Inquisition Manuals - The Rise of Torture & How Magic Became Heresy

The Inquisition horrifies us today and when Edgar Allen Poe wanted to pluck a nightmarish book to feature in The Fall of the House of Usher he looked no further than the 14th century Directorium Inquisitorum of Nicholas Eymerich, the most substantial Inquisitors' manual of the period. The Inquisition of the 14th century saw the burning of Joan of Arc, the Templars and Marguerite Porete along with the foundations of the Witch Trials to come. To better understand this period, let's explore the first Inquisitors' manuals where torture becomes commonplace, public punishment replaces penance and Magic is ruled to be Heresy, dramatically shaping the history of Western Esotericism.

Consider Supporting Esoterica!

Recommended Readings:

Hill - Inquisition in the Fourteenth Century: The Manuals of Bernard Gui and Nicholas Eymerich - 978-1903153871
Given - Inquisition and Medieval Society: Power, Discipline, and Resistance in Languedoc - 978-0801487590
Sullivan - The Inner Lives of Medieval Inquisitors - 978-0-226-78167-9
Wakefield & Evans - Heresies of the High Middle Ages - 978-0231096324

[jbaquinones]

Oh my gosh. This whole episode reminds me of Mexico. When I was not able to answer a question about redemption, the priest called me the son of satan. I loved that. 😂

[tamlandipper]

One of the most aggravating issues with torture is the idea that torture is repellent but works. You get garbage. I understood this more fully when I spent a day in indescribable agony with my back. I literally couldn't remember who or where I was. If you told me I was an escaped albigensian tortoise I'd have agreed because I had no other ideas in my head. Note I am not, to the best of my knowledge, nor have I ever been an escaped tortoise.

[ashleydewing]

Absolutely worth the entire 75 minutes. Details that I would never have known (and really, how could I?) give such a more savory taste to what we know about the inquisition.

[MasterAlgae]

"it is decided as you may have expected; all judges had rather that 10 innocent should suffer than that one guilty should escape." - Frankenstein (The Modern Prometheus) Chapter 8.

[skjporkchop]

A lot of those inquisitorial manipulation techniques are used by police today. That's especially unsettling tbh

[aimeemorgado]

One of THE BEST channels EVER. Thoughtful, intelligent, fabulously researched and analyzed. I see why you are here Dr. S- having worked in a university history department- there is no way they would let anyone take the time and effort to teach and demonstrate top tier research and intellectual integrity. It is a pity. Ahhhh at least we have you.
The best thing we can do is remain curious and wrestle with ideas.

[Bildgesmythe]

I am frightened beyond belief that people have not changed. I can see this replay easily.

[tylerwilliam]

i work tuesday-saturday, but friday is my favorite day of the week because of new esoterica videos 😌

[zach]

I feel like this channel exists to make videos that make it harder to talk to normal people. Keep it up!

[matthewpaull]

Thank you for making this difficult material accessible.

[abidenizart]

the blend of knowledge, care, and humor in these videos is such a treat to learn from!! I also appreciate you include relevant artworks often during narration, they help my comprehension and memory a lot :-)

[starfield]

Nobody expects the Inquisition to be fun, but it's actually one of my favorite topics that you cover. Thank you!

[esamax]

This was super interesting and the thing you do best - reveal arcane history and knowledge that has not been made available anywhere else. Bravo for your willingness to discuss this topic from an academic perspective without seeking to sensationalize it.

[pmgn]

Interesting how it went from an inquisition to The Inquisition. Excellent work Dr. S!

[michalelovecraft]

This was definitely in my top 5 videos you've produced. This whole insight would make one hell ov a movie 🤘😎

[J_Z]

Thank you for this. Topics like this are more relevant to us today than many might guess.

[JusticeReigns-uc]

Thank you! Just, thank you! 🎉
My hour needed to be spent watching this.

Frmr. Pastors kid here, 🙋🏻‍♂️ deconstructing and loving it. Thank you for all the time you put into these videos. It’s life affirming for observers, like me.

[Tuber-sama]

I think that remembering episodes like the ones you documented here is an important exercise for us believers. Sometimes, in our fight against our own bad tendencies and disbelief, we can develop a tendency towards extreme dogmatism; while I don't consider dogmatism and ortodoxy per se as a problem, we have to always pay attention to what it can become if we are not careful.

[consensuslphisk]

30:52 I would LOVE to hear more about the Lullians. the idea of a protocomputational heresty sounds right down my alley, and great inspitation for my D&D setting

[meerkatnip]

Really enjoy your videos and humor. You have such an attention holding way of teaching. The shirts are great too, super soft and fun to talk about.