The Medieval Inquisition (Classic Reprint): A Study in Religious Persecution: A Study in Religious Persecution (Classic Reprint) - Softcover

Charles T. Gorham

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1331808154 ISBN 13: 9781331808152

Publisher: Forgotten Books, 2018

Synopsis

Excerpt from The Medieval Inquisition

Excommunication was imposed for tri?ing offences; but, however unjustly, the victim had for being reconciled to holy Church. The magni d cathedrals which are the glories Of architecture were to some extent an expression of religious faith, but even more of the clerical pride which reared them with money exacted from the poor. /preaching was almost wholly neglected, and this was one of the reasons why heresy became formidable}; Parish priests could not preach without special licence from the Bishops whose pre rogative preaching was, and by whom it was neglected because they were engrossed with worldly cares and pleasures and warlike duties. The Lord Bishop was first and foremost a man of war, especially in the thirteenth century. A story is told about the Bishop of Beauvais, one Of the most ruthless of these warriors for Christ, who, when captured by the English, com plained to the Pope that his privileges as a Churchman had been violated. In reply to the remonstrance of His Holiness, Richard I sent him the coat of mail in which the Bishop had been captured, with the Scriptural inquiry: Know whether it be thy son's coat or no. Benefices were Openly sold, or bestowed upon children, seven years being the minimum age fixed by some Popes for the clerical function. The abuses that grew out of the system of pluralities, the exactions connected with tithes, confessions, absolutions, marriages, funerals, were endless, a large part of the Church's wealth being derived from legacies which the fear of hell prompted the dying to leave at death or frequently to hand over during life.

About this title

Product Description

Excerpt from The Medieval Inquisition: A Study in Religious Persecution Although it has been said of human nature that the more it changes the more it is the same thing, it is yet true that at different epochs it is actuated by widely different ideas. The underlying passions are the same, but the forces evoking them vary so greatly that sometimes, as in considering the history of the Middle Ages, we seem to be concerned with beings from another planet. One of the most powerful of these forces is religion; and, though religion in the abstract is assumed to bring out all that is best in human nature, it has in the past only too frequently appealed to and stimulated its baser elements. The evil is due partly to erroneous religious teaching, but probably still more to the obstinate imperfection of the material on which religion has to work. The vast majority of human beings are even now incapable of appreciating and practising an absolutely pure religion, and probably no such religion has ever yet had a fair trial. Dogmatic systems there have been in abundance, but these are not to be identified with religion. About the Publisher Forgotten Books publishes hundreds of thousands of rare and classic books. Find more at www.forgottenbooks.com This book is a reproduction of an important historical work. Forgotten Books uses state-of-the-art technology to digitally reconstruct the work, preserving the original format whilst repairing imperfections present in the aged copy. In rare cases, an imperfection in the original, such as a blemish or missing page, may be replicated in our edition. We do, however, repair the vast majority of imperfections successfully; any imperfections that remain are intentionally left to preserve the state of such historical works.

About the Author

Andrew Dickson White (1832-1918) did more than any other American to impress upon late nineteenth- and twentieth century thought the idea that science and religion are enemies locked in combat on an almost military scale. In 1849, he entered Geneva College and later enrolled in Yale. After graduating, White joined the University of Michigan as a lecturer in history. He returned to New York and won election to the state senate. Finally, White went on to become the first president and cofounder of Cornell University. He also is the author of books, including Seven Great Statesmen in the Warfare of Humanity with Unreason and a 1906 autobiography.

Edition details

• Publisher: Forgotten Books
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1331808154
• ISBN 13: 9781331808152
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 130