Crusades In 1095, Pope Urban II called for the First Crusade in a sermon at the Council of Clermont. He encouraged military support for the Byzantine Empire and its Emperor, AlexiosI, who needed reinforcements for his conflict with westward migrating Turks colonizing Anatolia. One of Urban's aims was to guarantee pilgrims access to the Eastern Mediterranean holy sites that were under Muslim control but scholars disagree as to whether this was the primary motive for Urban or those who heeded his call. Urban's strategy may have been to unite the Eastern and Western branches of Christendom, which had been divided since
Areopagus sermon what I am going to proclaim to you." Paul then explained concepts such as the resurrection of the dead and salvation, in effect a prelude to the future discussions of Christology. After the sermon a number of people became followers of Paul. These included a woman named Damaris, and Dionysius, a member of the Areopagus (not to be confused with Pseudo-Dionysius the Areopagite or Dionysius, the first Bishop of Paris). In the 20th century, Pope John Paul II likened the modern media to the "New Areopagus", where Christian ideas needed to be explained and defended anew, against disbelief and the