Torture in medieval judicial systems

[Matthias123]

Now, my question is very simple. How could the use of torture to extract confessions not be condemned in medieval judicial systems? It is the same faith, same moral law. Why the heck was this practice not condemned by Holy Mother Church? I understand that the church is full of sinners – but don’t you think someone might have thought perhaps there is a better way to do this?

The practice is obviously condemned by HMC now, so why the heck did this continue in medieval society for so long?

In Christo

Matthias

 

[apromisemade]

Cruel and unusual punishments did not even begin to disapear until the emergence of secular society. I honestly believe that if the Church had her way it would still be legal to stone someone to death for adultery, like the Bible says you should.
As far a extracting confessions. I think, in medieval societies where people were more controlled than governed, the atroctious treatment of prisoners was not so much about exacting justice as it was to intimidate the population and set an example to others who would seek to oppose authority.

 

[Ruthie]

I think torture became less common as justice became more separate from ruling. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out that, if a person “confesses” under great pain, or threat to life, that he/she might be innocent, and thus the guilty one might still be out there. If the object is to prevent crime, you have to find the guilty. If the object is to sate the anger of those in power, and scare the others, then all you need is an execution, the more horrible, the better.

Also, as societies become more wealthy, so that “the poor” lived under decent (if spare) conditions,so that “the man in the street” doesn’t see living misery every day, conditions in jail improve, and so does the treatment of criminals.

This is just my opinion, based only on my thoughts.

God bless,

Ruthie

 

[chevalier]

God doesn’t do the whole job for us. We evolve. We get to understand the moral laws better. A single simple student learns more than a sage knew in some ancient times (at least if you compare the amount of material to learn). Some time ago we thought God would support the innocent party in a judicial duel and that one would win, or that water (blessed or being pure as it is) wouldn’t take a witch and so on. Next step was getting out of judicial torture. Nowadays, however, some people are in favour of returning to it, which I think is a wrong idea.

 

[Shin]

How could the use of torture to extract confessions not be condemned in medieval judicial systems?

Because in medieval times people valued the body less than justice and the soul. People were used to harsh conditions, death and pain, and thought less of it.

No novacaine for dentistry, anesthesia for surgery…

Torture gets a different perspective when there’re people on the streets dying of hunger and disease and someone dares to prey on others criminally – and expects, what? A comfy cell? A kind question and answer session?

 

[rwoehmke]

Just as the Jews of the Old Covenant gradually came to understand living according to God’s commands, so to Christians have had to continue to develop an understanding of the ethical and moral principles proposed by Jesus. The morals and ethics of the Greek and Roman cultures were no where near as humane as today’s culture holds. It would seem that while we have come a long ways, we have not yet arrived at a time anywhere near to perfection.