Heresy In Transition: Transforming Ideas Of Heresy In Medieval And Early Modern Europe (Catholic Christendom, 1300-1700)

The concept of heresy is deeply rooted in Christian European culture. The palpable increase in incidences of heresy in the Middle Ages may be said to directly relate to the Christianity's attempts to define orthodoxy and establish conformity at its centre, resulting in the sometimes forceful elimination of Christian sects. In the transition from medieval to early modern times, however, the perception of heresy underwent a profound transformation, ultimately leading to its decriminalization and the emergence of a pluralistic religious outlook. The essays in this volume offer readers a unique insight into this little-understood cultural shift. Half of the chapters investigate the manner in which the church and its attendant civil authorities defined and proscribed heresy, whilst the other half focus on the means by which early modern writers sought to supersede such definition and proscription. The result of these investigations is a multifaceted historical account of the construction and serial reconstruction of one of the key categories of European theological, juristic and political thought. The contributors explore the role of nationalism and linguistic identity in constructions of heresy, its analogies with treason and madness, the role of class and status in the responses to heresy. In doing so they provide fascinating insights into the roots of the historicization of heresy and the role of this historicization in the emergence of religious pluralism. Contents......Page 6 Contributors......Page 8 Series Editor's Preface......Page 12 Acknowledgements......Page 13 Introduction......Page 14 1 Before the Coming of Popular Heresy: The Rhetoric of Heresy in English Historiography, c. 700-1154......Page 22 2 Heresy, Madness and Possession in the High Middle Ages......Page 42 3 Accusations of Heresy and Error in the Twelfth-Century Schools: The Witness of Gerhoh of Reichersberg and Otto of Freising......Page 56 4 William of Ockham and Conceptions of Heresy, c.1250-c.1350......Page 72 5 A Heretic Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret History of Marsiglio of Padua's Defensor Pacis in the Thought of Nicole Oresme......Page 84 6 Seduced by the Theologians: Aeneas Sylvius and the Hussite Heretics......Page 102 7 Heresy Hunting and Clerical Reform: William Warham, John Colet, and the Lollards of Kent, 1511-1512......Page 116 8 Curtailing the Office of the Priest: Two Seventeenth2Century Views of the Causes and Functions of Heresy......Page 128 9 Historicizing Heresy in the Early German Enlightenment: 'Orthodox' and 'Enthusiast' Variants......Page 142 10 What is Impartiality? Arnold on Spinoza, Mosheim on Servetus......Page 156 11 Thomasius on the Toleration of Heresy......Page 168 12 Exporting Heresiology: Translations and Revisions of Pluquet's Dictionnaire des heresies......Page 182 13 Radical Heretics, Martyrs, or Witnesses of Truth? The Albigenses in Ecclesiastical History and Literature (1550-1850)......Page 194 B......Page 208 C......Page 209 D......Page 210 G......Page 211 H......Page 212 L......Page 213 N......Page 214 P......Page 215 S......Page 216 Z......Page 217 Contents 6 Contributors 8 Series Editor's Preface 12 Acknowledgements 13 Introduction 14 1 Before the Coming of Popular Heresy: The Rhetoric of Heresy in English Historiography, c. 700-1154 22 2 Heresy, Madness and Possession in the High Middle Ages 42 3 Accusations of Heresy and Error in the Twelfth-Century Schools: The Witness of Gerhoh of Reichersberg and Otto of Freising 56 4 William of Ockham and Conceptions of Heresy, c.1250-c.1350 72 5 A Heretic Hiding in Plain Sight: The Secret History of Marsiglio of Padua's Defensor Pacis in the Thought of Nicole Oresme 84 6 Seduced by the Theologians: Aeneas Sylvius and the Hussite Heretics 102 7 Heresy Hunting and Clerical Reform: William Warham, John Colet, and the Lollards of Kent, 1511-1512 116 8 Curtailing the Office of the Priest: Two Seventeenth2Century Views of the Causes and Functions of Heresy 128 9 Historicizing Heresy in the Early German Enlightenment: 'Orthodox' and 'Enthusiast' Variants 142 10 What is Impartiality? Arnold on Spinoza, Mosheim on Servetus 156 11 Thomasius on the Toleration of Heresy 168 12 Exporting Heresiology: Translations and Revisions of Pluquet's Dictionnaire des heresies 182 13 Radical Heretics, Martyrs, or Witnesses of Truth? The Albigenses in Ecclesiastical History and Literature (1550-1850) 194 Index of names 208 A 208 B 208 C 209 D 210 E 211 F 211 G 211 H 212 I 213 J 213 K 213 L 213 M 214 N 214 O 215 P 215 Q 216 R 216 S 216 T 217 U 217 V 217 W 217 Y 217 Z 217 Before the coming of popular heresy : the rhetoric of heresy in English historiography, c.700-1154 / Paul Antony Hayward Heresy, madness, and possession in the high middle ages / Sabina Flanagan Accusations of heresy and error in the twelfth-century schools : the witness of Gerhoh of Reichersberg and Otto of Freising / Constant J. Mews William of Ockham and conceptions of heresy, c.1250-c.1350 / Takashi Shogimen A heretic hiding in plain sight : the secret history of Marsiglio of Padua's Defensor pacis in the thought of Nicole Oresme / Cary J. Nederman Seduced by the theologians : Aeneas Sylvius and the Hussite heretics / Thomas A. Fudge Heresy hunting and clerical reform : William Warham, John Colet, and the Lollards of Kent, 1511-1512 / Craig D'alton Curtailing the office of the priest : two seventeenth-century views of the causes and functions of heresy / Conal Condren Historicising heresy in the early German Enlightenment : 'orthodox' and 'enthusiast' variants / Thomas Ahnert What is impartiality? : Arnold on Spinoza, Mosheim on Servetus / John Christian Laursen Thomasius on the toleration of heresy / Ian Hunter Exporting heresiology : translations and revisions of Pluquet's Dictionnaire des hérésies / Gisela Schlüter Radical heretics, martyrs, or witnesses of truth? : the Albigenses in ecclesiastical history and literature (1550-1850) / Sandra Pott. The essays in this volume offer readers a unique insight into the changing concepts of heresy from the Middle Ages to the early modern period, c.1100 to c.1800. The contributors explore the role of nationalism and linguistic identity in constructions of heresy, its analogies with treason and madness, the role of class and status in the responses to heresy, and provide insights into the roots of the historicization of heresy The concept of heresy is deeply rooted in Christian European culture. This book investigates the manner in which the church and its attendant civil authorities defined and proscribed heresy, and focusses on the means by which early modern writers sought to supersede such definition and proscription. Systems of religion that require the faithful to adhere to a strict standard of belief and/or worship generally produce a concomitant idea of heresy, understood as an error in matters directly related to the truths of one's confession.