Heresy In The Ramsay Scallop

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“If forgers and male factors are put to death by the secular power, there is much more reason for excommunicating and even putting to death one convicted of heresy.” (Thomas Aquinas). The novel The Ramsay Scallop by Frances Temple is a historical fiction novel with many historical facts. This novel has accurate and non accurate historical facts. In the novel, it mentions some facts about heresy and heretics. Reading this novel, the author describes heresy, the torturing of heretics, and the war against heretics mostly historically accurate.

Although the author describes heresy mostly accurate, heresy is also described non accurately. This quote shows that heresy is not described accurately. “Toledo, in southern Spain, Arab and Christian scholars study there together. Jewish scholars too, all of them working together to translate texts.” (Temple p.109). This quote describes heresy incorrectly because Christians would only work with Christians because the church only accepts Christians and Christians torture non Christians like Arabs and Jews. Therefore they wouldn’t work together. “Elenor tried these words.” (Temple p.227). This quote shows that Elenor is saying Islamic words. Since she is, the quote describes heresy incorrectly because Christians didn’t say Islamic religious sayings. These quotes show that heresy is described incorrectly throughout this novel.

The author describes heresy mostly accurate in this novel. “We do not see how you Christians can call him one and yet also three.” (Temple p.226). This quotes shows that Christians and Arabs don’t agree with religion and don’t get each other’s religion, so this quote describes heresy correctly. “What is the religion they call- Islam?” (Temple p.228). This quote describes ...

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...cs were forced to drink tons of water or other fluids or were forced to put burning coals on their body. Some heretics were tortured on a rack. The rack dislocated them or their arms and legs could be torn off. (Freeman). There were many other ways that they tortured heretics.

Since heretics were a big problem according to the church, Pope Innocent III got involved. Pope Innocent III called a crusade on heretics which started a war. Pope Innocent III called the crusade on heretics because he believed they were too big of a threat to ignore. It was a 20 year, long, bloody battle against the heretics. The result of the war was that the war destroyed many towns and thousands of people were killed. The war took place in France. He and the church wanted the country to be heretic free. Almost all heretics were killed during the bloody 20 year war. (Burstein and Shek).

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