Despite reiterated
ecclesiastical prohibitions, parts of the Bible were translated into
the vulgar tongue and eagerly studied by ignorant folk; everywhere men
appeared to whom religion was a matter of vital importance, men who
strove to find God in their own souls, instead of blindly accepting the
God of foreign doctrine.
The more obvious cause of the growing dislike to ecclesiastical
authority was the immorality of the priests. The contrast between the
professions of humility, and the greed, vice and tyranny of the clergy
was too pronounced. The ecclesiastical offices were publicly sold.
Divine forgiveness was cheaper than a new garment; every priest was
allowed to keep a mistress if he paid a tax to the bishop. Two poems of
the troubadour, Guillem Figueiras, express the state of affairs very
bluntly: "Our shepherds have become thievish wolves, plundering and
despoiling the fold under the guise of messengers of peace. They gently
console their sheep night and day, but once they have them in their
power, these false shepherds let their flock perish and die.
Pages:
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136