Were Medieval Peasants Ignorant of the Scriptures? Part Two

''Though literacy was of course far rarer than now, reading was in one way a more important ingredient to the whole culture (Lewis, 1964, p. 5).''  

These words are from the Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature by C. S. Lewis. Lewis understood that even though many people in the Middle Ages were illiterate,  they were still learned concerning their knowledge of past stories. He later goes on to talk about the medievals and their love of books (p. 11). Lewis does this, just shortly after having spoken of their time's wide illiteracy. Interestingly enough, many nobility and peasantry alike were illiterate yet illiteracy did not mean that they were unaware of many of the same stories that had intrigued their ancestors during ancient times. Indeed, even the peasants of the Medieval world were more aware of the basic beliefs of Christianity than some have given them credit. 

In The Allegory of Love (Lewis, 2013, p. 197), Lewis mentions in a footnote a letter from John Ball to the peasants in Essex about the allegorical work: Piers Plowman. This note from Lewis is significant as Piers Plowman, much like the later works Everyman and The Pilgrim's Progress is full of Christian allegory. Likewise, this Middle English work frequently quotes from the Bible. Furthermore, even when Piers Plowman is not quoting from the scriptures, it draws heavily from Biblical themes. Indeed, I find it interesting that C. S. Lewis was aware of how the peasants in Essex must have known some of the scriptures as Piers Plowman frequently pays homage to the Biblical texts. Furthermore, even if all the peasants were illiterate who received this letter, no doubt, someone would have read it to them. As proof of this, for example, would be to look at the many cases throughout the Middle Ages when church clergy schooled their parishioners in the Apostle's Creed and the Lord's Prayer. 

I do think that it is worth mentioning that most Christians today do not know Koine Greek. Technically, modern men is no more literate in the Biblical languages than were the few church priests and monks in Medieval Times who knew Greek. I bring attention to this to highlight that just as the peasants depended upon many of the clergies for knowledge of the Latin texts, we likewise, depend on Biblical scholars of today for knowledge of the Greek texts. Don't misunderstand me. I'm not claiming that we have no better benefits concerning the Bible than we did then. Certainly, we have Bible translations whereas those in Medieval Times had much less access to the scriptures. Nevertheless, even today, we depend on what scholars who know the Biblical languages tell us what the earliest texts of the Old and New Testaments teach. If all Christians can learn Greek then we can study the oldest texts of the New Testament without relying upon someone else. Until that happens though, people will still depend on theologians for what the original biblical texts say.  

Agree or disagree with Medieval Catholicism, the church hierarchy hardly left the peasants with no knowledge of the Christian faith. Give or take a few doctrines, Protestants can appreciate the fact that no matter how corrupt some of the leadership of the Roman Church may have been, it faithfully kept the peasants informed at least on the basics of the Christian faith. For example, the English thirteenth-century archbishop of Canterbury, John Peckham, ensured that the peasants be instructed by their priests of the Creed, the Ten Commandments, the Pater Noster, the Ave Maria, the Seven Deadly Sins, etc. Unfortunately, a later Archbishop of Canterbury from the fifteenth century, Thomas Arundel, made sure that the peasants knew no more than the previously mentioned doctrines (Echard and Rouse, 2017, p. 1539). The point here, though, is not to defend all the priests of the Medival Church. Rather, I wish to show that at various points throughout the Middle Ages, it must not be assumed that the peasants were entirely ignorant of the scriptures.

Next, I would like to illuminate the reader to several instances throughout the Middle Ages where we see evidence of the church informing the peasants of the Bible's teachings. 

References: 

Echard, S. Rouse, R. The Encylopedia of Medieval Literature in Britain. (2017). Wiley Blackwell. 

Griffith, Benjamin W. English Literature. (1991). Barrons Educational Services. 

Langland, William. Piers Plowman. (1992). Oxford University Press. 

Lewis, C. S. The Allegory of Love. Cambridge University Press. 2013.

Lewis, C. S. The Discarded Image: An Introduction to Medieval and Renaissance Literature. Cambridge University Press.