The Netherlands less wealthy than Spain? <snip>
Yes. The inflow of gold, silver and other materials from the Americas.
But his book, which was gross incitement to commit murders on the basis of superstitious delusions, was not considered dangerous or idiotic?
Yes it was, and it was treated as such. It was not, however, generally judged to be heretical, anti-clerical or lascivious. Hence it was not added to the Index Librorum Prohibitorum.
For what other reason, if not the book, was Kramer considered dangerous?
Because he was stirring up trouble. You'll notice
where his career was limited.
Was any measure from the vast arsenal of punitive actions available to the Inquisition taken against him to mitigate this danger?
I suggest you look at the matters dealt with my the Inquisitions; Kramer's nonsense wasn't within their remit.
It condemned this murderous handbook but did nothing?
Yes. Does this surprise you? Many governments have done similar.
In what way was it not heretical?
It did not contain material explicitly contrary to the teachings of the church.
If you have read the book, as I have, and consider parts of it contrary to RCC teachings of the era please cite such parts.
If Copernicus and Galileo, writing primarily about the physical structure of the solar system, and not about religion, could be banned and in the latter case punished, and their works suppressed for centuries, why could Kramer's work not be?
Well in Galileo's case it was mainly irritating certain important people and publicly insulting his former patron Pope Urban VIII. Then there was his inability, when challenged, to support his stated beliefs with facts. Further the Copernican hypothesis
did contradict the church's teachings and was therefore heretical. Given that Galileo was unable to show it was correct her was adjudged guilty, though not of heresy.
While the treatment of Galileo Galilei was reprehensible those who use it as a rod to beat the RCC would be wise to study the actual case, not merely the popular perception of it. There are three rather important thing to remember about the case:
Firstly, and possibly the most ironic part of the case, was that if Galileo hadn't alienated his peers, by his habits of insulting and belittling them, and plagarising their work, he'd have been able to show the Copernican hypothesis was correct and prompted a change in RCC doctrine.
Secondly Urban VIII stacked the panel very much in Galileo's favour (due partly to his past liking for him but mainly church politics) and the whole business, while considered a cause célèbre today, wasn't considered particularly important at the time.
And finally Galileo was lucky it was the Catholics who tried him; the protestants would certainly have burned him.
For it did indeed deal with matters of religion, and presumed to inform its readers about the predispositions of the Devil in various fields. But permitted it to continue to circulate. What remarkable and praiseworthy liberalism!
Sigh. The book was not heretical, hence no ban.
May I cite the wiki article again, because I have a question for you, which I would be grateful if you could answer. This is in disagreement with your view that it was not banned To return to wiki: Now, if you know the publication history, and bearing in mind that the Inquisition could expurgate books, do you know if these probably spurious certificates of approval were required to be removed from later editions of the work? Or was it allowed to circulate uncorrected?
They were generally required to be removed, as they were false. That was not a matter for the Inquisitions but local authorities. In several cases such counterfeit approvals were additions by the printers. The book never received a formal imprimatur.
And, yet again, might I remind you of the limited scope of the Index Librorum Prohibitorum? Works not subject to it were also not subject to publication donec corrigatur or donec expurgetur.
As the article states. This must have been known to the Inquisition and in these circumstances a mere seems rather a feeble sanction by the standards normally applied by that organisation.
Sigh. As I keep pointing out to you your point is rubbish; given the book wasn't heretical (or anti-clerical or lascivious) it wasn't subject to an Index ban. And of course such a ban would only apply within the Papal States unless ratified by local authorities.
In addition, there is a remarkable passage in the wiki article on Kramer. This dangerous idiot was empowered to persecute even more people. That is very remarkable, is it not?
No. But then I understand that the RCC was not, and is not, some monolithic entity.
If you actually want to understand the complexities of the era you need to do some serious reading, especially relevant would be the fraught relations between the four nominally Catholic powers, the Papal States, Austria and the HRE, France, and Spain. Then you might understand why, for example, France was allied with protestant Sweden or the balancing act between the factions within the church hierarchy and how it limited papal authority.
By the end of the Eighty and Thirty Years Wars at the peace of Westphalia, Spain had been reduced to a third-rate power, with England, France and the Dutch Republic vying for dominance in Western Europe.
) With the accompanying changes in recognizing witchcraft as real, to allow those charges.
)
