THE HOLY INQUISITION IS INDEED HOLY PART 1

If we are going to search for any horrible events happened in the history of mankind, our Protestant friends will surely say to us that it was the Holy Inquisition that can be considered as the most horrifying event in history. According to myths and legends, the Holy Inquisition death toll is about 600,000 to millions of victims. Well, that would be a serious massacre for heretics if that is true and perhaps that could be the end of the humanity in Europe that might lead TO EXTINCTION OF WORLD POPULATION!

Seriously, Holy Inquisition is a Catholic Inquisition that used to expel heretics through making a tribunal court that would manage the rising population of heretics throughout Europe. In medieval times, Popes used this to combat heresy but later adapted by civil and secular government to establish unity among their territories (e.g. Portuguese Inquisition, and Spanish Inquisition).

The Biblical Root of Inquisition:

 Many say that the Inquisition is an unreasonable method used by the Pope to combat heresy and perhaps an ungodly idea to exterminate Church enemies but IT IS NOT TRUE! If we are going to study the Holy Scriptures, Christians and Jews had been practicing it to combat heresy, immorality and atheism that might destroy their faith towards God. Since our Protestant friends believe that the Bible is the sole basis of faith, we are going to reveal today the Biblical root of Inquisition:

1.)    In Acts 5:1-10, Ananias and Saphira were punished through death and it was inflicted by our First Pope, St. Peter. Therefore, as Pope being the successor of Peter, it has a right to inflict punishments among the heretics supported by his power to bind and to loose (Matthew 16:18-20)

2.)    St Paul said;

1 Corinthians 5:13 (NIV)
“God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”

Since then, the Church has a right to inflict punishments and expulsion among those who commit grievous sins and heresy.

3.)    Esther 2:23 (ASV)

“And when inquisition was made of the matter, and it was found to be so, they were both hanged on a tree: and it was written in the book of the chronicles before the king.”

Even Jews used this kind of Inquisition to combat immoralities among their members.

4.)    2 Kings 10:25 (KJV)

“And it came to pass, as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt offering, that Jehu said to the guard and to the captains, Go in, and slay them; let none come forth. And they smote them with the edge of the sword; and the guard and the captains cast them out, and went to the city of the house of Baal.”

In this verse, Jews had slain the Baal worshipers drawing out to the conclusion that killing infidels is not totally against God but pleases God to separate the wicked from the good.

5.)    Wisdom 1:9 (DRV)

“ For inquisition shall be made into the thoughts of the ungodly: and the hearing of his words shall come to God, to the chastising of his iniquities.”

6.)    2 Chronicles 15:13 (DRV)

“And if any one, said he, seek not the Lord the God of Israel, let him die, whether little or great, man or woman.”

Jews imposed death punishment among the non-believers to preserve their faith and religion.

7.)    2 Chronicles 23:17 (DRV)

“And all the people went into the house of Baal, and destroyed it: and they broke down his altars and his idols: and they slew Mathan the priest of Baal before the altars.”

8.)    Burning at stake:

2 Chronicles 34:5 (DRV)“And he burnt the bones of the priests on the altars of the idols, and he cleansed Juda and Jerusalem.”

9.)    Jesus instituted a Tribunal that will manage the heresy and the emergence of heathens within the Church.

Matthew 18:15-18 (ASV)
“And if thy brother sin against thee, go, show him his fault between thee and him alone: if he hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother. But if he hear thee not, take with thee one or two more, that at the mouth of two witnesses or three every word may be established. And if he refuse to hear them, tell it unto the church: and if he refuse to hear the church also, let him be unto thee as the Gentile and the publican.”

10.) Jesus’ commandment in Matthew 18 is parallel to OT tribunal to prosecute evil and punish them:

Deuteronomy 17:2-7 (ESV) “If there is found among you, within any of your towns that the Lord your God is giving you, a man or woman who does what is evil in the sight of the Lord your God, in transgressing his covenant, ³ and has gone and served other gods and worshiped them, or the sun or the moon or any of the host of heaven, which I have forbidden, ⁴ and it is told you and you hear of it, then you shall inquire diligently, and if it is true and certain that such an abomination has been done in Israel, ⁵ then you shall bring out to your gates that man or woman who has done this evil thing, and you shall stone that man or woman to death with stones. ⁶ On the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses the one who is to die shall be put to death; a person shall not be put to death on the evidence of one witness. ⁷ The hand of the witnesses shall be first against him to put him to death, and afterward the hand of all the people. So you shall purge the evil from your midst."

11.) Deuteronomy  13:13-16

 "If any of the cities which the Lord, your GOD, gives you to dwell in, you hear it said that certain scoundrels have sprung up among you and have led astray the inhabitants of their city to serve other gods whom you have not known, you must inquire carefully into the matter and investigate it thoroughly. If you find that it is true and an established fact that this abomination has been committed in your midst, you shall put the inhabitants of that city to the sword, dooming the city and all life that is in it, even its cattle to the sword."

It has to be noted to everyone that Inquisition is a Biblical method employed by the Church to combat the enemies of the Lord in proclaiming True Doctrines of Christianity. It is neither an invented instrument used by the Pope nor an unbiblical method. Perhaps, Bible is supporting it!

The Truth about CATHOLIC INQUISITION

The story told to the Protestants is totally a different story told to us by history supported by physical and concrete historical evidences. Protestants used to say that Inquisition is about killing innocent people and killing Protestants desired by the Pope and by the Catholic clergy officials to exterminate their enemies, but it isn’t true. Perhaps, the Inquisition organized by the Catholic Church (particularly by the Pope) never forced anyone to compel to Catholic faith as what St. Thomas Aquinas said in his Summa Theologica:

"They are in no way to be forced to believe, for belief is from the will.”

Source: Summa Theologica, q.10, art.8

According to myths and legends, Inquisition used death penalty against certain individual who found to be heretic but according to the medieval Maestruzza that contains the summary of Sacraments and Commandments for the inquisitors:

"According to the civil law, soothsayers and witches should be burned; BUT ACCORDING TO THE CHURCH, THEY SHOULD BE DEPRIVED OF COMMUNION, if their crime be notorious; if it is secret, they should receive a penance of forty days (c. 42)." The inquisitors cannot interfere with soothsayers and sorcerers, unless heresy is plainly to be feared. Those who relapse into heresy after having abjured it, should be delivered to the secular power (c. 91)."

FROM: MAESTRUZZA, SACRAMENTS AND COMMANDMENTS OF INQUISITION (1338)

TAKEN FROM THE BOOK: Some Lies and Errors of History by the Rev. Reuben Parsons, D.D.; Notre Dame, Indiana: The Ave Maria; 7th edition; 1893; pp. 143-187.

THEREFORE, DEATH PUNISHMENT IS NOT PRESCRIBED BY THE CHURCH TO BE THE PUNISHMENT AGAINST HERETICS BUT RATHER, THE CHURCH SUPERVISED A MORE HUMANE ACT WHICH IS PENANCE FOR FORTY DAYS! DEATH PENALTY, ON THE OTHER HAND, WAS SUPERVISED BY SECULAR POWER OR BY THE GOVERNMENT ACCORDING TO THE LAWS THEY IMPOSED WITH REGARDS TO THEIR STATE RELIGION AND PRACTICES OF FAITH. THE PUNISHMENT THEREFORE IS A CIVIL ONE, NOT AN ECCLESIATICAL RULE!

THE SPANISH INQUISITION

The emerging power of Catholicism in Iberia Peninsula took place after the defeat of Moors/Muslims in the region. The Spain became a united country after the war against Moors and established a strong Catholic monarch through King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella from Kingdoms of Aragon and Castille. As a newly-established State, they must strengthen it and for the Spanish patriots, unity also means RELIGIOUS UNITY, ONE FAITH, ONE GOD, and ONE STATE!

At first, the free practice of religion was fully enjoyed in Spain but it was abolished due to the numerous uprisings and revolts being conducted by infidels particularly Moors. In 1501, the Spanish sovereign ordered the Moors to leave the country. This resulted to the conversion of some Moors to Catholicism. Though most of the Moors were baptized and converted, many had lived in a grievous apostasy adulterating their Christianity through practicing their Mohammedian belief at the same time (IT HAS TO BE NOTED THAT THE CHURCH DOESN'T TEACH FORCED BAPTISM). As for patriots, political unity is the same to religious unity and that would make the enemy of Christianity as the enemy of Spain. The only instrument that can provide this religious unity is the adaptation of “INQUISITION” in Spain which had been introduced in 1480.

We have to remember that the Spanish Inquisition was not in the full control of the Pope but rather by the Catholic monarchy to establish unity and constancy in the region. Therefore, any consequences happened in the Spanish Inquisition is no longer from the Pope but from the secular power which is the royalty of Spain.

"The body was under the direct control of the Spanish monarchy"

source: : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition

“The Protestant Schrock, in his "Universal History," admits that this tribunal [Spanish Holy Inquisition] was secular…”

Source: Ibid. p.146

Perhaps, the profits from this Inquisition were being collected directly in Royal treasury and not by the Ecclesiastical Power in Spain. It was only the Catholic monarchs who gained something from this, neither the Pope nor the whole church.

"King Ferdinand defiantly rejected Papal control, the Inquisition becoming thereafter a tool of the monarchy, rather than the church."

Source: Madden, Thomas F., The Truth About the Spanish Inquisition, Crisis Magazine, September 2003

CATHOLIC INQUISITIONS: HORRIBLE OR ADMIRABLE?

Now, let’s go to another issue with regards to Inquisition if it was a humane tribunal or not. Most of the Protestants believe that Inquisition is about poor condition of prisons, tortures, death of hundreds of thousands or even millions of people and anti- Protestantism strategy but if we are going to search more about it, surely we can say that INQUISITION WAS FAR BETTER COMPARE TO ORDINARY CIVIL TRIBUNAL OF A PARTICULAR COUNTRY! Even Voltaire admitted the JUST DECISION OF INQUISITION WITH REGARDS TO CONDEMNING HERETICS OR RECONCILING THEM:

"Without doubt this justly detested tribunal (Holy Inquisition Office) has been charged with horrible excesses that it did not always commit; it is foolish to clamor against the Inquisition because of doubtful facts, and still more foolish to search for lies with which to render it hateful."

-VOLTAIRE, from: French Dictionary of Sciences

Some historians also admit the fact that Inquisition prison/ detention cell is far better compare to ordinary civil/ secular prison facilities:

“The jails of the Inquisition were no worse than those of secular authorities, and there are even certain testimonies that occasionally they were much better.”

Source: Walsh, Thomas William, Characters of the Inquisition, P.J. Kennedy & Sons, 1940, p. 163.

Other leaders also praised the Inquisition for it considered justice and equality among people. One of them was M. Bourgoing which was the French minister during the newly-established French Republic (19^th century- Bonaparte’s regime).

"I publicly avow, in order to pay homage to truth, that the Inquisition might be cited, in our days, as a model of equity. "

Source: "A Voyage in Spain," by M. Bourgoing, reviewed in the "Journal of the Empire," Sep. 17, 1805.

It was also not an anti-Protestantism strategy employed to expel Protestants because of the small percentage of Protestant victims. For over 49,092 cases (from 1560-1700), only 7.13% comprises the population of Protestants. It is wrong to say that it concentrated to Protestants because generally speaking, it focused on how to suppress other forms of heresy aside from Protestantism.

THE PUNISHMENT OF THE TRIBUNAL, the process of the trial

the emblem of Inquisition (1571)

Inquisition did not promote the capital punishment to be the sole punishment of those who were accused and condemned as heretics. The fact is that, accused people were given choices of how they can be punished. If they confess that they had sinned they could be penanced. They can also be acquitted if they can disprove any accusations against them. THE ONLY SERIOUS PUNISHMENT THE CHURCH COULD EMPLOY WAS IMPRISONMENT JUST LIKE WHAT THE CHURCH DID TO GALILEO GALILEI WHO LIVED COMFORTABLY IN HOUSE ARREST FOR THE REST OF HIS LIFE!

The death punishment/ capital punishment, on the other hand, were employed by secular power just like what Emperor Justine ordered in the Roman Empire to combat heresy (Justinian Code). And since the CIVIL LAW PROVIDED A PUNISHMENT OF DEATH TO THOSE HERETICS, IT WAS THE CIVIL LAW WHO PUNISHED THEM, NEITHER THE ECCLESIASTICAL COURT NOR THE HOLY SEE.

“The most serious punishment was relaxation to the secular arm for burning at stake—the Church did not itself kill. This penalty was frequently applied to impenitent heretics and those who had relapsed.”

SOURCE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Spanish_Inquisition

Perhaps, according to some historians, Inquisition helped the heretics to escape death from secular power just because it gave them a chance to join once more the community and the Church communion.

“The Inquisition provided a means for heretics to escape death and return to the community.”

Souce: Madden, Thomas F., "The Real Inquisition"

FROM ABOVE, so far, WE CAN THEREFORE CONCLUDE:

•           THAT THE CHURCH DID IMPOSE INQUISITION WITH BIBLICAL BASIS
•           THAT THE CHURCH DID NOT EMPLOY DEATH PENALTY AGAINST HERETICS FOR THE CLERICS ARE FORBIDDEN TO DO SO
•           THAT THE INQUISITION WAS CONSIDERED TO BE FAR BETTER TRIBUNAL COMPARE TO SECULAR AND CIVIL COURT/TRIBUNAL
•           THAT THE INQUISITION WAS MORE HUMANE JUDICIAL PROCESS COMPARE TO OTHERS IN THE SETTING OF MIDDLE AGES TO AGE OF ENLIGHTENMENT.
•           THAT THE SPANISH INQUISITION WAS A SECULAR ONE BEING CONTROLLED BY THE ROYALTY OF SPAIN AND NOT BY THE POPE.
•          THAT THE INQUISITION DID NOT CONCENTRATE TO THE PROTESTANTS BUT TO OTHER FORMS OF IMMORALITY AND HERESY.

In part two of this article, we will focus on the Protestant wrong allegations about the death toll of Inquisition, if the Inquisition was Anti-Semitic and the Protestant version of their Inquisition against Jews and our fellow Catholics.

the video on the right was a BBC documentary about the myths of Inquisition