Ben McBee
02-10-16

a. The Gospel According to the Marks of Silver is quite a remarkable document for its time. The fact that someone was so distraught and frustrated with the leader of the entire Christian world, and was brave enough to write against the pope, is evidence that the condition of Christendom was indeed in a state of major corruption. This document addresses the root of all evil by satirizing several passages from the New Testament in order to highlight the misconduct of not only the Pope, but also how the transgression trickled down through the ranks of priests, bishops, and even the lowly doorkeeper. Its main argument is that the apparent “need” of the papacy for revenue is not actually necessary, it is an act of utter greed. It goes on to highlight the blindness that money has created in the church leaders by contrasting between the poor cleric, who is tossed out and damned, and the fat, rich, murderous cleric who is granted forgiveness by the pontiff. As Madigan describes, “The church at its center seemed less like a religious body and more like a governmental institution; the Pope was not the spiritual leaders of Christendom but a man of business, a lawyer” (Madigan, 297). Even parchment and ink became a charge that the papal enacted to further empty the pockets of its participants.
One specific example of the satire comes from Acts 8:20 which says, “May your silver perish with you, because you thought you could obtain God’s gift with money!” This is directly opposite of how the Pope is operating according to …Marks of Silver, seen in the line that says, “Friend, thy poverty go with thee to damnation” (Rosenwein, 329). Further satire uses Matthew 5:26, which says, “Truly I tell you, you will never get out until you have paid the last penny”. This verse refers to the interaction between a prisoner and guard, and the comparison to the Pope paints him as a dastardly character extorting Christians so that they can buy their leave from “prison” on Earth. When the Pope says “For I give unto you an example that even as much as I take, ye also should take,” (Rosenwein, 330), it is a direct reference to John 13:15 “For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you”. In this instance it is Jesus telling how to give, contrary to how the Pope says to take. All of these Bible verses and their satirization emphatically demonstrate the opinion that the Pope and the curia have strayed far away from the actual teachings of the Bible and Jesus.
b. With all of this corruption getting out of hand, the Fourth Lateran Council sought to put an end to many of the corrupt practices that plagued the church body. Some of these included the selling of church relics, the unofficial consecration of bishops and priests committed through extortion, simony in nunneries, and the exaction of fees for funeral and marriage rites. For example, the council states, “As we have learnt for certain, shameful and wicked extortions are levied in many places and by many persons,” (Geary, 441, 63). The Fourth Lateran Council expressly forbids each of these, while also outlining punishments for the transgressors. Much of the foundation of Cathar, Waldensian, and other heretic viewpoints is established during this period of corruption in the church. There was a strong resistance toward authority, which in the case of the Waldensians caused many laymen to begin preaching themselves, disregarding a clergy they saw as unfit to lead. It also strengthened reform to an apostolic lifestyle because everyone saw how bad things were when money was involved with the sacred world. So, naturally the movement shifted toward voluntary poverty.