The Inquisition

The word inquisition simply means “investigation”; secular rulers had long used the method to summon people together, either to discover facts or to uncover and punish crimes. In its zeal to end heresy, the thirteenth-century church used the Inquisition to ferret out “heretical depravity.” Calling suspects to testify, inquisitors, aided by secular authorities, rounded up virtually entire villages, first preaching to the throngs and then questioning each man and woman who seemed to know something about heresy: “Have you ever seen any heretics? Have you heard them preach?” Relatively lenient penalties were given to those who were not aware that they held heretical beliefs and to heretics who quickly recanted. But unrepentant heretics were punished severely because the church believed that such people threatened the salvation of all.