Medieval Christians believed they had to have more good deeds than bad deeds to get into heaven, which they called a "state of grace." People could earn grace through good behavior and pilgrimages to holy sites called shrines. Shrines were important because people believed praying there could forgive sins and improve their chances of reaching heaven. Relics, items supposedly belonging to saints, were important because the most common relics at shrines were pieces of the cross Jesus was crucified on. Priests would tell scary stories from the Bible and other sources to encourage people to earn grace and stick in peoples' minds.

1. Why were Priests stories so scary?

2. Medieval Christians believed that at the time they died the good they had
done in their life had to outweigh the bad. They called this ‘being in a state
of grace’. People could earn ‘grace’ by good behaviour in their everyday
lives. The Church also encouraged people to make pilgrimages to special
holy places called shrines. It was believed that if you prayed at these
shrines you might be forgiven for your sins and have more chance of going
to heaven. At shrines people went to see relics - the teeth, bones, shoes,
possessions, etc. that were said to have once belonged to important
Christian saints. The most common relics at these shrines were nails and
pieces of wood that the keepers of the shrine claimed came from the cross
used to crucify Jesus.
1. What was ‘a state of grace’?
2. Why were shrines important?
3. Why were relics important?

4. Did you know?
• Rich people paid other people to help
them get into Heaven. They could pay
people to go on a pilgrimage for them or
pay for prayers to be said for their soul
after they died.

5. 1. There was once a wealthy
woman who had hated a poor
woman for more than seven years.
2. When the wealthy woman went
to church, the priest told her to
forgive her enemy. She said she
had.
The local Priest would have used parts of the Bible and stories that they knew of to
encourage people to earn grace. To stick in the mind, these stories were often quite scary!

6. 1. There was once a wealthy
woman who had hated a poor
woman for more than seven years.
2. When the wealthy woman went
to church, the priest told her to
forgive her enemy. She said she
had.
3. When the church service was
over, some friends came to visit the
wealthy woman in her home.
4. They congratulated the wealthy
woman for forgiving her enemy. But
the wealthy woman said that she
hadn’t really forgiven her!
The local Priest would have used parts of the Bible and stories that they knew of to
encourage people to earn grace. To stick in the mind, these stories were often quite scary!

7. 1. There was once a wealthy
woman who had hated a poor
woman for more than seven years.
2. When the wealthy woman went
to church, the priest told her to
forgive her enemy. She said she
had.
3. When the church service was
over, some friends came to visit the
wealthy woman in her home.
4. They congratulated the wealthy
woman for forgiving her enemy. But
the wealthy woman said that she
hadn’t really forgiven her!
5. As soon as she said that, the
Devil came down and strangled her
there in front of everybody.
6. The Priest told his congregation
this story to make sure that they
meant and kept their promises.
The local Priest would have used parts of the Bible and stories that they knew of to
encourage people to earn grace. To stick in the mind, these stories were often quite scary!

8. You are a Medieval priest.
You are going to tell your
congregation a story to
persuade them that they
should not tell lies.
You are a Medieval priest.
You are going to tell your
congregation a story to
persuade them that they
should give to the poor.
You will probably want to tell your congregation a story that shows either how
people have been rewarded by heaven for doing the right thing or how people
have been punished by Devils for doing the wrong thing.
Why do you think Priests stories would be scary?

9. The local Priest would have used parts of the Bible and stories that they knew of to
encourage people to earn grace. To stick in the mind, these stories were often quite scary!