Business Quote by Diarmaid MacCulloch
““Sometimes the Church patently tried to profit from such incidents: the Benedictine monks of Norwich Cathedral in England, encouraged by their bishop, were pioneers in the blood-libel business when in the 1140s they tried to foster in their own church a cult of an alleged young victim of the Jews called William. Unfortunately for the monks, the good folk of Norwich loathed their cathedral more than they did the Jews, and the pilgrimage to little St William never amounted to much. Other cults were more successful (see chapter 2, p. 59), and the blood-libel has remained a recurring motif in the worst atrocities against the Jews.””
About This Quote
The medieval Church sometimes manufactured saintly cults, such as a fabricated martyr named William, to profit from pilgrimages, but local resistance limited its success.
In simple terms: Church tried to profit from a fake saint; locals rejected it.
Key Takeaway
Exploitation of faith for profit.
Themes
religion
economics
medieval history
anti‑Jewish propaganda
Mood
skeptical
historical
cautious
Type
historical observation
cautionary anecdote
When to use this quote
- pilgrimage fundraising
- political use of saints
- community backlash against clerical schemes
Key Concepts
cult formation
social resistance
Practical Applications
- critical assessment of religious institutions
- historical analysis of propaganda
Questions to Reflect On
- How do economic incentives shape religious narratives?
- What mechanisms allow communities to reject imposed cults?
A Different Perspective
The example is specific to one locale and period; broader generalizations about all churches may be inaccurate.
![“[S]ometimes, when you are a food person, the possible irrelevance of what you are doing doesn’t cross your mind until it’s too late. (Once, for example, when I was just starting out in the food business, I was hired by the caper people to develop a lot of recipes using capers, and it was weeks of…” quote by Nora Ephron](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/d79/nora-ephron-1217_business_s-ometimes-when-you-are-a-food-person-th_980.jpg)
![“If the State does not acquire supremacy over [vast private] enterprises, it becomes their puppet, and they become the real State.” quote by Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/bad/bertrand-russell-69_acquire_if-the-state-does-not-acquire-supremacy_1379.jpg)
