The Spanish Inquisition​—How Could It Happen?

By Awake! correspondent in Spain

IT WAS June 5, 1635, when Alonso de Alarcón was informed that a warrant for his arrest had been issued. His protests of innocence were ignored. He was imprisoned in solitary confinement. Three times he was “invited” to confess his crimes, but he proclaimed his innocence.

On April 10, 1636, he was tortured on the rack until he lost consciousness. On October 12, he was condemned to 100 lashes and was banished for six years.

“To the Greater Glory of God”

Alonso was a weaver in Toledo, Spain, (shown above) father of three daughters, and paralyzed on one side. His own doctor had informed the interrogators that torture could be applied without risk​—at least to the side that wasn’t paralyzed. Alonso was a victim of the Spanish Inquisition.

His crime? He was accused of eating meat on a Friday (it implied that he had Jewish leanings) and of blasphemy against the Virgin Mary (he had reportedly declared that one of his daughters was more of a virgin than Mary). His accuser was the local priest.

Theologians studied the case and decreed that the accusations against him were a clear proof of heresy. The entire procedure claimed to be ad majorem Dei gloriam (to the greater glory of God), although Alonso and the 100,000 or so others who were tried by the Inquisition did not see it in that light.

Not surprisingly, the Spanish Inquisition has become a byword for religious oppression and fanaticism. Even the word “inquisition,” which at first just meant “the act of inquiring,” now has connotations of torture, injustice, and a merciless disregard for human rights. How did such an oppressive machinery get established? What were its goals? Can it be justified as a “necessary evil”?

The Inquisition​—The Way to Unity?

In the 13th century the Catholic Church established the Inquisition in France, Germany, Italy, and Spain. Its main purpose was to stamp out dissident religious groups that the clergy viewed as dangerous to the church. After the demise of these groups, this church-sponsored Inquisition declined in influence, but the precedent was to have dire consequences for many Spaniards some two centuries later.

In the 15th century the Catholic Kings Isabella and Ferdinand conquered the last of the Muslim Moors who had occupied much of Spain for eight centuries. These monarchs looked for ways to forge national unity. Religion was considered to be a convenient tool to achieve that end.

In September 1480 the Inquisition reappeared in Spain, but its power was wielded by the State. Its purpose was the “purification of the nation and the unity of the faith.” The Catholic rulers of Spain persuaded Pope Sixtus IV to issue a bull authorizing them to name inquisitors for the purpose of investigating and punishing heresy. Thereafter, the State financed the Inquisition and established the procedures for its operation. A crusade to impose strict religious uniformity on the nation had begun. The institution was operated mainly by Dominican and Franciscan friars but was supervised by the monarchy.

This was a marriage of convenience between Church and State. The church wished to stamp out the threat it perceived from the thousands of Spanish Jews and Moors who had been forcibly converted to Catholicism but who were suspected of keeping their former beliefs. It would later use the same apparatus to stamp out Protestant groups that appeared in the following century.

The Inquisition also proved to be a powerful weapon for the State. It suppressed dissent, generated substantial income confiscated from its victims, and concentrated power in the hands of the monarchy. For over three centuries this fearful institution imposed its will on the Spanish people.

Torquemada​—The Most Notorious Inquisitor

In 1483, three years after the reemergence of the Inquisition in Spain, Tomás de Torquemada, a Dominican friar and ironically of Jewish descent himself, was appointed inquisitor-general. His cruelty toward suspected heretics was unsurpassed. He was praised by Pope Sixtus IV for “directing [his] zeal to those matters that contribute to the praise of God.”

Later, however, Pope Alexander VI, alarmed by Torquemada’s excesses, tried to dilute his power by appointing two other inquisitors-general. It was to little avail. Torquemada continued exercising overall authority, and during his term of office, he burned at least 2,000 people at the stake​—“an awful holocaust to the principle of intolerance,” according to The Encyclopædia Britannica. Thousands fled abroad, while countless others suffered imprisonment and torture and had their property confiscated. Apparently, Torquemada was convinced that his work was done in the service of Christ. Indeed, church doctrine justified his actions.a

However, the Bible warns that religious zeal can be misguided. In the first century, Paul described Jews who persecuted Christians as persons who had “a zeal for God; but not according to accurate knowledge.” (Romans 10:2) Jesus predicted that misguided zeal would even cause such ones to kill innocent people, imagining that they were ‘rendering a sacred service to God.’​—John 16:2.

Torquemada’s policies well illustrate the tragic consequences of a zeal hardened by bigotry instead of tempered by love and accurate knowledge. His was not the Christian way to achieve the unity of the faith.

The Inquisition and the Bible

Because of the inquisitors, for centuries it was almost impossible for Spaniards to read the Bible in their common language. The mere possession of one in the vernacular was deemed heretical by the inquisitors. In 1557 the Inquisition officially banned the Bible in any of Spain’s vernacular tongues. Countless Bibles were burned.

It wasn’t until 1791 that a Catholic Bible in Spanish was finally printed in Spain, based on the Latin Vulgate. The Spanish church’s first complete translation from the original languages, the Nacar-Colunga Bible, was not forthcoming until 1944.

The extent of the Inquisition’s power in this regard can also be seen by the fact that even handwritten Romance (early Spanish) Bibles in the king’s personal library, in El Escorial, were reviewed by the inquisitor-general. The warning “prohibited” can still be seen on the flyleaf of some of these works.

Perhaps the proscription of the Bible for so many centuries in Spain has been one factor contributing to the interest of Spanish people in the Holy Scriptures today. Many now possess a Bible and have a sincere desire to know what it really teaches.

The Real Face of the Inquisition

An inevitable result of the Inquisition was the fostering of greed and suspicion. Pope Sixtus IV complained that the inquisitors were showing more lust for gold than zeal for religion. Any wealthy person was in danger of being denounced, and although he might be “reconciled to the church” during the inquisitorial process, his goods would be confiscated anyway.

Others were judged posthumously, and their heirs were left penniless, sometimes on the basis of anonymous informers who would receive a percentage of the forfeited riches. The widespread use of spies and informers produced a climate of fear and suspicion. Often torture was invoked to obtain the names of “fellow heretics,” resulting in the arrest of many innocent people on the flimsiest of evidence.

Strong anti-Semitic suspicions led to other abuses. For example, Elvira del Campo of Toledo was accused in 1568 because of putting on clean clothes on Saturday and abstaining from eating pork, both of which were supposed proofs of secretly practicing Judaism. Mercilessly tortured on the rack, she implored: “Sirs, why don’t you tell me what you want me to say?” In a second torture session she had to confess that it was not a delicate stomach that made her dislike pork but, rather, her Jewish inclinations.

Hearts and Minds Not Won Over

However, brave voices of protest were heard, even at the height of the Inquisition’s power. Elio Antonio de Nebrija, one of the foremost scholars of his day, was denounced to the Inquisition for his desire to improve the text of the Latin Vulgate Bible. He protested: “Must I be obliged to declare that I do not know what I know? What slavery or what power is so despotic as this?” Luis Vives, another scholar whose whole family was wiped out by the Inquisition, wrote: “We live in difficult times in which we can neither speak nor keep quiet without danger.”

In the early 19th century, Antonio Puigblanch, a Spanish writer and politician who campaigned for the abolition of the Inquisition, argued: “[As the] Inquisition is an ecclesiastical tribunal, its rigor is incompatible with the spirit of meekness that ought to distinguish the ministers of the Gospel.” Even today, many sincere Catholics are still trying to come to terms with the church’s role in the Inquisition.

Thus, an appropriate question is: Were the hearts and minds of the people really won over by these methods? One historian observes: “The Inquisition, while it did impose conformity of dogma and outward observances, was not able to inspire a genuine respect for religion.”

For example, Julián, a young man studying to be a priest, was shocked when he first read about the part the church played in the Inquisition. His teacher argued that as God had invented hell to torment the wicked eternally, the church would use torment when deemed necessary. But this reply did nothing to allay his doubts, and he left the seminary. Similarly, Julio, a young Spanish lawyer who already had doubts about Catholicism, was convinced that the church could not be truly Christian after he had read extensively about the Inquisition.

The use of threats, imprisonment, torture, and even death to attain political and religious ends has proved counterproductive. The Spanish church, tainted by its history of suppression, is still reaping the consequences of having sowed violence, hatred, and suspicion.

Does the End Justify the Means?

The concept of ‘religious unity at any price’ is a dangerous one. Religious zeal can easily become fanaticism. This tragedy can be avoided by faithful adherence to Bible principles. The example of the first-century Christians proves that this is so.

Regarding the methods used by early Christians to maintain doctrinal harmony, The New Encyclopædia Britannica explains: “During Christianity’s first three centuries, penalties against heretics were exclusively spiritual, usually excommunication.” This was in harmony with the Scriptural instructions: “A man that is a heretic, after the first and second admonition, avoid.”​—Titus 3:10, Douay.

Christian Warfare​—For the Minds of Others

The Bible describes the preaching of the good news as being spiritual warfare. The goal is to bring “every thought into captivity to make it obedient to the Christ.” To achieve lasting unity, weapons would be needed but not for torture. Rather, spiritual weapons, “powerful by God,” would be the means, always employed along with “a mild temper and deep respect.”​—2 Corinthians 10:3-5; 1 Peter 3:15.

Happily, we can look forward to the time when religious persecution will be no more. God’s promise is that soon a time will come when “they will not do any harm or cause any ruin.” Real religious unity will be achieved, and the whole “earth will certainly be filled with the knowledge of Jehovah as the waters are covering the very sea.”​—Isaiah 11:9; Revelation 21:1-4.

[Footnotes]

[Pictures on page 24]

Coffin where tied victim was left inside for days

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Exposición de Antiguos Instrumentos de Tortura, Toledo, Spain

Ladder rack used for stretching the limbs of the victim

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Exposición de Antiguos Instrumentos de Tortura, Toledo, Spain

[Pictures on page 25]

The pendulum​—victim was suspended by wrists tied behind his back

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Exposición de Antiguos Instrumentos de Tortura, Toledo, Spain

Dungeon for housing prisoners, such as Alonso de Alarcón

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Exposición de Antiguos Instrumentos de Tortura, Toledo, Spain

[Picture on page 26]

Prison of the Holy Brotherhood, where victims were housed in Toledo