This document comes from the records of the meeting of bishops at the third council of Toledo in the year 589 and was meant to for all of Spain. The decrees were specifically meant for the church officials who would be the ones to monitor and enforce this new set of laws. It addresses the problem of heresy, anyone who was not of the Catholic religion was considered a heretic, after the conversion of Spain’s king from Arianism to Catholicism, as well as, setting new guidelines for the church, its members, and its officials. Many of the decrees are aimed directly at changing the behaviors of not only Catholics, but the entire population, and the way the church responded to those behaviors. After King Reccared converted to Catholicism he called for a meeting of the council. It seems that many bishops and people in Spain followed the king’s suit in converting, and proceeded to reform the church. The conversion was used as a way to “repair” the church to what the ancient canons had deemed as appropriate. A list of decrees was written as a way to lay out what was and was no longer acceptable. The first decree states that under Arianism there was an excess of ill behaviors and a lack of discipline, but that there would be “restored peace” and “revived discipline” after the conversion (Page 15). Under …show more content…
The translator of this document states in his introduction, that it is hard to know exactly which decrees were followed and which were just a replacement of ancient canons, and that some of the behaviors targeted may not have been as common as the decrees indicated (Page 12). It is difficult to know exactly what practices had actually become a problem for the church, and what was happening less frequently. It seems that the goal of the king and council was to steer the country and the Church as far from Arian traditions as
As demonstrated by scholars such as Kagan and Dyer, Homza, and Kamen, The Spanish Inquisition was a highly organized and secretive institution used to police religious and social order. The trials of María Gonzalez and Pedro de Villegas demonstrate the dedication with which Inquisitors sought to persecute those who were outsiders in society and manipulate them into confessing their religious offenses. However, they also show that the Inquisition was not completely unmerciful- it operated with a legal process that afforded the accused an opportunity to provide evidence that would prove they were not guilty. Using these two cases, I will demonstrate these polarities and argue that the Spanish Inquisition was not as cruel as it is made out to be. Although victims were often falsely accused, they were provided the opportunity to defend themselves and community testimony was allowed to confirm their case. Although it’s methods weren't always ideal, the Inquisition was "something less than the faceless, monolithic machine that it is commonly conceived to have been."1
Juan Lopez de Palacios wrote the Requerimiento 1533 version in 1512. The manuscript acknowledges that all humans are descendants of one man and woman (who were created by God, five thousand years ago). The document also argues that God put Saint Peter in charge of all the people regardless of whether they were Christians, Muslims, or gentiles. It is notable that God ordered Saint Peter to stay in Rome as the best location for governing, judging, and ruling the world. Additionally, those that lived at the time (Saint Peter’s time) accepted and submitted to his rule. A former pontiff who succeeded the throne donated the islands and the mainland. The document urges other non-Catholics to accept the Catholic faith citing that the Catholics would treat them as their own. This paper is an objective critique to The Requerimiento 1533 Version because it analyses its reason, purpose, audience, and the author’s intention.
Prior to the careers of Popes Celestine V and Boniface XII in the 13th century, the long and, sometimes tumultuous, history of the church can be helpful in setting the stage for these two church official’s very famous, and very different tenures as pope. In different forms and methods, the medieval Catholic Church has always had a strong hold on society in addition to politics. The church has also had a troubling past when it comes to corruption, usually manifesting itself through the pursuit of this dominance over political and outside figures on all aspects of everyday life. Coupling these two themes together, the past actions and power exerted
It is clear that between 1540 & 1559 that the Catholic Church became increasingly intolerant of debasement and dissent. This is mostly due to the leaders that came to the papal throne within this period. Between 1540 & 1559 there was a variety of pope’s with very differing views on how to contend with the issues of Protestantism, debasement and dissent.
The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision by Henry Kamen, was released in 1997 and is the third edition of the acclaimed book centered around the infamous tribunal. The years following the first publication saw increases in the quality of scholarship and an influx of research. New historical interpretations subsequently began to demonstrate an enhanced insight, as works like Benzion Netanyahu’s The Origins of the Inquisition presented original perspectives. Kamen was consequentially compelled to reevaluate the evidence surrounding the Inquisition, ultimately causing him to divert from his previous conclusions and adopt a revisionist perspective exploring historical causation. The Spanish Inquisition has been repeatedly studied for many years, and the Tribunal instituted by the Catholic monarchy typically elicits negative characterizations as absolutist, oppressive, violent, invasive and intolerant. Kamen, however, aims to discover the true nature and significance of the Spanish Inquisition and shield the readers from any unknowledgeable stereotypes or misinformed notions. He investigates the ideological and social environment of the tribunal, as he attempts to determine whether the Spanish Inquisition was a product of its attendant society by additionally assessing its impact, functionality, organization and global reception. Events of the eighteenth and nineteenth century are disparately mentioned, as they proceed the more significant developments and undertakings that occurred towards earlier stages of the Inquisition. Kamen intermittently justifies and condones Inquisitional activity in an attempt to systematically eradicate popular misconceptions; he marginalizes the cruelty and power often accredited to the institution...
The Edict of January was the first large step towards religious equality in France. It legalized the Protestant Religion and allowed congregations outside of the cities (Strage 122-123), (Frieda 160-161), (Heritier 180). The Edict was a result of Catherine’s influence and was published January 17, 1562 (Strage 122-123), (Frieda 160-161), (Heritier 180). It was created to oppose the Guise’s power and influence because the de’ Medici family wanted to rule, and the Guises were the only obstacle facing them (Strage 123), (Frieda 160-161). Due to the timing of the edict, neither Pope Pius IV nor Spain took strong action against Catherine de’ Medici or France, though Catherine’s daughter, Elizabeth, threatened to pull out all of Spain’s support if Catherine did not whole-heartedly support Catholicism (Strage 123), (Frieda 160-161), (Heritier 181-182). Due to the increase of rights and the ability for Protestants to hold congregations outsid...
The church’s official stance on clerical celibacy dates back to the fourth century. In the year 306 CE, a small gathering of bishops met in the town of Elvira, near Granada. This council asserted that all bishops, priests, deacons and active clergy members were to abstain from sexual relations with their wives, as well as refrain from having children (Stephey 14). Interestingly enough, there was no ban issued against clerics entering into marriage. The ban was exclusively against sexual activity. This decree of the council of Elvira only applied to the local members of the Iberian church; nevertheless, this decision did propagate the consideration of implementing clerical celibacy throughout the church. The issue was discussed and proposed for church wide implementation of the firs...
A 16th-century movement in Western Europe that aimed at reforming some doctrines and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and resulted in the establishment of the Protestant churches. The world of the late medieval Roman Catholic Church from which the 16th-century reformers emerged was a complex one. Over the centuries, the church, particularly in the office of the papacy, had become deeply involved in the political life of Western Europe. The resulting intrigues and political manipulations, combined with the church’s increasing power and wealth, contributed to the bankrupting of the church as a spiritual force.
Llorente, Juan Antonio [1967] A critical history of the Inquisition of Spain, from the period of its establishment by Ferdinand V to the reign of Ferdinand VII, composed from the original documents of the Archives of the Supreme Council of the Inquisition and from those of subordinate tribunals of the Holy Office. J. Lilburne Co. Williamstown, MA.
Due to the "new Pope" of the east, the pope in the west was fighting for respect and began to look for ways of reform to restore the reputation of the church. Pope Leo I began some of this reform by giving direction on how the church should care for the poor and needy, and Gregory I reorganize the financial aspects of the church to insure the church's money was going to support the missions of the church.
...resentation of the Iberian inquisition in a comprehensive manor it is not difficult to see that the way it’s viewed has changed exponentially. From the early stages of it being a good Catholic’s way to protect themselves from the evil of Jewish population to its oppressive status during the age of enlightenment- the Iberian inquisition changed along with its representation. In my opinion, these changes occur due to the natural progression of human knowledge, thus creating progressions in acceptance. In the late 16th century the level of religious tolerance that is expected now would have been unheard off. This make the less condemning views of modern historians hardly shocking. Inasmuch as the views of the inquisition have changed I believe that it will continue to change when we as a society continue to make the natural progression of knowledge and acceptance.
There were many people and attempts made to change the way the church functioned before the Reformation, but they had always been crushed by the inquisition. There were many factors political, religious, and economic, which had been developing for centuries that would make it possible for the Reformation to come about. There were quite a few practices of the church that were in question at this time. Some of these practices included simony, indulgences, excessive papal wealth, and clerical violations of church and biblical rules of behavior (Fide, Scriptura, Solus, Sola, & Soli, 2014). The one that was the biggest concern to the people looking for church reform, was the selling of pardons from the pope to lessen the time a person’s soul would be in purgatory, these pardons were also called
The Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Retrieved February 21, 2010 from New Advent: http://www.newadvent.org
The Story of Christianity is a very informative summation; a continuation of Volume 1 which covered the beginning of the church up to the Protestant Reformation, while Vol. 2 dealt with the Protestant Reformation up to more modern time period. This author delivers a more comprehensive and deeper look into the development of Christianity, which includes particular events which had transpired throughout the world; particularly how Christianity has expanded into Central and South America. Gonzalez opens up this book with the “Call for Reformation,” where he shares with his readers the need for reform; the papacy had started to decline and was corrupt, in addition to the Great Schism, which had further weakened the papacy (p.8). The author explains how the church was not the only issue but that the church’s teachings were off track as well, seeing that the people had deviated from...
Throughout this paper, we will look into the disappointing church corruption of the middle ages, more specifically, the unbiblical practices, serious problems, hypocritical popes, and finally, the people trying to fight the corruption!