The Roman Inquisition

Commentary on the Roman Inquisition frequently involves references to one of the more famous cases that came before it, the trial (processo) and condemnation of Galileo. Since the story—real and imagined—of Galileo's encounter with the Inquisition is so much a part of what the modern world understands to be a conflict between religious authority and scientific advance, it is difficult to address the historical issues that are crucial for an adequate understanding of the Inquisition's structure and practices. Thomas Mayer's book, the first of what is to be three volumes (a second on the Inquisition throughout Italy and a third on the Galileo case itself), is a rich source of information about the Roman Inquisition from the late sixteenth century to 1640. With the opening of the archives of the Holy Office to researchers in 1998, scholars have made extensive use of the Inquisition's decree registers, which contain valuable judicial and administrative records. Research by scholars such as Francesco Beretta, and now Thomas Mayer, has contributed significantly to our understanding of the Roman Inquisition. Mayer describes the procedures of the Inquisition and offers brief biographical accounts of the men, from popes and cardinals to members of the staff (commissary, assessor, notary, and fiscal), who implemented these procedures. In appendices he provides records of the attendance of cardinal inquisitors over the course of several years of inquisitional meetings. His book is particularly valuable for scholars of the Galileo affair as well as those interested in the history of one of the Catholic Church's most important institutions; there are 134 pages of endnotes, many of which direct the reader to archival material. Mayer offers a detailed account of the procedures of the Inquisition, relying on various manuals written by advisers to the Inquisition, most significantly that of Francisco Peña (1540–1612).

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