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God's Jury: The Inquisition and the Making of the Modern World Audiobook
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(3.04) - 260 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
The Inquisition conducted its last execution in 1826—the victim was a Spanish schoolmaster convicted of heresy. But as Cullen Murphy shows in this provocative new work, not only did its offices survive into the twentieth century, in the modern world its spirit is more influential than ever.
God's Jury encompasses the diverse stories of the Knights Templar, Torquemada, Galileo, and Graham Greene. Established by the Catholic Church in 1231, the Inquisition continued in one form or another for almost seven hundred years. Though associated with the persecution of heretics and Jews—and with burning at the stake—its targets were more numerous and its techniques more ambitious. The Inquisition pioneered surveillance and censorship and "scientific" interrogation. As time went on, its methods and mindset spread far beyond the Church to become tools of secular persecution. Traveling from freshly opened Vatican archives to the detention camps of Guantánamo to the filing cabinets of the Third Reich, Murphy traces the Inquisition and its legacy.
With the combination of vivid immediacy and learned analysis that characterized his acclaimed Are We Rome?, Murphy puts a human face on a familiar but little-known piece of our past, and argues that only by understanding the Inquisition can we hope to explain the making of the present.
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"As a product of 12 years of Catholic education I had many preconceived notions of the justification for the Inquisition. I am disappointed once again in the elaborate front the Church has and still uses to cover it's hypocricy. Infallible?? This book examines the history of justified torture and compares it to the current use of 'enhanced interrogation techniques'. Fascinating."
— Siszurpicki (4 out of 5 stars)
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“When virtue arms itself—beware! Lucid, scholarly, elegantly told, God’s Jury is as gripping as it is important.”
— James Carroll, award-winning author of Jerusalem, Jerusalem -
When virtue arms itself---beware! Lucid, scholarly, elegantly told, God's Jury is as gripping as it is important.
— James Carroll -
“Murphy powerfully shows that the impulse to inquisition can quietly take root in any system—civil or religious—that orders our lives.”
— Publishers Weekly -
“Dean’s gently authoritative voice is clear, articulate, and unbiased in describing the most notorious institution of religious enforcement—and its legacy.”
— AudioFile -
“Cullen Murphy’s account of the Inquisition is a dark but riveting tale, told with luminous grace. The Inquisition, he shows us, represents more than a historical episode of religious persecution. The drive to root out heresy and sin, once and for all, is emblematic of the modern age and a persisting danger in our time.”
— Michael J. Sandel, author of Justice: What’s the Right Thing to Do? -
“Entertaining, lively chronicle of the Inquisition, touching on a wide variety of issues across the centuries.”
— Kirkus Reviews
God's Jury Listener Reviews
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Michael Barrett, 1/2/2020
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" Interesting read that covers the broad history of the many different inquisitions and how they helped shaped the modern Western world. While it does provide some details, I felt that it was skimming over many topics. The author repeats many of the same points throughout the book, but using the same basic evidence to his points. It left me thinking the book could have been half the size. "
— David, 2/14/2014 -
" Another proof that "the past isn't dead... It isn't even past." "
— Tamsin, 2/5/2014 -
" Excellent summary of "the Inquisition" and their unfortunate parallels in modern societies included the US after 2001. Cullen is an outstanding writer and makes a difficult subject very readable. "
— Daniel, 1/11/2014 -
" Clearly I am not the target audience for this book so consider me biased. This felt like a history book I was required to read (which I kind of was, per my book club...). I can respect the importance of the topic, the scope of the time period covered and the amount of research that went into the book. I would have found it more compelling (and it would have held my interest) had it been presented differently. Instead of textbook-style, if it had been more of a "follow a few different actual lives through that time period" sort of book, I think I would have been a lot more into it. As is, it was a struggle for me to even get through 10 pages at a time. "
— Marissa, 1/7/2014 -
" A cautionary tale, describing The Inquisition as an ongoing institution, characterized by zeal, righteousness, and dogged attention to administrative and bureaucratic detail. Look no farther than your newspaper's front page. "
— Jane, 12/23/2013 -
" Fascinating and meticulously researched treatise on the three phases of the reformation, with many important insights as to the nature of abuse of power in general and torture in specific. "
— David, 12/9/2013 -
" I was disappointed in the amount of space given to contemporary comparisons to the Inquisition -- Abu Ghraib for example. The history of The Inquisitions (there were many) was fascinating and the definition: a self-perpetuating bureaucracy with accurate and distributable record keeping was valuable. "
— Ken, 11/21/2013 -
" Nobody expects a good book about the Spanish Inquisition. "
— Matt, 11/16/2013 -
" History of the inquisition and ties to modern day Vatican and practices of interrogation, etc. had to return before I could finish. "
— Nancy, 10/31/2013 -
" A great read: informative, thought-provoking, and ultimately rather frightening. A valuable reminder that moral certitude often leads to bad results. "
— Eleanor, 10/5/2013 -
" Another one bites the dust. "
— Marsha, 7/16/2013 -
" Read my review of the book at ReadWriteWeb. "
— Curt, 6/24/2012 -
" Fascinating book. An overview of the inquisitions (Roman, Medieval, Spanish), how they develop in a society, and parallels to today's governments. Written in an easy-to-read style. Thoroughly enjoyed it. "
— Sharon, 5/29/2012
About Cullen Murphy
Cullen Murphy is the editor at large at Vanity Fair and the former managing editor of the Atlantic Monthly. He is the author of Are We Rome? The Fall of an Empire and the Fate of America, The Word According to Eve, and the essay collection Just Curious. He is also coauthor of Rubbish! The Archaeology of Garbage. He lives in Boston.
About Robertson Dean
Robertson Dean has played leading roles on and off Broadway and at dozens of regional theaters throughout the country. He has a BA from Tufts University and an MFA from Yale. His audiobook narration has garnered ten AudioFile Earphones Awards. He now lives in Los Angeles, where he works in film and television in addition to narrating.