Dictionary of heretics, dissidents and inquisitors in the Mediterranean world

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The Ereticopedia project consists in the collaborative construction of an online dictionary of heretics, dissenters, and inquisitors in the Mediterranean world. It is complemented by spaces for in-depth exploration and open discussion, as well as by an online journal. The main language of the site is Italian, though there is the ambition to develop it into a multilingual tool.

Ereticopedia was originally just a provisional and precarious project. Its core idea has always been—and still is—to build an online dictionary of individuals and movements that opposed the "norm," asserting their right to personal freedom, freedom of thought, expression, and action, the right to dissent, and the primacy of individual conscience over imposed rules, doctrines, and behavioral rituals—whether dictated from above or commonly accepted by the societies in which they happened to live. That is, people who chose to exercise (courageously and often at the cost of their lives) rights that should be the very foundation of our present-day society—rights often proclaimed as the legacy of “Enlightenment” values but which also belong to the most authentic Christian tradition of tolerance and respect for human dignity.

These values of tolerance and freedom are today strongly defended by the Catholic Church, the Orthodox Church, and the Protestant Churches. In affirming their legitimate right to exist, bear witness, and dissent in the face of cruel and inhuman regimes, these institutions have themselves suffered painful and bloody persecutions in the not-so-distant past—and sometimes still do. Consider, for example, the harsh repression by the Nazi regime against the Confessing Church of Martin Niemöller and Dietrich Bonhoeffer, or against Catholic groups staunchly opposed to Nazism (such as the White Rose in Munich); or the brutal persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church under Stalin; or the repression endured by Catholic clergy and faithful under Communist China—still ongoing today in subtler though no less insidious forms (while all legitimate aspirations to religious freedom continue to be ferociously crushed in nearby North Korea, still firmly ruled by a regime grounded in the same brutal and dehumanizing ideology).

For this reason, it must be clarified: this site does not take sides with any ideology or confession. It aims solely and humbly to present facts and issues with the clarity and rigor appropriate to the historian’s craft, in the spirit of encouraging debate and exchange on the themes it addresses.

Since much of the project’s interest lies in the dialectic between critical and dogmatic-ideological thinking, the dictionary also aims to explore the other side of the coin: the supporters of the Inquisition. Their role was decisive in the process of Catholic “confessionalization” which, in many respects, characterized modern Italy, the effects of which can still be perceived today in the hegemonic position held by the Catholic Church in Italian society.

As part of a much more complex process, the Inquisition has been viewed by Adriano Prosperi, in a fascinating work (Tribunali della coscienza, Einaudi, Torino 1996), as the only centralized and efficient power structure to have existed on the Italian Peninsula. Its establishment, Prosperi argues, enabled the papacy to firmly root its “high sovereignty” in Italian society up to the present day. He evocatively linked this “high sovereignty” to the image of Italian politicians kneeling at the Pope’s feet during the funeral of Aldo Moro, describing it as a “symbolic moment of the refounding of the Italian state (…) which, once again—after the years of Nazi-Fascist war—had to rely on the ultimate reasons for its unity” (ibid., p. X).

Yet despite the much-publicized interest in the Inquisizione romana over recent years, we still know very little about many of these inquisitors, the central tribunal of the Holy Office, and the operations and personnel of local inquisitorial offices. This was boldly emphasized by a young scholar at the beginning of a recent book on Gian Pietro Carafa (Andrea Vanni, "Fare diligente inquisitione". Gian Pietro Carafa e le origini dei chierici regolari teatini, Viella, Roma 2010, p. 11).

To help fill these gaps—at least partially—a specific thematic section has been set up here in the form of a Repertorio degli inquisitori e delle sedi inquisitoriali, offering focused and structured navigation through entries specifically related to the history of the Inquisition.

The project, which began as a solitary scholarly experiment, aims in the medium to long term to involve colleagues, enthusiasts, and scholars. The intention is to build an entity that can develop freely and autonomously, with a permanent character of work in progress—without a predefined or rigid structure and without a centralized direction dictating the scope of the work.

Online publication also seems to be the best technical solution, both to ensure broad dissemination and visibility, and because of the unique potential of the chosen format, which fosters discussion and collaboration among users eager to share and offer their knowledge, passions, and interests. These users can at any time contribute to improving and updating entries. The project may thus acquire an "evolutionary" structure, distinguishing it from the rigid and static model of standard academic and editorial products.

In this regard, a Dizionario storico dell'Inquisizione in four substantial volumes, edited by Adriano Prosperi in collaboration with Vincenzo Lavenia and John Tedeschi (Edizioni della Normale, Pisa 2010), has recently been published. While overall a useful tool, it presents certain evident and significant limitations in the general conception of the work and in the selection and treatment of entries and topics—often approached in a rather “ideological” and superficial way (as pointed out, among others, by Giovanni Romeo, L’Inquisizione romana e l’Italia nei più recenti sviluppi storiografici, in "Rivista storica italiana", CXXVI, no. 1, 2014, pp. 186–204).

Moreover, due to its very structure, the dictionary is not easily accessible or usable, nor can it be updated or improved. Unsurprisingly, a proposal—only sketched—by Jean Pierre Dedieu to put it online, translate it, and make it "evolutionary" (How to make it more efficient. A proposal to computerize the Dizionario, in "Annali della Scuola Normale Superiore di Pisa, Classe di Lettere e Filosofia", V, 3, 2011, pp. 363–376) quickly proved completely unfeasible.

And in the era of the Internet and the e-book, when so much is said about applying new technologies to the humanities and social sciences, this is no minor shortcoming.

This technical limitation also applies to a monumental and extraordinary work such as the second edition, in three volumes, of Il Processo inquisitoriale del cardinal Giovanni Morone, edited by Massimo Firpo and Dario Marcatto with the collaboration of Luca Addante and Guido Mongini (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Roma 2011–2015). Its name index (where the locations of biographical entries are highlighted in bold) could serve as the basis for a true dictionary—an alternative to the one directed by Prosperi—of religious dissent in sixteenth-century Italy.

This highly commendable work, the result of long and painstaking research, could have had far greater impact and utility—both now and in the future—had it been conceived in a less traditional and more "interactive" and "user-friendly" format. The conservative, outdated, and shortsighted choices of academic publishers may end up confining it to the few specialized libraries able to afford it, thus severely limiting its dissemination and usability.

This is especially unfortunate considering that it is essentially a revised version—with various and sometimes substantial additions and corrections—of a work already published in the 1980s, which is still fairly well represented in library collections and has been widely used by scholars. The limitation, as in other cases, could at least be partially mitigated by making the PDF version of the work freely available online (as was done for the edition of the Processo Soranzo, edited in 2004 by Massimo Firpo and Sergio Pagano, and available for some time on the publisher’s website, in this case the Vatican Secret Archives).

A commendable choice was made by Michele Mancino and Giovanni Romeo, who appended to their recent and important work, Clero criminale. L'onore della Chiesa e i delitti degli ecclesiastici nell'Italia della Controriforma (Laterza, Roma-Bari 2013), a rich and well-structured *appendice documentaria available online in open access.

An even more successful and technically innovative solution was adopted by the Franco-Italian research group CORSAR, coordinated by Marie Viallon and Bernard Dompnier. Alongside the print publication project of the complete correspondence of Paolo Sarpi, the group launched an exceptionally original website. Online since 2013 and continually expanding, the site contains Sarpi’s corrispondenza (with access not only to transcriptions but also to digital reproductions of archival documents), as well as in-depth sections including a dizionario dei personaggi, which provides vivid insight into the dialectic between orthodoxy and heterodoxy in Sarpi’s time.

As a whole, this project stands as a brilliant example of the enormous contribution that the intelligent application of new technologies can make to humanistic research.

In contrast, within the realm of non-academic production, there has existed for several years an online Dizionario del pensiero cristiano alternativo, better known as Eresie.it, the work of a passionate individual. It is a highly useful tool covering a wide chronological span, though it lacks historical and historiographical framing sections and is rather weak in critical apparatus.

Nevertheless, like other online initiatives—both academic and non-academic—and unlike finalized works such as the Dizionario storico dell'Inquisizione, it allows users to freely interact with the editor by submitting suggestions, comments, and various requests, and it remains open to ongoing updates and improvements.

Nevertheless, like other online initiatives—both academic and non-academic—and unlike finalized works such as the Dizionario storico dell'Inquisizione, it allows users to freely interact with the editor by submitting suggestions, comments, and various requests, and it remains open to ongoing updates and improvements.

This website, which is part of the digital series Il "cannocchiale" dello storico: miti ed ideologie, published by Aracne Editrice and supported by an international scientific committee, is managed by a editorial board composed of young researchers. It is open to all forms of collaboration with scholars and enthusiasts who share its aims.

In the medium term, an English version of the site is also planned, i.e., in the main international scientific language, a purely "practical" choice aimed at enhancing the site's visibility. This does not imply any renunciation of the inestimable value of Italian as a scientific language (see, on this topic, Massimo Firpo, L’inglese chiaro anche nell’errore, "Il Sole 24 Ore", 04/03/2012).

The approach is, however, multilingual, and entries may be written in the most commonly used scientific languages (some entries already exist in French, English, and Spanish). The editorial board will ensure that any entries written in other languages are translated into Italian, with all versions published online.

A few years ago, Adriano Prosperi, in his introductory speech for a major research project, stated:
"Nowadays, Italian academic culture is very capable of putting spokes in the wheels of others' research, as shown by the anonymous report that blocked funding for the national research on the history of the Inquisition I was leading, but it is not as good at creating opportunities and tools for scholarly work. We hope that at least this proposal may find a more favorable climate and the right level of sensitivity" (Adriano Prosperi, Nuove prospettive per una storia dell'Inquisizione, in Andrea Del Col (ed.), Atti del Seminario di studio «Gli archivi dell’Inquisizione in Italia: problemi storiografici e descrittivi», Rome, State Archives, 18 February 2005, in CROMOHS, 11, 2006; this excerpt has been translated from the original Italian version).

While we do not share the excessively polemical and “poisoned” tone with which a (legitimate and regular) peer review process was criticized, we do take Prosperi’s hope to heart—adding, for the sake of clarity, a few important disclaimers: this site, online on this platform since February 12, 2013, is under construction and subject to continuous revision. Many of the entries already present should be considered provisional: the current “skeletons” will be expanded and improved over time, just as the site itself will grow in both quantity and quality of content.

At present, it makes no claim whatsoever—not now nor in the future—to compete with other finished research products that are already widely circulated and/or successful (academically, editorially, commercially, or even scientifically), nor to replace or supersede them.

This initiative, to repeat, is an "experiment" aimed at fully exploiting the potential of the Web and the application of digital technologies to the humanities. It also hopes to become a meeting and reflection point for scholars and enthusiasts belonging—if the expression may be allowed, with a touch of utopia—to the “république des historiens” or more broadly to the (truest) “république des lettres,” in its modern cybernetic version. Nothing more. And if it bears fruit… all the better.

Work in Progress

As it currently stands (a provisional state, as the site is constantly evolving), this platform primarily functions as a Dictionary of Heretics, Dissenters, and Inquisitors in the Mediterranean World during the Late Medieval and Early Modern periods (14th–19th centuries). It focuses on the biographies of all Italian heretics and reformers, as well as political dissenters and anyone involved with the Reformation and heresy in Italy and/or with the Roman Inquisition in the modern era.

The perspective, therefore, is not limited to Italy alone: special attention is given to interactions and exchanges between Italy, Europe, and the Islamic world, both in terms of the circulation of people and ideas, and in regard to persecution and repression. For example, topics of interest to this initiative include: the influence of thinkers such as Erasmus, Montaigne, and Sarpi on Italian and European culture in the modern age; the relationship between the Church and scientific thought; the spread of libertinism, atheism, and rationalism; the connections between witchcraft, exorcism, and demonic possession; the history of the origins of Freemasonry; and the relationship between the Roman Inquisition and the two other major inquisitorial systems (Spanish and Portuguese), as well as other institutions tasked with repressing heresy (e.g., the Tre Savi sopra l’eresia established by the Republic of Venice, or the Chambre ardente established by King Francis I of France).

The design of the work is completed by thematic and historiographical in-depth sections.

The number of entries is steadily increasing, and all are constantly being revised and improved. Special attention is paid to internal and external cross-referencing and to the structuring of entries to make the site as interactive and user-friendly as possible. The visual layout and site structure will also be progressively refined and adapted to the aims of the project.

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Ereticopedia.org (ISSN 2282-1589), in addition to the Dizionario di eretici, dissidenti e inquisitori nel mondo mediterraneo (ISBN 978-8894241600 | DOI 10.5281/zenodo.1309444), which constitutes its core, hosts the journal Quaderni eretici. Studi sul dissenso politico, religioso e letterario (ISSN 2421-3012), as well as various sections for in-depth study and open discussion, with fruitful extensions on social network platforms.

Ereticopedia served as the incubator for the Associazione CLORI and its publishing imprint, Edizioni CLORI, initially hosting their pages before they were moved to an independent website (www.edizioniclori.it), with which close relations are still maintained.

Recently—with the publication of Eretici, dissidenti, inquisitori. Per un dizionario storico mediterraneo, Vol. I, edited by Luca Al Sabbagh, Daniele Santarelli, Domizia Weber, Aracne editrice, Roma 2016, and Vol. II, edited by Luca Al Sabbagh, Antonello Fabio Caterino, Martina Gargiulo, Daniele Santarelli, Vincenzo Vozza, Domizia Weber, Aracne editrice, Roma 2018—a print series was inaugurated, collecting selected entries from the online dictionary revolving around specific thematic areas.

This operation is intended to further broaden the scope of our project and contribute to raising awareness of its original traits and potential among both specialists and general readers.

Ereticopedia therefore acts as a hub and catalyst for various autonomous yet interconnected initiatives, and as a point of encounter for individuals from diverse backgrounds and training, open to all forms of collaboration with those who share the goals and ideals of these projects.

Site Structure

Ereticopedia is structured into several sections. This structure is not definitive and may change significantly over time. It is not a "rigid" classification: entries often belong to more than one section, and there are also cross-sectional categories (Cross-Sections).

COMPLETE LIST OF DICTIONARY ENTRIES

REPERTORY OF INQUISITORS AND INQUISITORIAL SEATS (cross-sectional section under construction)

BEYOND STEREOTYPES: TOWARD A PROSOPOGRAPHY OF WITCHES IN THE EARLY MODERN AGE (cross-sectional section under construction)

"PRIMUM NON NOCERE": MEDICINE, HERESY AND NON-CONFORMITY IN THE EARLY MODERN PERIOD (cross-sectional section under construction)

"DOMINAE FORTUNAE SUAE": THE TRANSFORMATIVE POWER OF FEMALE GENIUS (cross-sectional section under construction)

ORATORY AND THE ORATORIAN CONGREGATION: HISTORY, SPIRITUALITY, CULTURAL POLITICS (cross-sectional section under construction)

MESMERISM, OCCULTISM, SPIRITISM: 19TH-CENTURY HETERODOXIES BETWEEN ESOTERIC CURRENTS AND NEW SPIRITUALITIES (cross-sectional section under construction)

HISTORICAL DICTIONARY OF NATURAL SCIENCES IN NAPLES FROM THE RENAISSANCE TO THE ENLIGHTENMENT (cross-sectional section under construction, in collaboration with www.storiadellacampania.it)

QUADERNI ERETICI | CAHIERS HÉRÉTIQUES (online journal)

MULTIMEDIA & SOCIAL

MAILING-LIST (CLORI-ML)

EDITORIAL GUIDELINES

HOW TO CITE ERETICOPEDIA

ERETICOPEDIA CODE OF ETHICS

LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS AND RELEVANT WEBSITES

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