[malakhi]

Certainly, the Inquisition became "institutionalized" as a congregation within the Curia.

Yes, this is precisely my point, contra Pelayo's #40 in which he asserted "the Inquisition as an institution never actually existed".

[sitetest]

Dear malakhi,

Yes, but you miss my point, which is that in a sense, you and Pelayo aren't necessarily in contradiction. In the sense that there was a curial office for the Inquisition, you're right. In the sense that this office may not have been a particularly well-resourced, centralized bureaucracy, able to impose its will throughout Christendom, Pelayo is more correct.

That was the point of my post.


sitetest

[Pelayo]

Yes, this is precisely my point, contra Pelayo's #40 in which he asserted "the Inquisition as an institution never actually existed".

I then elaborated on my point in post #126 when you challenged me. As a student of medieval law and history I get fed up with people referring to medieval inquisitions as "THE Inquisition." There was no "THE Inquisition." The Congregation for the Propagation of the Faith, started out as the local Romana Inquisitio in the 12c. Like all inquisitorial tribunals its function was to remove heretics in the Church, i.e. specifically heretics in the hierarchy of the Church. Most inquisitions were formed to root out heretical bishops and such not to terrorize the general populous, though obviously the tribunals were ripe for abuse along those lines.

In the 16c Pope Paul III, transformed the Roman Inquisition into the official tribunal of the entire Church. But this didn't increase it's size or anything. It was reorganized and tasked with identifying and punishing heretics (which usually just amounted to baning certain works by said heretic) and identifying heretical beliefs.

The idea that this organization was a great big "Institution" that controlled the people of Europe is laughable.