Christianity, on the contrary, laid emphasis on the virtues of
self-sacrifice and sympathy. It took the side of the weak and the
helpless. The Church itself held slaves, yet it labored for
emancipation. It built monasteries and encouraged industry and
education. The church edifice was a kind of open Bible.
Very few who entered the sacred building then could have spelled out a
single word of either the Old or New Testament, even if they had then
been translated from Latin into English; but all, from the poorest
peasant or the meanest slave up to the greatest noble, could read the
meaning of the Scripture histories painted in brilliant colors on wall
and window.
The church, furthermore, was a peculiarly sacred place. It was
powerful to shield those who were in danger. If a criminal, or a
person fleeing from vengeance, took refuge in it, he could not be
seized until forty days had expired, during which time he had the
privilege of leaving the kingdom and going into exile.
This "right of sanctuary" was often a needful protection in an age of
violence. In time, however, the system became an intolerable abuse,
since it enabled robbers and desperadoes of all kinds to defy the
law. The right was modified at different times, but was not wholly
abolished until 1624, in the reign of James I.