Friday, June 18
The kinder, gentler Holy Office...
Nobody Expects the Spanish Inquisition
Historian Thomas S. Madden offers a re-evaluation of the Holy Office far different from the smoke-blackened world of Foxe's Book of Martyrs, discussing the Inquisition's role in refining and reforming the European judicial process, providing fair trials in an age when they were scarce, and, most astonishingly, saving repentant heretics from the clutches of state officials who'd sooner flame-broil them in the public square. About only 1% of any of the folks hauled up before Tomas de Torquemada and Co. ever got executed, incidentally, which is a pretty decent track record for a supposedly brutal and bloodthirsty legal black hole with an almost fanatical devotion to the Pope and nice red uniforms. (And for all those Englishmen out there enjoying kicking Spain about with the Black Legend, I have two words for you: Star Chamber. So there.) Also, we're treated to the quotation of an amusing newspaper headline of the recent past, "Vatican Downsizes Inquisition." Really. Fascinating and enlightening stuff. Bring out the comfy chair, eh, Cardinal Biggles?
Oh yes, and the Spanish Inqusition sketch from Monty Python now has it's own (un)official website. Gaudete!
![[SMMMHDH]](http://www.mgilleland.com/music/smmmhdh.png){kind=small}
