Allyson M. Poska
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199265312
- eISBN:
- 9780191708763
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265312.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
While scholars have marveled at how accused witches, mystical nuns, and aristocratic women understood and used their wealth, power, and authority to manipulate both men and institutions, most early ...
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While scholars have marveled at how accused witches, mystical nuns, and aristocratic women understood and used their wealth, power, and authority to manipulate both men and institutions, most early modern women were not privileged by money or supernatural contacts. They led the routine and often difficult lives of peasant women and wives of soldiers and tradesmen. However, a lack of connections to the typical sources of authority did not mean that the majority of early modern women were completely disempowered. In fact, in many peripheral areas of Europe, like Galicia, local traditions and gender norms provided them with extensive access to and control over economic resources and community authority. This book is an ethnohistorical examination of how peasant women in Northwestern Spain came to have significant social and economic authority in a region characterized by extremely high rates of male migration. Using a wide array of archival documentation, including Inquisition records, wills, dowry contracts, folklore, and court cases, this book examines how peasant women asserted and perceived their authority within the family and the community and how the large numbers of female-headed households in the region functioned in the absence of men. From sexual norms to property acquisition, Galician peasant women consistently defied traditional expectations of women's behavior.Less
While scholars have marveled at how accused witches, mystical nuns, and aristocratic women understood and used their wealth, power, and authority to manipulate both men and institutions, most early modern women were not privileged by money or supernatural contacts. They led the routine and often difficult lives of peasant women and wives of soldiers and tradesmen. However, a lack of connections to the typical sources of authority did not mean that the majority of early modern women were completely disempowered. In fact, in many peripheral areas of Europe, like Galicia, local traditions and gender norms provided them with extensive access to and control over economic resources and community authority. This book is an ethnohistorical examination of how peasant women in Northwestern Spain came to have significant social and economic authority in a region characterized by extremely high rates of male migration. Using a wide array of archival documentation, including Inquisition records, wills, dowry contracts, folklore, and court cases, this book examines how peasant women asserted and perceived their authority within the family and the community and how the large numbers of female-headed households in the region functioned in the absence of men. From sexual norms to property acquisition, Galician peasant women consistently defied traditional expectations of women's behavior.
Arthur Versluis
- Published in print:
- 2006
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780195306378
- eISBN:
- 9780199850914
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306378.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This book provides an investigation into the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. The book unveils the connections between heretic-hunting in early and medieval Christianity, and the emergence of ...
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This book provides an investigation into the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. The book unveils the connections between heretic-hunting in early and medieval Christianity, and the emergence of totalitarianism in the 20th century. It shows how secular political thinkers in the 19th century inaugurated a tradition of defending the Inquisition, and how Inquisition-style heretic-hunting later manifested across the spectrum of 20th-century totalitarianism. This book begins with early Christianity, and traces heretic-hunting as a phenomenon through the middle ages and right into the 20th century, showing how the same inquisitional modes of thought recur both on the political Left and on the political Right.Less
This book provides an investigation into the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. The book unveils the connections between heretic-hunting in early and medieval Christianity, and the emergence of totalitarianism in the 20th century. It shows how secular political thinkers in the 19th century inaugurated a tradition of defending the Inquisition, and how Inquisition-style heretic-hunting later manifested across the spectrum of 20th-century totalitarianism. This book begins with early Christianity, and traces heretic-hunting as a phenomenon through the middle ages and right into the 20th century, showing how the same inquisitional modes of thought recur both on the political Left and on the political Right.
Owen Chadwick
- Published in print:
- 1980
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780198269199
- eISBN:
- 9780191600487
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0198269196.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
An account is given of the position of the office of the Pope in the Catholic Church in Europe in the eighteenth century, before the Enlightenment. The following aspects and popes are covered: ...
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An account is given of the position of the office of the Pope in the Catholic Church in Europe in the eighteenth century, before the Enlightenment. The following aspects and popes are covered: authority, election, the veto, Pope Clement XI Albani (1700–21), the bull Unigenitus of 1713 condemning the French Oratorian Pasquier Quesnel's Moral Reflexions on the New Testament, the debate on infallibility, the Chinese rites, Pope Innocent XIII Conti (1721–4) and Benedict XIII Orsini (1724–30), Pope Clement XII Corsini (1730–40), Pope Benedict XIV Lambertini (1740–58), the secretary of state, the cardinal‐nephew, the college of cardinals, nuncios, the Congregations (curial offices commonly known as the dicasteries), the Inquisition (the Congregation of the Holy Office) and Index, the Spanish Inquisition, the Congregation of the Council, the action of the Pope, and the jubilee (a holy year).Less
An account is given of the position of the office of the Pope in the Catholic Church in Europe in the eighteenth century, before the Enlightenment. The following aspects and popes are covered: authority, election, the veto, Pope Clement XI Albani (1700–21), the bull Unigenitus of 1713 condemning the French Oratorian Pasquier Quesnel's Moral Reflexions on the New Testament, the debate on infallibility, the Chinese rites, Pope Innocent XIII Conti (1721–4) and Benedict XIII Orsini (1724–30), Pope Clement XII Corsini (1730–40), Pope Benedict XIV Lambertini (1740–58), the secretary of state, the cardinal‐nephew, the college of cardinals, nuncios, the Congregations (curial offices commonly known as the dicasteries), the Inquisition (the Congregation of the Holy Office) and Index, the Spanish Inquisition, the Congregation of the Council, the action of the Pope, and the jubilee (a holy year).
Alexander Murray
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780197263518
- eISBN:
- 9780191734021
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197263518.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Cultural History
This lecture attempts to reveal that the Inquisition and the Renaissance were two aspects of one phenomenon, which is the halting emergence of a new entity, the territorial state. The lecture first ...
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This lecture attempts to reveal that the Inquisition and the Renaissance were two aspects of one phenomenon, which is the halting emergence of a new entity, the territorial state. The lecture first describes the Inquisition and how it affected the sixteenth-century Renaissance. The element of violence, or killing people, is also examined. The second part of the lecture has a brief word about the creation of the Inquisition. It reviews two important elements that resulted from the Inquisition and what happened to the Inquisition once it had been invented. The lecture ends by examining certain states, including France and the papal state in Italy.Less
This lecture attempts to reveal that the Inquisition and the Renaissance were two aspects of one phenomenon, which is the halting emergence of a new entity, the territorial state. The lecture first describes the Inquisition and how it affected the sixteenth-century Renaissance. The element of violence, or killing people, is also examined. The second part of the lecture has a brief word about the creation of the Inquisition. It reviews two important elements that resulted from the Inquisition and what happened to the Inquisition once it had been invented. The lecture ends by examining certain states, including France and the papal state in Italy.
Allyson M. Poska
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199265312
- eISBN:
- 9780191708763
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265312.003.03
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
This chapter examines issues of female sexuality in Galician communities. Despite ecclesiastical prohibitions on non-marital sex, it is apparent that these women had considerable sexual freedom. They ...
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This chapter examines issues of female sexuality in Galician communities. Despite ecclesiastical prohibitions on non-marital sex, it is apparent that these women had considerable sexual freedom. They cohabited with male partners in temporary relationships and gave birth to large numbers of illegitimate children without any evidence of social stigma.Less
This chapter examines issues of female sexuality in Galician communities. Despite ecclesiastical prohibitions on non-marital sex, it is apparent that these women had considerable sexual freedom. They cohabited with male partners in temporary relationships and gave birth to large numbers of illegitimate children without any evidence of social stigma.
Allyson M. Poska
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- January 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780199265312
- eISBN:
- 9780191708763
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199265312.003.08
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
This introductory chapter provides an overview of anthropological and historical perspectives on the Mediterranean honor code and women's power. After discussing the complicated documentary record ...
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This introductory chapter provides an overview of anthropological and historical perspectives on the Mediterranean honor code and women's power. After discussing the complicated documentary record available on peasants, including Inquisition trials, parish records, notarial texts, and anthropological interviews, it asserts that ethnohistory provides a mechanism for accessing the lives of illiterate peasant women. The introduction ends with an outline of the chapters to follow.Less
This introductory chapter provides an overview of anthropological and historical perspectives on the Mediterranean honor code and women's power. After discussing the complicated documentary record available on peasants, including Inquisition trials, parish records, notarial texts, and anthropological interviews, it asserts that ethnohistory provides a mechanism for accessing the lives of illiterate peasant women. The introduction ends with an outline of the chapters to follow.
Stefania Tutino
- Published in print:
- 2010
- Published Online:
- January 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780199740536
- eISBN:
- 9780199894765
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199740536.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
This chapter analyzes the repercussions of Bellarmine’s theory in the controversy over the Venetian Interdetto. It starts by examining the very problematic issue of clerical exemption, from which the ...
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This chapter analyzes the repercussions of Bellarmine’s theory in the controversy over the Venetian Interdetto. It starts by examining the very problematic issue of clerical exemption, from which the controversy over the Interdetto started. It then examines in detail the polemical battle that opposed Bellarmine to Paolo Sarpi, and then it explains the political context in which the controversy has to be situated through an analysis of the trials conducted by the Roman Inquisition and by the Index against some theologians who wrote in support of Venice. By looking at the controversial resolutions on those cases, this chapter explains the significance of the political and religious issues at stake for the definition of the nature and limits of political authority and its relationship with ecclesiastical authority.Less
This chapter analyzes the repercussions of Bellarmine’s theory in the controversy over the Venetian Interdetto. It starts by examining the very problematic issue of clerical exemption, from which the controversy over the Interdetto started. It then examines in detail the polemical battle that opposed Bellarmine to Paolo Sarpi, and then it explains the political context in which the controversy has to be situated through an analysis of the trials conducted by the Roman Inquisition and by the Index against some theologians who wrote in support of Venice. By looking at the controversial resolutions on those cases, this chapter explains the significance of the political and religious issues at stake for the definition of the nature and limits of political authority and its relationship with ecclesiastical authority.
JOSÉ PEDRO PAIVA
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- January 2013
- ISBN:
- 9780197265246
- eISBN:
- 9780191754197
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- British Academy
- DOI:
- 10.5871/bacad/9780197265246.003.0014
- Subject:
- History, Imperialism and Colonialism
This chapter intends to offer a general, synthetic and long-term survey of the impact of New Christian segregation throughout the Portuguese empire, between the late fifteenth and the eighteenth ...
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This chapter intends to offer a general, synthetic and long-term survey of the impact of New Christian segregation throughout the Portuguese empire, between the late fifteenth and the eighteenth centuries.Less
This chapter intends to offer a general, synthetic and long-term survey of the impact of New Christian segregation throughout the Portuguese empire, between the late fifteenth and the eighteenth centuries.
Jennifer Scheper Hughes
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195367065
- eISBN:
- 9780199867370
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195367065.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Church History
In 1583 the Augustinian order moved the Cristo Aparecido to Mexico City where the image quickly became part of the religious life of urban, baroque Mexico. The belief among the friars and indigenous ...
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In 1583 the Augustinian order moved the Cristo Aparecido to Mexico City where the image quickly became part of the religious life of urban, baroque Mexico. The belief among the friars and indigenous Christians of Mexico City was that the Cristo Aparecido demonstrated signs of animate life and the image became among the most celebrated sacred images in New Spain. The fame of the image led to an Inquisition hearing that scrutinized the Cristo’s origins. Over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in Mexico City the image was not only a baroque adornment, an object of beauty, but also functioned as a “shield of arms,” protecting the poor residents of Mexico City from repeated waves of epidemic disease.Less
In 1583 the Augustinian order moved the Cristo Aparecido to Mexico City where the image quickly became part of the religious life of urban, baroque Mexico. The belief among the friars and indigenous Christians of Mexico City was that the Cristo Aparecido demonstrated signs of animate life and the image became among the most celebrated sacred images in New Spain. The fame of the image led to an Inquisition hearing that scrutinized the Cristo’s origins. Over the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, in Mexico City the image was not only a baroque adornment, an object of beauty, but also functioned as a “shield of arms,” protecting the poor residents of Mexico City from repeated waves of epidemic disease.
Stephen Haliczer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148633
- eISBN:
- 9780199869923
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148630.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Within a culture of male domination, women in the period of the Counter‐Reformation achieved recognition and status as mystics, and their influence extended to all realms of society, including the ...
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Within a culture of male domination, women in the period of the Counter‐Reformation achieved recognition and status as mystics, and their influence extended to all realms of society, including the aristocracy. A mystic's acceptance, however, was predicated upon her strict adherence to ecclesiastical orthodoxy and hierarchy. Further, her childhood and adult convent life were marked by excessive austerity and, in many instances, abuse. If the mystic had a proper pedigree, succeeded in building a support system of male authorities, and could demonstrate her divine favor through visions and miracles, then she had the potential to become canonized. While women mystics did not challenge male authority within the church and indeed often were willing supporters of it, they did serve as inspiration to their male contemporaries and to generations of women who followed.Less
Within a culture of male domination, women in the period of the Counter‐Reformation achieved recognition and status as mystics, and their influence extended to all realms of society, including the aristocracy. A mystic's acceptance, however, was predicated upon her strict adherence to ecclesiastical orthodoxy and hierarchy. Further, her childhood and adult convent life were marked by excessive austerity and, in many instances, abuse. If the mystic had a proper pedigree, succeeded in building a support system of male authorities, and could demonstrate her divine favor through visions and miracles, then she had the potential to become canonized. While women mystics did not challenge male authority within the church and indeed often were willing supporters of it, they did serve as inspiration to their male contemporaries and to generations of women who followed.
Charles K. Bellinger
- Published in print:
- 2001
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195134988
- eISBN:
- 9780199833986
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195134982.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Philosophy of Religion
If it is the case that the best approach to understanding violence arises out of the Bible, as Kierkegaard and Girard demonstrate, why is it that Christians have been so violent during their history? ...
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If it is the case that the best approach to understanding violence arises out of the Bible, as Kierkegaard and Girard demonstrate, why is it that Christians have been so violent during their history? This chapter offers a brief summary of violent events in the history of Christianity, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. The ways in which Kierkegaard and Girard enable us to understand these events is outlined. It is argued that both authors are in tune with the Anabaptist approach to interpreting the history of Christianity and ”reintroducing Christianity into Christendom.”Less
If it is the case that the best approach to understanding violence arises out of the Bible, as Kierkegaard and Girard demonstrate, why is it that Christians have been so violent during their history? This chapter offers a brief summary of violent events in the history of Christianity, such as the Crusades and the Inquisition. The ways in which Kierkegaard and Girard enable us to understand these events is outlined. It is argued that both authors are in tune with the Anabaptist approach to interpreting the history of Christianity and ”reintroducing Christianity into Christendom.”
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195136401
- eISBN:
- 9780199835164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195136403.003.0005
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
A discussion of why among the many candidates Rose of Lima received high honors as first saint of the New World and patron of the Americas. The reasons discussed include Rose’s penitential ...
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A discussion of why among the many candidates Rose of Lima received high honors as first saint of the New World and patron of the Americas. The reasons discussed include Rose’s penitential asceticism, support of religious and civil authorities, effective hagiography, Criollismo, advocacy by the Dominicans and Queen Mariana of Austria, and massive public devotion. Also discussed are the popularization of mysticism by Fray Luis de Granada and others, the Inquisition’s response, and the religious ideals of Counter-Reformation Spain.Less
A discussion of why among the many candidates Rose of Lima received high honors as first saint of the New World and patron of the Americas. The reasons discussed include Rose’s penitential asceticism, support of religious and civil authorities, effective hagiography, Criollismo, advocacy by the Dominicans and Queen Mariana of Austria, and massive public devotion. Also discussed are the popularization of mysticism by Fray Luis de Granada and others, the Inquisition’s response, and the religious ideals of Counter-Reformation Spain.
Frank Graziano
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- January 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195136401
- eISBN:
- 9780199835164
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195136403.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
This study of the politics of canonization begins with discussion of the changing policies toward beata mysticism that affected Rose of Lima’s cause for canonization. The chapter further explores how ...
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This study of the politics of canonization begins with discussion of the changing policies toward beata mysticism that affected Rose of Lima’s cause for canonization. The chapter further explores how intimate relation with Christ through mysticism created an alternative, extra-institutional channel to deity that was implicitly subversive to Catholic hierarchy and bureaucracy. The concluding sections treat Rose of Lima’s tacit and sometimes excessive obedience as a strategy to subvert authority and her identity as a mujer varonil or Virgin warrior that was later adapted for diverse military purposes.Less
This study of the politics of canonization begins with discussion of the changing policies toward beata mysticism that affected Rose of Lima’s cause for canonization. The chapter further explores how intimate relation with Christ through mysticism created an alternative, extra-institutional channel to deity that was implicitly subversive to Catholic hierarchy and bureaucracy. The concluding sections treat Rose of Lima’s tacit and sometimes excessive obedience as a strategy to subvert authority and her identity as a mujer varonil or Virgin warrior that was later adapted for diverse military purposes.
Clive Griffin
- Published in print:
- 2005
- Published Online:
- September 2007
- ISBN:
- 9780199280735
- eISBN:
- 9780191712920
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199280735.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, European Early Modern History
Although the history of the book is a booming area of research, the journeymen who printed 16th-century books have remained shadowy figures because they were not thought to have left any significant ...
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Although the history of the book is a booming area of research, the journeymen who printed 16th-century books have remained shadowy figures because they were not thought to have left any significant traces in the archives. However, Griffin’s research on unpublished trial-records and a mass of associated inquisitional correspondence reveals a clandestine network of Protestant-minded immigrant journeymen — printers who were arrested by the Holy Office in Spain and Portugal in the 1560s and 1570s at a time of international crisis. A startlingly clear portrait of these humble men (and occasionally women) emerges allowing the reconstruction of what Namier deemed one of history’s greatest challenges: ‘the biographies of ordinary men’. We learn of their geographical and social origins, educational and professional training, travels, careers, standard of living, violent behaviour, and even their attitudes, beliefs, and ambitions. In the course of this study, other subjects are addressed: popular culture and religion; heresy; the history of skilled labour; the history of the book and of reading; the Inquisition; foreign and itinerant workers and the xenophobia they encountered; popular patterns of sociability; and the ‘double lives’ of lower-class Protestants living within a uniquely vigilant Catholic society. This study is relevant not only to the Iberian Peninsula or to the printing industry. It fills a gap in our knowledge of artisan history in the 16th-century throughout Europe. This study of the lives of immigrant workers in a society intolerant of foreigners and of religious diversity has much to say to readers in the early 21st century.Less
Although the history of the book is a booming area of research, the journeymen who printed 16th-century books have remained shadowy figures because they were not thought to have left any significant traces in the archives. However, Griffin’s research on unpublished trial-records and a mass of associated inquisitional correspondence reveals a clandestine network of Protestant-minded immigrant journeymen — printers who were arrested by the Holy Office in Spain and Portugal in the 1560s and 1570s at a time of international crisis. A startlingly clear portrait of these humble men (and occasionally women) emerges allowing the reconstruction of what Namier deemed one of history’s greatest challenges: ‘the biographies of ordinary men’. We learn of their geographical and social origins, educational and professional training, travels, careers, standard of living, violent behaviour, and even their attitudes, beliefs, and ambitions. In the course of this study, other subjects are addressed: popular culture and religion; heresy; the history of skilled labour; the history of the book and of reading; the Inquisition; foreign and itinerant workers and the xenophobia they encountered; popular patterns of sociability; and the ‘double lives’ of lower-class Protestants living within a uniquely vigilant Catholic society. This study is relevant not only to the Iberian Peninsula or to the printing industry. It fills a gap in our knowledge of artisan history in the 16th-century throughout Europe. This study of the lives of immigrant workers in a society intolerant of foreigners and of religious diversity has much to say to readers in the early 21st century.
Renee Levine Melammed
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195170719
- eISBN:
- 9780199835416
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195170717.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Although the Church insists that a convert to Catholicism is to be fully accepted by his co-religionists, the socio-economic and ethnic situation in Spain did not allow the conversos to fully ...
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Although the Church insists that a convert to Catholicism is to be fully accepted by his co-religionists, the socio-economic and ethnic situation in Spain did not allow the conversos to fully experience assimilation. Local laws were passed in the fifteenth century that essentially represented ethnic discrimination against the "New Christians," who were also deemed untrustworthy and insincere. As a result, the Church and Crown decided to establish a national (Spanish) inquisition in order to extirpate the Judaizing heresy. The development of the converso class resulted in serious repercussions for Church, State, and for the Jewish world.Less
Although the Church insists that a convert to Catholicism is to be fully accepted by his co-religionists, the socio-economic and ethnic situation in Spain did not allow the conversos to fully experience assimilation. Local laws were passed in the fifteenth century that essentially represented ethnic discrimination against the "New Christians," who were also deemed untrustworthy and insincere. As a result, the Church and Crown decided to establish a national (Spanish) inquisition in order to extirpate the Judaizing heresy. The development of the converso class resulted in serious repercussions for Church, State, and for the Jewish world.
Renee Levine Melammed
- Published in print:
- 2004
- Published Online:
- April 2005
- ISBN:
- 9780195170719
- eISBN:
- 9780199835416
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195170717.003.0008
- Subject:
- Religion, Judaism
Conversos choosing to settle in Italy faced the risk of being branded as heretics, for there were inquisitions in papal Rome as well as in Venice, an attractive commercial port for the Portuguese ...
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Conversos choosing to settle in Italy faced the risk of being branded as heretics, for there were inquisitions in papal Rome as well as in Venice, an attractive commercial port for the Portuguese merchant. Each locale had its own ruler who could choose whether or not to invite and protect the newcomers; some, like Leghorn, even extended invitations (La Livornina) and granted them charters. The conversos also had to decide whether they wanted to become Jews and to live in Jewish neighborhoods or ghettos, to remain Catholics, to live as "cultural commuters," or as "fuzzy Jews." Eminent conversos such as Dona Gracia and Amatus Lusitanus can be found here alongside lesser known dissemblers and undecided conversos whose fates were determined in Italy.Less
Conversos choosing to settle in Italy faced the risk of being branded as heretics, for there were inquisitions in papal Rome as well as in Venice, an attractive commercial port for the Portuguese merchant. Each locale had its own ruler who could choose whether or not to invite and protect the newcomers; some, like Leghorn, even extended invitations (La Livornina) and granted them charters. The conversos also had to decide whether they wanted to become Jews and to live in Jewish neighborhoods or ghettos, to remain Catholics, to live as "cultural commuters," or as "fuzzy Jews." Eminent conversos such as Dona Gracia and Amatus Lusitanus can be found here alongside lesser known dissemblers and undecided conversos whose fates were determined in Italy.
Stephen Haliczer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148633
- eISBN:
- 9780199869923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148630.003.0002
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Contrary to the growing influence of science and rationalism upon intellectual discourse throughout much of Europe, Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries remained firmly entrenched in a ...
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Contrary to the growing influence of science and rationalism upon intellectual discourse throughout much of Europe, Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries remained firmly entrenched in a belief system of unquestioning acceptance of divine intervention in everyday life. This was expressed in the form of miraculous events, visionary experience, judgment and punishment. Within this context, Catholic mystical movements flourished, touching all sectors of society, including the aristocracy, and exerting a strong influence on medicine, industry, economics, and politics. In particular, women mystics were frequently consulted regarding matters of illness and disease, and politicians from all levels of government, including monarchs, developed ongoing communication with these spiritual women.Less
Contrary to the growing influence of science and rationalism upon intellectual discourse throughout much of Europe, Spain in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries remained firmly entrenched in a belief system of unquestioning acceptance of divine intervention in everyday life. This was expressed in the form of miraculous events, visionary experience, judgment and punishment. Within this context, Catholic mystical movements flourished, touching all sectors of society, including the aristocracy, and exerting a strong influence on medicine, industry, economics, and politics. In particular, women mystics were frequently consulted regarding matters of illness and disease, and politicians from all levels of government, including monarchs, developed ongoing communication with these spiritual women.
Stephen Haliczer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148633
- eISBN:
- 9780199869923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148630.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Concerned that educated women would threaten male authority in religion and politics, a misogynous culture of male domination emerged to subordinate and restrict women's lives. Still concerned with ...
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Concerned that educated women would threaten male authority in religion and politics, a misogynous culture of male domination emerged to subordinate and restrict women's lives. Still concerned with potential heterodox threats, the church found itself in the paradoxical position of needing to enforce a conservative orthodoxy while at the same time not wanting to alienate those followers of popular religious trends who were also devoutly Catholic. As such, many women mystics who were prominent in popular movements were supported and even canonized. The spiritual piety of these women achieved greater and greater recognition and their writings flourished. Many, however, were wholly dependent upon their male spiritual advisors who had the power to determine their success or failure as mystics.Less
Concerned that educated women would threaten male authority in religion and politics, a misogynous culture of male domination emerged to subordinate and restrict women's lives. Still concerned with potential heterodox threats, the church found itself in the paradoxical position of needing to enforce a conservative orthodoxy while at the same time not wanting to alienate those followers of popular religious trends who were also devoutly Catholic. As such, many women mystics who were prominent in popular movements were supported and even canonized. The spiritual piety of these women achieved greater and greater recognition and their writings flourished. Many, however, were wholly dependent upon their male spiritual advisors who had the power to determine their success or failure as mystics.
Stephen Haliczer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148633
- eISBN:
- 9780199869923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148630.003.0006
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
In a society that valued social status, lower‐class mystics tended to be regarded as ‘false.’ They were frequently subjected to the Inquisition, and, as many were uneducated and thus illiterate, they ...
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In a society that valued social status, lower‐class mystics tended to be regarded as ‘false.’ They were frequently subjected to the Inquisition, and, as many were uneducated and thus illiterate, they were not well acquainted with orthodox catechism and were often accused of heresy. Further, these ‘false’ mystics rarely benefited from the instruction and support of an elite spiritual advisor. Rather, the poorer mystics tended to have an unstable relationship with their confessors, who often were not well educated themselves. While some ‘false’ mystics found supporters within the aristocracy, they rarely secured support from the ecclesiastical hierarchy.Less
In a society that valued social status, lower‐class mystics tended to be regarded as ‘false.’ They were frequently subjected to the Inquisition, and, as many were uneducated and thus illiterate, they were not well acquainted with orthodox catechism and were often accused of heresy. Further, these ‘false’ mystics rarely benefited from the instruction and support of an elite spiritual advisor. Rather, the poorer mystics tended to have an unstable relationship with their confessors, who often were not well educated themselves. While some ‘false’ mystics found supporters within the aristocracy, they rarely secured support from the ecclesiastical hierarchy.
Stephen Haliczer
- Published in print:
- 2002
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195148633
- eISBN:
- 9780199869923
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195148630.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, History of Christianity
Without questioning the existence and validity of genuine divine revelation, the Inquisition nonetheless concerned itself with the problem of fraudulent mystical experiences, which were understood to ...
More
Without questioning the existence and validity of genuine divine revelation, the Inquisition nonetheless concerned itself with the problem of fraudulent mystical experiences, which were understood to be demonic in origin. Women were especially vulnerable to ‘false’ mysticism because of their perceived emotional frailty and temptation to the sin of pride. To distinguish between ‘false’ and authentic divine communication, the Inquisition created a set of criteria by which to judge a visionary's claim. Women who were charged with ‘false’ mysticism were subjected to a process of imprisonment, trial, and sentencing by the Inquisition, although generally, those found guilty were not severely punished but rather subjected to corrective education and curtailment.Less
Without questioning the existence and validity of genuine divine revelation, the Inquisition nonetheless concerned itself with the problem of fraudulent mystical experiences, which were understood to be demonic in origin. Women were especially vulnerable to ‘false’ mysticism because of their perceived emotional frailty and temptation to the sin of pride. To distinguish between ‘false’ and authentic divine communication, the Inquisition created a set of criteria by which to judge a visionary's claim. Women who were charged with ‘false’ mysticism were subjected to a process of imprisonment, trial, and sentencing by the Inquisition, although generally, those found guilty were not severely punished but rather subjected to corrective education and curtailment.
