The Liber Augustalis was the legal system for the Kingdom of Sicily that was enacted by Emperor Frederick II in the year 1231. Within this legal code was a section dealing specifically with heretics.Interestingly enough this section (or at least the section we are given in the course packet) does not deal with the penalties of heresy, but instead goes on at length in describing how heretics of the Catholic faith are depraved and evil creatures who desire the destruction of the Catholic Church and the turning away of people from the light of God. This is illustrated quite well in the passage "These are sons of depravity from the father of wickedness and the author of evil, who are resolved to deceive simple souls.". (Powell 7-10) This singling out of Catholic heretics is interesting as Sicily was a very multicultural society at the time with peoples of various ethnic and religious groups such as the Normans, Italians, Arabs, Catholics, Muslims and followers of Greek Orthodoxy.
The demonization of heretics in the passage shows how the Sicilian Government was incredibly determined to stop the spread, creation of, and influence of Catholic heresy. It also reveals a intolerance for deviation from the Catholic orthodoxy within the kingdom. The use of language such as " They are serpents who seem to creep in secretly and, under the sweetness of honey, spew out poison.". (Powell 7-10) Other passages describing heretics such as "They deceive their neighbors insofar as they administer the delights of heretical wickedness to them under the guise of spiritual nourishment."(Powell 7-10) shows how they were considered to be internally destructive not only to the fabric of society but more importantly how they were considered to be dangerous to individual peoples immoral souls.
Why do you think that heretics were so singled out in the Kingdom of Sicily as being such a existential threat?
It seemed to be such a strict society...Anyone who was different, or "deviated" from society's norms was considered a heretic. It's interesting because a lot of the beliefs of these heretics, when it came to religion and spirituality, that we read in the Course Packet would be considered a normal and viable to us today.
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ReplyDeleteYou mention that it's interesting that Catholic heretics were singled out when Sicily was essentially a melting pot at the time. Based on the religion in Italy and the surrounding areas, we know that Catholicism was the main belief system. When you have a higher concentration of one particular group of people, isn't it easier to target them simply because those who deviate from social norms will have higher numbers? If there was a primary concentration of Muslims, then we would be speaking about them, no?
I agree with Graham's comment. As human beings, especially throughout history, we tend to relate more with like-minded people. This can cause dissimilar treatment to be given towards people with differing traits, beliefs, religions, characteristics, etc. It seems that this was a common aspect throughout the period that we are studying in this class. Just consider the description of Ursula Gotz in Lyndal Roper's book, Witch Craze. Although she lived in a later time than 1231, there are definitely some similarities. She was described as an outcast, someone different than the societal norm, thus contributing to her accusation as a witch. This further proves that differences can play an enormous, and sometimes fatal role in treatment of others. Thanks for the blog Ian and for your comment Graham!
DeleteTo help here, Sicily was Muslim to around 1091 or so. Today the Cathedral of Palermo has some Muslim writings on the columns. I think what Ian was trying to point out is that was surprising to him that Muslims were not the subject of such an onslaught. Interesting! One way to consider this is that the church was particularly interested in bringing people back to the church. The goal was not to convert Muslims or interrogate them (wars?). Heresy is expressly involved with Christians. What was so sorrowful about the Cathars is that they had abandoned the correct faith, and were directly opposed to the correct faith (dualism, their own bishops, etc.).
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