Joan of Arc

Joan of Arc's fascinating life ended when she was 19 years old-burned at the stake after leading thousands of men in military battles that were decisive in ending the Hundred Years War. She was officially appointed as commander-in-chief of the French army by King Charles VII, but he later abandoned her when he could have intervened to save her from execution. According to the transcripts of her trial, "the judges found this woman superstitious, a witch, idolatrous, a conjurer of demons, blasphemous towards God and His saints, a schismatic and greatly erring in the faith of Jesus Christ." The general public knows very little about the ordeals Joan suffered at the hands of her clerical judges, who were sophisticated and intelligent theologians yet utterly evil in their pursuit to convict her. Atheists often point to Galileo as a key example of abuse carried out in the name of religion, but Galileo's experience was extremely pleasant compared to Joan's. Her accusers claimed Joan was a witch because-as Joan herself and others admitted-she was capable of "foreseeing the future and knowing things that have occurred in the past that were secret or hidden." She was accused of "keeping a mandrake in her bosom," and Joan did receive much of her spiritual formation at The Ladies' Tree, which Jean Morel's testimony described as follows: "As for the tree that was called the Ladies' Tree, I have sometimes heard that ladies who cast spells-fairies they used to call them-used to come in the old days and dance under that tree." From the transcripts: "Joan said sometimes she would go playing with other young girls at the tree, making garlands for Our Lady of Domremy there. Often she heard the elderly people say, although not those of her family, that spirits frequently appeared near this tree." Did Joan mediate or perform miracles as followers of Jesus did as recorded in the biblical book of Acts? From the transcripts: "Asked how old the child was whom she raised from the dead at the town of Lagny, she replied that the child was three days old and was brought to Lagny with an image of Our Lady. Maidens of the town who were accompanying the image of Our Lady informed Joan so that she might pray to God and to the Blessed Virgin Mary to restore life to the baby. So Joan went and prayed with the other maidens, and finally the child came back to life, yawning three times. … While Joan was with the maidens who were on their knees praying in front of the image of Our Lady, the child then yawned and the color began to return to the baby's skin." Joan claimed to be the fulfillment of a prophecy that a "miraculous virgin" would save the kingdom of France from the enemies of God-was she an iconic image of the Blessed Virgin Mary? An Epilogue in the book also addresses the most controversial aspect