In the historical novel The Pillars of the Earth the character Prior Philip is put onto a cross on top of a spire of wood to be burned. The bishop says something along the lines of "if this man is innocent let god save him from the flames". The trick is that since spectators can not see over the spire of wood they don't see the water that would put the flames out when the spire started burning. I am asking if the church really did stage fake punishments to make people appear innocent or "saved by god". As for time frame or place I am just asking if they church ever did this so any time frame or place would work. I saw there was already a thread fact checking The Pillars of the Earth but this question was not asked there. Thank you for any help, this is a topic really interesting to me so I appreciate any help given.
It's been a long time and I forget where I came across it, but I recall reading an article asserting that Church trials by ordeal were really psychological tests. The argument was that a significant enough portion of the population was superstitious enough that they really would have some psychological reaction to the tests the ordeal required of them. Priests being relatively "educated" could monitor the testee while going through the rights and procedures setting up the test.
For example, one test for ordeal was to plunge a person's hands into boiling water to see if they blistered--indicating guilt-or if they came out non-scalded indicating innocence. The priest could set the flame on the water and direct the intensity of the fire while saying the rights and prayers and explaining the ordeal. While doing so, he could monitor the testee to see for signs of fear (indicating they believed God would not protect them). If fear became the dominant expression, they could really build up the lead up and have the flame roaring and the water rolling and exhorting extreme judgement until the participant broke and confessed rather than be maimed and his/her guilt shown anyway. On the other hand, if the person seemed calm and serene (indicating faith that God would protect due to innocence), the Priest could alter things somewhat by removing the container of water from the fire sooner, slowing the pace of reading the rights and lengthening the prayer asking for protection and God's judgement to ensure the water cooled enough that the testee would not be scalded.
Is this proof that this is in fact what was happening? No, but given how many of the tests, when one studies what they actually required, had the capacity to be manipulated in similar ways, it makes for a very compelling argument. Add to that that historians can cite cases of people blaspheming in secular/royal trials simply to force the church courts to assume jurisdiction--especially in cases of well to do persons who likely had tutors, including church tutors. There is very compelling evidence that much of the "trial by ordeal" was theatrics, which could be driven home by actually using full force against unrepentant and iconoclastic people who simply needed to be dealt with. Good luck going facing down the ordeal after having watched someone actually be maimed by it or even burned alive at the stake.