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101 Questions & Answers on the Crusades and the Inquisition: Disputed Questions
Takes an honest look at two controversial events in Christian history, showing in what ways the seemingly different historical events are related, and undoing several misconceptions about both.
128 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2013
4 people are currently reading
19 people want to read
About the author
John Vidmar
8 books2 followersRev. John C. Vidmar, O.P. is an associate professor of theology at Providence College, Rhode Island where he also serves as provincial archivist and teaches history.
Prior to his work at Providence, he served as associate professor, academic dean, acting president and prior teaching history for 15 years at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. He also taught history at Ohio Dominican University.
Vidmar holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy, and a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) in Ecclesiastical History.
Prior to his work at Providence, he served as associate professor, academic dean, acting president and prior teaching history for 15 years at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington DC. He also taught history at Ohio Dominican University.
Vidmar holds a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (Angelicum) in Rome, Italy, and a Master of Philosophy degree from the University of Edinburgh (Scotland) in Ecclesiastical History.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
August 3, 2013
Are the Crusades and the Inquisition really still disputed? Or has it been definitely settled that the Crusaders were "villains" who committed lots of atrocities against the infidels and that the Inquisitors were "villains" who went around indiscriminately burning people?
No, not true. With regard to the Crusades, the pendulum is swinging back to center from the "Christians as Villains" position, and the picture of Inquisitors as a white-robed army hunting down hordes of women and burning them as witches is also being revealed as a caricature.
What was needed for the general market was a comparatively brief, user-friendly book to appeal to the general reader, and even to be used in college classrooms, that would contribute to setting the record straight. John Vidmar has written such a book. As a historian at Providence College who has researched the Crusades and as archivist of the northeastern USA Province of the Dominicans with access to extensive material of which some relates to the Inquisition, he is eminently qualified to do so. He has considered the latest writing on the subjects and provided a balanced assessment of the situation that takes into account the recent work by such outstanding scholars as Philip Jenkins, Christopher Tyerman, and others, and steers a middle course between the extremes.
The author writes with a flair for narrative history and an obvious love of his subject matter. Noteworthy is the way he draws a connection between the Crusades and the Inquisitions (and he points out and explain the difference between the Roman and the Spanish Inquisitions). He brings his treatment of the Crusades up to the present day by reflecting on the timely issues of how this segment of our history impacts Christian-Muslim relations today.
101 Questions & Answers on the Crusades and the Inquisition is a book by an author eminently skilled in putting material over to college students as well as to general audiences. To anyone interested in reading something that contributes to setting the record straight on the disputed questions of the Crusades and the Inquisition, I would recommend this book.
No, not true. With regard to the Crusades, the pendulum is swinging back to center from the "Christians as Villains" position, and the picture of Inquisitors as a white-robed army hunting down hordes of women and burning them as witches is also being revealed as a caricature.
What was needed for the general market was a comparatively brief, user-friendly book to appeal to the general reader, and even to be used in college classrooms, that would contribute to setting the record straight. John Vidmar has written such a book. As a historian at Providence College who has researched the Crusades and as archivist of the northeastern USA Province of the Dominicans with access to extensive material of which some relates to the Inquisition, he is eminently qualified to do so. He has considered the latest writing on the subjects and provided a balanced assessment of the situation that takes into account the recent work by such outstanding scholars as Philip Jenkins, Christopher Tyerman, and others, and steers a middle course between the extremes.
The author writes with a flair for narrative history and an obvious love of his subject matter. Noteworthy is the way he draws a connection between the Crusades and the Inquisitions (and he points out and explain the difference between the Roman and the Spanish Inquisitions). He brings his treatment of the Crusades up to the present day by reflecting on the timely issues of how this segment of our history impacts Christian-Muslim relations today.
101 Questions & Answers on the Crusades and the Inquisition is a book by an author eminently skilled in putting material over to college students as well as to general audiences. To anyone interested in reading something that contributes to setting the record straight on the disputed questions of the Crusades and the Inquisition, I would recommend this book.
Displaying 1 of 1 review