How we cite our quotes: Chapter, Paragraph
Quote #1
The Holy Father in Rome had decreed that all who fought to take Jerusalem from the heathen would obtain indulgences—forgiveness of sins. The foulest criminal could absolve himself of wrongdoing before Heaven by joining the army of God. (2.18)
The Holy Father tells Christians that if they join in the Crusades, God will forgive all of their sins—even the worst ones. This is a huge incentive for Middle Ages folk who constantly sense that they are being watched and judged by Heaven. And it shows that they value their soul more than their body if they're willing to fight a war for deliverance.
Quote #2
But Otto had explained that the miller paid little heed to the coin that kissed his palm. So the Devil instructs us, his eager pupils. He teases us with evil hope. (2.32)
Edmund points out that temptation is sometimes very sweet; Otto just couldn't resist taking more from the king than he was supposed to. He also made it seem to Edmund like it wasn't a big deal. Which it wasn't… until he was caught.
Quote #3
The sheriff rolled the parchment in his hand into a wand. "Mercy is exchanged," he said, "for acts of penance." What penance could I give, I wondered, that would earn even a single hour of mercy? (3.12)
The sheriff judges Edmund. Or, we should say, he judges Otto. But back then, the master's sin was also the sin of the servant. When he decides to spare Edmund's life, the sheriff tells him that his mercy will have to be repaid with penance, which we can think of as a kind of spiritual community service.
Quote #4
Perhaps it was the sin of envy I experienced, watching Hubert rabbiting from stem to stern. Envy is sorry at the prosperity of others, and Hubert prospered in his great health. But I did not wish him sorrow, and took no joy when he slipped on the wet deck and had to sit down for a while, blinking thoughtfully at the small rain that drifted down. (12.25)
Edmund is very aware of doing right and wrong; it's like his sixth sense. Since he's super seasick, he kind of hates Hubert for running around feeling great—but he catches himself and doesn't feel happy when Hubert trips and falls. Close call there, Edmund.
Quote #5
"That's why the lord pope has seen the wisdom in sending so many fighting men to the Holy Land. That and, of course, the great need of us there."
"A ghost is but a demon," said Hubert. "However its disguise, I'll spit on it, even if it carries its head like a bucket." (13.5-6)
Over supper, the Crusaders are discussing the Crusades as a spiritual fight. They feel it's their duty to protect their faith and the legacy of their church by protecting it from evil. They boast that given the chance, they would spit in the face of an evil spirit.
Quote #6
"The pagans we call Mussulmen. I know little about them, I am pleased to say. They have taken the Holy City from the Christians, but I am certain, Edmund, that they look in great measure as we do."
A dozen questions swarmed in me. Did these heathens fight with swords? Did they invoke the Devil, and did the Devil ride with them? (13.27-28)
Edmund knows that they're fighting the Crusades for religious reasons, but his imagination takes it a bit far. Whatever their motive is, the Mussulmen do happen to just be ordinary people. They're not these evil non-human creatures that ride into battle with the Devil himself.
Quote #7
Father Joseph used to say that suffering, even squalid illness, was a gift from God. I knew that this fever was sent from Heaven, a reminder that I was the apprentice of a counterfeiter, little better than a thief myself. I was an ordinary young man with no good name, unworthy of the battle for the True Cross. (21.3)
That guilty conscience just keeps following Edmund around. He thinks that when he gets a fever it's Otto's sin coming back to get him. Even though he's been trying to become a real Crusader, Heaven's sending him a little reminder that he's still unworthy. Perhaps this is just the fever talking, though…
Quote #8
The creature twitched, stinging upward, stabbing the air. Scorpions and spiders, vipers and centipedes were created when God cast Adam and Eve from the Garden. The sun multiplied such beasts from rot, decaying wood, and flesh. In God's innocent, unfallen Creation, no such creatures existed. (28.17)
Edmund explains that all of the gross creatures found in nature are a result of sin. When God first created the world (before Adam and Eve messed it all up), everything was beautiful. The first sin resulted in making creation bad and ugly.
Quote #9
"I must think of some worthy advice to offer the king, or he will melt down all this finery in a great pot, and pour it into ingots."
"That would be a sin!" I gasped.
"Oh, King Richard is a great sinner," said Rannulf. (31.17-19)
Rannulf really goes outside the box here. King Richard is known for being a very holy man—but Rannulf tells Edmund the king's a great sinner. Why? He has no regard for the wealth that they're being given from the Holy Land. Lots of good things could be done with such precious stones, but King Richard has no use for them and will probably melt them down, because they came from the "infidels."
Quote #10
Perhaps I had taken a path in the direction of God's city, without admitting to myself what I was doing. I crested the hill.
I blinked, and looked away. And then I turned my face toward it again—an unworthy face, with a sinner's eyes. (42.17-18)
Edmund finally beholds the beautiful city of Jerusalem. It's shining white, and he feels unworthy to look at it because he still feels generally unworthy and guilty due to his master's sin. But Edmund can't help but look at it again, however unworthy he is.