Saint Louis IX, also known as Louis IX of France, was a profoundly devout king and an influential monarch in French history. Reigning from 1226 until his death in 1270, he was an example of a sovereign whose primary objective was the maintenance of social order under the Kingship of Christ. He was canonized by the Catholic Church in 1297, not only for his personal piety but for his vigorous actions to reinforce the Catholic faith and combat what he considered heresies and blasphemies that threatened the fabric of Christian society.
⚔️ The Defense Against Talmudic Naturalism
One of the most notable events of his reign was the public burning of copies of the Talmud in 1242. Acting as a true temporal representative of Christ the King, Louis IX ordered that all copies of the Talmud, the central text of post-biblical rabbinic Judaism, be confiscated and burned in front of the Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris. This measure was not an act of racial hatred, but rather a theological and political defense of the supernatural order. It was clear that the Talmud contained atrocious blasphemies against Our Lord Jesus Christ and His Most Holy Mother, and furthermore, promoted a morality that was a direct threat to the Catholic faith and social harmony between Christians and Jews. The Talmud, by codifying the rejection of the Messiah and exalting an exclusivist nationalism, represents an organized form of Naturalism that undermines the very foundation of Christian civilization. (Fahey, 1953, pp. 84-86).
It is crucial to understand that, for the Talmudic mentality, the Jewish race constitutes humanity, while non-Jews are considered of a purely animal nature, without rights. Moral laws, such as the Ten Commandments, apply exclusively among Jews. Regarding the Goim (non-Jews), everything is permitted: robbery, fraud, perjury, and even murder. This systematic deformation of the divine order, which places the Jewish nation above all others and in direct opposition to the Mystical Body of Christ, is what Saint Louis IX fought against. (Fahey, 1953, p. 86).
🛡️ The Protection of Christian Social Order
By destroying these texts, the king was not targeting people, but rather the disordered system of thought they were taught to follow. He was protecting the purity of the Christian faith and promoting religious unity in his kingdom, understanding that social peace can only exist when society is aligned with the divine plan. To allow the dissemination of a doctrine that denies the divinity of Christ and preaches contempt for Christians would have been a betrayal of his duty as a Catholic monarch.
The action of Saint Louis IX reflects the perennial wisdom of the Church, which has always sought to protect the faithful from the contamination of Jewish Naturalism, while at the same time condemning unjust violence against persons. The Popes, throughout the centuries, have repeatedly warned of the danger of the Talmud, which, with its cynicism and calumnies, prevents the conversion of the Jews and sows social disorder. (Fahey, 1953, pp. 88-89).
Therefore, the burning of the Talmud was not an act of blind intolerance, but a prudent and necessary measure by a saintly king to safeguard the supernatural order and the common good of his people against an organized ideology that fundamentally opposes the Kingship of Christ.
📚 References
Fahey, Denis. The Kingship of Christ and The Conversion of the Jewish Nation. Dublin: Regina Publications, 1953.
