Kresta in the Afternoon – December 19, 2023 – Hour 1

Author: Bryant Schoenle Published on: December 19, 2023 Published in: Al Kresta

Today on the Kresta in the Afternoon Countdown we look back in history at the Nuremberg trials, emperor Constantine and the forgotten details of the medieval witch burnings.

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#29 The Inquisitor who wouldn’t burn witches

The Spanish Inquisition is among the most misunderstood events in Medieval history, and many people simply associate it with the Monty Python sketch – “nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition!” Well, nobody expects the Spanish Inquisition to show wise restraint in dealing with witchcraft—unless somebody has heard of Alonso de Salazar Frías, ‘The Witches’ Advocate.” Sandra Miesel joins us with his story.

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The Inquisitor who wouldn’t burn witches

Sandra’s Reading List

Julio Carlo Baroja, The World of the Witches. Trans. O.N.V Glendinning. (Chicago, 1965)

The Encyclopedia of Witchcraft: The Western Tradition. Ed. Richard M. Golden. (Santa Barbara CA, 2006)

Gustav Henningsen, The Witches’ Advocate: Basque Witchcraft and the Spanish Inquisition. (Reno, 1980)

Henry Kamen, The Spanish Inquisition: A Historical Revision. (London, 1997)

William Monter, Ritual, Myth & Magic in Early Modern Europe. (Athens, OH, 1983)

Frontiers of Heresy: The Spanish Inquisition from the Basque Lands to Sicily. (Cambridge, 1990)

sandra miesel — Sandra Miesel is an American medievalist and writer. She is the author of hundreds of articles on history and art, among other subjects, and has written several books, including The Da Vinci Hoax: Exposing the Errors in The Da Vinci Code, which she co-authored with Carl E. Olson, and is co-editor with Paul E. Kerry of Light Beyond All Shadow: Religious Experience in Tolkien's Work

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#28 Nazis, Nuremberg and Natural Law

It may surprise you to learn that the final surviving prosecutor from the Nuremberg Trials lived until this year, dying in April. His team was tasked with prosecuting the Einsatzgruppen death squads that were responsible for much of the mass murder of Jews. We examine his life and the trials with Michael Pakaluk.

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Last Words of the Last Nuremberg Prosecutor

Michael-Pakaluk — Michael Pakaluk is a professor in the Busch School of Business at Catholic University of America. He lives in Maryland with his wife Catherine, also a professor in the Busch School, and their eight children. He’s the author of The Memoirs of St. Peter and Mary’s Vocie in the Gospel of John: A New Translation with Commentary. Pope Benedict appointed him to the Pontifical Academy of St Thomas Aquinas.

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#27 Was Constantine a Christian? By what sign did he conquer?

On October 28 in the year 312, the forces of the Emperor Constantine won a battle at the Milvian Bridge over the forces of Maxentius. The night before, Constantine had a vision which led him to fight under the protection of the Christian god. We learn more about the events of the battle and Constantine’s vision with Thomas Madden.