The only book of its kind, The New Inquisitions is an exhilarating investigation into the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. Arthur Versluis unveils the connections between heretic hunting in early and medieval Christianity, and the emergence of totalitarianism in the twentieth century. He shows how secular political thinkers in the nineteenth century inaugurated a tradition of defending the Inquisition, and how Inquisition-style heretic-hunting later manifested across the spectrum of twentieth-century totalitarianism. An exceptionally wide-ranging work, The New Inquisitions begins with early Christianity, and traces heretic-hunting as a phenomenon through the middle ages and right into the twentieth century, showing how the same inquisitional modes of thought recur both on the political Left and on the political Right.

"In The New Inquisitions, Arthur Versluis conducts an investigation into the intellectual origins of totalitarianism. He traces totalitarianism's beginnings to the early and medieval Christian idea of heresy - the idea that there is one correct set of doctrines, and that dissent from them is a dangerous evil to be severely punished and eradicated by the Church. This idea would receive its fullest expression in the Catholic Inquisition. The organization and criminal proceedings of the Inquisition, Versluis believes, laid the foundation for later totalitarianism."--BOOK JACKET.

Konrad Heiden was a German Jewish journalist, an early critic and biographer of Adolf Hitler and documenter of the anti-Semitism of the Nazi regime. This book was based on countless interviews with German Jews, and contains a prescient and chilling forecast of the Holocaust: "Mass murder is the goal, a massacre such as history has not seen ...

This is a comprehensive survey of medieval English mortmain legislation from both the point of view of the crown and that of the Church. It examines methods of enforcement and evaluates their success. It traces the emergence of licensing policies and the increasing exploitation of licences for fiscal purposes, while at the same time establishing that this was not their original purpose. The extent to which the Church was acquiring land on a threatening scale by the later thirteenth century is questioned, and the effects of the legislation on subsequent acquisition are assessed against the background of new fashions in ecclesiastical patronage and a more hostile economic climate. The statutes of 1279 and 1391 are well known. What this study shows is how much variation lay behind the apparently straightforward system of licensing and how closely the issue of mortmain tenure was related to wider social, political and economic considerations.

In this completely updated edition of Henry Kamen’s classic survey of the Spanish Inquisition, the author incorporates the latest research in multiple languages to offer a new—and thought-provoking—view of this fascinating period. Kamen sets the notorious Christian tribunal into the broader context of Islamic and Jewish culture in the Mediterranean, reassesses its consequences for Jewish culture, measures its impact on Spain’s intellectual life, and firmly rebuts a variety of myths and exaggerations that have distorted understandings of the Inquisition. He concludes with disturbing reflections on the impact of state security organizations in our own time.

Containing over 200 articles from prominent scholars, The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion examines ways in which politics and religion have combined to affect social attitudes, spark collective action and influence policy over the last two hundred years. With a focus that covers broad themes like millenarian movements and pluralism, and a scope that takes in religious and political systems throughout the world, the Encyclopedia is essential for its contemporary as well as historical coverage. Special Features: * Encompasses religions, individuals, geographical regions, institutions and events * Describes the history of relations between religion and politics * Longer articles contain brief bibliographies * Attractively designed and produced The Encyclopedia of Politics and Religion will be invaluable for any library, public and academic, which serves those interested in politics, sociology, religious studies, international affairs and history. Contents include: ^ Abortion * Algeria * Anabaptists * China * Christian Democracy * Ethnic Cleansing * Gandhi * Israel * Italy * Jesuits * Jihad * Just War * Missionaries * Moral Majority * Muslim Brethren * Temperance Movements * Unification Church * War * Zionism

A History of the Inquisition of the Middle Ages in three volumes is a groundbreaking work on the subject of Inquisition, written by Henry Charles Lea, one of the main authorities on the subject. His goal was to present an impartial account of the institution as it existed during the earlier period. In order to accurately appreciate the process of its development and the results of its activity the author takes in consideration the factors controlling the minds and souls of men during these times. He recapitulates nearly all the spiritual and intellectual movements of the Middle Ages, glancing at the condition of society in certain of its phases. Beginning with the state of church in 12th and 13th century, the study includes various forms of heresy emerging throughout the European continent from Spain and France west, to Slavic countries in Eastern Europe. Lea particularly deals with various fields of inquisitorial activity, notably its utilization in political purposes. Though his study of the Inquisition was criticized for anti-Spanish bias, it is thoroughly researched and contains interesting details surrounding this notorious institution.