Tuesday, July 21, 2026

It is the 21st of July 2026. Welcome to the Christian History Almanac, brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org; I’m Dan van Voorhis.

 

Here’s a fun coincidence… last night at dinner we were talking about something, and it led to my oldest asking the question: “What was the Inquisition?” We were talking about something church-related… something medieval (as you do), and the moment passed before I could lay out the controversial Catholic institution.

 

And then I sit down to work on shows and find that today is a date on which the inquisition takes center stage… so, Coert… here’s your answer:

 

The “Inquisition” as we know it today is shaped by its creation amidst the Crusades, its controversial Spanish episode, and the events that took place today amidst the Reformation that helped cement it as an institution.

 

The “Inquisition,” broadly speaking, was a papal judicial procedure and tribunal that was established in the 1200s. The Crusades were long established but began to look inward- at heretics in Europe (like the Albigensians) and new rival authorities (like the Knights Templar). The Inquisition began as the Pope’s call for bishops to inquire into local heresies.

 

Please remember: heresy was seen as both a spiritual transgression and, within Christendom, a civil crime. The removal of heretics was seen as both an ecclesiastical and civic good. Stories of “Inquisitors” and their horrors were often exaggerated- if there was a heresy, it was usually judged, and temporary imprisonment or a fine was levied. In the High Middle Ages, it was just one more tool the church was trying to use to coerce confessional unity.

 

The infamous “Spanish Inquisition” was that which marked the policies of the infamous King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. Under Thomas de Torquemada, it rooted out those suspected on account of their family history as either Muslims or Jews. With the spread of the Spanish into the New World and without oversight, the Inquisitors became legendary for their zeal- despite criticism from the Catholic hierarchy.

 

The question of whether these tribunals would become a medieval relic would be answered during the Reformation and on this day in 1542.

 

The context is the Council at Regensburg of 1541. With the Ottoman Turks pushing westward and the King of France attempting to make peace with the French Reformers, Charles V tried again to pacify the Wittenberg and Swiss Reformers. The Catholic authorities were willing to give on certain doctrines but would not budge on the doctrine of Justification. The peace was dead on arrival- and those who had attempted to compromise were outed on both sides.

 

Pope Paul III decided that doctrines couldn’t be decided by delegates at a colloquy and that inquisitors shouldn’t have free rein. There was also the issue of the faculty at the Sorbonne as the long-established arbiters of theological purity. Cardinal Carafa (who was soon Pope Paul IV) helped to establish Papal supremacy in matters of doctrine with the publishing of the bull “licet ab initio” on this, the 21st of July in 1542.

 

This bull took the inquisition, as it had become widespread and seemingly inconsistent, and placed it under the control of six men- Cardinal Carafa being one of them. This six-man team, with only the Pope as a higher authority, had the charge to root out the heresy of the Reformers- especially as it was coming into Italy. You can trace from here the coming Council of Trent and the hardening of sides in the Reformation schism. The time for debate and colloquy was over, and the hope of a reunion was dimmed.

 

The fear of heresy- as both bad for the church and the confessional state was real. Religious and civil authorities would work together to root out heresy, as it was seen not just as a spiritual affair, but as a kind of anarchy and threat to the state as well. It should be noted that some 99% of the cases resulted in penance and fines and not death- and when death was called for, the church tended to hand the suspect over to the state; the state, not the church, would be responsible.

 

This “inquisition” would be rebranded over time- today you may hear of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith- an official group of men tasked with “inquiring” into heresy… but it’s got Medieval roots in the Crusades and became the official arm of the Pope with his papal bull establishing the rules for Inquisitors on this day in 1542.

 

 

The Last word for today comes from the daily lectionary and the letter to the Galatians:

28 Now you, brothers and sisters, like Isaac, are children of promise. 29 At that time the son born according to the flesh persecuted the son born by the power of the Spirit. It is the same now. 30 But what does Scripture say? “Get rid of the slave woman and her son, for the slave woman’s son will never share in the inheritance with the free woman’s son.” 31 Therefore, brothers and sisters, we are not children of the slave woman, but of the free woman.

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery.

 

This has been the Christian History Almanac for the 21st of July 2026 brought to you by 1517 at 1517.org.

The show is produced by a man who rates them: over hard, over easy, broken, and last of slavery… he is Christopher Gillespie.

The show is written and read by a man who thinks about eggs a lot… fried, poached, à la Benedict, a French omelet… hard-boiled, deviled…. Dan van Voorhis.

You can catch us here every day- and remember that the rumors of grace, forgiveness, and the redemption of all things are true…. Everything is going to be ok.