The Modern Scholar: Heaven or Heresy: A History of the Inquisition

By: Thomas F. Madden

Narrated by: Thomas F. Madden

For many, the Inquisition conjures Gothic images of cloaked figures and barbarous torture chambers. So enmeshed is this view of the Inquisition in popular culture that such scenes play out even in comedies such as Mel Brooks' History of the World and Monty Python's Flying Circus. But is this a fair portrayal? And how was the Inquisition perceived in its own time? Professor Thomas F. Madden of Saint Louis University delivers a stimulating series of lectures exploring all facets of the Inquisition, including the religious and political climate of its time and the Inquisition's relationship to heresy and reformation. With a scholarly eye and infectious enthusiasm, widely published author and noted expert on pre-modern European history Thomas Madden imparts an understanding of the Spanish and Roman Inquisitions while dispelling popular myths associated with the subject.Download the accompanying reference guide.©2007 Thomas F. Madden (P)2007 Recorded Books

Very informative

This covers a lot of history, starting with the Roman origins of inquisitions. The lecturer is very well informed though he does seem to go out of his way to defend the church every few minutes. Even so, he presents the history most have never really looked into in a way that's easy to follow and retain.

Well- Explained

Very clear and understandable lectures. I plan on listening to it over and over again.

It says inquisition wasn't that bad

People liked the inquisition, it got rid of heretics who send people to hell, so it was good. The church can do it because it inherited authority from Peter and negative view of inquisition was made up by protestants and enlightenment people. And the killing was done by secular leaders, not by the church.

Fantastic!

Finally, someone who is teaching real history instead of propaganda! Thank you, Dr. Madden, for putting this course together!

It’s Hard to Think Differently, Isn’t It?

As the negative reviews here suggest, you can carefully explain why people did what they did centuries before us – and still fail to dent the armor of fashionable, self-righteous indignation. You can cordially invite people to make an effort to understand the past. But if they’re too much a prisoner of the present, they will just as cordially fall back on current stereotypes and prejudices. Even after Professor Madden explains the sources of those misconceptions.

Madden does all that and more, and he does it in a reasoned, balanced fashion. Both his words and the tone in which he speaks are careful, scholarly, unpolemical. He sheds new light on old canards. He addresses the many forms the inquisition took, dealing with each in its time and place. For me, the biggest revelation here is that the Church was a buffer between the heretics it was trying to persuade and the secular, state-run inquisitions that wanted to burn them.

No, Professor Madden in not the world’s best public speaker – he is a much better writer, as any of his books will demonstrate. But as noted above, his rather sleepy performance helps to drain his lectures of any hint at special pleading.

Some of the best info on the Inquistion out there

While classroom lectures are not as well-read as some of the Times Bestseller fiction novels, the teacher doesn't do a bad job and gives great info on the Inquisition.

Most importantly, one is able to try to understand WHY a sane person would support such a practice. From this vantage point of history, the Inquisitors seem out of their skulls, but I appreciated the professor's lectures precisely because the picture that came through was of rational men taking their beliefs to a logical end. It was enlightening to try to get into their shoes.

The lectures kept me interested. I suspect Dr. Madden is a strong Catholic, but every author and every teacher is biased.

A decent course

I like Madden's courses, and this one did not disappoint, however, the history of Inquisition stopped being interesting after the Reformation, although the course touched on the modern misconception of the Inquisition, the course could have been more interesting if it focuses more on the heretical theology.

Quite straightforward and balanced

The author is grounded in his sources, and makes the necessary distinctions to do good history. He roots the inquisitions in ancient sources, explains what the historical documents say, cites thise sources, and discusses how they were viewed and spoken about by later generations.

He recognizes real failings by the inquisitions, how they happened, etc., and also how the common understanding of "The Inquisition" is a myth made in the 18th Century by successful propagandists like John Fox and Friedrich Schiller.

Worth the listen, whether you respect or suspect the work of the inquisitions. For the former, it gives you a realistic and grounded view. For the latter, it gives pause and sources to follow up on.

This is what history classes should be.

"The Inquisition Was Good"

What disappointed you about The Modern Scholar: Heaven or Heresy: A History of the Inquisition?

This is a deeply troubling lecture series. Delivered at a reputable college (St. Louis University), the author insists that the Inquisition had its heart in the right place and only meant to spread the word of God through Europe. He implies that the widespread torture and murder of Jews and other minorities was simply a overzealous extension of a perfectly reasonable idea.

Madden glosses over the atrocity that was the Inquisition in favor of a Catholic-friendly "explanation" of why things happened.

There are some interesting historical details here -- and it's fascinating to hear the story from the villain's POV -- but it's jaw-dropping that this is how generations of Catholic students are taught the darkest period in their faith's history.

willfully naive apologia

incredibly, likely willfully naive - the professor thinks that 'heretics' were 'persuaded' of their errors and recanted having realized this. his basic assertion is that unlike the state, the church only sought to correct. he has never heard of Power, as in requiring loyalty oaths to maintain power. church and state were two mutually sustaining parts.

above is based on listening to the audio up to the inquisition - i had to give it up. hoping audible will refund my $.