Sortes Bibliae

The Holy Thief by Ellis Peters is the best one yet in the series.  The Brother Cadfael mysteries are set in medieval times and always seem to teach history interwoven throughout the story.  In this particular story, I learned about sortes Biblicae.  This is simply Bible roulette, where you open the Bible and blindly pick out a verse and use it to give you an answer.  When I've seen people use it, they fit whatever they want it to be, but in this story, it led to solving a murder.

The monks were using it to see who would win the relics of Saint Winifred.  The relics belonged to Cadfael's monastery in Shrewsbury.  However, the monks from Ramsey Abbey came on a mission to solicit funds to restore their Abbey.  While the monks were visiting, a flood threatened the abbey.  Furniture, etc. were moved to higher ground and the Ramsey Abbey monks rushed to leave before they were stuck in Shrewsbury.  After the monks departed, it was discovered that the relics of St. Winifred were stolen.  Also, the Ramsey Abbey monks were ambushed and robbed on their way home.  All the money they had collected was stolen, along with St. Winifred.

The robbers were only interested in the money and just tossed St. Winifred's reliquary aside.  When it was found it was brought to the nearby home of the Earl of Leicester.  The Earl brought it back to Shrewsbury.  The monks from Ramsey came back to Shrewsbury embarrassed and apologetic that one of their party must have stolen St. Winifred's reliquary.

There is a witness who can identify who took the reliquary.  Aldheim helped load the cart for the monks and he can point out the monk who was supervising the loading of the baggage.  But Aldheim is a shepherd and will come to identify the monk after his work in the pasture is done.  Unfortunately, Aldheim is murdered on his way.

The "holy thief" was a young novice by the name of Brother Tutilo, who claims he was told to move the reliquary to Ramsey by St. Winifred, herself.  Did she?  Tutilo's superiors believe him.  Tutilo, himself, is sincere.  This is where sortes Bibilae comes in.  The Shrewsbury insisted that St. Winifred's relics belonged to them.  But the Ramsey monks claimed that St. Winifred asked to be moved to their abbey.  Lastly, the Earl of Leicester pointed out that St. Winifred ended up at his estate.  Perhaps, that was her choice of residence?

While the sortes Bibilae was happening, the news of Aldheim's demise is learned.  So the Bible verses that are chosen include references to his murder.  It does seem evident that Brother Tutilo murdered Aldheim so he wouldn't finger him as the monk who took the reliquary.  But if not Tutilo then who?

Another Brother, enraged that Tutilo stole St. Winifred tried to kill him.  He thought he did, but it wasn't Tutilo he attacked but Aldheim, by mistake.  Tutilo was in the barn with a girl.  Yes, our "holy thief" was not a professed monk, yet.  He was still discerning his vocation.  It is obvious he doesn't have a vocation to consecrated life.  The girl Tutilo was with is a slave.  Yes, the author points out that slavery was frowned upon but did exist.  The slave girl and Tutilo make a sympathetic couple and the reader will root for them to be together.

Aldheim would have recovered if it weren't for another deadly blow on the head by the real thug who had actually stole the original money the Ramsey monks had collected for their abbey.  I'm not
spoiling the mystery by telling who committed the murder and how he was discovered.  Snitching is against the rules.