Lutheran Martyrs and a Jew
This portion presents Pastor Hermann Fick's comments on Jews that were put to death by the Spanish Inquisition. — Indeed, Hermann Fick expresses some indignation at the Inquisition for condemning Jews to death. But that is not why he mentions this aspect of the Inquisition. Rather Fick brings out this detail to further condemn the Roman Antichrist's reviling of true Christians, as the Inquisitors combined a Jew with the Valladolid Lutherans to revile them. So the Jews of today, and their sympathizers, may take away some measure of "comfort" that a true Lutheran pastor grants them some "sympathy", but this is demolished with his description of "dishonor", "blaspheme", and "defile" in relation to the Roman Antichrist's use of a Jew against the Lutheran martyrs.
The analogy to today's LC-MS is striking for they would say that in their condemnation of Martin Luther over the Jews, they were only following this "indignation" that even Pastor Hermann Fick showed over a Jew being put to death by the Spanish Inquisition. But today's LC-MS would never then openly condemn the Spanish Inquisition for its use of a Jew to dishonor, blaspheme and defile the Gospel of Christ through the Valladolid Lutheran martyrs.
The effects on modern history by the Spanish Inquisition – and its head, the Pope in Rome – should be quite obvious to all in this account of the Auto da fé in Valladolid -- the tortures, the yellow gowns (Sanbenitos), the killings. So why does modern history rather attribute so much of today's evil to Adolf Hitler and the Nazis?... as some have even called Hitler the "Antichrist?" They should rather be seeing the effects of the true Antichrist, the Pope in Rome, on ALL modern history...
==>> Why does the LC-MS tell all Lutherans that they are to be "haunted" by Martin Luther's remarks about the Jews, when they should rather be weeping (as Fick and I do) for the Lutheran martyrs murdered by the authority of the Pope in Rome?
Some highlighting added; hyperlinks added for reference.
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by C.J. Hermann Fick
(tr. by BackToLuther)
The sixth sentence of condemnation was issued on the dry bones and picture of the blessed woman Leonora de Bivero, [or Dame Leonore de Bivero in Foxe], although they had never heard that she had any opinion for or against the Roman Church. This godly woman was the mother of the five mentioned convicted siblings and had died long before. She had heartily loved the true Christian religion during her life, led a blameless transition, and let preaching and Christian gatherings be held in her home. Her excavated bones were brought in a coffin, after which her figure could be seen, and the solicitor spoke over them the judgment that her bones and dead form be burned as a Lutheran to ashes, and all her goods should be confiscated, that also her house be torn down to the ground, and [page 190] in memory of the place a marble stone should be erected on which the cause of her burning and this devastation would be recorded for everyone with engraved letters. [Where is this place; is monument still standing?]
For the seventh was Alfonso Perez, a priest at Valencia, condemned that he should first be demoted, then burned as a heretic and his property be confiscated for the king.
Now that the aforementioned persons and dry bones had received their judgment, the bishop of Valencia came forward in his episcopal attire, and began to solemnly demote the dear martyrs Cazalla, Francisco de Bivero and Alfonso Perez as no longer priests, while he gave each a cup in his hand, and withdrew from them the priestly garments one by one, as he had first put on them. Then he took from them of the priestly ordination according usual popish use on fingers, lips and head, whereupon they were again dressed in the Sanbenito and had placed on each man a paper hat. Although Cazalla began to speak and ask the Princes and Lords to grant him a hearing, he could not obtain it, but was driven back hard and unkind, and pushed to his place. Nevertheless, he said in a loud voice that his faith for which he was thus treated, was not heretical, but in agreement with the pure, infallible Word of God. For the same he would be also ready and willing to die, as a devout, right Christian, and not like a heretic.
The eighth brought forward was Don Pedro Sarmiento, Knight of the Order of Alcantara, who was at Valencia and was the son of the Marquis de Poza. He was publicly proclaimed a heretic, and condemned that he should wear the Sanbenito for the rest of his life and sit forever in prison. In addition, he should be deprived of his Order of Knights and all his goods, and he would have no right to wear gold, silver, pearls or precious stones. After him was called his wife, Maria de Figueroa, who would be cried out as a heretic and condemned as her husband with the same punishment. For the tenth, Don Luis de Rojas, the son and heir of the Marquis de Poza, was called and publicly declared a heretic, but in consideration of the great intercession that happened for him, he was only sentenced that he bear the Sanbenito to the town hall and should be deprived of all his goods. This was followed by Mrs. Anna Henriques, resident of Toro, daughter of Count Ascanzes, and mother of the Marquis de Poza, former wife of Mr. Alfonso de Fonesco. She was also declared a heretic and condemned, that she should carry the Sanbenito to the city hall and be deprived of all her goods.
Furthermore Christoval del Campo [or Christobal de Ocampo], a citizen of Samora [Zamora?], was called forward and proclaimed a heretic and condemned to the fire; his property should be forfeited to the common chest. [page 191] The same judgment was received by another citizen of Zamora, Christoval de Padilla. The fourteenth was Antonio de Huezvello [or Antonio Herrezuelo], a Bachelor of Theology, who had lived at Toro. He was announced as a heretic and condemned to the fire: his property should be confiscated. He had a bit put in his mouth so that he could not speak to the people, nor could make a confession of his faith. For the fifteenth, Catalina de Roman [or Catherine Roman de Pedrosa, pgs 202-203] was called from her seat, a citizen of Pedrosa [Pedroda del Rey?], and condemned that she should be deprived of all her goods and burned. The licentiate Francisco Errem, a native of Peñaranda [de Bracamonte or de Duero], was condemned likewise as an abominable heretic, burned alive and his property should be confiscated. After this was called Mrs. Catalina Ortega [or Donna/Dona Catherine de Ortega], residing at Valladolid, a daughter of the solicitor Fernando Piazo, and the widow of the captain Louis [or commander Loaisa]. Because she was held by the rest as the teacher, she was publicly decried as a noble and exceptional heretic and condemned to the fire: her property to be forfeited to the royal chamber. In the eighteenth and nineteenth places were Isabella de Strada [or Isabella d’Estrada] and Juan Velasques [or Valazquez], both of Pedrosa. They were sentenced to be burned and forfeit their goods. The same sentence was given a certain Blechschmidt, who had been an elder of the church, and had granted his house as a meeting place for the Christians.
However the servants of the Roman Antichrist were not satisfied to take from these dear evangelical Lutheran martyrs only their property and their lives, for they sought in the most deceitful way to even rob them of their honor. In order to more blaspheme [schmähen] and defile [schänden] the divine truth of the Gospel and its Confessors, and cause suspicion by the ignorant, they now presented a Jew and Marrano from Lisbon in Portugal by the name of Gensalo Vaes [or Gonzalez Baez], who had fallen again to Judaism after his baptism, and condemned him also that he should lose his property and be burned at the same time with the Lutherans in judgment. It was generally [überhaupt] an excessive [unerhörte] tyranny to punish these people with death for the sake of their false religion. However, while the Inquisitors combined this Jew, who had denied the Lord Jesus, together with the Lutherans, and condemned him to the same punishment, they wanted to create the false impression for the poor people, as if the Lutherans would also reject the Lord Jesus. But disciple is not above his master, nor the servant above his lord, Matt. 10:24. But also our Lord Jesus Christ was reckoned among the transgressors and crucified in the middle between two criminals.
Then Juana de Silva was called, the wife of Juan de Bivero, brother of Dr. Cazalla. They declared her [page 192] a heretic and put a robe of shame on her to wear for life, as a sign of her crime, and all her goods should be robbed. Further, Leonora de Cisveros [or Leonora de Cisneros or Eleonora de Cisneros], the wife of the previously mentioned Bachelor Antonio de Huezvello, as well as Marina de Sojavedra, the wife of Cisveras de Sareglio, and Daniel Quadra, a Pedrosa native, were convicted, decried as total heretics, and that they should lose all their property and do penance in prison for life clothed with robes of shame. Maria de Royas [or Donna Maria de Roxas], the sister of the Marquis de Royas, was condemned that she carry a robe of disgrace to the city hall, lose her goods and should ever repent, but as such grace happened to her because she had been a convent nun and came from noble lineage. Then was brought forward and convicted Antonio Dominigo [or Santo Domingo (Fray antonio de)] of Pedrosa, that he be dressed with a yellow coat, stand a three-year prison sentence, lose all his property and should do repentance so for his heresy. Finally, the twenty eighth prisoner Anthony Basor [or Anthony Wasor] was called forward. Because he was an Englishman, he received the verdict that for his crime he should bear the Sanbenito to the City Hall, imprisoned a year in a monastery and be taught in the Roman Church teachings as necessary.
After these convictions were spoken, the dear Confessors were condemned to death by fire together with the coffin of the dead woman and her portrait sitting there, then were passed to the secular authorities and the executioners with orders to carry out the executions immediately. Then they all were immediately seized and bound facing rearward upon an ass, and so accompanied by many armed and armored soldiers they were led out to the place of judgment, which lay outside the city and was called Del Campo. Fourteen poles were erected spaced equally from each other on which the dear martyrs were lashed, and strangled first according to Spanish habit, then burned to ashes. An exception was made with the blessed Antonio Huezvello [or Antonio Herrezuelo]. Because he violently loathed the clergy of the Pope in and out of prison, his mouth was blocked with a bit and so the faithful witness was burnt alive.
So these faithful Christians, for the sake of truth and the pure Word of God, were led like sheep to the slaughter, and had not only each other for Christian comfort, but also exhorted all bystanders to the knowledge of Christ, so that are all were highly surprised to see only their constancy and their calm and gentle end. And hereby ended this miserable spectacle worthy of weeping. However the reporter who wrote this news from Spain to Germany noticed that there was a rumor that there were probably thirty seven other Lutherans still sitting imprisoned with which they were willing to perform a similar tragedy before long.
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24. Auto da fé in Valladolid. Sources: 1. Crocius, p. 1012. 2. Herrn Baker’s vollständige Historie der Inquisition, p. 772 or here, 3. Foxe, The acts & c, p. 47l. – Leonora de Cisveros had suffered death according to testimony of the Papists, as if her body were of stone and not of flesh; as it says in the Unschuldige Nachrichten from 1718, p 242. She must have been burned later also. Her name is mistakenly written as Lisveros on page 192. [See “Leonor de Cisneros”: Profile in Faith on Leben.us website; also here, and here]
= = = = = = = = = = End of Auto da fé in Valladolid. = = = = = = = = = = =These martyrs of Spain were not Reformed, or Calvinists, or Erasmian, or "reflecting evangelists", or "semi-Protestants", or any other notion of Reformed or secular historians... they were condemned and died as Lutherans! Historians generally put the spotlight on Dr. Cazalla, but I am perhaps most impressed with Antonio Huezvello/Herrezuelo because...
"he violently loathed the clergy of the Pope in and out of prison"...... and so the Spanish Inquisition had to mechanically close Herrezuelo's mouth to shut him up! Oh dear Huezvello/Herrezuelo! ... this blog post is dedicated to your memory because your mouth is now wide open and your "violent loathing of the clergy of the Pope" continues! The Gospel of Jesus Christ cries out against the papists with a loud, loathing cry for it condemns their robbing of its power... today!... here and now!
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This ends Hermann Fick's account of the Spanish martyrs. He goes on from here to cover the martyrs in Italy, but I may take a break from translating this work for awhile...
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