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The Modern Scholar: Heaven or Heresy: A History of the Inquisition Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

Thomas F. Madden (Author, Narrator), Recorded Books (Publisher)

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For many, the Inquisition conjures Gothic images of cloaked figures and barbarous torture chambers. So enmeshed is this view of the Inquisition in popular culture that such scenes play out even in comedies such as Mel Brooks' History of the World and Monty Python's Flying Circus. But is this a fair portrayal? And how was the Inquisition perceived in its own time? Professor Thomas F. Madden of Saint Louis University delivers a stimulating series of lectures exploring all facets of the Inquisition, including the religious and political climate of its time and the Inquisition's relationship to heresy and reformation. With a scholarly eye and infectious enthusiasm, widely published author and noted expert on pre-modern European history Thomas Madden imparts an understanding of the Spanish and Roman Inquisitions while dispelling popular myths associated with the subject.

Listening Length

8 hours and 30 minutes
Author

Thomas F. Madden
Narrator

Thomas F. Madden
Publication date

October 27, 2008
Language

English
Publisher

Recorded Books
ASIN

B001JHT8A6
Version

Unabridged
Program Type

Audiobook
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Listening Length	8 hours and 30 minutes
Author	Thomas F. Madden
Narrator	Thomas F. Madden
Audible.com Release Date	October 27, 2008
Publisher	Recorded Books
Program Type	Audiobook
Version	Unabridged
Language	English
ASIN	B001JHT8A6

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Anti-Catholics of whatever persuasion will find these lectures to be disappointing, but the facts are the fact.

Reviewed in the United States on November 5, 2017

If you are looking either for horror stories or to confirm what you've always been told by Hollywood, then give this a miss.

On the other hand, if you want a clear, lucid and comprehensive survey of contemporary scholarship, this is an excellent source.

Professor Madden takes his time in developing the origin of the Inquisition from its Roman precedents before tackling the histories of the various Inquisitions - Spanish, Roman, and papal - that most people have conflated when they talk about "The Inquisition." Along the way, Madden shares insights into the Inquisitions that often run counter to conventional wisdom. For example, the Inquisitions had broad popular support, limited the use of torture and appointed lawyers for the defense. That last surprised me. In addition, the numbers of people brought under inquisitorial scrutiny was always very small and the inquisitions had an acquittal rate exceeding that found in modern democratic legal systems, suggesting that the system was not rigged and that the judges were trying to reach an objective conclusion.

One of the negative reviewers says:

"Did the Inquisition burn 20,000 or was it 50,000? Did the Inquisition destroy the lives of 200,000 Jews or was it only 90,000 Jews? All of this is a distinction without a deference."

To the contrary, Madden pointed out that over its more than 400 year history, the number for the Spanish Inquisition was closer to 3,000. The difference is that this proves the leniency of the Inquisition and the effectiveness of its system for defending the accused. This is particularly true, as Madden points out, when the secular states were using far more torture without defense counsels and killing ten or a hundred times as many.

In addition, the Inquisition had no jurisdiction over anyone but baptized Catholics. Thus, inquisitors did not see themselves as persecuting "Jews" but punishing Catholics for heresy. (This is not to say that in the Spanish Inquisition there was an element of racism against "New Catholics," or that, in fact, some of the Catholics punished for "Judaizing" were Jews who did not want to convert and had no intention of actually converting. It is, nonetheless, anachronistic to accuse the inquisitors of destroying the lives of "Jews" since that was not what they thought they were doing. In addition, in many cases, it was not what they were doing at all, since there were many cases of bona fide conversions where Jewish family traditions placed the New Christians under suspicion of "Judaizing.")

Madden also pointed out the significance of the notion of "relaxing" a convicted accused to the state. The state carried out punishment. Until the accused was given to the state, punishment could not be carried out. Thus, during that time, the Inquisition was free to determine the guilt or innocence of the accused under a fairer and more humane system than the state would have provided, which is why accused people often tried to get the inquisition to take jurisdiction over their case.

Anti-Catholics of whatever persuasion will find these lectures to be disappointing, but the facts are the fact.

A good companion text for those interested in the subject is Inquisitorial Inquiries: Brief Lives of Secret Jews and Other Heretics

9 people found this helpful

Helpful

Solomon L. Carrico

Fascinating and Informative!

Reviewed in the United States on February 19, 2016

I borrowed this from my local library.
It was great to get into the details and extensive history of the Inquisitions. I've received over 30yrs of Protestant and secular views of "The Inquisition." None of it authoritative, historical or detailed. It was always bordering on propaganda, with no actual historical substance, but a definite and clear agenda.
Professor Madden begins by answering the question: What is heresy? Heresy was not passive. it actively sought to change the belief of others in order to get rid of the Church and changed the state. He then goes on to explain how the Church was organized and operated, how the State operated, and gets into the details of how an inquisition tried alleged heretics. The later information comes from highly detailed Inquisitor Manuals. The Church kept detailed records of its operations.
In addition to details, Professor Madden gives us the big picture on the Inquisitions as well. In other words, the context: historically, geographically, politically, religiously, philosophically, theologically, etc.. Understanding the Inquisitions in their own context makes all the difference. From the lectures: "For Medieval people, religion was not something one did just at church. It was their science, their philosophy, their politics, their identity, and their hope of salvation. Heresy then, struck at the heart of that truth, it doomed the heretic, endangered those near him, and tore apart the fabric of society." We cannot measure yesterday by today's standard.
Contrary to other reviews, I didn't hear Prof. Madden "sugar-coating" any facts. He simply stated historical information that anybody can read in the detailed records kept by the Inquisitions themselves. Recent historical scholarship has added more knowledge to the Inquisitions in the last 20 years with the Vatican granting complete access to the records of the Inquisitions. Thus many misconceptions and myths have been debunked. The Prof does not cover up the corruptions that occurred. Nor did I hear the Professor once wax ethical, trying to justify the Inquisition's corruptions or mistakes. He did state more that once that the general public within the times of the Inquisitions, didn't view the institution and its actions as deplorable and evil. They saw it as safeguarding their societies. Professor Madden does not get into details about what the accused heretics thought or felt. But that is not a failing on his part, for that is obvious.
Apparently, some of the students seeking to learn from Professor Madden, an acknowledged expert, didn't like what they heard, and therefore, suddenly know all about the Inquisitions, even more than their teacher. I'm not sure why they bothered to listen in the first place. Maybe they could do a much more informed and unbiased lecture for the rest of us and Prof. Madden.
As for his delivery. These are Lectures, not sermons, pep-talks, or story-telling. If you are entertaining yourself to death, it will seem "boring". Professor Madden's tone is quiet, straightforward and unemotional. He is simply communicating historical information.
I highly recommend giving the lectures a try. As well as his other materials. Listen to it and judge for yourself.

5 people found this helpful

Helpful

J. A. Edwards

FASCINATING and OBJECTIVE presentation of modern research findings of the Inquisition.

Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2017

I have listened to this lecture series twice now over several years and find it to be excellent: well researched, historically fair, and excellently taught. I am appalled that so many people take offense to Madden's objective, neutral tone & position in discussing the subject matter, condemning him of whitewashing barbaric practices. He is a scholar, researching & conveying historical fact; he's not pushing any agenda, but rather presenting an image of how things were. The fact that recent, modern historical research seems to be broadening the picture of how the real inquisition operated (versus the sensational, often theatrical depictions) is not Madden's fault -- history is what history was; reporting the historical scholarly facts is an objective exercise; reading IN to these facts is the work of the reader/listener. Bottom line: it is irrational/unfair to condemn thoughts & actions of past eras using our current, modern day ethics. Elimination of context, historical context in this case, is one of the worst intellectual errors one can make. As Madden teaches, the inquisition process was part of the accepted judicial system of the time; it was generally accepted and welcomed by the citizenry as representing "due process" under their existing legal system. There are corruptions and misapplications of all legal systems -- they are, after all, constructs of man. Yes, in hindsight the inquisition process may look flawed to our modern eyes & ethics, but it was what they had, and embraced, at the time.

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The Modern Scholar: Heaven or Heresy: A History of the Inquisition Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

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