Re: "black gentiles"

In article <dbidfl$fjl$1@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
"Todd A. Farmerie" <farmerie@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

> Jonesgenealogist@xxxxxxx wrote:
> > Thanks for the comments. Does this mean that the term black refered to the
> > color of hair, skin, eyes, etc?
>
> Well, as the term appears to have been used to distinguish the new set
> of vikings from the old ones, the White Gentiles, and yet another was
> used for the next batch, the Green ones (Normans), one might have a bit
> of a problem coming up with a unified theory based on hair, skin, or
> eyes (and considering the heterogeneity of most medieval armies, it is
> unlikely that any characteristic applied to any of the three groups
> across the board). The same (even more so) applies to a description of
> armor, as has also been suggested.
>
> > How does the term "gentile" come in to play?
>
> Well, attacking monasteries is a good way to get remembered as
> non-Christians. Particularly in a country which served as the lone
> western bastion of Christianity.

'Gentile' was often used in medieval Latin texts, especially by monastic
writers, to describe non-Christians (including Muslims, etc.)--by
analogy to its old-Testament use for non-Jews. Famous examples can be
found in the chronicles of the first crusade, especially the _Gesta Dei
per Francos_ of Guibert de Nogent. The irony there is that many of the
first crusaders targeted European Jews as acceptable--even
necessary--targets, hence the Rhineland pogroms of 1096.

Nat Taylor

a genealogist's sketchbook:
http://home.earthlink.net/~nathanieltaylor/leaves/
.

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