Forgotten Franciscans

Works from an Inquisitional Theorist, a Heretic, and an Inquisitional Deputy Martin Austin Nesvig

Publish Date: 4/28/2011
Dimensions: 5.5 x 8.5
Page Count: 104 pages

Illustrations:

Paperback ISBN: 978-0-271-04872-7
Series Name: Latin American Originals

Paperback Edition: $24.95Add to Cart

“A fascinating collection of writings by early colonial Franciscans. These three pieces give the reader a new and unique insight into the members of the order. These works allow us to glimpse the doctrinal conflicts within the order and to explore the sensitive relationship with the Holy Office of the Inquisition. Far from the saintly lives of the missionaries, these works offer a view of the inner workings of the order and the thought processes of some of its members.” —John F. Schwaller, President, SUNY–Potsdam

“Martin Nesvig recovers the words and deeds of three long-forgotten Franciscans who were far removed from the archetypal sixteenth-century missionary role, yet were part of the struggle to preserve the Christian religion and transfer it to a new world. This work helps us understand sixteenth-century Franciscans’ complex theological standing, which could swing between orthodoxy and challenges to the established canons of the faith. The Franciscan order harbored brilliant theoreticians, spiritual dissenters, and near hermits driven to serve as censors of the faith. Nesvig enriches our vision of this religious order and indicates new ways for renovating the study of their role in Mexico in the early modern period. There are still some gems to be discovered in the rich archival records of the Inquisition and the Franciscan order, and this work proves it.” —Asunción Lavrin, Professor Emerita of History, Arizona State University

The Franciscans were the first missionaries to come to Mexico, and the Franciscans developed important and lucrative ties with the newly rich conquistador elite and the faction behind Cortés. The order quickly became the wealthiest, having the most dramatic missionary churches, owning prime real estate in Mexico-Tenochtitlan, and being de facto rulers of large indigenous communities. Forgotten Franciscans offers documents and written works by three Spanish Franciscans of the early modern period who, while well known by their contemporaries, have been largely forgotten by modern-day scholars. Alfonso de Castro, an inquisitional theorist, offers a defense of Indian education; Alonso Cabello, convicted of Erasmianism in Mexico City, discusses Christ’s humanity in a Nativity sermon; and Diego Muñoz, an inquisitional deputy, investigates witchcraft in Celaya. Together they offer new perspectives on the mythologies and realities of Franciscan thought in the New World.

Martin Austin Nesvig is Assistant Professor of History at the University of Miami.

Contents

Preface

List of Illustrations

Acknowledgments

Introduction

1. The Inquisitional Theorist in Defense of Indian Education

Alfonso de Castro, “On Whether the Indians of the New World Should Be Instructed in Liberal Arts and Sacred Theology” (1543)

2. The Heretic on the Nativity of Jesus

Alonso Cabello, “Sermon on the Nativity of Our Lord” (Cholula, December [24?], 1577)

3. The Inquisitional Deputy on Witches

Diego Muñoz, “Witness Statements in Celaya About Witchcraft” (1614)