Źródła i specyfika XVI-wiecznych dyskusji teologicznych w „kwestii Indii”

Abstract

The subject of the treatise refers to theological debates on the so-called “Indian question”, which arose due to Columbus’ discovery travels and the Spanish conquest of the “New World” The author gives a brief description of the attempts to justify the conquest within the mission patronage based on “Alexandrian donation”, as well as some problems connected with setting anthropological, legal and theological status of the Indian population. The justification of the Spanish invasions, which was contained in Requerimiento (1513), gave the Spanish authorities the right to use force towards the Indians who offered resistance. The “Salamanca School” played an important role in reflecting upon the Indian rights and defending their freedom; some theologians and Dominican missionaries, like Antonio Montesiono, Pedro da Cordoba, Bartolome de Las Casas, Francesco de Vitoria, Domingo and Pedro de Soto, were closely connected with that School. The situation of the Indians was, however, predominantly affected by the views of John Mair, Juan Sepulveda and some other theologians, who refused to acknowledge the Indians as full-right-humans, considering them to be slaves, according to Aristotle’s concept of “barbarians” and the so-called “sins against nature”, allegedly committed by the Indians. A renewal of scholastic theology, which took place mainly in Salamanca, made it possible to work out new theological arguments in defense of rationalism, freedom and property with regard to the Indians. It was due to drawing a distinction between the natural and supernatural order. The scholastic thinkers emphasized the autonomy of natural order, which cannot be disturbed by either sin or grace; grace can merely lead to its improvement. Consequently, all people are equal since they can tell the difference between the good and the evil thanks to the natural light of the mind. Thanks to such people as Bartolome de Las Casas and Francesco de Vitoria an ethical aspect of colonizing the Indians found expression. Chiapas Las Casas, later to become bishop, fervently unmasked injustice done to the Indians, and his famous dispute with the royal theologian Juan Sepulveda in Valladolid (1550) provided an opportunity to question all reasons for America’s conquest and reject Aristotle’s philosophical concepts as arguments to legitimize unjust enslavement of the Indians.