Divergent voices in the preaching of the Third Crusade: Martin of León’s reading of the fall of Jerusalem

This article addresses a particular idea circulating on the eve of the Third Crusade: namely, that not only the earthly but also the heavenly Jerusalem had fallen in 1187. Three Parisian preachers, Peter of Blois, Gerald of Wales, and Prevostin of Cremona made such claims: Heaven itself was affected; this is significant evidence for how strongly people felt about the events in the East. However, another preacher, Martin of León, openly opposed this idea in his Sermo 22. The present article investigates the alternative vision that his sermon proposes, examining two features in depth: (a) Martin’s exegesis of Lam. 4.19, conceiving of the crusaders as eagles (aquilae) who assemble around Christ – a perfect fit for the situation of 1187; and (b) the curious fact that Martin addresses his audience as ‘Jews’. The article argues that by doing this Martin threatens his doubtlessly Christian audience: they may lose their elect status, just as the Jews had lost it after having rejected Christ. Such ideas are also found in the works of other preachers, but Martin’s rhetorical form is unique. Apart from the causal entanglement of the earthly and the heavenly city, his sermon reveals numerous parallels with his peers; this bears witness to the fact that this little-noticed figure belonged to the Parisian network. The article thus demonstrates that a particular reading of the events caused divergent responses among the preachers, while establishing Martin as a preacher of the Third Crusade.