Jeanne D'Arc: Her Life And DeathOliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
History
Jeanne D'Arc: Her Life And Death
Oliphant, Mrs. (Margaret)
France -- History; Joan, of Arc, Saint, 1412-1431
Ten days after, the decision of the University of Paris arrived, and a
great assembly of counsellors, fifty-one in all, besides the permanent
presidents, collected together in the chapel of the Archbishop's
house, to hear that document read, along with many other documents, the
individual opinions of a host of doctors and eminent authorities.
After an explanation of the solemn care given by the University to the
consideration of every one of the twelve articles of the indictment,
that learned tribunal pronounced its verdict upon each. The length of
the proceedings makes it impossible to reproduce these. First as to the
early revelations given to Jeanne, described in the first and second
articles, they are denounced as "murderous, seductive, and pernicious
fictions," the apparitions those of "malignant spirits and devils,
Belial, Satan, and Behemoth." The third article, which concerned her
recognition of the saints, was described more mildly as containing
errors in faith; the fourth, as to her knowledge of future events, was
characterised as "superstitious and presumptuous divination." The fifth,
concerning her dress, declared her to be "blasphemous and contemptuous
of God in His Sacraments." The sixth, by which she was accused of loving
bloodshed, because she made war against those who did not obey the
summons in her letters bearing the name Jhesus Maria, was declared to
prove that she was cruel, "seeking the shedding of blood, seditious,
and a blasphemer of God." The tenor is the same to the end: Blasphemy,
superstition, pernicious doctrine, impiety, cruelty, presumption, lying;
a schismatic, a heretic, an apostate, an idolator, an invoker of demons.
These are the conclusions drawn by the most solemn and weighty tribunal
on matters of faith in France. The precautions taken to procure a
full and trustworthy judgment, the appeal to each section in turn, the
Faculty of Theology, the Faculty of Law, the "Nations," all separately
and than all together passing every item in review--are set forth at
full length. Every formality had been fulfilled, every rule followed,
every detail was in the fullest order, signed and sealed and attested by
solemn notaries, bristling with well-known names. A beautiful judgment,
equal to the trial, which was beautiful too--not a rule omitted except
those of justice, fairness, and truth! The doctors sat and listened with
every fine professional sense satisfied.
"If the beforesaid woman, charitably exhorted and admonished by
competent judges, does not return spontaneously to the Catholic faith,
publicly abjure her errors, and give full satisfaction to her judges,
she is hereby given up to the secular judge to receive the reward of her
deeds."
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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