Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to the Spanish Inquisition
- Cambridge Companions to History
- The Cambridge Companion to the Spanish Inquisition
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Introduction: Beginnings, Endings, Myths
- Part I The Institution
- 1 Procedures and Goals
- 2 Inquisitorial Careers
- 3 Pursuing Life Stories: Inquisitors and Suspects
- 4 Scandals
- Part II Targets
- Part III Geographical Reach
- Index
- References
2 - Inquisitorial Careers
from Part I - The Institution
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 04 December 2025
Edited by
Book contents
- The Cambridge Companion to the Spanish Inquisition
- Cambridge Companions to History
- The Cambridge Companion to the Spanish Inquisition
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Contributors
- Introduction: Beginnings, Endings, Myths
- Part I The Institution
- 1 Procedures and Goals
- 2 Inquisitorial Careers
- 3 Pursuing Life Stories: Inquisitors and Suspects
- 4 Scandals
- Part II Targets
- Part III Geographical Reach
- Index
- References
Summary
This essay explores the Inquisition’s persistent interest in converts, and descendants of converts, from Judaism to Catholicism. Spanish inquisitors believed those converts, called conversos, were prone to the heresy of Judaizing, which was continuing to follow Mosaic Law despite Christian baptism. The essay addresses the ambiguity of defining who exactly was a converso, and examines the kinds of accusations made against Jewish converts to Christianity and their descendants in the first four decades of the Spanish Inquisition’s activity, from approximately 1484 to 1525. It considers the gendered nature of those accusations as well as the potential motivations of accusers. After weighing the veracity of inquisition records about Judaizing, the essay moves to a comparison of trials from earlier and later periods of inquisition history, from the mid sixteenth century onward. These trials demonstrate the complicated, ongoing interactions among Jews, New Christians, and so-called “Old Christians” throughout the Spanish empire and around the world.
Information
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- The Cambridge Companion to the Spanish Inquisition , pp. 45 - 71Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2025
References
Suggestions for Further Reading
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