Editing Inquisition (section)

== Legitimation by the texts ==
The Inquisition always referred to biblical passages, as well as to  [[Church Fathers|church fathers]], like Augustine of Hippo, to legitimise his actuation.

The [[New Testament]] contains some sentences that the church could interpret for dealing with heretics. The excommunication of a deviant from the faith was equivalent to handing him over to the Devil: "When you have gathered together, and my spirit with you, in the power of our Lord Jesus, hand this man over to Satan for destruction of the flesh, so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord."  (The Pauline letters: 1 Corinthians, B. Incest in Corinth, 5:4 and 5:5)<ref name="NJ">{{Cite book|last=Wansbrough|first=Henry|title=The Revised New Jerusalem Bible|publisher=Image Catholic Books|year=2019}}</ref>

The sentence of [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]] could also be understood in this way: he handed over to the Devil those "who have suffered shipwreck in the faith [...] so that they may be  taught not to be blasphemous." (The Pastoral epistles: 1 Timothy – The first letter from Paul to Timothy—Timothy's responsibility: 1:19 and 1:20)<ref name="NJ" />

Paul's view reflects less the idea of punishment than the idea of isolation when he says: " After a first and second warning have nothing to do with a disputatious person, since you may be sure that such a person is warped and is self-condemned as a sinner." (The Pastoral epistles : Titus – The letter from Paul to Titus—3:10 and 3:11)<ref name="NJ" />

In the Gospel of John, Jesus tells the apostates in a parable: "I am the vine, you are the branches. Whoever remains in me, and I in that person, bears fruit in plenty; for apart from me you can do nothing. Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a branch and withers. These branches are collected, thrown on the fire and burnt." This parable can be interpreted as the burning of stubborn heretics at the stake. (The Gospel according to John: The true vine—15:5 and 15:6)<ref name="NJ" />

The celebrated theologian  [[Thomas Aquinas]] (1225–1274) supplied the theoretical foundation for the medieval Inquisition in his  ''[[Summa Theologica|Summa theologica]]'' II 2. 11. A heretic who repents, the first time, should be allowed penance and their life safeguarded by the church from the punishment of the secular authorities (who treated pernicious and public heresy as a kind of sedition.) A subsequent lapse into heresy would show insincerity that called for excommunication, leaving them to the secular authorities who could impose the death penalty on unprotected heretics: "''Accipere fidem est voluntatis, sed tenere fidem iam acceptam est  necessitatis"''  (i.e. "The acceptance of faith is voluntary, maintaining the accepted faith is necessary. So heretics should be compelled to keep the faith."){{Sfnp|Thomsett|2010|p=35}}<ref>{{Cite book|last=Scheuers|first=Timothy|title=Consciences and the Reformation: Scruples over Oaths and Confessions in the era of Calvin and his contemporaries|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2023|page=28}}</ref>

[[Luis de Páramo]], theologian  and Inquisitor of then Spanish-ruled Sicily from 1584 to 1605, asserted that [[Jesus|Jesus Christ]] was "the first Inquisitor under the Evangelical law" and  that [[John the Baptist]] and the [[Apostles in the New Testament|apostles]] were also inquisitors.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Andrew|first=Christopher|title=The Secret World: A History of Intelligence|publisher=Yale University Press|year=2018|page=116}}</ref>

However, another traditional stream of Catholic thought, for example championed by [[Erasmus]], was that the [[Parable of the wheat and tares]] forbade any premature culling of heretics.

[[Augustine of Hippo|Saint Augustine]] (354–430)  led a debate in Africa with the [[Donatism|Donatist]] community, which had split from the Roman Church. In his works, he called for moderate severity or measures by secular power,  including the death penalty,  against heretics, however he did not consider it desirable: ''"Corrigi eos volumus, non necari, nec disciplinam circa eos negligi volumus, nec suppliciis quibus digni sunt exerci"'', meaning "We would like them to be improved, not killed; we desire the triumph of church discipline, not the death they deserve."{{Sfnp|Thomsett|2010|p=4}}