What were the Inquisitions? Why did the Catholic Church use the inquisitions to persecute those who disagreed with its doctrines and/or practices?

Wikipedia :

The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the government system of the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy. Generally, the Inquisition was concerned only with the heretical behaviour of Catholic adherents or converts

The 1578 edition of the Directorium Inquisitorum (a standard manual) spelled out the purpose of inquisitorial penalties: ... quoniam punitio non refertur primo & per se in correctionem & bonum eius qui punitur, sed in bonum publicum ut alij terreantur, & a malis committendis avocentur (translation: "... for punishment does not take place primarily and per se for the correction and good of the person punished, but for the public good in order that others may become terrified and weaned away from the evils they would commit

KingEbukasBlog:
Wikipedia :

The Inquisition was a group of institutions within the government system of the Catholic Church whose aim was to combat heresy. Generally, the Inquisition was concerned only with the heretical behaviour of Catholic adherents or converts

The 1578 edition of the Directorium Inquisitorum (a standard manual) spelled out the purpose of inquisitorial penalties: ... quoniam punitio non refertur primo & per se in correctionem & bonum eius qui punitur, sed in bonum publicum ut alij terreantur, & a malis committendis avocentur (translation: "... for punishment does not take place primarily and per se for the correction and good of the person punished, but for the public good in order that others may become terrified and weaned away from the evils they would commit

What and who were the heretics with heretical behaviours? What were the Catholic adherents or converts believing in that made them heretics?

OLAADEGBU:


What and who were the heretics with heretical behaviours? What were the Catholic adherents or converts believing in that made them heretics?

Well , the heretics peddled teachings that were contrary to the accepted doctrine of Church . There was Catharism that saw the god of the old testament as an evil god or Satan . According to the Cathars , the evil god created the physical realm while good God which the God of the New Testament created the spiritual realm . They believed that the human spirit were the genderless spirits of angels trapped within the physical creation of the evil god who will then undergo reincarnation . They were against marriage and assented to fornication .

Then there was Arianism , which saw Christ as the subordinate to God . The adherents of Arianism believe that God , Yahweh , is the greatest of all and Christ , The Son ,was created by the Father not equal to the Father . Even Christians today have that belief .

Clearly , we can see that these heretical teachings are incongruous with the accepted doctrine of the Church .Catharism is heretical God is the same God of the Old and New Testament , and God is the creator of both the physical and spiritual realm . And Satan is not a creator god . Spirits are the immaterial part of man that connect to God . Of course we know that fornication is a sin .

Arianism is heretical because it contrary to the doctrine of the Trinity - God is Three Persons , The Father , The Son and The Holy Spirit , who are equal in power , authority and supremacy .

KingEbukasBlog:


Well , the heretics peddled teachings that were contrary to the accepted doctrine of Church . There was Catharism that saw the god of the old testament as an evil god or Satan . According to the Cathars , the evil god created the physical realm while good God which the God of the New Testament created the spiritual realm . They believed that the human spirit were the genderless spirits of angels trapped within the physical creation of the evil god who will then undergo reincarnation . They were against marriage and assented to fornication .

Then there was Arianism , which saw Christ as the subordinate to God . The adherents of Arianism believe that God , Yahweh , is the greatest of all and Christ , The Son ,was created by the Father not equal to the Father . Even Christians today have that belief .

Clearly , we can see that these heretical teachings are incongruous with the accepted doctrine of the Church .Catharism is heretical God is the same God of the Old and New Testament , and God is the creator of both the physical and spiritual realm . And Satan is not a creator god . Spirits are the immaterial part of man that connect to God . Of course we know that fornication is a sin .

Arianism is heretical because it contrary to the doctrine of the Trinity - God is Three Persons , The Father , The Son and The Holy Spirit , who are equal in power , authority and supremacy .

What was the punishment for heresy in the Bible in the early church (1st century Christians)?

OLAADEGBU:


What was the punishment for heresy in the Bible in the early church (1st century Christians)?

According to the mosaic law , death is the condign punishment for heresy .

While during the inquisitions , being burnt on a stake , life imprisonment , confiscation of heretics good were the punishments meted out to the heretics .

KingEbukasBlog:


According to the mosaic law , death is the condign punishment for heresy .

While during the inquisitions , being burnt on a stake , life imprisonment , confiscation of heretics good were the punishments meted out to the heretics .

I meant the punishment in the Christian church during the times of the apostles.

OLAADEGBU:


I meant the punishment in the Christian church during the times of the apostles.

Oh , during the time of the apostles , there was no heresy . Heresy started at the latter part of the second century when people came up with different interpretations and opinions about the New Testament . The apostles were part of the New Testament .

OLAADEGBU:


I meant the punishment in the Christian church during the times of the apostles.

The early christians of the first century were Jews and so would have followed the mosaic laws. There was friction due to the teachings of Paul on dietary concerns and such but first century christians still went to synagogue and practiced judaism.

PastorAIO:


The early christians of the first century were Jews and so would have followed the mosaic laws. There was friction due to the teachings of Paul on dietary concerns and such but first century christians still went to synagogue and practiced judaism.

interesting take, though i think punishment of any kind (except maybe excommunication) wouldnt have been posible in apostolic times since xtians were a persecuted bunch who didnt have d power to dish out punishments. I think d inquisition took d who idea of punishment to a whole new level.

OLAADEGBU:


I meant the punishment in the Christian church during the times of the apostles.

The early church didnt have d power to dish out punishments of a civil nature, they simply decleared the heretic 'haram' and decleared them 'anathema' i.e under d curse of God. But if u want to know d just punishment for a heretic then u should read what Jesus say. Mark 9:42 International Version "If anyone causes one of these little ones-- those who believe in me--to stumble, it would be better for them if a large millstone were hung around their neck and they were thrown into the sea.

Luke 17:2
New International Version
It would be better for them to be thrown into the sea with a millstone tied around their neck than to cause one of these little ones to stumble.
this is what Jesus says a heretic deserves, it is similar to what the old testament says on the issue.

Ubenedictus:
interesting take, though i think punishment of any kind (except maybe excommunication) wouldnt have been posible in apostolic times since xtians were a persecuted bunch who didnt have d power to dish out punishments. I think d inquisition took d who idea of punishment to a whole new level.

True, they lacked the political authority to punish. I think this was true of Jews too though, especially in the diaspora. In Judea I think they Romans gave them some authority to carry out a few punishments of their own, but mostly legal correction was done through the Roman civil system.

PastorAIO:


True, they lacked the political authority to punish. I think this was true of Jews too though, especially in the diaspora. In Judea I think they Romans gave them some authority to carry out a few punishments of their own, but mostly legal correction was done through the Roman civil system.

true, very true, though i think d jews were notorious for their extra judicial punishments as is related in d attempt to stone the woman who committed adultery, i think that was partly why d roman thought d jews were problematic and hard to rule, they had their own idea of what d law should b and how it should b applied. In the diaspora it was different, they were d minority so they couldnt impose their thoughts on the majority in form of punishments but they usually kept their cultural identity.

OLAADEGBU:


What were the Inquisitions? Why did the Catholic Church use the inquisitions to persecute those who disagreed with its doctrines and/or practices?

Suggested answer:

https://gotquestions.org/inquisitions.html

OLAADEGBU:


Suggested answer:

https://gotquestions.org/inquisitions.html

Question: "What were the Inquisitions?"

Answer: The Inquisitions were judicial institutions or tribunals that were established by the Roman Catholic Church in order to seek out, try, and sentence people that the Roman Catholic Church believed to be guilty of heresy. The purpose of the inquisitions was to secure and maintain religious and doctrinal unity in the Roman Catholic Church and throughout the Holy Roman Empire, through either the conversion or persecution of alleged heretics. Historians generally distinguish the Inquisitions based on four different time frames and areas that they took place in. These are the Medieval or Episcopal Inquisition, the Spanish Inquisition, the Portuguese Inquisition, and the Roman Inquisition.

Prior to the founding of the Roman Catholic Church and the establishment of their version of Christianity as the official state religion of the Roman Empire in the 4th century, the punishment for heresy among Christians was usually excommunication from the church. However, with the marriage of church and state that arose in the 4th century, people that the Roman Catholic Church considered to be heretics also came to be considered as enemies of the state and were subject to many forms of extreme punishment, including death. It wasn't until the 12th century that official Inquisitions were organised and sanctioned by the Roman Catholic Church to officially deal with what they saw as a rise in organised heretical groups within the Holy Roman Empire.

The first of the Inquisitions is known as the Medieval or Episcopal Inquisition and refers to the various tribunals that started around 1184. It includes the Episcopal Inquisition (1184-1230) and the Papal Inquisition (1230), which arose in response to large popular movements in Europe that were considered to be heretical by the Roman Catholic Church. It was during this time (1231) that Pope Gregory IX shifted the power to punish heretics away from the local bishops and put the inquisitors under the special jurisdiction and authority of the papacy. He also established severe penalties for those found guilty of committing heresy, and his decree set forth new guidelines for investigating and punishing heresy in the Holy Roman Empire. Generally, when an Inquisition was set up to investigate heresy in a particular area of the Holy Roman Empire, the Pope would appoint two inquisitors, each of which had equal authority in the Inquisition or tribunal. Because these inquisitors had the power to investigate and excommunicate even princes, they wielded enormous power and influence in the Holy Roman Empire.

While some of the inquisitors had reputations as being men of justice and mercy, others were known to subject people to cruel and unusual punishment, including many different kinds of torture, which is what the Inquisitions are generally remembered for. Because they could imprison suspects that they thought were lying, some inquisitors used torture as an attempt to get them to admit what the inquisitor wanted to hear. In 1252 Pope Innocent IV officially sanctioned torture as a way of extracting the "truth" from suspects. Prior to that time, this type of extreme punishment was foreign to church tradition and practice. During the Spanish Inquisition alone, as many as 2,000 people were burned at the stake within one decade after the Inquisition began.

The next major Inquisition period is known as the Spanish Inquisition. It was set up by King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella of Spain in 1478 with the approval of Pope Sixtus IV. Unlike the previous Inquisition, it was completely under royal authority and was staffed by secular clergy. It mainly focused on Jews who had professed to be converts to Roman Catholicism but who were suspected of having continued to practice Judaism. Later on, with the spread of Protestantism into Spain, the Inquisition would also begin to persecute Protestants who broke away from the Roman Catholic Church. However, after the decline in religious disputes in the 17th century, the Spanish Inquisition essentially became more like a secret police that would investigate and retaliate against internal threats to the Spanish authorities. The Spanish Inquisition is probably the most infamous for its torture and the number of people executed as a result of it. One historian estimated that over the course of its history the Spanish Inquisition tried a total of 341,021 people, of whom at least 10 percent (31,912) were executed.

Another important period is known as the Portuguese Inquisition and was established in Portugal in 1536 by the king of Portugal, João III, and operated much like the more famous Spanish Inquisition. Later, in 1560, in India and other parts of the Portuguese Empire in Asia, the Goa Inquisition was set up in the Indian city of Goa to deal with converts from Hinduism who were suspected of continuing to practice or hold to some Hindu beliefs.

The last period is known as the Roman Inquisition, and it was established in 1542 when Pope Paul III established the Holy Office as the final court of appeals in all trials of heresy. This group was made up of cardinals and other officials whose task was to maintain and defend the doctrines of the Roman Catholic Church. This group played an important role in the Counter-Reformation, and it was also this body that condemned Galileo for "grave suspicion of heresy" and banned all of his works in 1633 for teaching that the sun was the centre of the universe and that the earth revolved around it. In 1965, Pope Paul VI reorganised the Holy Office and renamed it as the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, and it remains in effect today.