The Benefit of Clergy

In the Middle Ages, knowing the Bible had the power to save your life. I’m not even talking about cleanliness or handwashing practices during the plagues. No, the practice I’m referring to is called the benefit of clergy, and it dates back to the Middle Ages and beyond. The benefit of clergy referred to the special judicial privileges afforded to churchmen due to the power and influence of the church. If a person could offer proof that they were clergy, he would be entitled to a trial by an ecclesiastical court—virtually guaranteeing a lesser sentence. This was preferable to a secular court, which typically handed out relatively harsher punishments, including capital punishment. By invoking the benefit of clergy, countless men were able to save their lives throughout this time period, even into the eighteenth century. The key, however, was that they actually had to prove it.

The methods for proof varied throughout the centuries. Early on all that was required was the shaved head or “tonsure” and the required clerical robes. Apparently these robes were difficult enough to acquire that this test would pass muster. Later, by the fourteenth century, the stakes were raised. The key proof became the ability to read Latin. This would have weeded out the majority of the common folk, most of whom would have been illiterate in any language, much less a dead language like Latin.

Over time, this test became simpler still; to prove they were proficient, they were only required to recite one particular verse: “Miserere mei Deus secundum misericordiam tuam iuxta multitudinem miserationum tuarum dele iniquitates meas.” Or, in English: “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love; according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.” This is Psalm 51:1, David’s psalm of repentance after being confronted about his sin with Bathsheba. The defendant would “seek the Book,” be given a Bible, and told to read the verse in Latin. Their reading would be checked by an existing member of the clergy who could verify the authenticity of the reading, and, if sufficient, the accused would probably have saved his life.

I hope the irony of criminals escaping punishment by citing Psalm 51:1 does not escape us. In the three-year span of 1612 and 1614, 204 men were sentenced to death in Middlesex for a first offense. Of the 204, nearly half (95, to be precise) were able to successfully plead for the benefit of clergy. Since the “neck verse” (as it was called) never changed, it would have been possible to memorize the Latin words and recite them on command. I cannot imagine that every one of these men were legitimately from the church or even genuinely remorseful for their crimes, and yet their recitation of David’s appeal for mercy saved them.

God’s mercy towards us is greater in every way. For one, the stakes in His court are much higher. For Him there is no test of the outward appearance or of memorization, for He knows our hearts. This is great and terrifying news. It means that all who recognize their need and ask for His mercy in the same way that David did shall have it. But it also means that there are no shortcuts or places to hide. We are truly and fully at the mercy of a God who knows everything about us, including every motive. Hebrews 4:15-16 says, “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore approach the throne of grace with boldness, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” In Christ, the benefit of clergy has been extended to every one of us. No matter what you’ve done, take it to Him, that you might find mercy and grace to help in your time of need.