Contemporaries use the word ‘inquisition’ as something to be avoided: the hot seat, the third degree, a challenging trial. Inquisition from the time of the Middle Ages into the Renaissance and beyond was of a different kind and a much harsher degree. Over 700 years, inquiries into personal orthodox beliefs by a variety of authorities led tens of thousands of people to be investigated before tribunals and punished, at times by death for beliefs that deviated from the accepted orthodox understanding at the time. Inquisitions grew from the soil of moral certainty and intolerance of heterodox (non-orthodox) views.
Moreover, they were
prosecuted in an organized and institutional manner. The targets of this
concerted violence to enforce uniformity of belief were many and varied, in
different regions and in different time periods. Non-Christians, principally
Jews, Muslims, pagans and others of non-Christian belief systems, were
prosecuted and punished. Christians who were not in alignment with the position
of the Catholic Church included Protestant and heretical Christian believers
were also in serious risk of being tried for heresy. As noted, witches were
also persecuted for their mostly folk traditions and animistic beliefs.
The earliest
inquisition started at the beginning of the 13th century in southern France
against the Cathars, a Christian religious sect that was not Roman Catholic.
The pope promised that the lands of these heretics would be given to their
attackers.The Spanish Inquisition was first begun under the reign of King
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella and persisted until the 19th century in 1826. Many
of the targets of persecution in Spain were Jews and those of Jewish ancestry
who were converts to Christianity known as “Judaizers.” These were accused of
secretly following the beliefs and practices of Judaism.
Inquisition was a
phenomenon that existed because of intolerance and was an unacknowledged
admission that freedom of religion, freedom of conscience and will was
antithetical to the Catholic authorities of that time. It also fit with the
economic and political gain of those in power. Compulsion, persecution and
punishment were the tools used to ensure conformity of belief.
What are your
thoughts about this punishment for being different? With your contemporary
identity, do you think you would have been accused of heresy, and possibly
burned at the stake or been killed through some other means?
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