Bartolomé Carranza
Encyclopedia
Bartolomé Carranza Spanish
theologian
and Archbishop of Toledo, sometimes called de Miranda or de Carranza y Miranda, who spent much of his later life imprisoned on (eventually disproven) charges of heresy
.
The younger son of Pedro Carranza, a man of noble family, Bartolomé Carranza was born at Miranda de Arga
, Navarre
, in 1503.
He studied at Alcalá
from 1515 to 1520, where Sancho Carranza, his uncle, was professor, entering in 1520 the Dominican order
, and then, from 1521 to 1525, at Salamanca
and at Valladolid
, where from 1527 he was teacher of theology. No Spaniard save Melchior Cano
rivalled him in learning; students from all parts of Spain flocked to hear him. In 1530 he was denounced to the Inquisition
as limiting the papal power and leaning to the opinions of Erasmus
, but the process failed; he was made professor of philosophy and regent in theology (1533 to 1539).
In 1539, as representative to the chapter-general of his order he visited Rome
; here he was made doctor of theology, and while he mixed with the liberal circle associated with Juan de Valdés
, he had also the confidence of Pope Paul III
. Returning to Valladolid, he acted as censor
(cualificador) of books (including versions of the Bible
) for the Inquisition. In 1540 he was nominated to the see
s of the Canary Islands
and of Cusco, Peru
, but declined both. Charles V
chose him as envoy to the Council of Trent
in 1546.
He insisted on the imperative duty of bishop
s and clergy
to reside in their benefice
s, publishing at Venice (1547) his discourse to the council, De necessaria residentia personali, which he treated as juris divini. His Lent
en sermon to the Council, on justification
, caused much remark. He was made provincial general of his order for Castile
.
Charles sent him to England
in 1554 with his son Philip
on the occasion of the marriage with Mary
. He became Mary's confessor, and laboured earnestly for the re-establishment of the old religion, especially in Oxford
.
In 1557 Philip appointed him to the archbishopric
of Toledo
; he accepted with reluctance, and was consecrated at Brussels
on 27 February 1558. He was at the deathbed of Charles V (on 21 September) and gave him extreme unction; then raised a curious controversy as to whether Charles, in his last moments, had been influenced by Lutheranism
.
The same year he was again denounced to the Inquisition, on the ground of his Comentarios sobre el Catechismo (Antwerp, 1558), which in 1563, however, was approved by a commission of the Council of Trent. He had evidently lost favour with Philip, by whose order he was arrested at Torrelaguna
in 1559 and imprisoned for nearly eight years, and the book was placed on the Index
. The process dragged on. Carranza appealed to Rome, was taken there in December 1566, and confined for ten years in the castle of St. Angelo
.
The final judgment found no proof of heresy
, but compelled him to abjure sixteen errors, from his writings, suspended him from his see for five years, and secluded him to the Dominican cloister of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
. He died seven days after his abjuration. He was succeeded in his see by the inquisitor general, Gaspar Quiroga.
Yet the Spanish people honoured him as a saint; Pope Gregory XIII
placed a laudatory inscription on his tomb in the church of Santa Maria. Though he may have been unconscious of his "errors", after the study of J. Ignacio Tellechea Idígoras (Melanchton y Carranza: préstamos y afinidades, Salamanca, Universidad Pontificia, Centro de Estudios Orientales y Ecuménicos Juan XXIII, 1979) there is no doubt that he was influenced by the doctrine of the Lutheran Philipp Melanchthon
.
His Summa Conciliorum et Pontificum (Venice, 1546) has been often reprinted, and has long been widely respected.
Spanish people
The Spanish are citizens of the Kingdom of Spain. Within Spain, there are also a number of vigorous nationalisms and regionalisms, reflecting the country's complex history....
theologian
Theology
Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...
and Archbishop of Toledo, sometimes called de Miranda or de Carranza y Miranda, who spent much of his later life imprisoned on (eventually disproven) charges of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
.
The younger son of Pedro Carranza, a man of noble family, Bartolomé Carranza was born at Miranda de Arga
Miranda de Arga
Miranda de Arga is a town and municipality located in the province and autonomous community of Navarre, northern Spain.-External links:*...
, Navarre
Navarre
Navarre , officially the Chartered Community of Navarre is an autonomous community in northern Spain, bordering the Basque Country, La Rioja, and Aragon in Spain and Aquitaine in France...
, in 1503.
He studied at Alcalá
University of Alcalá
The University of Alcalá is a public university located in Alcalá de Henares, a city 35 km northeast of Madrid in Spain. Founded in 1499, it was moved in 1836 to Madrid. In 1977, the University was reopened in its same historical buildings...
from 1515 to 1520, where Sancho Carranza, his uncle, was professor, entering in 1520 the Dominican order
Dominican Order
The Order of Preachers , after the 15th century more commonly known as the Dominican Order or Dominicans, is a Catholic religious order founded by Saint Dominic and approved by Pope Honorius III on 22 December 1216 in France...
, and then, from 1521 to 1525, at Salamanca
Salamanca
Salamanca is a city in western Spain, in the community of Castile and León. Because it is known for its beautiful buildings and urban environment, the Old City was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1988. It is the most important university city in Spain and is known for its contributions to...
and at Valladolid
Valladolid
Valladolid is a historic city and municipality in north-central Spain, situated at the confluence of the Pisuerga and Esgueva rivers, and located within three wine-making regions: Ribera del Duero, Rueda and Cigales...
, where from 1527 he was teacher of theology. No Spaniard save Melchior Cano
Melchior Cano
Melchior Cano was a Spanish Scholastic theologian.-Clerical life:He was born in Tarancón, New Castile, and joined the Dominican Order in Salamanca, where by 1546 he had succeeded Francisco de Vitoria to the theological chair in the university. A man of deep learning and originality, proud and a...
rivalled him in learning; students from all parts of Spain flocked to hear him. In 1530 he was denounced to the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
as limiting the papal power and leaning to the opinions of Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus
Desiderius Erasmus Roterodamus , known as Erasmus of Rotterdam, was a Dutch Renaissance humanist, Catholic priest, and a theologian....
, but the process failed; he was made professor of philosophy and regent in theology (1533 to 1539).
In 1539, as representative to the chapter-general of his order he visited Rome
Rome
Rome is the capital of Italy and the country's largest and most populated city and comune, with over 2.7 million residents in . The city is located in the central-western portion of the Italian Peninsula, on the Tiber River within the Lazio region of Italy.Rome's history spans two and a half...
; here he was made doctor of theology, and while he mixed with the liberal circle associated with Juan de Valdés
Juan de Valdés
Juan de Valdés was a Spanish religious writer.He was the younger of twin sons of Fernando de Valdés, hereditary regidor of Cuenca in Castile, where Valdés was born. He has been confused with his twin brother Alfonso...
, he had also the confidence of Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III
Pope Paul III , born Alessandro Farnese, was Pope of the Roman Catholic Church from 1534 to his death in 1549. He came to the papal throne in an era following the sack of Rome in 1527 and rife with uncertainties in the Catholic Church following the Protestant Reformation...
. Returning to Valladolid, he acted as censor
Censorship
thumb|[[Book burning]] following the [[1973 Chilean coup d'état|1973 coup]] that installed the [[Military government of Chile |Pinochet regime]] in Chile...
(cualificador) of books (including versions of the Bible
Bible
The Bible refers to any one of the collections of the primary religious texts of Judaism and Christianity. There is no common version of the Bible, as the individual books , their contents and their order vary among denominations...
) for the Inquisition. In 1540 he was nominated to the see
Episcopal See
An episcopal see is, in the original sense, the official seat of a bishop. This seat, which is also referred to as the bishop's cathedra, is placed in the bishop's principal church, which is therefore called the bishop's cathedral...
s of the Canary Islands
Canary Islands
The Canary Islands , also known as the Canaries , is a Spanish archipelago located just off the northwest coast of mainland Africa, 100 km west of the border between Morocco and the Western Sahara. The Canaries are a Spanish autonomous community and an outermost region of the European Union...
and of Cusco, Peru
Cusco
Cusco , often spelled Cuzco , is a city in southeastern Peru, near the Urubamba Valley of the Andes mountain range. It is the capital of the Cusco Region as well as the Cuzco Province. In 2007, the city had a population of 358,935 which was triple the figure of 20 years ago...
, but declined both. Charles V
Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor
Charles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
chose him as envoy to the Council of Trent
Council of Trent
The Council of Trent was the 16th-century Ecumenical Council of the Roman Catholic Church. It is considered to be one of the Church's most important councils. It convened in Trent between December 13, 1545, and December 4, 1563 in twenty-five sessions for three periods...
in 1546.
He insisted on the imperative duty of bishop
Bishop
A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...
s and clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
to reside in their benefice
Benefice
A benefice is a reward received in exchange for services rendered and as a retainer for future services. The term is now almost obsolete.-Church of England:...
s, publishing at Venice (1547) his discourse to the council, De necessaria residentia personali, which he treated as juris divini. His Lent
Lent
In the Christian tradition, Lent is the period of the liturgical year from Ash Wednesday to Easter. The traditional purpose of Lent is the preparation of the believer – through prayer, repentance, almsgiving and self-denial – for the annual commemoration during Holy Week of the Death and...
en sermon to the Council, on justification
Justification (theology)
Rising out of the Protestant Reformation, Justification is the chief article of faith describing God's act of declaring or making a sinner righteous through Christ's atoning sacrifice....
, caused much remark. He was made provincial general of his order for Castile
Castile (historical region)
A former kingdom, Castile gradually merged with its neighbours to become the Crown of Castile and later the Kingdom of Spain when united with the Crown of Aragon and the Kingdom of Navarre...
.
Charles sent him to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
in 1554 with his son Philip
Philip II of Spain
Philip II was King of Spain, Portugal, Naples, Sicily, and, while married to Mary I, King of England and Ireland. He was lord of the Seventeen Provinces from 1556 until 1581, holding various titles for the individual territories such as duke or count....
on the occasion of the marriage with Mary
Mary I of England
Mary I was queen regnant of England and Ireland from July 1553 until her death.She was the only surviving child born of the ill-fated marriage of Henry VIII and his first wife Catherine of Aragon. Her younger half-brother, Edward VI, succeeded Henry in 1547...
. He became Mary's confessor, and laboured earnestly for the re-establishment of the old religion, especially in Oxford
Oxford
The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
.
In 1557 Philip appointed him to the archbishopric
Archbishop
An archbishop is a bishop of higher rank, but not of higher sacramental order above that of the three orders of deacon, priest , and bishop...
of Toledo
Toledo, Spain
Toledo's Alcázar became renowned in the 19th and 20th centuries as a military academy. At the outbreak of the Spanish Civil War in 1936 its garrison was famously besieged by Republican forces.-Economy:...
; he accepted with reluctance, and was consecrated at Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
on 27 February 1558. He was at the deathbed of Charles V (on 21 September) and gave him extreme unction; then raised a curious controversy as to whether Charles, in his last moments, had been influenced by Lutheranism
Lutheranism
Lutheranism is a major branch of Western Christianity that identifies with the theology of Martin Luther, a German reformer. Luther's efforts to reform the theology and practice of the church launched the Protestant Reformation...
.
The same year he was again denounced to the Inquisition, on the ground of his Comentarios sobre el Catechismo (Antwerp, 1558), which in 1563, however, was approved by a commission of the Council of Trent. He had evidently lost favour with Philip, by whose order he was arrested at Torrelaguna
Torrelaguna
Torrelaguna is a municipality of the Community of Madrid, Spain.-Main sights:The parish church of La Magdalena is one of the best examples of Gothic architecture in the community of Madrid....
in 1559 and imprisoned for nearly eight years, and the book was placed on the Index
Index Librorum Prohibitorum
The Index Librorum Prohibitorum was a list of publications prohibited by the Catholic Church. A first version was promulgated by Pope Paul IV in 1559, and a revised and somewhat relaxed form was authorized at the Council of Trent...
. The process dragged on. Carranza appealed to Rome, was taken there in December 1566, and confined for ten years in the castle of St. Angelo
Castel Sant'Angelo
The Mausoleum of Hadrian, usually known as the Castel Sant'Angelo, is a towering cylindrical building in Parco Adriano, Rome, Italy. It was initially commissioned by the Roman Emperor Hadrian as a mausoleum for himself and his family...
.
The final judgment found no proof of heresy
Heresy
Heresy is a controversial or novel change to a system of beliefs, especially a religion, that conflicts with established dogma. It is distinct from apostasy, which is the formal denunciation of one's religion, principles or cause, and blasphemy, which is irreverence toward religion...
, but compelled him to abjure sixteen errors, from his writings, suspended him from his see for five years, and secluded him to the Dominican cloister of Santa Maria sopra Minerva
Santa Maria sopra Minerva
The Basilica of Saint Mary Above Minerva is a titular minor basilica and one of the most important churches of the Roman Catholic Dominican order in Rome, Italy. The church, located in the Piazza della Minerva in the Campus Martius region, is considered the only Gothic church in Rome. It houses...
. He died seven days after his abjuration. He was succeeded in his see by the inquisitor general, Gaspar Quiroga.
Yet the Spanish people honoured him as a saint; Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII
Pope Gregory XIII , born Ugo Boncompagni, was Pope from 1572 to 1585. He is best known for commissioning and being the namesake for the Gregorian calendar, which remains the internationally-accepted civil calendar to this date.-Youth:He was born the son of Cristoforo Boncompagni and wife Angela...
placed a laudatory inscription on his tomb in the church of Santa Maria. Though he may have been unconscious of his "errors", after the study of J. Ignacio Tellechea Idígoras (Melanchton y Carranza: préstamos y afinidades, Salamanca, Universidad Pontificia, Centro de Estudios Orientales y Ecuménicos Juan XXIII, 1979) there is no doubt that he was influenced by the doctrine of the Lutheran Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon
Philipp Melanchthon , born Philipp Schwartzerdt, was a German reformer, collaborator with Martin Luther, the first systematic theologian of the Protestant Reformation, intellectual leader of the Lutheran Reformation, and an influential designer of educational systems...
.
His Summa Conciliorum et Pontificum (Venice, 1546) has been often reprinted, and has long been widely respected.