For The Silver Sword, of course I had to find out everything I could about life in pre-printing press days, Bohemia, Jon Huss, and the conflict in the Catholic church. Fortunately, I had already done a lot of research on medieval times, so I knew about lifestyle, clothing, housing, etc. I was fortunate because many manuscripts still exist from that period. In fact, the scenes of Hus's trial and martyrdom are taken directly from transcripts.
I should add this--the book is not intended to be anti-Catholic. I have many dear friends who are members of the Catholic church, and I know their faith in Christ is sincere and genuine.
But Jesus said the church would be filled with "wheat and tares," and during the Dark Ages, some of the popes, cardinals, and bishops were greedy, grasping men. These are the men who confronted Jon Huss. I didn't deliberately paint any of the historical figures in negative colors; they painted themselves by their reprehensible actions and words. Those actions and words have been recorded in documents and preserved for history.
[And I could tell you a hair-curling story or two about protestant preachers, too, so you can find "tares" in any denomination. Or, as one of my pastors used to call them, "snakes in the grass." Their existence doesn't disparage the teachings of Jesus. Their existence confirms his words.]
Tomorrow: the writing
~~Angie
1 comment:
Amen to what you said about the tares. Sometimes the church has been its own worst enemy.
From a practical sense, I'm so glad I didn't live in this time period. Of course, I realize it's not like they knew any different - they hadn't been in the 21st century - but daily life was such a struggle.
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