short time, leaving no direct heirs.

Philip the Fair’s cousin, Philip the Sixth of France, establishes the Valois dynasty, the younger branch of the Capetian, on the throne. He has no sons, so to speak, initially, which becomes the reason for the outbreak of the Hundred Years War.

Marguerite de Valois (1553—1615), she is «Queen Margot», daughter of Henry II and Catherine de Medici, the Princess is married to the young Henry de Bourbon, King of Navarre, one of the leaders of the Protestants. The wedding spills over into St. Bartholomew’s Night after six days. Margarita refuses to file a divorce under violent pressure from relatives. So she saves the life of her husband and several other eminent nobles.

A few more rulers of the Valois dynasty, and the hero of the novels of the father and son of Dumas, Henry of Anjou, bursts into the stormy stream of history. His sister is Queen Margot (Margaret), married to Henry of Navarre, one of the brothers is Charles Maximilian, the current King Charles the Fourth. Their parent is a subtle connoisseur of poisons, a leading politician in Europe, Catherine de Medici. In order to somehow pass the time, Henry of Anjou becomes the Polish king. The monarch is preparing for a dynastic wedding on Anna Jagiellonka, who, otherwise, could have become the wife of Ivan the Terrible. But, having learned about the sudden death of his brother Charles, this nobleman leaves his residence in Poland and hurries for the more prestigious French crown. In Paris, however, the nomination of the Catholic Duke Heinrich de Guise is popular. Henry III manages to lure the brothers of Gizov, the duke and the bishop into negotiations. Here they, along with bodyguards, are stabbed with swords by the adherents of the king.

The troops of two Henrys – Navarre (Bourbon), who became Margot’s husband and at the same time a Catholic, and Anjou, besiege the outraged Paris. A dexterous, desperate scout plunges a knife into Henry III, interrupting the entire Valois dynasty with a single precise movement. A month later, the crowned Henry IV of Navarre also dies from the dagger of his colleague, Ravallaca. This monarch’s own kingdom, Navarre, is consolidated within France. So, rather unexpectedly, the younger branch of the Capetian, the Bourbons («blackbirds»), comes to power in France. The son of Henry of Navarre, Louis the Thirteenth, also a very famous hero of historical novels, marries Princess Anne of Austria. Under him, the country was ruled by the wise Cardinal Richelieu.

For a more complete immersion in History, we will sing the ancient Breton song "Drink cider, Lau!" You have probably heard its intricate melody more than once:

What will we drink for seven days in a rowWhat are we going to drink, because the thirst is so great?But we have enough for everyoneWe all drink together, roll out another barrelWe all drink together and no one is alone

…Since the middle of the seventeenth century, for almost seventy years, France has been ruled by the famous Bourbon, the Sun King Louis the Fourteenth, aka «The State is Me». The son of the sun, Louis the Fifteenth Beloved (1710—1774), is better known for his mistress, a true enchantress, the Marquise de Pompadour.

Louis the Fourteenth (1643 – 1715)

Louis the Fourteenth, despite his love, has only one legitimate son, married to Maria of Spain (daughter of the Spanish king). Louis the Great Dauphin died under mysterious circumstances in 1711 in the midst of the struggle for the Spanish inheritance (theoretically, this aristocrat unites the crowns of France and Spain). Equally unintelligible, officially, from measles aggravated by bloodletting, other heirs also die. Only the great-grandson of the «Sun King», Louis the Fifteenth Beloved (1710—1774), survives and occupies the French throne.

Louis the Sixteenth has long postponed reforms to levy taxes from nobles and clergy. Endlessly maneuvering between the estates, he gets entangled and throws the steering wheel of the state to the mercy of fate.

Louis the Sixteenth (1754—1793), king and blacksmith

In the end, the king is condemned by the revolutionary convention. The former monarch ascends the scaffold. He is followed by his wife, Marie Antoinette. The execution of the queen is very disliked by the German (European) Habsburg dynasty, whose representative is Antoinette Habsburg-Lorraine. The last direct heir of the Bourbons, recognized by the monarchies of Europe as King Louis the Seventeenth, dies of malnutrition and mistreatment, ten years old.

The French Revolution. Napoleon Bonaparte

Marie Antoinette of Habsburg-Lorraine (1755 – 1793), the youngest daughter of Emperor Franz I and Marie Theresa. The raison d’être of this lady is gambling and balls. She was decapitated by the decision of the Convention, buried in the same place where 139 people who died at her stormy wedding were buried.

Liberty, Igality, Fraternity – Freedom, Equality, Brotherhood. The French Revolution. The guillotine, a humane instrument of justice approved by the king himself, later tested on himself. The convention, the taking of the Bastille and the cult of the Supreme Being instead of Christianity. Jacobin Club with branches throughout France. Suspicious Law, Marat, Robespierre and Danton. Friends of the people become enemies and vice versa with kaleidoscopic speed. An abyss suddenly opens up between the village and the city. Recruiting in the province of Vendee sparks a powder keg. Twelve «infernal columns» of a predominantly urban Republic are deploying a large-scale «French-French genocide» in the peasant and Catholic provinces. It seems that the goal of the revolutionary French is now the complete destruction of the peasants, the creation of agricultural settlements, ready to participate in all the adventures of the Convention, and not hindering the withdrawal of grain from citizens. Killed 30 thousand republican soldiers and 180 thousand peasants, every sixth or seventh inhabitant of the department.

Thermidor is a counter-revolutionary coup, unexpected as snow on the head. The leaders of the French Republic are dragged from the rostrum right during their performance and taken to a date with the scaffold. Directory – five elected directors. Council of Five Hundred. And only a chant from the audience, in response to another proposal to intensify the terror: «Justice for all!» stops the work of the guillotine.

Maximilian Robespierre (1758 – 1794), aka «Incorruptible» and «Mad Hyena», the founder of the «Great Terror». Guillotined by Robespierre by his own Convention without trial or investigation. There is not a single street in France bearing the name of Robespierre.

….Officer Napoleon, referring to the illness, avoids the dubious honor of a participant in the suppression of the Vendée uprising. However, it manages to stand out. The big players’ field has been cleared. The countries of the monarchical coalition are striving to impose peace on France by war, and every initiative active person is in demand. Captain Napoleon shows himself well in the capture of the rebellious Toulon. He becomes a brigadier general after the use of artillery against the «golden youth» on the streets of Paris, with arms in hand, seeking the restoration of the monarchy. After the Italian and Egyptian companies, the last of which was designed to create a staging area for the invasion of the Indian possessions of England, the general gains popular popularity. The Council of Five Hundred, which once dispatched an ambitious officer on foreign campaigns, is also dispersed by it. The Napoleonic Code (Civil Code) is adopted, combining Roman law and revolutionary conquests.

Napoleon Bonaparte (1769 – 1821)

In 1803, Napoleon made an unexpected proposal to the Jefferson government. It’s like, «Would you like to acquire Louisiana, a vast area of North America, officially transferred to me, France, by Spain three weeks earlier?» The point, if there is one here at all, is that in the event of war, England can easily seize these lands. Bonaparte himself is very eager to fight Britain in Europe. For just $ 15 million, on May 2, 1803, the government of President Jefferson acquires land equal to a quarter of the area of the current United States. Further, for about the same amount (7 cents per hectare) step by step; beads, knives, canvas for tents, fire water, white Americans ransom tasty territories from the leaders of the Indians. Redskins: Iroquois, Sioux, Cherokee and others, pale-faced citizens of their country do not want to see under any sauce.

In 1804, the Pope covers the head of Napoleon Bonaparte with a crown. The First French Republic imperceptibly betrays itself and becomes an Empire.

Bonaparte defeats the troops of the Third Monarchist Coalition at Austerlitz and distributes the kingdoms of Europe to his close and distant relatives. The battle of Preussisch-Eylau (near Konigsberg) with the combined German and Russian troops of the Fourth Coalition terrifies even seasoned military personnel. Losses of twenty-five thousand killed, a fighting draw and a temporary lull.

Portugal flatly refuses to take part in the blockade of England. Napoleon discusses with the Spanish king the transfer of his troops to the rebellious country. During the negotiation process, he unexpectedly declares the monarch and his son prisoners. An attempt to send young Spanish princes to France leads to a large-scale uprising and guerrilla war. The throne of the King of Spain is occupied by Napoleon’s brother Joseph.

Napoleon is also seriously quarreling with the Vatican. Bonaparte’s troops annex the papal possessions. The Pope, ousted from power, in turn excommunicates Bonaparte from the church (1809), which in no way contributes to the popularity of the emperor among Catholics.

The Russian campaign of Napoleon, in addition to the desire for fame, booty and new territories, is a reaction to the participation of Alexander the First in all monarchist coalitions against France. The exodus from Moscow along the already devastated path was marked by cases of cannibalism.

Battle of Borodino («Battle of Moscow»), 1812

Of the six hundred thousandth army, twenty-three thousand survive (excluding the prisoners, many of whom preferred the position of tutor). They take refuge in the allied Poland. The Emperor is gathering a new army. He manages to win a series of victories over the troops, which includes ex-allies from the German principalities of the Sixth Coalition. But, French soldiers, officers, even marshals get tired of fighting. After the unexpected surrender of Paris to the Russian troops, in the face of a full-fledged opposition, Napoleon signed an act of abdication. A moment later, he is again called «General Bonaparte.»

All the surviving royal men, led by Louis the Eighteenth, return to France. The place of the revolutionary officers is taken by the nobles who have come from nowhere. And, the coat of arms of the Bourbons – a red lion surrounded by blue shells, flaunts on official documents for a short time. Against the background of general discontent, Napoleon returned from the island of Elba, where he had an artillery battery, a battalion of guardsmen and ships for walks at his disposal. The emperor gathers an army from the royal military units sent to capture him.