Jew wearing special hat as prescribed by Fourth Lateran Council

Episode 7 The Canon of Persecution

1215: Years That Changed History

Dr Dorsey Armstrong (2019)

Film Review

Armstrong devotes this lecture to the prohibitory canons issued by the Fourth Lateran Council 1215,

These included bans on

• new religious orders (other than the Benedictines, Cistercians, Franciscans and Augustinians).
• use (by priests) of unclean vestments, altar and communion cloths.
• use of churches for storing parishoners’ furniture, except in emergencies.
• sale of relics or display of relics outside reliquaries
• bishops receiving bribes for appointing priests to churches
• priests receiving bribes to perform sacraments like marriage, last rites or burial.
• Christians charging interest for loans (usury)

Canon 68 – required Jews and Muslims to dress in ways distinguishing them from Christians, lest Christians accidentally have sex with them.

Canon 69 – forbade Jews to hold public office or work as civili servants. Combined with recent laws seizing their landholdings, this left few occupations open them other than banking and money lending (Jews were allowed to engage in usury and Christians to pay them interest on loans)/

Canon 70 – allows Jews to convert to Christianity to secure a livelihood so long as they refrain from practicing Judaism privately.

Canon 71 (the longest) calls for a 5th Crusade to start in 1217 and for Christians who do business with Saracens (Arabs or Turks who practice Islam)  or travel through their lands to be excommunicated. It also asserts that crusaders are under no obligation to pay interest or repay loans to Jews. It also promises for full forgiveness of sins for all Christians who participate in crusades or help pay for them.

Film can be viewed free with a library card at Kanopy.

https://www.kanopy.com/en/pukeariki/watch/video/12392969/12392984