The Devil’s Pandemonium: Philosophers, Heretics, and Crusading in Martin of León’s Commentary on John’s Revelation

This article examines the commentary on John’s Revelation penned by Martin of León, probably in the 1190s, after the failure of the Third Crusade had disappointed eschatological hopes. The commentary reveals multiple historical concerns, notably that four groups, perceived as enemies of the Church, were aligned with devilish forces: Jews, heretics, “philosophers” (understand scholastics) and “pagans” (understand Muslims) – a programme that mirrors the Liber Sermonum altogether, that is, the larger opus in which the commentary was embedded. Yet the commentary focuses in particular on heretics, especially “false Christians” and “pseudoapostles”. The article concludes that this reflects the aftermath of the Third Crusade, when preachers were forced to explain the expedition’s unsatisfying outcome by pointing to the rampant sinfulness within Christendom. In sum, this commentary reacted sensibly to events in the wider world: this contests notions among (some) scholars that such works were limited to an exegetical or monastic register.