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hist_162__1.pptxThe Black death and religion
Presenter: Yajie Yang
Introduction
In the modern world we live in, science has been one of the key factors that have kept our lives safe and healthy from potential disasters.
The past may tell us a different story: Looking back in history, one of the greatest catastrophe to ever occur in the entire human history was the Black Death.
Purpose of presentation: Religious perspective of the Black Death
The Black Death
October 1347 marked the devastating and unforgettable milestone in European history
A plague with a mysterious origin. A simple act of a ship that docked at the Sicilian port of Messina imitated the catastrophe. (History.com Staff)
In five years of the plague– 20 million people died in Europe (one third of the continent’s population) (History.com Staff)
A testament of a Mother’s Will during the Black Death (Ursollina):
“…healthy in mind and intellect, but sick in body, declares her will thus…”
“She declares that this is her last will and cancels and invalidates any previous testament or codicil”
These statements present her hopelessness and her final words before leaving the world and her family with her belongings
The seriousness of the plague to the mentality of the public
Religious Impacts
Two most apparent effects on Religion will be discussed:
Discrimination to the Jew Population
The views on Religion
Discrimination to the Jew Population
During the period of the Black Death, two religious groups were considered the most dominant. The Christians and the Jewish. Ever since the Black Death occurred, people were looking for a group to blame. Due to the riches, the wealth and many other jealousy reasons, the Jewish people were blamed for the rise of the Black Death. A series of Jewish persecutions became a common scene. Brutal and violent attacks were commenced on the Jewish Community.
“The Confession of Agimet of Geneva, Chatel” (Jacob Marcus)
This confession from a Jew showed the manipulation that they were threatened to confess that they poisoned the wells which caused the Black Plague.
“Agimet took this package full of poison and carried it with him to Venice, and when he came there he threw and scattered a portion of it into the well or cistern of fresh water which was there near the German House, in order to poison the people who use the water of that cistern”
“The Cremation of Strasbourg Jewry St. Valentine’s Day” (Jacob Marcus)
Jewish people were blamed following the “poisoning” of the wells and thus the burning and torture of Jewish people became a common goal in the public.
Did Religion really exist?
Two communities began to slowly surface: many began to look upon religion, in fact, it was the only answer people looked to. People began to look upon chapels and other religious sources to hope for a cure. On the other hand people began to lose hope in religion.
First Perspective:
Faith in religion began to decrease tremendously. Those who went to churches and religious sources were left to suffer alone. Monks, priests and other figures, due to the rise of the plague, abandoned their belief due to their own selfishness and ordered individuals who were victims of the plague to pray and sin themselves. (History Channel)
Second Perspective
Saint Sebastian was an iconic religious figure during the Black Death. People looked upon his presence in the religious field as the protector of the plague. He was known for defending the city of Rome against the plague. In addition, death by arrow was a symbolic concept in Greek history as Apollo sent plague through his arrows. Since Sebastian survived such an execution, he was known for his survivability and power thus people looked up to him hoping for a chance in beating the plague. (Löffler, K)
Conclusion
The existence of the Black Death truly marked a dark catastrophe in human history.
The Black Death had a major impact on the role Religious played.
Some blamed them for the origins of the plague.
Some looked up to them during the deadliest times.
Some lost faith in religion as hope was lost.
The presence of such a devastating plague brought up a new concept that people in the past tend to overlook, Modern Science.
Citations
Primary Sources:
Ursollina, "Testament of a Mother during the Black Death [Will]," in Children and Youth in History, Item #181, http://chnm.gmu.edu/cyh/primary-sources/181
Jacob Marcus, The Jew in the Medieval World: A Sourcebook, 315-1791, (New York: JPS, 1938), 43-48 http://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/jewish/1348-jewsblackdeath.asp
Secondary Sources:
History.com Staff. (2010). Black Death. Retrieved from http://www.history.com/topics/black-death
Löffler, K. (1912). St. Sebastian. In The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved August 26, 2016 from New Advent
History Channel. (n.d.). The Black Plague of Europe Documentary History Channel [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9H9ID_qJgE
