Page "Cadfael" Paragraph 14

As the monastery's highly literate herbalist / gardener, holding a rare skill set in demand in both town and abbey, Cadfael is the equivalent of the mediaeval physician, possessing an independent authority that sets him aside from his fellows.

This enables him to travel, building secular relationships and at times challenging powers within the strong feudal hierarchy.

It is the " corporeal works of mercy " that engage Cadfael's Christianity, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and healing the sick, rather than preaching.

He favours a simple, tolerant and forgiving understanding of Christianity, his practice tending to be based on experience of human frailty rather than contemplation of religious texts.

When Shrewsbury is visited by an Inquisition-style orthodoxy ( The Heretic ’ s Apprentice ) or a harshly punitive version of Christianity ( The Raven in the Foregate ), the stories end with a reaffirmation of the positive, tolerant faith espoused by Cadfael.

In a sense he " creates his own theology " to suit the situation ; Pargeter herself agreed that Cadfael is a situational ethicist, basing his actions in any given situation on " the right thing to do " rather than on a strict moral code.