Characters of the Inquisition [Paperback]

William Thomas Walsh (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 1, 1987

Famous author and historian William Thomas Walsh states in the foreword to his book " that there is no sense in reviving so painful and controversial a subject as the Inquisition if the motive is merely to add fuel to ancient hatreds which still divide man from man, and men from God... but there is always something to be gained in the search of truth for the sake of truth itself." Armed with this spirit, the trenchant and balanced intellect of this eminent scholar goes on to illuminate a divisive subject as few have or ever will, giving a series of detailed historical sketches on the most famous - or infamous - "characters" associated with the Inquisition. Serious students and casual readers alike will understand the historical context, motivations and long-term effects that the actions of these "characters" had on their countries as well as on the world. Walsh is unyielding to those who would either shed undue praise upon the Inquisition, or grossly exaggerate its faults; throughout his work he deftly lays to rest scores of popular myths, even showing how inquisitors often brought calm and order to the most volatile of situation, in the most trying of times.

Product Details

• Paperback: 301 pages
• Publisher: TAN Books and Publishers (December 1, 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0895553260
• ISBN-13: 978-0895553263
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #312,739 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding!, January 21, 2006

By 

Michael Tozer (San Antonio, Texas United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Characters of the Inquisition (Paperback)

In this tremendously important book, Catholic historian William Thomas Walsh successfully destroys one of the greatest myths of history, that of the perfidy of the Inquisiton. He does this in remarkable fashion, starting with the venerable Moses as the first Inquisitor, then describing the papal Inquistions, and finally devoting the bulk of the corpus of his important work to the much maligned and little understood Spanish Inquisition.

In regard to the latter, Walsh provides insights that any truly objective student of history will find both compelling and enlightening. The Spanish Inquistion had nothing to do with persecution, as the popular myth holds. It had rather everything to do with maintaining the integrity of the Mystical Body of Christ, His Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church. Here is a critically important point that uninformed critics of the Inquistion miss entirely. The Spanish Inquisition was focused entirely on those who claimed to be sincere Catholics, but who, in fact, were heretics. That Isabella chose to expel practicing Jews from Spain in 1492 is a fact ancillary to but not at all embodied in the Inquisition epic.

Walsh completes his masterful portrayal with an amazingly prophetic essay. Writing in the midst of the Second World War, Walsh clearly illustrates the commonality of the political philosophies of the socialist FDR, the communist Stalin, and their then antagonist, Hitler. Walsh observes that it is precisely this notion of the state trimphant over the rights of the individual, a notion equally embraced by FDR, Stalin, and Hitler, against which the Inquisiton inveighed. This is great history, beautifully written, and presented with a proper sense of awe and wonder. We heartily recommend this terribly important book to all seekers after the Truth.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye-opening, reasoned history of the Holy Inquisition, September 7, 1999

By 

Marshall Fritz (Fresno, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Characters of the Inquisition (Paperback)

If all you have ever read about the Inquisition has been from Protestant, Deist, agnostic, and other non-Catholic authors, you have heard only one side of the story. Walsh gives a completely different sense of the Inquisition, including Torquemada. If you have got an open mind, this is the book for you.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Review from the Publisher, March 7, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Characters of the Inquisition (Paperback)

This famous historian has laid to rest the standard myths accepted by most people today. For example, the lie that the Inquisition was ruthless and unjust, that it sent thousands to merciless torture and undeserved death, and that it was administered by unbalanced and sinister minds. To settle this matter and to set forth the facts about the Inquisition, the author has drawn for us a detailed historical sketch of six prominent Inquisitors - "Characters of the Inquisition," as he calls them - and in the process has explained for the modern reader the background of the Inquisition, how it operated and the major historical lines of its progress. Within these pages the reader will see history unfold before his eyes in a manner refreshingly truthful and well substantiated, and in the process, he will witness the Catholic Church being vindicated of the mendacious claims laid against her by her enemies. Important knowledge to defend the Church.