Bartolomé de Carranza

Spanish theologian

Bartolomé de Carranza, also called Bartolomé De Miranda, (born

1503, Miranda de Arga, Spain—died May 2, 1576, Rome, Papal States [Italy]),
Dominican theologian and archbishop of Toledo who was imprisoned for
nearly 17 years by the Spanish Inquisition.

Carranza entered the Dominican convent of Benalaque near

Guadalajara, Spain, and had a brilliant scholastic career, holding responsible
positions in his order. As the Holy Roman emperor Charles V’s envoy, he took
an active part (1545–47) in the Council of Trent.

In 1546 Carranza published his Summa conciliorum (“Summary of the

Council Meetings”) and his Quattuor controversiae (“Four Controversies”).
The latter work, an important study of the authority within the Roman
Catholic church of tradition, Scripture, the pope, and the councils, forestalled
the work of the Dominican theologian Melchor Cano, who accused Carranza of
Lutheran opinions. In 1554–57 Carranza was in England as adviser to
King Philip II of Spain at the king’s marriage to Queen Mary I of England. In
1557 Philip named him archbishop of Toledo and primate of Spain.
His Comentarios sobre el catechismo christiano (1558;“Commentaries on the
Christian Catechism”) brought about renewed accusations of Lutheranism.
Carranza was arrested by the Inquisition (Aug. 22, 1559) and accused of
urging Bible reading by laypersons and advocating the writing of theology in
the vernacular. Though the Council of Trent in 1563 declared his work sound,
Philip and the Inquisition would not yield, presumably for political reasons.
Pope Pius V called Carranza to Rome in 1567, but he was not acquitted until
1576, when he was sent to the Dominican priory of the Minerva, where he died
18 days later.