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<blockquote data-quote="aspqrz" data-source="post: 7241236" data-attributes="member: 19485"><p><strong>They burn Heretics, don't they?</strong></p><p></p><p>Not really ... <em>really!</em></p><p></p><p><strong>Heresy.</strong> According to the Codex Justinianus, a Heretic was anyone 'who is not devoted to the Catholic Church and our orthodox Holy Faith.'</p><p></p><p>By the medieval period this meant anyone who didn't follow or accept Church Dogma. A pretty broad brush.</p><p></p><p>However, Church and, until the end of the 13th century, Civil authorities were extremely reluctant to even investigate claims of Heresy. Even after that, many (perhaps most) regional Church authorities were even more opposed to doing so and were angry with the Papacy for trying to devolve the power onto them ... they were even more unhappy with Civil authorities pursuing such matters on their own bat.</p><p></p><p>(The Church authorities were generally quite tolerant of heterodox beliefs - even ones quite significantly at odds with elements of Dogma. As long as the person or who held them wasn't socially prominent, didn't [successfully] attempt to preach their beliefs, and as long as any group who held such beliefs in common behaved similarly - and that was mostly the cases they were faced with.)</p><p></p><p>Even when they did investigate, as far as they were concerned you were only deemed to be a heretic if you 'obstinately and persistently refuse[d] to recant'</p><p></p><p><strong>Excommunication.</strong> As far as the Church was concerned, the penalty for Heresy was to be made excommunicate ... but ... that was not the first option.</p><p></p><p>If an accused Heretic recanted their heretical beliefs, that was that as far as the Church authorities were concerned. No harm, no foul. The end of the matter -- maybe a mild penance.</p><p></p><p>If the former Heretic lapsed a second time they were examined more rigorously and, if they recanted, they were more closely supervised ... and more serious penances would be applied.</p><p></p><p>Only if they lapsed a third time were they excommunicate and handed over to the Civil Authorities for execution.</p><p></p><p>Even then, you might not actually burnt - England only instituted burning of Heretics at the stake from 1222 - in fact, being crucified, beheaded, crushed to death with heavy weights, thrown off cliffs or castle walls, broken an a Waggon Wheel and the like were more likely methods of execution. If it came to that.</p><p></p><p><strong>The Spanish Inquisition.</strong> Sorry to burst balloons, but they <em>don't exist</em>. And <em><strong>won't </strong></em>until <strong><em>1478</em></strong>. And they were <em>50 times more likely to merely imprison you than burn you at the stake</em> and were <em>less likely to use torture to gain confessions than Protestant authorities during the 17th century!</em></p><p></p><p><strong>... maybe Witches, then?</strong></p><p></p><p><strong><em>Not so much</em></strong>.</p><p></p><p>The Church was about as interested in pursuing claims of Witchcraft as it was pursuing claims of Heresy during the 10th-14th centuries, and rarely undertook prosecutions - and even more rarely made convictions.</p><p></p><p>That remained the case until the middle of the 15th century, and especially after the beginning of the Reformation. The two centuries from 1450 to 1650 or so were they heyday of the Witch burning craze.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="aspqrz, post: 7241236, member: 19485"] [b]They burn Heretics, don't they?[/b] Not really ... [i]really![/i] [b]Heresy.[/b] According to the Codex Justinianus, a Heretic was anyone 'who is not devoted to the Catholic Church and our orthodox Holy Faith.' By the medieval period this meant anyone who didn't follow or accept Church Dogma. A pretty broad brush. However, Church and, until the end of the 13th century, Civil authorities were extremely reluctant to even investigate claims of Heresy. Even after that, many (perhaps most) regional Church authorities were even more opposed to doing so and were angry with the Papacy for trying to devolve the power onto them ... they were even more unhappy with Civil authorities pursuing such matters on their own bat. (The Church authorities were generally quite tolerant of heterodox beliefs - even ones quite significantly at odds with elements of Dogma. As long as the person or who held them wasn't socially prominent, didn't [successfully] attempt to preach their beliefs, and as long as any group who held such beliefs in common behaved similarly - and that was mostly the cases they were faced with.) Even when they did investigate, as far as they were concerned you were only deemed to be a heretic if you 'obstinately and persistently refuse[d] to recant' [b]Excommunication.[/b] As far as the Church was concerned, the penalty for Heresy was to be made excommunicate ... but ... that was not the first option. If an accused Heretic recanted their heretical beliefs, that was that as far as the Church authorities were concerned. No harm, no foul. The end of the matter -- maybe a mild penance. If the former Heretic lapsed a second time they were examined more rigorously and, if they recanted, they were more closely supervised ... and more serious penances would be applied. Only if they lapsed a third time were they excommunicate and handed over to the Civil Authorities for execution. Even then, you might not actually burnt - England only instituted burning of Heretics at the stake from 1222 - in fact, being crucified, beheaded, crushed to death with heavy weights, thrown off cliffs or castle walls, broken an a Waggon Wheel and the like were more likely methods of execution. If it came to that. [b]The Spanish Inquisition.[/b] Sorry to burst balloons, but they [i]don't exist[/i]. And [i][b]won't [/b][/i]until [b][i]1478[/i][/b]. And they were [i]50 times more likely to merely imprison you than burn you at the stake[/i] and were [i]less likely to use torture to gain confessions than Protestant authorities during the 17th century![/i] [b]... maybe Witches, then?[/b] [b][i]Not so much[/i][/b]. The Church was about as interested in pursuing claims of Witchcraft as it was pursuing claims of Heresy during the 10th-14th centuries, and rarely undertook prosecutions - and even more rarely made convictions. That remained the case until the middle of the 15th century, and especially after the beginning of the Reformation. The two centuries from 1450 to 1650 or so were they heyday of the Witch burning craze. [/QUOTE]
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