Crusade against the Pope

Chapter 274: Writing a preface and newspaper
Experimental printing has long been proven to be feasible, and its printing quality is actually better than that of handwriting by scribes.

The viscous oil-based ink exhibits excellent adhesion, which makes the printed words exceptionally clear and distinct.

The uniform printing of the machine can relatively avoid errors and omissions in copying and ensure consistent quality.

However, although there are no technical problems, there are still serious problems in politics and religion.

For example, in the scriptures of both religions, the prefaces or forewords prepared by Gaillis describe God the Father to some extent.

Gillis does not directly denigrate or forcefully declare any religion to be wrong.

He only gave a certain summary of the characteristics of the Heavenly Father.

The Father is unique, eternal, unchanging, transcendent, immanent…

Omnipotent, omniscient, benevolent, just, merciful...

Then, Gillis began to draw logical deductions.

The Father is omnipotent—His power is infinite and beyond human imagination and limits;

The Father created the world—all things exist because of His will;
Since Heavenly Father is omnipotent, if there are people who do not believe in God in the world He created, this is God’s own arrangement and should not be changed by man.

Any saint or priest who attempts to force others to convert in the name of God the Father instead of influencing others by practicing the teachings is denying the omniscience and omnipotence of God the Father.

As to why Heavenly Father set it up this way, it may be beyond human imagination.

To illustrate this point, Gillis quoted two sentences.

The preface to the Guillis Bible is "You shall not take the name of God in vain." (Exodus 20:7)

The preface to the Qarith Qur'an is: "There is no compulsion in religion." (2:256)

Aims to stop the forced conversion of others to any religion through violence or threats.

This view has a strong impact on many believers of this era.

In other words, it has greatly encroached upon and squeezed the religious scholars, who have the right to do whatever they want based on their right to interpret scriptures.

In addition to the two copies of the scriptures that were sold and distributed externally, Garys also prepared a catechism specifically for the Garys sect, so that the believers and priests of the Garys sect could understand Garys' religious theological views in a concise manner.

In the "Gillis Catechism", Gillis also wrote an introduction, including the following:

【Brother Tian and I are just, liberating, and loving. We stand on the side of the oppressed and call on believers to participate in the actions of liberation and justice. 】

【In this preface, I will explain our pursuit and how believers can live out this faith. 】

【The Heavenly Father has given man free will, so that he can forgive his resistance to the Heavenly Father. This is a clear proof of the justice and mercy of the Heavenly Father.】

【Therefore, we oppose any attempt to force others to believe, because this is a violation of the free gift of Heavenly Father. 】

【Those who use the name of the Father to serve their own interests should be regarded as imposters who blaspheme the Father. Whether it is the absolutization of religious leaders, church rituals, or human institutions, they should all be rejected.】

【Any act that exploits, oppresses or tramples on freedom in the name of Heavenly Father should be denounced as heresy. 】

【Heavenly Father does not need hypocritical worship from people, but hopes that believers will express their piety with their whole heart, whole mind and true actions. 】

【Faith in Heavenly Father does not stop at prayer, but reveals His will through the actions of believers in the world. 】

【Therefore, we should bear witness to the justice and mercy of Heavenly Father through our actions. Whether it is liberating the oppressed, promoting social justice, or safeguarding the rights of the poor, it is a manifestation of Heavenly Father’s will. 】

【I call on all people to return to the core will of Heavenly Father - liberation and justice. In this world, we are not only prayers, but also actions. The kingdom of Heavenly Father is near, it is not far away, it begins with the righteous actions of every believer. May the light of Heavenly Father guide us. 】

[“You shall pursue justice, only justice.” (Deuteronomy 16:20)]

Garys’ life is not over, so his words and deeds are still being recorded, but apart from writing religious texts, it does not mean that Garys cannot use clear doctrines to regulate his organization.

Faced with these three prefaces and introductions, the three apostles actually had some resistance instinctively. This was a criticism, a rejection, and a way of telling the world that the so-called priests and the church did not have any inherent divine rights.

In fact, if it weren’t for Gellis writing these down himself, repeatedly preaching them, and proving his identity with truly unquestionable “miracles”.

The vast majority of the Twelve Apostles could not accept Gailis's teachings.

Because this deviates from many things, including the three views of medieval people.

But Gellis finally appeared, and he transformed himself into a sacred candlelight, illuminating the darkness, and hammering these "truths" into people's minds like a hammer.

Therefore, even if some of the apostles did not like it, they would still carry it out.

They may offer their suggestions to Gillis, but once Gillis makes a decision, they will simply support it.

You know, turning away from the king’s will means at most death, but turning away from God’s truth means eternal torment after death.

It was with this method that Gellis established an organization that was very different from the world in the 12th century, and tried to pass on his ideas in writing to inspire future generations.

When this small workshop officially started operations, in a sense, it was actually preparing to declare war on the religion of the old era.

Whether it is the Roman Catholic Church or the Caliphate of Baghdad, books will carry the power of words and deal them a heavy blow.

However, due to the current situation of the Second Kingdom, the religious declaration of war should be put on hold and there is no rush to start it.

On the contrary, in order to strengthen national identity, there is a more urgent thing, which also relies on printing technology - newspapers.

The operation to retake the Principality of Galilee cannot be separated from Gellis everywhere. Many towns require Gellis to go there in person, and many churches and places with religious and historical significance also require Gellis to go there for the formality.

Although these things are troublesome, they can indeed effectively calm people's hearts.

During this process, all the things that Gellis experienced, such as defeating a Turkish tribe, rescuing Frankish slaves, and exempting the head tax, were reported back to the rear, and after being sorted out, they were printed into the first "newspaper" of the Kingdom of Jerusalem. Strictly speaking, this was not a mature newspaper, but more like a bulletin. There were not enough writers and the middle class to support the newspaper's customer market.

In fact, for quite a long time, Gellis did not expect that the "newspaper" could make a profit. Instead, he needed to invest a large amount of subsidies into it, and even hired preachers to distribute and preach to the masses.

The benefits of doing so are actually beyond doubt.

……

In the square of Tyre, on this winter afternoon, the sunlight shines on the marble ground, reflecting a faint glow.

A makeshift wooden podium stood in the center of the square, covered with a crimson curtain with the iconic pattern of the royal family embroidered on the edge.

A flag with the golden cross of Jerusalem fluttered behind the podium.

Her short hair shone in the sun, as if it was coated with gold powder, and every strand of hair was shiny.

Today, Isabella was participating in the ribbon-cutting ceremony of the kingdom's first newspaper. Many important figures in the kingdom attended the ribbon-cutting ceremony, which also made the people curious about the so-called newspaper.

As Isabella wore her gown and cut the silk ribbons, the audience cheered, led by some people.

People actually don’t quite understand the concept of newspapers, but since the “Queen” is attending, it would be a good idea to go along and join in the fun.

The people can no longer clearly tell who the real king of this kingdom is.

In the previous year, Isabella had broken her image of being aloof and reclusive in the palace and instead established a amiable personality.

She would meet with representatives of the people on weekends and chat with them casually. If there was anything she needed, Isabella would help. She would also appear in the streets and shops from time to time with her attendants, and when someone saluted Isabella, the girl would respond with a smile.

Generally speaking, the citizens of Tyre are not unfamiliar with their queen, and they all have a good impression of this sweet-looking girl who does not make trouble for others and listens to people's complaints calmly.

After the ribbon-cutting ceremony, several attendants stood at the edge of the crowd with a stack of newly printed newspapers, distributing them for free while explaining their purpose and content to the onlookers.

Those who were willing to buy the first newspaper received a small exquisite badge as a souvenir.

The sun-drenched square was filled with a lively atmosphere. The successful ribbon-cutting ceremony at the newspaper marked a new era, and Isabella, standing on the podium, made herself increasingly well-known to the public.

When that series of activities was over, Isabella could finally relax and lean back on the wooden sofa in the newspaper's reception room without any image.

"Little Bella, you can't do this. As a queen, you must always be dignified."

The door was pushed open, and the visitor walked into the reception room holding a newspaper. Looking at Isabella's image, he couldn't help but make a teasing remark.

The man who came was Alchos, who was already over thirty years old, twice as old as Isabella.

Because of the printing of scriptures and the fact that many things in Cyprus had been settled, this Orthodox priest and one of the founders of Gelis theology came to Tyre by boat.

Although it was Gillis who wrote the draft of the catechism, he was always responsible for proofreading it.

Due to the age difference and the fact that Aljos was a carefree guy with no respect for anyone in the world, he often looked at Isabella as a junior rather than a person of noble blood.

If we really talk about noble blood, he still has Beatrice by his side.

This daughter of Isaac, the former tyrant of Cyprus, was adopted by Archos. As a member of the Komnenos bloodline, the girl was actually a distant relative of Isabella.

In addition to those two people, Purdock, Caffey and others came in one after another.

Everyone is familiar with each other and gets along very casually. At least Isabella won't put on a mask in front of these people.

"I'm not the queen yet."

"Sooner or later."

Alchos said this again without any respect for his elders, and then threw the newspaper in his hand to Isabella.

Isabella threw the newspaper to the maid beside her. She had actually read the contents of the newspaper a long time ago.

It was nothing more than a series of news such as how much land the kingdom had recovered, how many Ayyubid troops Gelis had defeated, or that the kingdom's by-elections for members of parliament for the newly recovered lands were about to begin, and that the factories around Tyre were recruiting 100 apprentices, and so on.

"Isn't it too cheap to sell a newspaper for half a silver dirham? It's basically equivalent to not making any money."

Isabella said to Aljos casually that she actually knew the reason, but she still talked about it.

After all, paper is not cheap these days, or rather, it is quite expensive.

If converted into purchasing power, the price of a piece of paper is actually about the same as an ordinary citizen's daily food, clothing, housing and transportation.

"It's not cheap. How many people in Tyre can afford a price higher than this? You know, this is a weekly newspaper."

Aljos smiled and said, "Besides, for us, this newspaper business is not for profit."

"For example, at present, the kingdom has controlled the Principality of Galilee, Acre, Tyre, Tripoli, Antioch... this series of regions. In terms of population and wealth, it is more prosperous than the old Kingdom of Jerusalem before Saladin's conquest."

“But in such a large land, how many people would say that they are from the Kingdom of Jerusalem?”

"The Saracens would say they were the people of Allah, Antioch would say they were Antiochians, the Genoese in Tripoli never considered themselves to be people of the Kingdom of Jerusalem, and of course the Venetians in Tyre and the Pisans in Acre also thought so. The Franks who came from the West never regarded this land as their homeland."

“Who are the people who truly consider themselves citizens of the Kingdom of Jerusalem?”

"It's you, and you guys." Aljos pointed at Isabella and Kafi and others beside him.

Listening to Aljos' words, Isabella knew what he meant. Isabella represented the local nobles, who had their own wealth and land in this land. They were born and grew up here, but they would be nothing if they left here.

Kaffir represents a group of localized Franks who thrived on this land, intermarried with the locals, and accepted some local cultural customs. They cultivated olives, grapes, wheat, barley, and dates in the countryside. They broke away from the old communities and became the seeds of a new nation.

(End of this chapter)