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98 III. THE ROMANIZED CHURCH (A.D. 11301389).
in such different characters as Mahomet, Charles the
Great, the two Norwegian Olafs, and the Swedish St.
Eric. But it received a considerable amount, not only of
sanction, but of direct encouragement from the Church.
Tithes for the proposed furtherance of such crusades be
came a valuable source of papal revenue. Similarly the
different forms of persecution for heresy, on a larger or
a smaller scale, were taken up rather than invented by
Rome.2
But the foundation principle, both of crusades
and persecutions, that the general good of right belief was
much more important than the wrongs or sufferings of in
dividuals, became a specially Roman tenet. It was part
of the general conviction that control of human life by the
Church should be as extensive as possible. All crimes
and offences which could be ranked as offences against
religion were drawn as much as might be into the Church
courts, and judged by Church laws. All breaches of
morality and piety adultery, incest, perjury, blasphemy,
and the like were to be judged and punished by Church
men. All subjects in which the soul was concerned, mar
riage, wills, education, hospitals, charities, and the like,
were to be subjected as far as possible to Church rule.
The law of God, the law of the soul, was to be made and
administered by those who understood His will and were
devoted to His service. And, lastly, acceptance of the
papal system, as a chief part of the law of God, came, by
the end of the period, to be recognized, as the most prac
tical duty of religion, and rejection of it as the gravest
impiety and heresy of which a man could be guilty and
heresy was punishable with death.
For the purposes of this spiritual state it was necessary
to have both clergy and the religious orders as free as pos
sible from external control, as untrammelled by earthly
ties and interests, as entirely devoted to the work of their
callings, as subservient to their spiritual rulers, as well
assured of the means of livelihood, as was possible under
the conditions of human life. For these reasons it was
2
Cp. Bishop Mandell Creighton ; Persecution and Tolerance.
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