In the 1500s, under the influence of the Ottomans who regarded privateers as honorable men, the Barbary pirates began to thrive. They reached the zenith of their influence in the 1600s, but after the European powers responded aggressively to their attacks, they started a steady decline that lasted for almost 200 years. Finally, in 1830 the French conquered Algiers, put an end to the Barbary pirates, and established French Algiers.

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Today’s Feature

Yahweh declared Abraham righteous because he had faith in Him.  Today Yahweh declares anyone righteous who has faith in Him, but faith in Him to do what?  We must have faith in Him to redeem us and to take care of us.

Abraham’s righteousness was not dependent on circumcision.  We know this, because circumcision is only an outward, visible sign of THE covenant and nothing more. (Genesis 17: 11)  It was important as a sign, but Abraham’s righteousness was not dependent on it.

Also, God declared Abraham righteous before circumcision was given as a sign of THE covenant.  Thus, his righteousness could not have been dependent on circumcision.  Furthermore, we know circumcision of the flesh was symbolic of the inward condition Yahweh truly desires—circumcision of the heart.

Deuteronomy 30: 6 says, “Moreover, Yahweh your God will circumcise your heart and the heart of your descendants, to love Yahweh your God with all your heart and with all your soul, in order that you may live.”

As Isaiah would say, “See!”  Yahweh wants our hearts and souls.

Furthermore, we know from Yahweh’s Word that Abraham’s righteousness could not have been dependent on his obeying the Law, the Torah.  God did not give the Law until hundreds of years after He declared Abraham righteous, so all Abraham was required to do was have faith in Yahweh, and His requirement has never changed.

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SnyderTalk® Commentary

Barbary Pirates—Part 4

When pirates eventually took to the seas, the Mediterranean was a perfect location for their illicit activity to flourish.  It’s relatively small and sea trade started there.

Mediterannean Trade Routes 1

Mediterranean Trade Routes

The Greeks and Romans are responsible for the initial development of Western civilization.  The Greek language was important because it enabled people from distant lands to communicate and work together using a tongue with which they were all familiar.  The Romans built roads, and population centers developed at the intersections of trade routes.  They also constructed aqueducts that carried vast quantities of water to meet the needs of the growing cities.  These contributions were essential building blocks in the realm of commerce, and trade between nation states began to flourish.  As Greek and Roman influence expanded, the number of cargo ships grew, especially in the Mediterranean region. The value of the goods they carried increased rapidly as business activity grew.

Ancient Roman Aqueduct

Ancient Roman Aqueduct

Eventually, Greek influence waned, and the Roman Empire started a precipitous decline.  The barbarian invasions and the Golden Age of Piracy filled the vacuum they left behind.  In the Middle Ages, piracy flourished, but it was especially important in the 1300s as European naval power declined relative to the growing strength of Islamic powers, most notably the Ottomans in the eastern Mediterranean.  At that time, the town of Bougie, a port city in Algeria, was the most infamous pirate base in the Mediterranean.

Muslim influence in Europe grew steadily, and Islamic civilization had a profound effect on the coastal region of Mediterranean Europe.  It is said, and it is true, that Córdoba, Spain had streetlights under Islamic rule while the people of Scotland were still painting themselves blue.  Moses Maimonides, Rambam, the most esteemed of all the Jewish sages, was a doctor in Córdoba while it was controlled by Muslims.  Muslims also introduced a style of architecture that was new to the region, the best example of which is the Alhambra.  It’s in Granada, Spain.  If you haven’t seen the Alhambra, you should make it a point to go there if you visit Europe.

The Alhambra in Granada, Spain

The Alhambra in Granada, Spain

Following the conquest of Granada by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain in 1492 and the expulsion of the Moors in the late 1400s and early 1500s, many Muslims migrated to North Africa.  With protection from the Egyptian Mamluks and later the Ottoman Turks, they worked with Arab and Berber tribes to disrupt European commerce and annoy Christian heads of state.  They also plundered coastal European cities; often killing entire populations, except of course the white women with fair skin and light hair.  These they sold at slave markets.  The most beautiful women were purchased as concubines.  Most of the others served in the brothels of the East.

In the 1500s, under the influence of the Ottomans who regarded privateers as honorable men, the Barbary pirates began to thrive.  They reached the zenith of their influence in the 1600s, but after the European powers responded aggressively to their attacks, they started a steady decline that lasted for almost 200 years.  Finally, in 1830 the French conquered Algiers, put an end to the Barbary pirates, and established French Algiers.

Radical Islamists are the Barbary pirates of our day.  Let’s hope it doesn’t take 200 years for our political leaders to step up to the plate and deal with them.

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2 thoughts on “In the 1500s, under the influence of the Ottomans who regarded privateers as honorable men, the Barbary pirates began to thrive. They reached the zenith of their influence in the 1600s, but after the European powers responded aggressively to their attacks, they started a steady decline that lasted for almost 200 years. Finally, in 1830 the French conquered Algiers, put an end to the Barbary pirates, and established French Algiers.

  1. I wish more people would write blogs like this that are really fun to read. With all the fluff floating around on the net, it is rare to read a blog like this instead.

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