Abraham and Jehannot de Chevigny
Intro
- Storyteller: Neifile
- Neifile riffs off Panfilo's story about God's kindness in overlooking human error.
- She's doing this to strengthen their beliefs.
Story
- Jehannot de Chevigny is friends with an honest and upright Jewish man named Abraham. He really wants Abe to convert to Christianity so he doesn't burn in Hell.
- Abraham isn't biting, but Jehannot won't stop trying to save his friend.
- So Abraham makes a deal. If he goes to Rome and finds that the Pope is a good person, he'll convert.
- Jehannot is dismayed. He knows that the Pope lives like a sinful and debauched monarch. He tries to change Abe's mind about visiting Rome because he knows what he'll see.
- But Abe goes anyway and sees for himself.
- He quickly realizes that everyone, from the Pope to the lowest clergyman, are degenerates of the worst kind—drunks, sodomites, and gluttons.
- Abraham also finds them to be money-grubbers of the worst order. They'd sell their grandmas for a buck.
- He's pretty disgusted, so he returns to Paris.
- He tells Jehannot about the ungodliness of the Christian clergy and how well they practice all seven of the deadly sins.
- In conclusion: he decides to become a Christian.
- Jehannot is stunned.
- Abraham explains that the Church is growing and flourishing despite the wickedness of its leaders, so it really must be a religion built by the Holy Spirit.
- Jehannot takes Abraham to Notre Dame and stands up as his godfather. He gives Abe the name John.
- Jehannot becomes a good and responsible godfather, hiring the best masters of religion to instruct his friend.