ABSTRACT
Toleration' and 'tolerance', naively investigates what medieval literature might be able to tell one about general attitudes about foreigners, foreign religion, and foreign culture, that one face rather interesting, at times rather ambivalent, situation. Many scholars have happily accepted the theoretical framework established by Edward Said's famous study, Orientalism, addressing the universal perception of the Orient through European eyes from the early modern age until today. One can easily draw certain conclusions about individual crusading songs composed in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. But the German poets seem to have taken a somewhat critical perspective and viewed crusades as dangerous both for the body and the soul. The soul discusses the differences between Muslims and Christians and brings to light rather surprising perspectives. But first, the criticism is raised not only against Saracens and Jews, but also against scribes, or clerics, because they lead a life of hypocrisy and do not practice what they are teaching.
