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The Prosecution of Heresy: Collected Studios on the Inquisition in Early Modern Italy. By JOHN TEDESCHI. Binghampton, N. Y.: Medieval and Renaissance Texts and Studies, 1991. xx + 417 pp. $25.00.
John Tedeschi has been studying the history and procedures of the Roman Inquisition for over twenty years. His contributions are important not only for students of the Italian sixteenth century, but for anyone working on the religious history of early modern Europe. The gathering of ten of his previously published essays, together with one unpublished piece, is a welcome service to scholars, since many originally appeared as articles in journals or collections not easily available outside major research libraries.
After its reorganization by Pope Paul III in 1542, the Roman Inquisition became the key tribunal for guarding Catholic orthodoxy in Italy. Myths about its omnipotence and cruelty can still be found in historical literature. Tedeschi, with his probably unequalled knowledge of source material, shows that in reality the Inquisition played a more restricted role. Its main purpose was to ensure religious conformity rather than...