▁positive ▁relationships ▁he ▁does ▁not ▁want ▁to ▁write ▁off ▁the ▁t ension ▁of ▁the ▁area . ▁ ▁Acc us ations ▁of ▁rit ual ▁murder , ▁blood ▁lib el ▁and ▁host ▁des ec r ation ▁ ▁Although ▁the ▁first ▁known ▁mention ▁of ▁blood ▁lib el ▁is ▁found ▁in ▁the ▁writ ings ▁of ▁Ap ion ▁( 3 0 - 2 0 ▁B . C . E . ▁to ▁ 4 5 ▁or ▁ 4 8 ▁C . E .), ▁who ▁claimed ▁that ▁the ▁Jews ▁sacrific ed ▁Gree ks ▁in ▁the ▁Temple ▁of ▁Jerusalem , ▁no ▁other ▁mention ▁is ▁recorded ▁until ▁the ▁ 1 2 th ▁century , ▁when ▁blood ▁lib els ▁began ▁to ▁pro l ifer ate . ▁ ▁Jews ▁were ▁frequently ▁accused ▁of ▁rit ual ▁murder ▁and ▁of ▁using ▁human ▁blood ▁( es pecially , ▁the ▁blood ▁of ▁Christian ▁children ) ▁to ▁make ▁mat z ah . ▁In ▁many ▁cases , ▁these ▁" blo od ▁lib els " ▁led ▁to ▁the ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁regarding ▁the ▁vict ims ▁as ▁mart y rs . ▁The ▁Catholic ▁Church ▁canon ized ▁children ▁in ▁over ▁ 2 0 ▁such ▁cases . ▁England ▁seems ▁to ▁have ▁counted ▁for ▁the ▁first ▁and ▁most ▁important ▁examples ▁of ▁these . ▁The ▁most ▁influ ential ▁and ▁widely - known ▁of ▁these ▁is ▁Little ▁Saint ▁Hugh ▁of ▁Lincoln ▁( d . ▁ 1 2 5 5 ▁and ▁written ▁about ▁in ▁Ch au cer ' s ▁" Can ter bury ▁T ales ") ▁and ▁Simon ▁of ▁Tr ent ▁( d . ▁ 1 4 7 5