THE LEGACY OF SERVETUS 34 The Legacy of Servetus: Humanism and the Beginning of Change in the Social Paradigm On the Occasion of the 450 th Anniversary of His Martyrdom MARIAN HILLAR Michael Servetus occupies a unique place in the annals of European history. He was a lonely scholar and a bold mind who left two great legacies. 1 In the realm of intellectual inquiry he demanded a radical reevaluation of the entire ideological religious system of assertions and dogmas imposed on western Europe since the fourth century. Servetus’s theological inquiry initiated the study of scriptural tradition in an attempt to uncover the real religious doctrines contained in it. On the moral societal level Servetus demanded freedom of intellectual inquiry, thought, conscience and expression, which was denied to millions on doctrinal grounds. By his sacrifice Servetus set in motion a process of change in the entire social paradigm and the recovery of the right to freedom of conscience. Establishment of an Ecclesiastical Paradigm Servetus’s role as a central figure in history, who initiated the process of recovering the social humanistic paradigm, becomes obvious if we put it in a historical perspective. Greco-Roman pre-Christian society enjoyed toleration and freedom of religion, of conscience, and of thought. Ancient religions never demanded conversion. The ancient western world did not have the concept of “heresy” or “heretic.” This was due to the lack of a state religion and state- sanctioned theological doctrine, though the people and the centers of power were highly religious. All this dramatically changed with the advent of state-supported Christianity. From the fourth century Christianity became an institution of organized clergy, fused with the political power of the Roman Empire and later the rest of western Europe. 2 1 Ángel Alcalá, “Los dos grandes legados de Servet: el radicalismo como método intelectual y el derecho a la libertad de conciencia,” en Turia, Revista Cultural, No. 63- 64, 2003, 221-242. 2 Marian Hillar, The Case of Michael Servetus (1511-1553) - The Turning Point in the Struggle for Freedom of Conscience, Lewiston, NY: Edwin Mellen Press, 1997, 13-180. The Theodosian Code and Novels and the Sirmondian Constitutions, New York: Greenwood Press, 1952.