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Re: Re:Knights and Jews in the Middle Ages




Poster: "Rowanwald Central" <rownwald@gte.net>

| And for that matter, for all any of us know, it could well be a medieval
| "urban legend"  that eventually was written down and accepted as fact. 
| It's very hard to say.  Does anyone have a *primary* source reference for
| this one? 
| 
| Alianora

As quoted from "The Broadview Book of Medieval Anecdotes" compiled by
Richard Kay:

   "In the year of our Lord 1210 {sic}, a crusade was preached against the
Albigenses throughout Germany and France, and in the following year {the
crusaders assembled}... and the preacher and leader of  them all was
Arnold, abbot of Citeaux, afterward {arch}bishop of Narbonne. When they
came to the great city of Beziers, which is said to have contained more
than a hundred thousand men, they laid siege to it {and took it by
storm}.... When they discovered from the admissions of some of them that
there were Catholics mingled with the heretics, they saidto the abbot:
"Sir, what shall we do, for we cannot distinguish between the faithful and
the heretics." The abbot, like the others, was afraid that many, in fear of
death, would pretend to be Catholics, and after their departure would
return to their heresy, and he is said to have replied: "Kill them all; for
the Lord knows them that are His!" {2 Tim 2:10}. And so countless numbers
in that town were slain.
                                    Caesarius of Heisterbach (d. 1223),
_Dialogue on Miracles_


btw - if you ever get a chance to have a copy of this book, it is wonderful
- a collection of ancedotes that, if not actually true, are RECORDED in
period, quoted from the medieval records.... so the story may well be an
Urban Legend - but Caesarius thought it was true when he recorded it in his
"Dialogue".

Rosine of Rowanwald
"Always give her her own desk - and keep your hands off!" - RH Heinlein
Rowanwald Central
rownwald@gte.net
    
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