TheSpanishInquisition

RecommendedReading:

WilliamThomasWalsh,CharactersoftheInquisition,TheLastCrusader,PhilipII
EdwardPeters,Inquisition
HenryKamen,TheSpanishInquisition:AHistoricalRevision

Thetwoclubs:Crusades/1204?/theactionsofindividualmen
TheInquistion:TheproblemwiththeexpressionTheInquisition
Plato,Romans,Moses(GoldenCalf/Beelphegor),Corinthians,EpistleofSt.John
Thefirstmillenniumandtheheretic
understandingthemindofmedievalmanandthethreatofheresy;
themedievalChurchandState
thedividebetweenthemedievalandthemoderm

THEMEDIEVALINQUISITION

WhoweretheCathars?(Manichaean?)

Theirpeculiarbeliefs/theireffectonsociety/thepopularreaction

PopeGregoryIX
TheDominicans/dangerouswork/theirmotives

BernardGui/NicholasEymeric(inAragon)

HowdidtheMedievalInquisitionoperate?

periodofgrace/witnesses(anonymity)/boniveri
torture(InnocentIV,AlexanderIV,ClementIV)

citramembridiminutiematmortispericulum

Themedievalinquisitioncameofageintheglorious13thCentury,theagethatgave
theworldThomasAquinas,Dante,andGiotto.ItprotectedChristendomfromthe
socialandpoliticalchaosofheresyanditsavedcountlesssoulsfromdamnation.

THEINQUISITIONINSPAIN

UnderstandingSpain

Convivencia/theCrossreconquering/politicalstrife/oneofhistorysgreat
marriages:FerdinandandIsabella/Grenadaresurgent/theConversos

howtheconversos(andthemoriscos)cametobe
SpainstolerationofherJews
Usury,theslavetrade,socialseparateness,Talmudism
Civilwars/pogroms/massBaptism/DebateatTortosa
ThegrowthandprosperityoftheConversoclass:intermarriage,
finance,clergy,nobility,racialpride(arrogance),theJudaizer
/streetfighting/Segovia1474

anewbaptism
PopeSixtusIV:Exigitsinceraedevotionis(shelvedfor2years/Ortranto)

Morillo,SanMartin

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TomsdeTorquemada:TotheInquisition,guidedbyGuiandEymeric,hegavea
formalstructureofcarefulprocedures,checks,andbalances.Asaresult,the
InquisitioninSpainwasfarmoreattentivetotherightsoftheaccusedthanany
othercourtinEuropeandrepresentednothinglessthanasignificantimprovement
inthepracticeofjusticeintheWest.Manyofthepracticesthatwetakeforgranted
todayinthejudgingofcriminalguiltorinnocencefirstfindexpressioninthesystem
devisedbyFrayTomasTorquemada.Whereinstancesofcruelty,vengeance,and
persecutionsurfaceinthefirstyearsoftheSpanishInquisition,theyareinviolation
ofTorquemadasrules,notbecauseofthem.Furtherreformstookplaceunderthe
FranciscanFranciscoXimenesdeCisneros.

Thenumbers:30005000executedoverthreecenturies(abolished1834)

CLEARINGUPTHERECORD
Protestants?Jews?Muslims?
Theautodef/thesanbenito
Torture
Thequemadero(quemar)
Theprisons
Harmtotheeconomy?
AnactofthecivilgovernmentoroftheChurch
TheChurch:soleexecutorofheretics?

SomeeffectsoftheInquisition:unitedtodefendChristendomagainstthe
Turk/Spainsparedthecivilwarsofthe17thCentury/nowitchtrialsinSpain/the
CrosstotheNewWorld

Christopher Check is Executive Vice President of The Rockford Institute, publisher of Chronicles: A Magazine of
American Culture, in Rockford, Illinois, www.chroniclesmagazine.org. A graduate of Rice University, he served for
seven years as a field artillery officer in the Marine Corps in Southern California, the Far East and the Persian Gulf,
attaining the grade of captain. His writings on Catholic history and ideas have appeared in numerous publications
including This Rock, Culture Wars, New Oxford Review, the Wanderer, the Chesterton Review, Gilbert!, Crisis, and
Angelus. In cooperation with Angelus Press he is the co-founder of The Lepanto Lectures, a series of audio lectures on
Catholic history.Hehaslecturedin North America and Europe including at the University of London, the Pontifical
Augustinian University in Rome, The Serbian Writers Union in Belgrade, the National Press Club, Catholic Answers,
Catholics United for the Faith, the American Chesterton Society, Catholic Citizens of Illinois, Legatus, Ave Maria
University, the Thomas More College of the Liberal Arts, the University of Saint Thomas, Saint Paul, Minnesota, Clear
Creek Abbey, the Priory of Ephesus, Benedictines of Mary, Queen of Apostles in Kansas City, Saint Michael's Abbey,
Orange County, California, Saint Gregorys Academy, Scranton, Pennsylvania, the Institute of Catholic Culture and
most important of all the Irish Rose Saloon, Rockford Illinois. His joys include watching his sons serve Mass,
watching his sons cook dinner, the beach, John Ford pictures, and finding the best red wine for the least amount of
money. He and his wife of 21 years, Jacqueline, have four sons. They live in Rockton, Illinois where they show and
breed Cavalier King Charles Spaniels under the kennel name Top Meadow Cavaliers (www.topmeadowcavaliers.com)
named for G.K. Chestertons Beaconsfield estate.

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