About this item
Highlights
- The Grand Inquisitor's Manual by nationally bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch is a provocative popular history of the Inquisition, the 12th century reign of church-sanctioned terror.
- Author(s): Jonathan Kirsch
- 304 Pages
- Religion + Beliefs, History
Description
About the Book
In this provocative, popular history of the Inquisition, bestselling author Kirsch illustrates how the 12th century's sinister brand of sanctioned terror has served as the chief model for torture in the West today. color photo insert.Book Synopsis
The Grand Inquisitor's Manual by nationally bestselling author Jonathan Kirsch is a provocative popular history of the Inquisition, the 12th century reign of church-sanctioned terror. Ranging from the Knights Templar to the first Protestants, from Joan of Arc to Galileo, The Grand Inquisitor's Manual is a fascinating and sobering study of the torture and murder of hundreds of thousands of "heretics" in God's name--the original blueprints for persecution originally drafted in the Middle Ages but followed for centuries afterwards, up to and including the "advanced interrogation methods" recently employed at Guantanamo Bay.
From the Back Cover
The Surprising History and Legacy of the Inquisition
The renowned historian and critic Jonathan Kirsch presents a sweeping history of the Inquisition and the ways in which it has served as the chief model for torture in the West to this day. Ranging from the Knights Templar to the first Protestants; from Joan of Arc to Galileo; from the Inquisition's immense power in Spain after 1492, when the secret tribunals and torture chambers were directed for the first time against Jews and Muslims, to the torture and murder of hundreds of thousands of innocent women during the Witch Craze; and to the modern war on terror--Kirsch shows us how the Inquisition stands as a universal and ineradicable reminder of how absolute power wreaks inevitable corruption.
Review Quotes
"Kirsch offers up an amazing recounting of the abuses of clergy and state in those terrible times. Kirsch's powerful and cautionary account is essential reading for historians and anyone who wants to understand the potential dark side of religion." -- Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"A scathing account of the Inquisition's 600-year campaign to stifle religious dissent, as well as to persecute various groups of people it branded as alien menaces to communal security." -Los Angeles Times -- Los Angeles Times
"Jonathan Kirsch is a fine storyteller with a flair for rendering ancient tales relevant and appealing to modern audiences." --Washington Post -- Washington Post