How did people react to the plague?

There were many reactions to the Black Death. Contemporary writers complained in their writing that they lost their natural affection for loved ones and friends. Many people also believed that the plague was God's punishment to the world for the wickedness of humanity. A religious group called the flagellants moved from town to town and whipped themselves as an attempted penance. Christians also believed that the Jews were somehow responsible for the starting of the plague, and went on to persecute them. Europeans also searched for answers in the study of astrology. There was an opinion that the cause of the plague was a conjunction of planets, including: Saturn, Jupiter, and Mars. Since there was no real proof that these theories were correct; people took it upon themselves to move away from infected areas, consume medicines, and burn substances that supposedly purified the air.