01/ The Blood Libel Of William Of Norwich (1144)

This work of art falsely portrays, Jewish people engaging in the ritual murder of William of Norwich.

In the spring of 1144, the body of a twelve-year-old boy named William was found in a wooded area outside the English city of Norwich. His death was tragic—but even more tragic was that it became the first of 150-200 blood libels against the Jewish people in Europe from 1200 to 1900. 

Local rumors began to circulate that Jews had murdered William in a ritual reenactment of the crucifixion. No evidence supported the accusation. No Jews were formally tried. Yet the story took on a life of its own.

“The blood libel that immortalized ‘Saint William of Norwich’ also branded the Jews as bloodthirsty ‘others’ who deserved to be killed.” (Historian Robert Wistrich)

At the time, Norwich’s Jewish community was small, vulnerable, and legally dependent on the protection of the crown. They lived as outsiders in a Christian society where theology, rumor, and fear could easily converge against them.

A monk named Thomas of Monmouth later wrote a ‘hagiography’ (biography of a saint, often greatly exaggerated) portraying William as a martyr, falsely claiming Jews across Europe conspired annually to sacrifice a Christian child. His account, filled with dramatic detail and theological hostility, was accepted by many despite its complete lack of evidence, much like many of the claims of Candace Owens and Tucker Carlson today.

What made the accusation so powerful was not its credibility, but its resonance with existing Christian antisemitic ideas. Jews were already portrayed as ‘Christ-killers,’** spiritually blind, and morally corrupt. The blood libel drew on these themes, transforming theological prejudice into a narrative of monstrous violence. It gave the Church a justification to release centuries of pent-up hostility against the Jewish people.

(**Jesus said “I lay down my life in order to take it up again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10:17-18). The idea that any one people group is to blame for His death fails to recognize that his death was his mission. Blaming every Jewish person for the actions of a small group of leaders in concert with Roman rulers is unjust. Furthermore, according to the New Testament, the vast majority of Jewish people loved Jesus—John 8:31, Mark 11:9-10, John 7:14-15).

Norwich did not immediately erupt into a massacre, but the consequences were devastating. William became the object of local veneration. Pilgrimages followed. In fact, Dr. Marian Prinsley claims that the blood libel "was fabricated in order to bring pilgrims to the cathedral which helped it to raise money."

More importantly, the accusation established a template that would be repeated for centuries across Europe. Similar claims soon appeared in Gloucester, Blois, Trent, and beyond—almost always ending in torture, executions, or the destruction of entire Jewish communities.

The blood libel did not arise from pagan hatred, Islamic fundamentalism, or secular ideology. It emerged within Christian culture, preached and preserved by bishops, and absorbed by ordinary believers who had no reason not to believe it. What began as a vicious rumor became an impetus for persecution and even murder.

The tragedy of William of Norwich is not only the loss of a child, but the birth of a lie that cost countless Jewish lives. The relative safety Jews have experienced since the Holocaust is the exception, not the rule. Historically, antisemitism within the Church has led to violence and bloodshed.

Remembering this story is not about condemning the past, but about being alert in the present. When old tropes resurface—claims of hidden evil, collective guilt, or secret power—we need to stop and pause. We need to look back into history and see how such claims have been used by the enemy to stir up mob-like anger against the Jewish people.

Paul had an expectation that Christians would contend for Israel’s salvation (Rom. 11:11-15, 15:27). The enemy is seeking once again to put a target on the back of every Jewish person.

Dr. Ron Cantor Sign up for free teachings at www.roncantor.com