When studying the Middle Ages in grade school, most of us learned that besides the obvious purpose of decoration, church art in medieval times also served to teach and instruct the common people about theology, as most of them were illiterate and unable to profit from the already scarce books of the time. The mid-twelfth century carved capital from Burgundy, which is now displayed in the Snite Museum, is an example of such art. But while it was originally intended to teach lessons to uneducated medieval peasants, it now teaches lessons to modern college students, lessons about the original teachers and what they believed. The capital cannot be easily brushed aside as an eroded piece of sculpture and little else, for it speaks volumes about an era in the Church very different from our own. The information we can gleam from this ancient fragment of architecture becomes even clearer when supplemented with information from literature that deals with the same period of time. Umberto Eco's richly historical The Name of the Rose is a perfect companion for understanding the capital and the theology behind it.

As mentioned earlier, the capital can be overlooked, for it is a rather simple work of art, and much of it has crumbled away over time. Still, the three figures are quite discernable. The most noticeable image is that of a winged demon with human legs, but a grotesque and mask-like face. The demon is being stabbed by a sword-wielding angel. while the demon is more of a caricature of a man, the angel has very refined and beautiful human features, even down to details such as fingernails. The angel appears more human than the man he is shielding from the demon's grip. This human being is small and less prominent than the angel and demon. His head is that of an adult, but his body is that of an infant.

The message behind these three figures is very powerful. The smallness and plainness of the human figure in comparison to the angel and demon, and the human's lowly position on the capital, almost like an afterthought of the artist, imply the insignificance of humans and their affairs in the grand scheme of the universe. God's affairs, His angels' battles with the forces of Satan; those are the major events of existence. It would follow then, that on earth, the events held to be the most significant would be ones regarding religious matters and the Church.

The characters in The Name of the Rose do just this when viewing the events of their world. It is obvious that to some of them, the Church is the center of the universe. Anything that happens is judged in terms of religion. The monk Ubertino goes so far as to proclaim "we have reached the sixth era of human history" (').62) because of certain events involving Saints Francis and Dominic, and Popes Boniface, Celestine, and Benedict. To Ubertino, these men, who today are not considered terribly influential outside of the history of the medieval church, were all major players in the events that would end the entire world. Ubertino appears to share the view of the carver of the capital, that matters of religion take precedence over other more human events. That is why Ubertino can apply the events that affected one church and a relatively small number of people to the entire world.

Another example of this view of religion and more specifically the church being the center of the universe to the exclusion of all other things, is the heresy trial of the cellarer in The Name of the Rose. In these chapters, the inquisitors spend hours arguing with the cellarer over issues regarding different religious orders and papal allegiance. Meanwhile a murderer is loose in the abbey. This episode in the book is almost a satire on the religion-focused monks. If they spent as much time searching for the murderer as they did on the heresy trial, and if they questioned and investigated everyone at the abbey as thoroughly as they did the cellarer, then it is likely the murderer would have been captured much sooner. But once again, the monks are living by a code, a code that is set in stone--the sandstone of the capital from Burgundy. And according to this code, to this way of viewing the world, matters concerning God are far more pressing and important than mere human affairs.

The role the aforementioned heresy played in this medieval mindset is very significant. As the capital demonstrates, Satan and God (working through an angel) fought over the fate of each soul. The images on the capital echo the words of the abbot in The Name of the Rose that there was a "constant presence of the Evil One in human affairs" (p.29) Because of Satan's constant and unrelenting presence, violence against him was acceptable and necessary, as seen in the capital where the angel plunges his sword into the demon.

This violent image of heavenly creatures was carried a step further to justify violence by the Church. Heresy was considered to be from Satan, a "jumble of diabolical contradictions" (".200) In a world like the medieval abbey of The Name of the Rose, heretical notions could weaken the foundation of all society, which was the Church. Heretics 'jeopardize the very order of the civilized world" (".151) and "endanger the order that sustains the people of God" (".153) as the abbot put it.

Considering that heresy could wreak as much havoc on souls as the demon on the capital could, it was considered just and commendable to use violence to fight heresy just as the angel uses violence to repel the demon. There are many instances in The Name of the Rose of heretics being brutally tortured and executed. Characters in the novel also approve of such actions. The abbot's rule for dealing with heretics is "kill them all, God will recognize His own" (".153) When William remarks to the abbot about the large numbers of people recently discovered gunpowder can kill, the abbot replies, "perhaps it would be good, if they were enemies of the people of God." (".88)

The abbot's words are violent, just as the action of the angel on the capital is. Yet there is more to this violence than just pure cruelty. Looking at the capital, one sees that the angel is shielding the human while stabbing the demon. Furthermore, the reason the angel is slaying the demon is to protect the human. The motivation behind the violence of the angel and the violence of the inquisition was the protection of souls, though the methods used by the latter are certainly questionable. As mentioned earlier, heresy threatened the foundations of medieval society. The Church also took a very paternalistic view towards the common people. The abbot admitted that "the simple do not know much about doctrine" (".152) and therefore were very susceptible to heretical teachers. William bemoaned how so many unsuspecting people had become followers of heresies, and in their zeal to share their new religious ideas with others, were put to death. It was the duty of the monks who were educated in matters of doctrine to step in and protect the lives and souls of these simple peasants. And if they had to follow the example of the angel in the capital and shed blood, then so be it.

The medieval world in which religious matters were the center of attention and violence for the sake of preserving that order was tolerated has disappeared. Remnants of it, such as the capital from Burgundy, are found in museums, and tales of it, like The Name of the Rose, are found in historical novels. Perhaps someday fragments of the new churches being built today will sit in museums and a future Eco will write a historical novel about the Church in our time. What will these things say about us to people of the future? And will these future Catholics find us as different from them as we find the people of The Name of the Rose and those who first gazed at the capital?