Characters of the Inquisition

The Inquisition is one of the most infamous institutions that has ever existed with the Catholic Church.

But what was the Inquisition?

Who created this Institution of Catholic Church?

Why did the Inquisition develop such a notorious reputation and was that justified?

William Thomas Walsh’s fascinating book Characters of the Inquisition is a radical re-evaluation of the Inquisition.

Through the course of the book he uncovers how Protestant history and historians have shaped the way we think of Catholicism and the Catholic Church.

The main figures that Walsh uses to demonstrate the Inquisition through the medieval and early modern periods include Pope Gregory IX, Bernard Gui, Nicholas Eymeric, Torquemada, Cardinal Ximines, and Llorente.

Yet, this is not simply a one-sided study of Catholic churchmen, as he uses the first chapter of the book to demonstrate that Moses was forerunner of the Inquisition and later in the book he devotes analysis to some of the sixteenth century victims.

This book is essential reading for anyone who is interested in the history of the Christianity and wishes to understand more of the history of the Inquisition from a Catholic perspective.

William Thomas Walsh was a historian, educator and author. His educational background included a B.A. from Yale University (1913). Walsh received an honorary Litt.D. from Fordham University. Walsh's work was set apart by its well-researched, documented, and faithful account of history. Heralded for his uncompromising devotion to truth and accuracy, Walsh's frank retelling of many sensitive but nevertheless historical events elicited both acclaim as well as personal attacks. His book Characters of the Inquisition was first published in 1940 and he passed away in 1949.