Inquisitions – Spanish and Otherwise. Contemporaries use the word

Inquisitions – Spanish and Otherwise. 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 some 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 13^th 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 19^th 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.

This website presents a view on the Inquisition that fits with this discussion: The Top 10 Questions Everyone Has About the Inquisition (Murphy, C. 2012) .

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?