The Inquisition: A Critical and Historical Study of the Coercive Power of the Church — John Shaqi
The Inquisition: A Critical and Historical Study of the Coercive Power of the ChurchVacandard, E. (Elphège)
History
The Inquisition: A Critical and Historical Study of the Coercive Power of the Church
Vacandard, E. (Elphège)
Inquisition -- History
"The Perfected" said to the Believer: "Friend, if you wish to be one
of us, you must renounce all the doctrines of the Church of Rome,"
and he replied: "I do renounce them."
--Do you renounce that cross made with chrism upon your breast, head,
and shoulders?
--I do renounce it.
--Do you believe that the water of Baptism is efficacious for
salvation?
--No, I do not believe it.
--Do you renounce the veil, which the priest placed upon your head,
after you were baptized?
--I do renounce it.[1]
Again the Bishop addressed "the Believer" to impress upon him the new
duties involved in his receiving the Holy Spirit. Those who were
present prayed God to pardon the candidate's sins, and then venerated
"the Perfected" (the ceremony of the _Parcia_). After the Bishop's
prayer, "May God bless thee, make thee a good Christian, and grant
thee a good end," the candidate made a solemn promise faithfully to
fulfill the duties he had learned during his _probatio_. The words of
his promise are to be found in Sacconi: "I promise to devote my life
to God and to the Gospel, never to lie or swear, never to touch a
woman, never to kill an animal, never to eat meat, eggs or milk-food;
never to eat anything but fish and vegetables, never to do anything
without first saying the Lord's Prayer, never to eat, travel, or pass
the night without a _socius_. If I fall into the hands of my enemies
or happen to be separated from my _socius_, I promise to spend three
days without food or drink. I will never take off my clothes on
retiring, nor will I deny my faith even when threatened with death."
The ceremony of the _Parcia_ was then repeated.
[1] Sacconi, _Summa de Catharis_, in Martens and Durand, _Thesaurus
novus anecdotorum_, vol. v, p. 1776.
Then, according to the ritual, "the Bishop takes the book (the New
Testament), and places it upon the head of the candidate," while the
other "good men" present impose hands upon him, saying: "Holy Father,
accept this servant of yours in all righteousness, and send your
grace and your Spirit upon him." The Holy Spirit was then supposed to
descend, and the ceremony of the _consolamentum_ was finished; "the
Believer" had become one of "the Perfected."
However, before the assembly disposed, "the Perfected" proceeded to
carry out two other ceremonies: the vesting and the kiss of peace.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account