The "Dark Ages" has also been explained as a period of spiritual darkness when the light of true Christianity was nearly snuffed out by the persecution and killing of millions of Christians and withholding of the Bible truths by organized "religion" which had more of a base in paganism than in Bible teachings.<ref name="RS" />
However, this is a false perception of the period. The so-called 'Dark Ages' was also the period when Christianity spread through much of Europe, bringing enlightenment, knowledge and science. New monasteries were established which were the universities of their day, centres of science, learning, medicine and law, able to communicate with each other by well-developed networks, and capable of diffusing knowledhge with remarkable efficiency. The life of the polymath scholar monk St. [[Bede]] is just one example of the intellectual revolution wrought by the spread of Christianity. Bede lived at [[Jarrow]] in [[Northumbria]] (modern-day north-east [[England]]); he was a theologian, historian and scientist, writing and researching prolifically and communicating with scholars across Europe. In later life he gained fame fopr organising what became known as the Jarrow March, a celebration of christianity in which local believers marched behind ceremonial banners.
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