Welcome back to another episode of five minutes in church history on this episode

Fatal Books. I was browsing a used book sale and saw this title on a book spine

and I knew I had to have it. Books fatal to their authors. Sometimes we feel like we're going to be done in by reading a book, but these are books that do in their authors and as I'm perusing the table of contents here I see the first

category is theology and among the many names of theologians who lost their

lives because of a book they wrote there There are familiar names William Tendale, John

Hus, of Anarola. These are folks we've talked about before on five minutes, but there are also

some new names, William of Occam and Abelard. Let's talk about those two and their fatal books. Well,

William of Occam was born and a little rural village named Occam in Surrey, a bit to the south and west of London, and he went from one shire to the next,

leaving Occam and going and studying at Oxford.

Well, then it was off to Paris, and as he got into Paris he began writing against

Pope John the 22nd and he wrote his book Defense of Poverty and now let the author of books fatal to their authors pick up the

story from there.

The defense of poverty startled the whole of Christendom by its vigorous onslaught of the vices of the papacy

and the assumptions of Pope John the 22nd.

The latter ordered two bishops to examine the work, and the invincible doctor, that's what

William of Occam was known as, was cast into prison at Avignon.

He would certainly have been slain had he not contrived to affect his escape and

taken refuge at the court of the German Emperor to whom he addressed these words,

Tume defend us gladeo,

ego tay defend them calimo.

Defend me with the sword,

I'll defend you with the pen.

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