Witchcraft and the Inquisition of the Catholic Church

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Witchcraft and the Inquisition of the Catholic Church

Witchcraft. The word in itself evokes a certain kind of eeriness. In past centuries, people who were accused of being witches were thought of to be the worst kinds of people there are. There were several kinds of witches and several ways in which they operated. Whatever the reason, the Catholic Church saw witches, or those accused of being witches, as sinful. Partly to stop this kind of sin and other forms, the Inquisition of the Catholic Church was implemented. It is important to know what the factors leading up to the Inquisition included to fully understand its implementation. Once the history is reviewed it is easy to see how the Faith of the Church and the reason behind its thinking were hand-in-hand at the time, and also the way in which they seemingly conflict today.

There are many factors leading up to the establishment of the Inquisition by the Catholic Church. One of the main factors is the beginning of the Middle Ages in Europe. A symbol of these emerging ages is Pope Gerbert of the year 1000. Although he was a Pope, he was learned in algebra, and because of his knowledge he was considered somewhat of a wizard. He once wrote to a friend in Italy asking for secular books written in Latin. He instructs the friend to make sure the books are "procured quietly." (Nickerson 12) . Nickerson feels that this makes Gerbert a symbol of his times because it is out of similar knowledge that the Medieval times arise. Around the same time, the Normans were conquering England, the Church begins to have a common purpose, and the First Crusade begins.

Although the Church was secure in its universality, two groups, the Albigensians and Waldensians emerged, each with very di...

... middle of paper ...

...ured endlessly. Finally, all people were allowed to believe what they wanted to believe. Faith and reason were in harmony.

Bibliography

Books

James B. Given, Inquisition and Medieval Society; Power, Discipline, and Resistance

in Languedoc. (Ithaca: Cornell University Press, 1997).

Hoffman Nickerson, The Inquisition: A Political and Military Study of its

Establishment. (Port Washington, NY.: Kennkiat Press, Inc., 1968).

Mary Elizabeth Perry, and Anne J. Cruz, Cultural Encounters: The Impact of the

Inquisition in Spain and the NewWorld. (Berkeley, CA.: University of California

Press:, 1991).

Albert C. Shannon, O.S.A., The Medieval Inquisition. (Collegeville, Minnesota:

Liturgical Press, 1991).

Internet Sources

Hilgers, Joseph. "Index of Prohibited Books." The Catholic Encyclopedia.URL:

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